Manure Saving. 147 



from the eaves and surface wash. But we must be careful when 

 we pile manure, as it will heat and cause loss of ammonia. To 

 prevent excessive heating I tramped the pile, or rather encouraged 

 the cows to do it for me. All I had to do was to put a couple of 

 rubbing posts on top of the pile, which was broad, and while 

 they were out in the yard they would patronize them every time. 

 It made me some extra trouble in cleaning up around the pile. 

 With care in cleaning up before a rain, we in this way saved our 

 manure in the yard without much loss. There was some. It 

 was not a perfect way, but it was the best we could do. For a 

 time we composted it with muck, as will be told of in a chapter 

 under that head. It was used in the fall to put on our next year 

 potato land. Now we want to keep the manure till July, when 

 it goes on the young clover where the wheat has been taken off. 

 What we want is a simple, perfect way of keeping it in the yard 

 until it is wanted, without loss. We have it in the shape of a 

 roof over a small barnyard. It is simple, practical, perfect, and 

 answers for other uses besides saving the manure. We have sel- 

 dom invested any money that gave more real pleasure. It comes 

 next to taking the water out of a frog pond and making it produce 

 a bounteous, useful crop. For forty years before I came here the 

 drainage from the barnyard went down into a cat swamp near by. 

 There is no drainage now, not a drop. The fertility goes where 

 I want it. Do not get the idea that this roof is over a great large 

 yard and is extravagant and not practical. We have about 34x70 

 feet covered, which is sufficient for our purpose. The stable doors 

 open right into it, of course, and from them the ground is graded 

 down slightly so the most of the yard is some 1 8 inches below the 

 level of stable. This gives a chance for the accumulation of a 

 good deal of manure before it is level full. It is spread all over 

 the floor, of course, evenly, and we walk and drive right over it. 

 It is never piled. This gives us all the yard to use just as though 

 no manure was there. I will give you plans and pictures in an- 

 other chapter entitled Our Barn. The covered yard has a ground 

 floor. A cement one is not needed, as no rain falls on manure 

 and there is no leaching. When we begin to wheel out manure 

 we cover ground with wheat chaff and put manure on it, which 

 prevents any possible loss. Plenty of straw is always used in the 

 stable to absorb all liquids. If manure is spread evenly, in thin 

 layers, in winter, and tramped by any stock in yard, it will not 

 heat any. So there is no loss upwards. 



In summer our horse manure needs a little sprinkling as it is 

 spread, and then we use a little land plaster on top after it is all 

 out, and take a horse and tramp it down some. A little dry straw 

 is thrown over the top when all done, to make it clean to pass 

 over and keep it from drying. This is a little work, but we do it 

 rainy days, and it makes good manure. In the hottest weather 

 there is no fire fanging whatever of manure in this shed. It is 



