MAINTAINING FERTILITY OF LAND 199 



per acre, there would have to be provided two tons per 

 year for each acre of the farm. This will usually require 

 about one cow or horse, or equivalent, for each six acres 

 of land. If the stock runs in pasture most of the year, or 

 if the manure is left to rot at the barn, more stock will be 

 necessary. 



METHODS OF HANDLING MANURE 



129. Methods of handling manure. The ideal way 

 of handling manure is to haul it directly to the fields and 

 spread every day. But on most farms this is not prac- 

 tical. A well-organized farm has so much important 

 work during the summer that one cannot afford to take 

 the time to haul manure. Many times the fields are wet, 

 so that driving on them causes injury. At other times 

 crops are growing, so that there is no place to put manure. 

 A considerable number of dairy farmers who do little but 

 produce milk, haul manure every day. 



On most farms, manure must be stored and hauled in 

 the fall, winter, and spring. One of the best places to 

 store it is in the covered sheds where stock is fed. The 

 animals pack it and keep it moist so that it is well pre- 

 served. If there is a cement floor, there is very little loss 

 so long as the manure is kept moist and packed. Horse 

 and hen manure lose by heating. If mixed with other 

 manure, the loss is less. 



Few farmers feel that they can afford a manure shed, 

 but an even better arrangement is a covered shed with a 

 cement floor where all manure is dumped and on which 

 animals run. 



The manure spreader is one of the most important 

 tools on the farm, not only because it saves labor, but 

 because it spreads the manure over more land. Usually 



