HANDLING MANURE 

 Table LIX 



381 



Water 



Soluble organic matter. . . . 

 Soluble organic nitrogen . . 

 Soluble inorganic matter . . 

 Insoluble organic matter . . 

 Insoluble inorganic matter 



Fresh 



Rotted 



In applying farm manure to the field, it is customary 

 either to throw it from the wagon into small heaps, from 

 which it is distributed later, or to scatter it as evenly 

 as possible immediately on hauling it to the field. The 

 use of the automatic manure spreader accomplished 

 the latter procedure in an admirable manner. As be- 

 tween these two methods, the advantage, so far as the 

 conservation of the manurial value is concerned, is 

 with the practice of spreading immediately. When piled 

 in small heaps, fermentation goes on under conditions 

 that cannot be controlled, and that may be very unfavor- 

 able. The heaps may dry out, and thus lose much of 

 their nitrogen; or they are likely to leave the field un- 

 evenly fertilized by leaching into the soil directly under 

 and adjacent to the heap. On the other hand, when 

 spread immediately, little fermentation takes place, 

 as the temperature is generally low and the soluble 

 compounds are leached quite uniformly into the soil. 

 Plowing should follow as closely as possible the spread- 

 ing of the manure, and, except in winter, at which time 

 deterioration is not likely to be great, this can well be 

 done. 



