184 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



peared. As this process continues, the manure heap is more 

 and more filled with nitrates, and therefore becomes a better 

 and better food for plants. When put upon the soil it fur- 

 nishes the soil both with plant food and with great quanti- 

 ties of the nitric bacteria, which may be of practical value 

 in the soil in converting its nitrogen into available form. 



Methods of Handling Manure. 



"While in the handlino^ of the voiding's of neat stock and 

 horses it is probably not advantageous to use chemicals for 

 the preservation of the manure, the manure can be mechan- 

 ically treated so as to be helpful. For instance, the loss of 

 nitrogen appears to be greater in manure when there is a 

 perfectly free access of air than when it is compactly massed ; 

 hence it is wise to keep the manure in compact heaps, and 

 the more compact tbe slower the fermentations and the less 

 danger from losses. This explains and justifies the practice, 

 so common in New England, of compactly storing manure 

 upon tight floors in barn cellars. Not only does this avoid 

 loss from leaching and make it possil)le to save the urine, 

 but it helps control the fermentation. It is also quite com- 

 mon to allow hogs to run upon this manure, and it is thus 

 made more compact. The exclusion of air thus brought 

 about checks the rapidity of bacterial action. Unless pre- 

 cautions of this kind are taken, it probably would be better 

 to keep, where practicable, the liquid manure separate from 

 the solid, because the urea decomposes much more quickly 

 than does the solid excrement. 



Of course the same changes go on, whether the manure is 

 in heaps or whether the fresh manure is put upon the soil. 

 The results of many experiments seem to indicate that there 

 may be a greater saving in the nitrogenous parts of tlie ma- 

 nure if it is freshly applied than if it is allowed to ferment 

 before being put upon the land. Experiments upon the 

 dirtcrent methods of storing show there was less loss of 

 nitrogen when the manure was exposed to the air in heaps 

 than when it was put in heaps under a shed ; but in this 

 particular experiment tlie shed was drafty, and this may ac- 

 count for the greater loss. There was the largest loss when 



