Farm Manure. 121 



izers. The amount of manure produced would weight 811.9 tons, 

 giving a value of $2.58 for each ton. How near the actual agri- 

 cultural value of the manure will approach the trade value will 

 depend upon a number of conditions, such as crop to be fed, 

 physical condition of the soil, climate, and especially the manage- 

 ment of the manure itself. The same statement applies to com- 

 mercial fertilizers, the trade price being no indication of the 

 agricultural value of the material, and the farmer who profits 

 most from the use of commercial fertilizers is also the one to be 

 best repaid for the use of barn yard manure. In experiments 

 conducted at the Ohio Experiment Station and covering a period 

 of ten years, it was found that the average value of the increase 

 of crop produced by one ton of fresh manure amounted to $3.44. 

 If 50 cents per ton be allowed, as the cost of applying the manure 

 to the field, there still remains a substantial profit, as the result 

 of the application. 



How to increase the value of manure. Where a system of 

 animal husbandry is practiced, the farmer will find that the most 

 economical way to increase the plant food for the farm is by 

 purchasing feeding stuffs rich in fertilizing constituents, feeding 

 them to the animals and using the manure as a fertilizer. In 

 a system of grain farming he will, of course, be obliged to supply 

 his deficiency in plant food by direct purchase of the needed 

 elements in the form of commercial fertilizers. The successful 

 stockman finds it profitable to reinforce the feeds raised on the 

 farm with one or more of the various mill and other by-products 

 that are sold as cattle feeds. A farmer who buys large quan- 

 tities of concentrates is increasing the fertility of his land pro- 

 vided he is taking proper care of the manure. At the University 

 Farm there is an annual gain in fertilizer elements from pur- 

 chased feeding stuffs over the losses sustained by the sale of ani- 

 mals and animal products. 



In purchasing feeding stuffs, one should always consider their 

 fertilizing value, as well as their feeding value, for, while the 

 substance is bought primarily to feed, it is sometimes possible to 



