HAMPSHIRE COUNTY 



FARM BUREAU MONTHLY 



Published by the Hampshire County Farm Bureau 



PRICES 50 CENTS PER YEAR; $1.00 PER YEAR INCLUDING MEMBERSHIP IN FARM BUREAU 



Vol. 1 



Northampton, Mass., January, 1916 



No. 5 



FARM MANTJRES 



When one hears of the high prices 

 asked for commercial fertilizers, the 

 Talue of farm manures Is brought 

 rtoser home and we realize more and 

 more their importance. 



Preventing losses from fermenta- 

 tion, leaching, etc., is of far greater 

 signifcance than the average farmer 

 will give it. How often we see the 

 manure pile standing outside the 

 barn in the open or If stored in the 

 cellar, a drain carrying the liquid 

 »ff into the gutter or pasture . All 

 farmers recognize the beneficial ef- 

 fect of farm manures, but compara- 

 tively few recognize the losses co 

 which manures are subjected or real- 

 ize that much care must be exercised 

 in handling manures in order to se- 

 cure the greatest returns from their 

 use. 



One of the chief reasons for the 

 Sreat loss in farm manures is due to 

 the fact that farmers as a rule do not 

 appreciate the value of liquid ma- 

 nure. It has been proven that the 

 urine voided by animals contains over 

 half the total fertilizing value of the 

 manure. The urine usually contains 

 about three-forths of the total nitro- 

 gen and four-fifths of the total pat- 

 ash. With our present high prices 

 for nitrogen and potash, can we af- 

 ford to waste this? 



Barnyard manure is subject to loss 

 through fermentation and leaching. 

 It is not possible to prevent entirely 

 the loss by fermentation, but it can 

 be reduced somewhat by keeping the 

 manure compact, thus excluding the 

 air. The loss through fermentation 

 falls upon the nitrogen while the pot- 

 ash and phosphoric acid is lost only 

 through leaching. Nitrogen Is lost 

 also through leaching. 



The loss through leaching is by 

 far the most serious and the one that 

 •an be most easily remedied by 

 the farmer. 



The loss sustained by manure sub- 

 ject to leaching from February to 

 October according to the New Jer- 

 sey Station would be equivalent to 

 an increase in the cost of milk 

 production of 27 cents per hundred 

 pounds. This is well worth con- 

 9l4erlng. 



If a farmer has no place to shelter 

 the farm manure through the win- 

 der, it is far better to haul it out on- 

 to his fields and spread it, if the 

 land is fairly level, spread it at once, 

 otherwise leave it in a large pile. 



A water-tight cement pit with a 

 covering will easily pay for itself in 

 a year or two and make the best place 

 in which to store the manure. If 

 a barn cellar is used, make sure 

 either by laying a cement bottom or 

 by using plenty of bedding that the 

 liquid Is not lost. 



Plenty of bedding under the stock 

 is a good investment as it prevents 

 to a great extent the loss of the liquid 

 manure. Besides absorbing the liquid 

 it makes the barns more sanitary, 

 makes the manure easier to handle, 

 lessens fermentation and improves 

 the texture of the manure. 



Farm manure should be considered 

 among the most valuable products ot 

 the farm. In the hill towns especi- 

 ally the success of the farm depends 

 largely on the care and the use to 

 which the farm manure is put. As 

 one man said, "Preserving and ap- 

 plying manure to the land should be 

 considered the same as putting mo- 

 ney in the bank — to be taken out 

 and used as needed." 



ASHES AS A FERTILIZER 



Before the discovery of the Strass- 

 furt deposits of potash, wood ashes 

 were practically the chief source 

 from which to obtain our potash for 

 fertilizer. 



And now that the war has nearly 

 stopped the use of muriate of sul- 

 phate of potash as a fertilizer, many 

 farmers are turning again to wood 

 ashes. 



The main source of wood ashes is 

 Canada as not much wood is burn- 

 ed in the United States. The objec- 

 tion to the purchasing of ashes is 

 that the analysis is very uncertain. 

 If they have been exposed to ,the 

 weather and allowed to leach much 

 of the value Is lost. 



An analysis of leached and un- 

 leached ashes gave the following re- 

 sults: 



Unleached Leached 

 Per Cent Per Cent 

 Insoluble matter 13.0 13.0 



Moisture 12.0 30.9 



Lime 61.0 51.0 



Potash 5.5 1.1 



Phosphoric acid 1.9 1.4 



Undetermined 6.6 3.5 



(Wiley) 



It is seen that in leaching ashes 

 the phosphoric acid and potash are 

 principaly lost 



For the most part the ashes that 

 have been purchased this fall are 

 very heavy, due no doubt to the moist 

 season, the analysis runs quite low, 

 around 3% potash and in some cases 

 the per cent of sand present has been 

 very high. They are, at the present 

 time, however, the cheapest source 

 of potash. The prevailing price being 

 from $12.50 to $23.00 per ton, accord 

 ing to the analysis. Always buy ashes 

 on a guaranteed analysis. Beside the 

 potash, they contain a small per cent 

 of phosphoric acid and 30% or better 

 of lime. Beside this fertilizing value, 

 they seem to help to conserve the 

 moisture in the soil, improving the 

 texture and correct acidity. Most 

 soils are benefited by an application 

 of wood ashes. They are profitable as 

 a top dressing to grasses and leg 

 umes. They are also used on corn, 

 roots and many market garden crops. 

 Because of their lime content they 

 are not so good for potatoes. 



The farmer who uses wood in his 

 stove should be careful to store the 

 ashes where they will not be sub- 

 ject to leaching. Ordinary house 

 ashes contain on the average 8 or 9% 

 potash and 2 % phosphoric acid. The 

 potash and phosphoric acid m a 

 bushel of ashes Is worth ordinary 

 seasons 20 to 25 cents. Hard-wood 

 ashes are more valuable than those 

 from soft wood, also the younger and 

 smaller the wood burned the better 

 the ashes 



