FARM MANURES 351 



of their food in their, excrements, while cows that 

 are being fattened return 80 to 90 per cent. 



The kind of food that the animal eats has a 

 marked effect upon the richness of its manure. 

 The more grain mere is fed to them, especially such 

 foods as wheat bran, gluten meal and cotton-seed 

 meal, the richer the manure, since these grains are 

 rich in protein. Animals fed solely on hay of poor 

 quality produce manure that is much inferior to 

 that of grain-fed animals. In short, the richer the 

 ration, the richer the manure. 



The kind and quantity of bedding used affects the 

 value of manure, also the individuality of the animal. 

 Some animals use a larger proportion of their food 

 for making milk, or beef, or mutton, than others; 

 what is not used is recovered in the manure. 



HOW MANURE IS WASTED 



There are still many sections where barn manure 

 is not used upon the land, and, in fact, is considered 

 a nuisance. In parts of Oregon farmers give 

 away manure for the hauling, and are glad to be 

 rid of it. In counties of California and Oklahoma 

 manure is dumped into the river. Some Missouri, 

 Kansas, and North Dakota farmers use it to fill up 

 holes, or dump it in heaps beside the fields and 

 roads. Some South Dakota farmers burn it to 

 get rid of it. In Idaho it is frequently seen piled 

 as high as a barn. The waste of manure in parts 

 of the West is a painful sight to the Eastern farmer 

 who knows that the land will soon be in need of it. 

 On the very farms where manure is thrown away 

 in this manner the soil is often greatly benefited by 

 it, even now. These improvident methods, how- 

 ever, are becoming less and less common. 



