356 SOILS 



is concerned; but there are decided sanitary 

 objections to this method. The stable above is 

 almost sure to be bad-smelling. Thorough ventila- 

 tion and the use of gypsum will do much to alleviate 

 this condition; but manure should be stored away 

 from, not beneath, the animals, especially in a dairy. 



The manure of animals confined in pens, as 

 sheep and young stock, is usually stored without 

 serious loss, if it is allowed to accumulate and an 

 abundance of bedding is used. The manure is 

 tramped down very firmly by the animals, all the 

 liquid portion is absorbed, and there is little loss 

 by fermentation or leaching. 



How to Prevent Loss by Heating. The fermenta- 

 tion that makes manure deteriorate in value takes 

 place only when it is piled loosely, so that air passes 

 through it readily. Compacting the manure, as 

 with the tramping of animals, prevents this loss. 

 Manure must also be only moist, not wet, in order 

 to ferment; so that if it is kept wet with the liquid 

 excrement, there is little likelihood that it will heat. 

 Sometimes it is practicable to wet the manure 

 occasionally. If fermenting manure has a small 

 amount of fresh manure mixed with it the heating 

 will be checked. 



Methods of Saving Liquid Manure. The simplest 

 way to save liquid excrement is to provide plenty of 

 beading to absorb it. Many materials are usea for 

 bedding and these affect the value of the manure. 

 It is commonly thought that strawy manure is not 

 as valuable as clear manure ; yet the straw in manure 

 may have absorbed much of the liquid excrement, so 

 that strawy manure may be really more valuable 

 than that which contains little straw. 



The objects of bedding are not only to keep the 

 animals comfortable and clean but also to catch 



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