10 THE MANURE HEAP [CH. 



ones: it should be gathered in before the winter rains have 

 washed out too much of its fertilising constituents. 



Another way of saving the urine is to keep the beasts under 

 cover directly they reach the stage of receiving cake. If you have 

 not got a good covered yard arrange the threshing so that the 

 beasts can be kept in part of the Dutch barn (Fig. 3). Manure 

 made in this way keeps its urine well; its sole defect is that it 

 may be rather dry. For autumn applications or for clamping 

 this does not matter. 



The manure thrown out from the horse-stalls is also dry, 

 because of the large amounts of straw that horsemen tend to take 

 when there is no check upon them. It is sometimes thrown into 

 the open so that the rain may help to rot it down, but this pro- 

 cedure is very wasteful : it is better thrown into a covered yard 

 under bullocks or pigs. If the yard is provided with a tank for 

 liquid manure the drains leading to it should be put into order 

 so that all the liquid may get there safely. 



Time of application of the manure. The most economical 

 procedure is to apply the manure at once to the land directly it 

 is drawn out from the yards. The proper time for doing this 

 depends on the crop and the climate. In districts where the rain- 

 fall is 35 inches or more the manure is best applied in spring for 

 roots, potatoes, and, where the winter is mild, for clover leys. 

 Berry 1 found in the west of Scotland that spring dressings on 

 potatoes and turnips gave 50 to 60 per cent, increases, while 

 autumn dressings only gave 25 per cent, increases over the 

 control plots. 



Potatoes Turnips 



Increase over unmanured plot Increase over unmanured plot 



t > i "i 



Weight Money value Per Weight Money value Per 



per acre per acre cent. per acre per acre cent. 



tons cwts s. d. tons cwts s. d. 



Spring application 42 932 157 62 286 141 



Autumn 21 4 12 126 3 14 196 125 



Under drier conditions 30 inches or less of rainfall winter 

 dressings may be the better. Thus, at the Harper Adams 

 Agricultural College 2 , although the spring-manured potatoes made 



1 West of Scotland Agric. Coll Bull No. 65, 1914. 



2 Harper Adams Report for 1913. 



