HANDLING MANURE; MATERIAL FOR BEDDING 319 



Preservation of Manure. The fermentations in manure 

 are checked by using plenty of litter to absorb the liquid 

 manure. A small amount of gypsum may be sprinkled on 

 the moist manure as a means of helping to fix the ammonia. 

 The most important things to be done to preserve the 

 manure are to use sufficient litter for absorbents and where 

 it is necessary to store the manure some time before appli- 

 cation to the soil, to keep it compact, moist, and protected 

 from leaching. In the Eastern States it is a common prac- 

 tice to use a manure cellar under the barn. The manure is 

 usually dropped through trap doors from above. Large 

 doors are arranged so wagons can be backed or driven into 

 the manure cellar for loading. Land plaster is generally 

 used to keep down the odors. The manure is hauled out to 

 the field in the spring or summer. This method preserves 

 the manure fairly well, especially when it is kept compact. 

 The chief objection to this plan is its unsanitary features. 



Another provision made for protecting manure is an open 

 shed. In some cases this is in the form of a lean-to along 

 the side of the barn, and the manure is thrown out of the 

 windows under this shed. A much better plan is to build 

 a shed over a shallow pit some distance from the barn, and 

 haul the manure into it by wheelbarrow or carrier. With 

 this plan the urine is generally drained into the pit which 

 contains the manure, a concrete bottom and sides pre- 

 venting escape into the ground. 



There is considerable question whether it pays to provide 

 a roof for the protection of manure or not. It is believed by 

 some authorities that if an impervious floor is provided, slop- 

 ing toward the center or built in the form of a pit with 

 sides, the rain is beneficial rather than harmful, since 



