320 DAIRY CATTLE AND MILK PRODUCTION 



leaching cannot occur, and the necessary moisture to help 

 prevent the escape of ammonia is provided. The throwing 

 of manure out under the eaves of the barn results necessarily 

 in the loss of much of its value by excessive leaching, and at 

 the same time it is very objectionable in a sanitary way to 

 have a large accumulation of manure through which cows 

 must wade and in which flies will breed. A barnyard can- 

 not be kept in good condition unless such accumulation of 

 manure is avoided. 



Handling Manure. One of the most difficult problems 

 in disposing of manure is handling the urine. As already 

 pointed out, it is the most valuable part of the manure, but 

 is often allowed to go to waste. There are two systems in 

 common use for handling urine. One is an underground 

 cistern into which the urine goes through suitable drains 

 from the gutters. This accumulated urine is at intervals 

 pumped into a tank wagon and distributed over the fields 

 from a sprinkler, or a portion is pumped over the solid manure 

 on the spreader before it is taken to the field. The other 

 plan is to use sufficient bedding to absorb the urine and dis- 

 tribute it with the dung. Where sufficient bedding can be 

 had without too much expense, this system is the most 

 economical of labor, and therefore the most satisfactory. 



The method of handling manure which has met with the 

 greatest favor among dairymen in recent years is loading it 

 directly from the barn into a manure spreader. The barn is 

 arranged so the spreader may be driven through the barn 

 and loaded from the gutters, or an overhead carrier is used, 

 with the track extending into the yard, so arranged that the 

 load may be dumped into the spreader. 



When a load has accumulated, it is hauled to the field and 



