The foregoing table is a fair example of the losses sustained by most 

 of our farmers by not properly handling and protecting manure. It is 

 estimated by the Agricultural Department of the United States Gov- 

 ernment that $2,000,000,000.00 worth of fertility is lost annually 

 through carelessness. 



How to Spread Manure on the Land 



In spreading manure, the farmer is naturally anxious to accomplish 

 two things — 



First, to secure the full benefit of the plant food and humus. 



Second, to do the work as cheaply as possible. 



Suppose we just analyze the various methods resorted to and see 

 what the net results are. 



Farmer A hauls the manure to the field and dumps it in piles contain- 

 ing from one to two hundred pounds each and later spreads it, usually 

 just ahead of the plow. 



Farmer B hauls his to the field and spreads it with a hand fork from 

 the wagon. 



Farmer C uses a manure spreader. 



Farmer A has made piles about two rods apart. The top of the pile is 

 loose, permitting the free circulation of air and at the same time com- 

 pact enough to cause fermentation. The aerobic bacteria convert the 

 organic matter into ammonia, carbon dioxide and other gases which 

 readily pass into the air. The result is a great loss of the nitrogen in 

 the upper two-thirds of the pile. In case of rains, much of the plant 

 food in the bottom of the pile percolates into the soil which is evidenced 

 in the rank growth of vegetation where the pile laid, a condition we have 

 all seen a thousand times. Under such conditions, the stand is uneven 

 and the crop ripens unevenly. The practice of placing manure in piles 

 is absolutely wrong if profitable results are expected. The cost of 

 spreading a ton will be found in Table No. 9. 



Farmer B does a little better. He hauls his load to the field and 

 spreads it the best he can with a hand fork from the wagon. He saves 

 most of the fertility and makes an effort to thoroughly distribute the 

 coarse substance of the mass. After he has done the best he can, 

 the distribution is uneven. If the manure is left in bunches and sub- 

 sequently plowed under, the capillary movement of water in the soil is 

 materially affected on account of the large air. spaces made by the 

 bunches. Such a condition proves disastrous to the crop in case of 

 drought. If the distribution of organic matter is uneven, the inorganic 

 elements will not be uniformly treated and the plant food will be 

 unevenly placed throughout the seed-bed. 



Farmer C uses a spreader. When asked, "Why?" he replied: "A 

 ton of average manure contains from twenty-seven to thirty pounds of 

 plant food, and I want an even distribution of that precious material in 



