210 RURAL NEW YORK 



This production would be sufficient for an appli- 

 cation of four and a half tons of fresh manure or 

 nearly one ton of dry matter in manure to each acre 

 of specified crops grown in the State. It is suf- 

 ficient for an application of one-half that amount for 

 each acre of improved land. This should be a large 

 factor in maintaining the soil. It is worth on the 

 average at least $2.50 a ton on the land and for 

 some crops it is worth much more. It, therefore, 

 has a value greater than the annual budget of the 

 State. But that value is not realized for there is 

 a tremendous loss in handling. It is safe to figure 

 on a loss of one-half the material under the ordinary 

 methods of handling and it may run to two-thirds 

 or three-fourths so that the actual supply of manure 

 to the acre of cropped land is very low, or about one 

 ton a year, or five tons gross or one ton of dry mat- 

 ter, once in five years. While this is a help it is 

 not sufficient, standing alone, to maintain the soil. 

 It is important for the public at large to recognize 

 that while animal husbandry is an aid in maintain- 

 ing the soil, it is far from adequate even under the 

 best methods of management. For each ton of dry 

 matter in manure, the animal must have consumed 

 about two and a haif to three tons of dry matter. If 

 one-half of the dry matter in the manure is lost in 

 handling, for each ton in manure returned to the soil 

 the animal must have consumed from five to six tons. 



From these facts it must be apparent how inade- 

 quate is animal husbandry to maintain all the soil 



