230 SOILS AND FERTILIZERS 



Table 52. — Financial Results of Reinforcing Farm Manure 



Value of Net In- 

 creased Yield to 

 the Ton of Manure 



Manure alone .... 

 Manure plus gypsum . . 

 Manure plus kainit . . . 

 Manure plus floats . . . 

 Manure plus acid phosphate 



$3.31 

 3.56 

 3.71 

 4.49 



4.82 



It has already been remarked that farm manure is deficient 

 in available phosphoric acid, and this experiment demon- 

 .strates the benefit to be gained by reinforcing it with a phos- 

 phoric acid fertilizer. 



290. Methods of handling manure. — The least oppor- 

 tunity for deterioration of farm manure occurs when it is 

 hauled directly to the field from the stall and spread at once. 

 Manure may even be spread on frozen ground or on snow, 

 provided the land is fairly level and the snow is not too deep. 

 However, it is not always possible to follow this method and 

 manure must sometimes be stored. In the storage of ma- 

 nure the two important conditions are a sufficient but not 

 an excessive supply of moisture, and a well-compacted mass. 

 Water draining away from a manure heap, and a fermenta- 

 tion producing a white appearance of the manure under the 

 surface of the pile (" fire fanging "), are both sure indications 

 of unnecessary loss in its fertilizing value. 



291. Covered barnyard. — The best method of storing 

 manure is in a covered yard in which the cattle are allowed to 

 exercise and thus to trample and compact the mixed manure 

 from the barn. The advantage to be gained from the tram- 

 pling is brought out by some Pennsylvania experiments in 

 which the losses of fertilizing constituents were compared 

 when the covered manure was trampled and when it was not. 



