FARM MANURES 605 



nor possible, especially in certain parts of the year, to 

 haul manure directly to the field. Means of storage 

 must therefore be provided. Some farmers, if the amount 

 of manure produced on their lands is large, find it prof- 

 itable to construct manure pits of concrete. These 

 storage pits are usually rectangular in shape, with a shed 

 covering, and with open ends so that a team may drive 

 in at one end and out at the other. In such a pit leaching 

 is prevented by the covering and by the solid bottom. 

 By keeping the manure carefully spread and well mois- 

 tened, fermentation may proceed with a minimum loss 

 of nitrogen. Some dairymen even go so far as to utilize 

 a cistern, into which is shoveled both the liquid and the 

 solid manure. Later, when fermentation has proceeded 

 sufficiently, the material is pumped out and applied to 

 the land. This method is not to be advocated in this 

 country except under particular conditions. 



510. Covered barnyard. — Another method of storage 

 is by means of a covered barnyard. Such a yard must 

 have an impervious bottom. The manure is spread out 

 in the yard, and if animals are allowed to exercise here 

 the manure is kept thoroughly packed as well as damp. 

 The storage of manure in deep stalls, a favorite method 

 in England, is similar to this system and has been shown 

 to be very economical. It also affords an opportunity 

 for the mixing of the manure from different classes of 

 animals. The desirability of this has already been shown 

 regarding horse and cow excrements. The advantages 

 of trampling, as far as the keeping qualities of manure 

 are concerned, are clearly shown by the following figures 

 taken from the work of Frear : * — 



1 Frear, W. Losses of Manure. Pennsylvania Agr. Exp. 

 Sta., Bui. 63. 1903, 



