CHAPTER XLIV 



MANURE SPREADERS 



The Utility of the Manure Spreader. The manure 

 spreader will not only enable an operator to spread much 

 more manure in a given time than it would be possible to do 

 by hand with a fork, but better work is performed. A ma- 

 nure spreader will thoroughly pulverize the manure and 

 spread it in an even layer over the field. When hand 

 spreading is practiced, the manure is not properly pulverized 

 but is spread in large chunks or bunches, which "fire fang," 

 thus causing a large part of the fertility to be lost. 



Construction. A manure spreader consists essentially 

 of four parts: (1) A box with a flexible, movable bottom, 

 called an apron; (2) gearing, or a mechanism to drive, at vari- 

 ous speeds, the apron conveying the manure toward the 

 beater; (3) a beater or toothed drum, which receives the 

 manure from the apron, pulverizes it and spreads it evenly 

 behind the machine ; and (4) a truck to carry the box and to 

 enable the power to drive the machine. 



Fig. 183. A modern manure spreader at work. 

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