Pickled Manure 353 



common salt, caustic lime, sulfuric acid, and hydrochloric 

 acid, reduce the losses, but are found to be too costly 

 when used in effective amounts. Frequently, they 

 change the properties of the manure so as to interfere 

 with its proper decomposition in the soil. After all, it 

 should be remembered in this connection, that manure 

 and other substances of organic origin are valuable to 

 crops only in so far as they are susceptible to decay. 



Manure that has been treated with large amounts of 

 preservatives has been called pickled manure. It resists 

 the activities of the decay bacteria. The plant-food 

 locked up in it becomes inaccessible, for a time at least, 

 to the crops growing in the field and garden. It should be 

 remembered, further, that the bacterial act'.vities are 

 more intense in the manure than in the soil. These 

 activities, when properly controlled, can be utilized to 

 advantage in preparing the manure for more rapid and 

 more uniform decomposition in the soil. When the 

 manure is protected from leaching and kept moist and 

 well compacted, the bacteria may be entrusted with 

 the task of subjecting it to desirable preliminary trans- 

 formations with a minimum loss of valuable manurial 

 constituents. 



MECHANICAL METHODS 



Air, moisture, and temperature determine the extent 

 and the nature of decay in manure. By the inteUigent 

 control of these factors, the wasteful changes may be 

 largely eliminated without resort to chemical treatment. 

 As has been stated before, well-compacted manure loses 

 less nitrogen than loosely stored manure, a fact properly 



