FIFTY-SECOND ANNUAL CONVENTION 221 



and about 14 pounds will be used by cows in box stalls. Al- 

 though 4 pounds a day will provide a suitable bed and keep 

 the cows clean when confined in stanchions, this quantity 

 is not sufficient to absorb all the liquid manure ; to do this, 

 about 8 pounds per cow would be required for an average 

 producing herd. 



Manure Disposal 



The advice generally given for haniling manure on the 

 dairy farm is to spread it on the land as soon as possible 

 after it is made. With certain reservations this seems to 

 be sound advice. It is questionable whether one obtains 

 greater returns from the manure handled in this way dur- 

 ing the winter than by proper storage, but it does give bet- 

 ter distribution to farm labor and obviates the necessity of a 

 building to hold large quantities of manure. Spreading 

 manure on snow, though often advised, is a questionable 

 practice on account of washing, especially if the land is 

 rolling. Probably it is also inadvisable to haul manure on 

 the fields when the ground is so soft that the wagon makes 

 deep ruts. 



At certain other seasons, when farm work is pressing, 

 manure hauling must be delayed. It appears, therefore, 

 that storage of manure can not well be entirely avoided, and 

 a suitable storage place should be provided to prevent ex- 

 cessive loss of fertilizing ingredients through leaching. In 

 storing manure plenty of moisture and thorough packing 

 are the main things to consider. Where bedding is cheap, 

 sufficient can be used to absorb the liquid manure; where is 

 is scarce and high in price, the liquid can be drained into 

 a cistern, or by using a water-tight manure pit the liquid 

 can be stored with the solid manure. All manure should be 

 removed from the stable at least once a day. 



The equipment used in removing manure ranges from 

 a wheelbarrow to a power conveyor running in the gutter 

 behind the cows. In dairies of medium to large size the 

 most popular method of removing manure is the litter car- 

 rier with overhead track, such as is manufactured by sev- 

 eral barn-equipment firms. The carrier may discharge di- 



