184 



uable as preservatives, and besides increase the value of the manure, 

 increasing the proportion of those constituents (potash and especially 

 phosphoric acid) in which it is somewhat deficient. German investi- 

 gators who have given a great deal of attention to the subject of pre- 

 servatives for manure unanimously recommended the use of superphos- 

 phate-gypsum, a by-product of the manufacture of superphosphates ; 

 but as this product is not found in the American market its place may 

 be taken by the ordinary acid phosphate or superphosphate of the trade 

 used in connection with a small amount of gypsum. 



A German authority recommends the use of approximately the fol- 

 lowing amounts of the different preservatives per day : 



Amounts of different preservatives to be used per head daily. 





Per horse 

 1,000 

 pounds 

 weight. 



Per cow, 

 880 pounds 

 weight. 



Per pig, 



220 

 pounds 

 weight. 



Per sheep, 

 110 

 pouuds 

 weight. 



Superphosphate 



Gypsum 



Kainil 



Lbs. Oz. 

 1 

 1 9 

 1 2 



Lbs. Oz. 

 1 2 

 1 12 

 1 5 



Ounces. 

 3 

 4| 

 4 



Ounces. 

 21 



3| 

 3i 



If both superphosphate and gypsum are used, the above proportions 

 of these materials should be reduced from one third to one half. Kainit 

 should be applied to the fresh manure and covered with litter so that 

 it does not come in contact with the feet of the animals. Whether it 

 will be good economy to use these materials for this purpose will depend 

 upon their market price in the locality in which it is proposed to employ 

 them. 



In cases where different kinds of animals are kept, one of the most 

 effective means of securing moderate and uniform fermentation of the 

 manure heap is to see that the moist " cold" cow and pig manure is 

 intimately mixed with the dry " hot" horse and sheep dung. The former 

 makes the heap more moist and checks the too rapid fermentation and 

 " fire fanging" of the latter. 



It will be understood from what has been said that in order to reduce 

 the loss to a minimum, manure heaps should be made compact and kept 

 moist. Under cover the last result is secured by collecting the liquid 

 manure and at frequent intervals sprinkling it over the heap, or when 

 the supply of this is deficient, by sprinkling with water. Where the 

 manure heap is exposed to the rain in pits from which there is no drain- 

 age it probably does not require so much attention, but still care must 

 be taken to prevent loss by alternate leaching when heavy rainfalls 

 occur, and drying out in time of drought. 



Regarding the management of manure, Prof. Frear, of the Pennsyl- 

 vania Experiment Station, says : 



To secure such kind and degree of rotting as shal' make the manure easily handled 

 and put it into the condition best suited to the crops it is to fertilise, both extremes 

 of moistness and cold, and of exposure and heat, are to be avoided. 



It is a much- discussed question whether this mean condition is best obtained in 

 practice by the preservation of the manure in dished yards, subject to more or less 

 exposure to wind and sun, to full exposure to rain, but to more loosely leaching, 



