HINTS ON SOILS AND FERTILIZERS 39 
More important in the upkeep of the soil 
fertility of the American farm land, however, 
is the problem of barnyard manure. We Amer¬ 
ican farmers have much to learn yet in tfea 
proper handling of the farm manure from our 
European cousins. As a whole, the American 
farmers do not appreciate the fact that the 
liquid portion of the manure is the richest part 
of the fertility, and anyone familiar with farm 
conditions can testify to the fact that it is an 
all too common practice in this country of 
dumping the manure daily, throughout the year, 
in a heap outside the barn door, where the 
liquid is allowed to run off or evaporate, so 
that when what is left is hauled out on the 
land, more than half of the fertilizing value of 
the manure has been lost, and the only ad¬ 
vantage of the remains lies in its rich supply 
of organic matter, rather than in the maximum 
suppy of fertilizer. 
There are, in general, two ways by which 
this manure can be handled properly by the 
farmer, so that this loss of liquid material can 
be largely eliminated. One way is the use of 
the manure pit, that has a concrete base and 
sides, so that none of the liquid can leach 
away. This pit should also be provided with 
a roof, to keep out excessive rains. Many farm¬ 
ers have devised the system of having an over¬ 
head track run from the barn to this manure 
pit, or shed, and have the manure transported 
in a carrier which travels on this track. The 
load can be dumped then, when it reaches the 
shed, and returned to the barn. This method 
allows the farmer to save practically all of his 
