The progressive farmer and southern farm gazette., January 22, 1910, Page 40, Image 4

About The progressive farmer and southern farm gazette. (Starkville, Miss.) 1910-1920

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VII—Making and Caring For Stable Manure.
HE threefold value of stable
manures— (1) in improving
the texture of the soil, (2) in
promoting bacterial activity, and (3)
in adding to the available plant food
in the soil—has already been
spoken of in this series; and all that
was said about the benefits of green
manures applies with even more
force to stable manures.
Manures contain nothing that was
not in the feed the animals consum
ed; but these feeds have been chang
ed, both in their physical condition
and their chemical composition, by
the processes of digestion, so that
they are, as a rule, more quickly ef
fective and more marked in their ef
fects than green manures. Stable
manures, indeed, may be said to be
the basis of all really scientific and
practical fertilization. There are, of
course, exceptions to this rule—for
example, they should not be applied
directly to some crops—but it is a
safe general proposition. The gen
eral farmer should use commercial
fertilizer as supplements to his
home-produced manure, and not as a
substitute for it.
Stable Manures the Cheapest Fertil
izers.
The economy of feeding a great
part of the crops grow on the land
to live stock, of getting the full feed
ing value of these crops and then of
returning from two-thirds to three
fourths of the fertilizing elements in
them to the soil in a readily avail
able and permanently helpful form,
must be apparent to any one. Then
when it is remembered that cultiva
tion always has a tendency to reduce
the humus supply in the soil, that
this supply must be kept up if the
producing ability of the land is to
be maintained or increased, and
that commercial fertilizers do prac
tically nothing toward keeping up
this supply, the folly of any one’s
engaging in general farming without
paying due attention to both the pro
duction and the care of stable ma
nures would seem to be too vident to
be overlooked.
What Stable Manures Contain.
As already stated, the value of the
manure produced by an animal de
pends upon the feed the animal has
had. There is in the manure that
part of the feed material which has
not been assimilated by the animal,
and the waste products of its body
that have been thrown ofT and ex
pelled with this unused material.
r or tnis reason sianie manures
vary constantly and considerably In
composition. The analyses usually
published are averages of a great
many, and are to be regarded only as
averages. The thing for the feeder
to remember is, that feeding with
“rich,” nutritious feeds will produce
manure rich 1^ plant foods, while*
feeding with feeds low in nutriment
can only produce manure of poor
quality.
The following table gives some
analyses which may be taken as rep
resenting a fair average of the com
position of stable manures:
Per ct. Per ct. Per ct.
Nitrogen. Phos. ac. Pot
Cattle solid.... 0.29 0.17 0.10
Cattle urine... 0.58 .... 0.49
Cattle mixed... 0.44 0.16 0.40
Horse solid.... 0.44 0.17 0.3E
HorBe urine... 1.66 .... 1.50
Horse mixed... 0.58 0.28 0.53
Swine mixed... 0.45 0.19 0.60
Sheep solid.... 0.55 0.31 0.15
Barnyard mixed 0.49 0.32 0.43
Hen . 1.10 0.85 0.56
In other words, a ton of average
horse manure contains plant food
worth about $3.18, and a ton of cow
manure contains about $2.36 worth.
Every practical farmer knows,
however, that for most crops and on
most soils a ton of manure is worth
much more, and it has already been
explained why this is so.
How Manure is Wasted.
Notwithstanding the great value
of stable manure and the very limit
ed supply on most farms, it is un
fortunately true that a large per cent
of the plant food in it is wasted in
stead of being returned to the soil,
and in many cases much of the hu
mus-forming and hacleria-aiding ben
efit that might be obtained from it
is lost.
Whenever manure is left exposed to
the weather the soluble plant foods
■ n it are quickly washed out by rains,
if it is on the land where it is need
ed, this does not matter, as the plant
foods will be taken into the soil; but
if the manure is lying in a hard
packed barnyard that drains into a
gully or creek, the best part of it is
largely lost. Many farmers imagine
that the manure left by their stock
on the pasture is of little benefit,
while the truth is that they probably
get a much larger proportionate ben
efit from it than from that which Is
dropped in the stables. This is cer
tainly true If this latter is thrown
out under the eaves of the barn or
allowed to get hot and dry and "flre
fang.” Few farmers have any real
idea of the great loss which occurs
from their careless methods of han
dling manure. "Experiments made
by Roberts show that when horse
manure is thrown in a loose pile and
subjected to the Joint action of leach
ing and weathering It may lose in
six months nearly 60 per cent of its
most valuable fertilizing constitu
ents." \\ ben the liquid manure is
wasted, as is so often the case, fully
two thirds of the nitrogen and a
large part of the potash in the ma
nure is lost.
Whenever manure is allowed to
heat” until the sharp, acrid scent of
escaping ammonia can bo noticed,
the farmer is losing money again, for
the most valuable (limit fnml In li I..
escaping into the air. In fact, when
ever decomposition seta in. there is
likely to be aome loss of ammonia.
I he mixing of lime or ashes with ma
nure also tends to liberate the am
monia In it, and should never bo
practiced.
Why Manure Should Ik< Spread as
Made.
For these reasons the sooner ma
nure can be applied to the soil after
it 1b made, as a general rule, the bet
ter. For some crops, it may pay to
keep the manure until It 1b well rot
ted before using it; but for ordinary
farm crops it does not pay. and there
is always more or less Iobb of plant
food. Where it can be done, the ma
nure should be taken from the sta
bles to the field every day. Where
this is impossible, the best thing it
to keep it tightly packed, with plentj
of bedding, under the feet of tilt
(Continued on Page 49.)
Plant Wood’s Seeds
0 For Superior Crops C
Wood’s 30th Annual Seed Book
is one of the most useful and com
plete seed catalogues issued. It
(fives practical information about
the best and most protitable seeds
to plant for
The Market Grower
The Private Gardener
The Farmer l
A Wood’* Seed* arc (frown and A
II selected with special reference to U
Y tlie soils and climate of the South Y
andeverv southern planter should
have Wood’* Seed Book so as to
be fully posted as to the l>est seeds
for southern (frowinjr. Mailed free
on request. Write for It
T. W. WOOD & SONS,
Seedsmen, • Richmond, Va.
We ere headquarter* for
Ora** and Clovtr Seed*. Seed Po
tato**. Seed Oat a. Cow Pea*.
Sola Bean*, and all Farm
and Qarden Seeds.
SIMPKINS COTTON SEED.
You warn pur* '’Alewpllrl**
oott >n Mod and ahouid bur onlr from
the orttlnator in packet** put up and
branded br him aim bia iUV lettered
! Trademark and Hitnatur* nhlrhiuar
toe their purttr He war* id muu
tlon* lor tber will b* on the market
tel I hnf rou the? ar* th* "Hlmpk lna“
and Jual aa rood aa Himpkln* wtll
ahlp r«u." but ln»lat on the ten ulna,
which ar* onlr *oid br me or mr duir
aulhorlLed afenla Youratruir
W A. HIM PKI VS.
Ralatth. V C.
/WARLBORCT
PROLIFIC CORN
We are the orttlcalnra, we trow It pur*
Will rleid Hitt p r cwnt. mor* lhan anr other
varietr. the premium corn at ati the hi perl
n rotai Htatlona Pric* F2 » per bu
Excelsior Seed Farm Co Cheraw. S C.
Triumph Cotton
la ua*d atrnuri eiclualrdr br tit* Oov
trnmatit in boll tntll aertlon* It will
revolution)** the South. Trr It and b*
conrlnnwl It rt*ld« mor* p*r acre,
turn* out mor* lint, and t* earner than
anr other bit boll cotton in th* world,
n mi* ted bolla per pound. I.Xu pound*
M«d cotton make a M pound baia Hta
pi* on* and an *ltnth loch Our «ntlr*
crop la planted earh rear from *eieot*d
atalka and bolla. Our **»d ar* ■ u ar an
t**d. Writ* lor calalofu* and price*
WADE BROTHERS. Seed Breeders.
Alataadar City. Ala.
Improved Shoepeg Corn
Won Itt prize Ml*al»*tppl »nd I ululana Fair,
alto prtie Mlaalaalppl Mate l air. Hod Cob,
weevil proof. Weep* well In field. Il 00 p*r
peck 00 per bu . 6bu..lIJ.M
THOS. K. TRIM.
WiUonville. Miaaiaaippi,
SEED CORN .,;.
IMIMtOVI'.I*
Cleveland Big Boll Cotton
From carefully aeleefed *eed l.SOO
Tha. need cotton to 600-fb bale 1 >4
bale per acre, upland*. Karen boll,
prolific and very eaatly picked Wtth
• tanda droueht well and fruit* heavi
ly and early. 12.00 per bu.. 10 bu .
SI 60 per bu.. f o b Order at once
Supply limited T. A- CUMVI OHII.
\Vlllt*(<>a. Tenn.
PURE MOSBY
PROLIFIC SEED CORN
■ in<*n from IM* r en r
PfJr* flOB to>T bu*h<4. *h«*He*4. I « b h®t«>
k a u!i, sufMK. atu
CO H t A I, l'-llr*t lev! ttt-.l *"’»«*•. t>l
• hr Se»>4 Curb l>e**t » it t a i **<’ * I
»»rtUt III «*l »' » I »» *J * nftf
ten bn ll 7i T H ntRIUH A**>t M • •
Square Deal Seed Com
Won pill roc*4*t *t st tr> ill Wofi4'« tJ
Pill TT»* affflMtiK at Ibli *l«Mr _
offer* llAB* luf * o.|n th*t *rUI pro
dure mof» i»f » *
mm t. HIT *r,KH tt **ie nl »t AS per
bu*hel bf
S. F. EWING Harris!on. Miss
SEEDS
Von &«•«* OOOD l*ll» II M’.r.l* tv* fence
!betr, vn(n»b.» Kie|4 Ud P «>»er Nrr.4 tor
o«r DioOiAiaru* A w« will im1| u u> too
KKr.K
haviu iiAittur. sppii co.
D*11m Tint
Lewis’• Prize Cotton Seed
tmfroir«l H jr*-| t if P|'!!>«| »*4 mp!4
frultib* for* pro fir (. *r.lr%! April l*t r*r. Iw>
WO |*f cfffct SlU.ro : in Au|Ol !»<’ cntiel*
lov *MI in i r onl of the «rei|| lertllart
I I'fK* (ll bril Mfd I I 11 bj |l |.1 lot bit . to
• u il fl (b i*c tm It rile f.»» «• reoi*»* to or
t Inn tor. W ll. r t.»:W|s
Uslita*. t.n
SEED CORN I UACRE
in.i iiiv/i .mo uni tt uirie 4 w
and Heat Iti* White Cora la the World*—Vk*'■ a.ie«Ti'**!"» r UW’ 11 ,l u ,,ln Karlleel
P°!?U; *>« au*e aro *u iro.u th »r .u« .* r^l Toi.l,.?1« ^ not lanoy
more food eara. becauae aolentinoeil# handled “H*0* "v f» "iMa heara one ..r
«axden*arfi**i^ *,1*,M* nation Bl« -.eed 1 ataloa KUKK^' *"1! pr,',l,*r,r <’«**««! and had
■ardeii and Dower aeeda frown. Write lor it today Add re**1" ftboul *»» •“'•t farm, grams.
U4TKKI*’S MKKlTItOVHK. Hhrn,tn<l..uh. le*r«.