LIQUID MANURE

Wairarapa Age, 26 March 1920, Page 7

LIQUID MANURE

Dairy farmers who try to save a! of the liquid manure they can wil be interested in experiments beinj. made with this substance in England Some years ago it was determined, in the United States, that the liquk manure contains at least one-half oi the value of the total excreta. In it is found about one-half of the nitrogen and two-thirds of the potash. In the liquid manure these plani foods are also most readily available. During the course of recent inves tigations of the problem of handling manure on the dairy farm in England, there was found to be a considerable deficit in 'the nitrogen content of th* liquid manure. The liquid "contained only half of the i nitrogen that was expected. , A report on the subject tells that the loss was traced to the broken straw and solid excreta which alwayV find their way into the liquid apd cause an absorption of nitrogen which, though of scientific interest. may prove costly to the farmer, and at any rate deprives the liquid ol much of its value." •' Acting on this information, it would be very good advice to dairy farmers to keep the gutters in back of their cows as clean as possible at all times. Manure, both solid and liquid, is too valuable to waste. The solid should be cleaned put frequently and either put directly on to the fields or stored in a place where the greatest possible proportion of its fertilizing value can be retained. , If the gutters are kept clean of solid manure an 4: of stray or other bedding that falls into them, there is a greater opportunity to save the value of the liquid manure. It can be drained into pits in nearly its original condition. Another suggestion is made thai might be followed successfully witl much less labour. This is to permii the" liquid manure to run through straw under conditions that encourage the absorption of nitrogen compounds This could probably be done by putting stray in the gutters, permitting it to become saturated. But then tin straw must be handled and storec with proper consideration of the fac ; that it has high fertilizing value. Th< liquid in the straw and particularl: the nitrogen it contains, brings abou: decomposition and renders the Btra\< into valuable and easily available plant food.