FARM=YARD MANURE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 January 1940, Page 3

FARM=YARD MANURE

VALUE AS A FERTILISER. CONSERVATION METHODS Farmyard manure is a valuable fertiliser made from the litter, dung, and urine of animals. It contains nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash in various degrees of availability to the plant, and also supplies humus to the soil. Urine contains most of the nitrogen and potash of the food in a watersoluble and available form. The nitrogen and potash are, moreover, comparable in their effect with quick-act-ing, synthetic fertilisers (writes Mr A. M. Lee, Fields Instructor, Whangarei, in the “Journal of Agriculture.”) The litter is poor in the three fertilising constituents, but it supplies most of the humus, and acts as a retainer for much of the urine in the manure. The dung consists of indigestible residue of the food ingested, and contains nitrogen, phosphates and potash, usually in an insoluble and comparatively resistant state. Together with the litter or bedding, it supplies humus to the soil.

Surprisingly large quantities of the three essential plant foods —nitrogen, phosphate, and potash—pass through the animal system, and it has been calculated that although only onehalf of the solid matter of the food reappears in the manure, about threequarters of the nitrogen and ninetenths of the phosphate are voided. These proportions will, of course, be reduced for growing animals and in..creased for full-grown stock. AVOIDING WASTAGE. There is considerable variation in the quality and character of farmyard manure, depending on the kind of food and animal and the manner of storage. Thus, horses produce dry “hot” dung, which ferments and acts quickly, whereas that of cattle and pigs is “cold,” slow-acting and more durable. The quality of the manure is largely determined by the manner in which it is stored In New Zealand very large quantities of cow and pig excreta are wasted annually solely because proper steps are not taken to conserve this valuable fertiliser.

Some farmers have recognised this fact, and have devised means of saving both solid and liquid manure with the least amount of wastage. A certain amount of the nitrogen cannot bo prevented from escaping in the form of ammonia. Where dung is exposed to sun, wind, rain and seepage, the loss may be as high as 30 per cent of the total ingredients. Farmyard manure is best made if kept wet enough to rot and sufficiently consolidated to rot slowly. These two ends can be well achieved by depositing new dung over the old in a pit, preferably constructed of concrete to hold the moisture. The making of farmyard manure involves a certain amount of work, but it is beyond doubt that this is amply offset by the subsequent value and return from crops by the applications of this fertiliser. Whether used for cropping or on pasture, it is best applied' in the autumn so that it holds winter rains and is well rotted in spring or early summer.