Show 11 construction OF CONCRETE MANURE PIT 1 jf bat shallow manure pit F for or maintaining or restoring the fertility of 0 the fields there Is nothing beter than barnyard manure by the ordinary methods ot of piling manure on the ground or storing it in wooden pens or boxes 30 to 60 per cent of its fertility la Is lost according to the U S department of agriculture this loss Is brought about in two ways lays first by leaching or washing due to heavy rains second by fermentation or heating beating caused by lack of sufficient moisture since concrete pits are waterproof manure may be kept la in them as moist na as may be necessary and such an enormous waste in the fertility of the manure may thus be entirely prevented one load ot or manure from a concrete pit 1 Is worth 1 to 2 loads of manure as usually stored moreover with concrete pits tho the supply of manure Is increased by all tho the liquid manure the richest part from the barn gutters and feeding floors shallow manure pits do very well where re the manure can be frequently hauled to tho the fields the walls and floor should bo be 5 inches thick the clear dimensions of tho the pit are depth 3 feet width 6 feet length 12 feet dig the trench 3 feet 5 inches deep by 6 feet 10 inches by 12 feet 10 inches by keeping the sides ver only nn an inside form will be needed frame tho the sides bides and ends par for the bides cut the 1 inch siding 12 feet long and nail it to the four 2 by 4 inch uprights 3 feet long and equally spaced the end uprights tor for the tha sides are 2 by 4 inch pieces nailed flat to the siding biding the others are also 2 by 4 but bul are nailed tm edge it to la not necessary to cut these uprights to exact lengths they may be allowed to extend above the ibe siding make arake tho the siding tor for the end sections ec tlona of the form 6 5 feet 2 inches long and at the ends nail it to the edge of two 2 by 4 inch uprights chice a single 2 by 4 upright between each end pair cut four cross braces 6 5 to 10 inches long from 2 by 4 inch timbers have enough sections ot of woven wire fencing 7 feet long to cover the bottom ot of the pit set bet up the forms forma on the finished floor so KO as to allow a 6 inch wall on alf all sides bides join them by nailing together the 2 by as at the corners of the sides aides and ends do not drive the nails home cross crosa brace with 2 by as and with I 1 inch boards from each central end ead upright to the second side upright quickly begin filling the forms forma with concrete almost wet enough to pour and keep it practically the same height on all sides puddle the tha concrete by running a long paddle up and down next to the form do not punch the earthen wall dirt in the concrete may make a poor wall it tho the top of the earthen wall tends to i 1 AIX waste of barnyard manure crumble hold it back with 1 inch boards braced against the forms to keep out floor water the pit may be ba extended 6 inches above the ground by using tha lower halt of aa a 1 foot board to 0 hold back the dirt by allowing the remainder to project above the ground level and by adding 6 inches to tho the height of the inside form remove the forms after the concrete has set tour four days by first drawing the nalla nails in the c orner corner 2 by Vs the pit may be used after 10 dayss days where tho the manure manura must be stored for a considerable length of time larger pits or basins are required such pits are seldom made over 5 feet deep and are wide enough so ao that the manure maybe may be loaded on art a spreader in tho the pit and drawn up a roughened concrete incline or run tho the slope tor for such buch a run must not be steeper than tha a 1 foot up to 4 feet out in building a manuro basin use a team with a plow and scraper to make an earthen pit in nich to build a concrete basin of the clear dimensions shown in laying out the earthen pit bear in mind that the concrete walls walla and floor are 8 inches thick and make due allowance for the same with a spade trim the sides and tuo the deep deeg end vertical ir order to form fora a rump hole tram from which tho the liquid manure can be pumped in one corner at the deer deep end of the pit dig a hole bole 18 inches deep by 21 feet in diameter to protect the concrete floor at the upper end ot of the driveway excavate a trench 8 inches wide and 2 feet deep tor for a con crete crate foundation apron extend it around the corners and slope it upward to meet driveway incline in general the framing ot of the forms forma Is similar to that of shallow pits if the earthen walls stand firm only an inside form will be needed otherwise build an outer form for tile tha forms forma use 1 inch siding on 2 by 4 inch studding spaced 2 feet 8 inches these uprights need not bo be cut to exact lengths save lumber by allowing them to extend above the siding stiffen each section of the form by nailing mailing a 2 by 4 inch scantling to the uprights at the top and bottom of the forms erect the forms in the pit set them on 8 inch concrete blocks blocs or bricks so that the floor may be built A cheap SI shelter jelter for manure under them to prevent bulging cross braca the forms forma wit with h 2 by 4 inch timbers th abera baffin filling biting with w th concrete as for shallow manure pits pit and do not stop until the job la Is completed completed lay the floor for the bottom and the tha incline the same as aa for shallow pits to give teams a sure footing on the incline embed in tho the concrete the turned up ends of iron cleats cleata bent at right angles similar to a capital U old wagon tires cut in lengths not greater than 20 inches and turned up 4 inches at each end will do leave i 1 inch clearance between the cleats cleat s and the concrete and set them so BO as not to obstruct the wh elway graca tho the cleats li 14 to 16 inches roughen or corrugate the tha bottom crosswise every 6 inches by using a 5 foot length of 2 by 4 inch scantling beveled lengthwise to vue tte shape of 0 a carpenters chisel tu to make tho the corrugations set the timber with the beveled face toward the incline strike the 2 by 4 with a heavy hammer so as to indent the concrete to the depth of 1 inch cutter for silage there aro are on the market several makes of at silage cutters that will give satisfaction according to farmers bulletin issued by U S department of agriculture the capacity of the machine la Is an important consideration which should not be overlooked by ahe pur purchaser chasAr many persons make the mistake rols tako of getting get tinga a cutter which Is too small thus making the operation of filling the silo alto very slow and interfering with the continuous employment of at tho the entire force forca of men it ts Is better to get a machine large enough so that every one will be able to keep busy all the time the larger cutters are equipped with self belt feeders a laborsaving labor saving device which the smaller eszes lack other factors to be ba taken into account in purchasing a cutter are the amount of work to bo be done and the power available ot of course for the filling of a very tery small silo it would not be wise to buy a largo machine neither would it be advisable to overload the engine or motor by using a cutter which la Is too large larga for the power available two types of silage elevators are in us the old stylo style chain carrier and the blower the tha chain carrier requires less power but Is harder rii r set up and there la Is more litter when it la is used especially in windy indy weather these reasons the ibe blower la is now last fast displacing the carrier the tha blower should be placed as aa nearly perpendicular as possible so as to reduce to the minimum the friction of the cut corn upon the inside of 0 the pipe and lessen tho the danger of clog gang the usual length of cutting from one halt to I 1 inch the latter la Is considered a little too long since pieces of this length will st neither elther so closely in the silo allo nor be so completely consumed when fed a as a the th shorter lengths on the other hand band the longer the pieces the more rapidly ran can the cerii corn bo be ran arn through the tha cut ter ler |