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Show FERTILIZER MIXTURES PREVENT FLIES FROM BREEDING IN MANURE WASHINGTON, D. G., April 7. That flies may be provented from breeding in barnyard manure by adding add-ing to the substance the common fer tilizer ingredients, calcium cyanamid, acid phosphate, and kainit, has been demonstrated by recent experiments made by the Bureaus of Entomology and Chemistry of the U. S. Department Depart-ment of Agriculture. The valuable feature of the discover' is that by the now treatmont the fertilizing value of the manure is Increased, at the same time its menace to health is lessoned les-soned Under treatments for pro-venting pro-venting fllos breeding in manure heretofore in use, the fertilizing value of the substance has been decreased or not affected. The fertilizer ingredient indicated by the experiments to be most effective effec-tive in preventing the development of fly maggots In manure Is calcium cyanamid, a compound in which nitrogen nitro-gen from the air Is fixed by electricity. The Investigations showed the value, however, of adding other ingredients to balance properly the chemical effects ef-fects and to prevent waste of fertilize ing elements. Acid phosphate was found to be the supplemental ingredient ingre-dient most needed, but a still better cyanamid, acid phosphate, and kainit, was used also The three substances, syanamid, acid phophate, and kainit, give a fertilizer complcto in Itself, con. talning nitrogen, phosphorous, and potash, as well as lime. As a result of the experiments, the department's specialists advocate the use of mixtures of 1 pound of cyan, amid and 2 to 4 pounds of acid phos-1 phate per -i square feet of surface exposed, when the manure Is in boxes or pits. When the manure is In open J piles the rate of application should bo 4 pounds of cyanamid and 4 or more pounds of acid phosphate per 8 bushels bush-els of manure. To bo sure of retaining retain-ing all the fertilizing elements, more j than 4 pounds of acid phosphate are recommended. When kanit is used it may replace a portion of phosphate. When manure from pits treated as suggested above is applied as fertilizer, fertiliz-er, the rate should be nine tons per acre, to provide the amount of cyanamid cyana-mid calculated to be most effective. Manure treated in open piles should not be applied in excoss of 2 1-2 tons per acre, since it contains a much higher percentage of the commercial fertilizer than the pit-treated product, Earlier experiments made by tho department's specialists proved that both borax.and hellebore are effective in preventing flies from breeding in manure. Tho use of borax was found to constitute the cheapest effective treatment, costing one-half cent per bUBhel of treated manure. This treatment treat-ment may lessen the value of tho manure ma-nure for agricultural purposes, however. how-ever. The hellebore treatment was found to cost about 1 cent per bushel of manure, and neither lessens nor increases the fertilizing value. The treatment with fertilizer ingredients just evolved costs from one-half cent per bushel of manure when treatment is in pits to 1.8 cents per 'bushel of manure when the treatment is in open piles. This cost is based on the normal nor-mal selling prices of the fertilizer ingredients, in-gredients, and is materially lessened in effect by the Increased fertilizing efficiency of the treated manure. Not only is the value of the manure Increased In-creased by the fertilizer ingredients added, but also their presence prevents pre-vents the waste of certain valuable elements el-ements usually lost from untreated manure In their most recent experiments In the treatment of manure, the department's depart-ment's specialists tried numerous other oth-er substances, including sulphur and various plant infusions. From none of these, however, were the results as satisfactory as those obtained with the use of borax, hellebore, and the fertilizer mixtures. Acting on the data gathered from the groups of experiments experi-ments carried on since 1013, the specialists spe-cialists recommend the use of borax for preventing the breeding of flies in manure when the latter is not to be put to agricultural use, and the use of either tho fertilizer mixtures already al-ready described or hellebore when tho manure is to be used agriculturally. The experiments are described in U. S. Department of Agriculture Bulletin No 408, by F. C. Cook, of the Bureau of Chemistry, and R. H. Hutchison of the Bureau of Entomology. |