Show LIVE STOCK FARMING AS A MEANS OF maintaining SOIL FERTILITY W F N f f 11 IQ 4 11 MR right way to care for manure produced on the farm conserve the plant food which it contains to increase the fertility of the soil prepared by the united states department of agriculture no farming people have ever been able economically to maintain the fertility of their soils without the use of live stock farming without the use a se of manures Is a waste of energy and results in the exhaustion of soils the neglect in preserving and increasing the quantity of farm manures has been a great drain on the natural resources of the american farm especially in the southern portion of the united states the lack of intelligent care of the waste products find and the convenient form of commercial fertilizers aizers have jointly been responsible for the almost general neglect of farm manures value of fertilizers commercial fertilizers have played and will continue to play a great part in the farm economy of the country their full value however cannot be obtained by their exclusive use A much greater value can be had from them when nhen used wisely in connection with manure and green crops one of the principal reasons for the small value sometimes realized from manure of any kind Is that it has not been properly handled and through exposure and neglect has lost a large percentage of its plant food the chief difference between barnyard manure and other vegetable matter Is that the process of passing through the animal has rendered the fertilizing elements of the former more available for ab in plant growth the best authorities tell us that flint from 75 to 00 per cent of the fertilizing value of a i crop Is left after passing through the tha animal this being true and the elements being in a soluble form we have some idea of why it Is of the utmost importance to protect the manure supply from leaching by rains or from arora other sources of loss loss by leaching the cornell university experiment station found that as much as 60 50 per cent of the plantford plant food constituents in manure was lost by leaching and unnecessary fermentation the problem Is how best and most economically to prevent this loss the best plan where it Is practicable Is to haul out the manure regularly spread it upon the land and plow it under the best results are usually obtained by turning under shallow the next best plan Is 13 to keep the tha stock under sheds or in stables with sufficient litter to absorb all liquids this treatment will not only take up moisture but the continual trampling of the animal will exclude nil all air so that the accumulation may go on without injury to its quality until a convenient time to remove and spread it on the land the litter or waste matter used for bedding not only serves its purpose in helping helpin to preserve the manure but adds considerably to it when neither of these plans can be advantageously used a cheap chap shed conveniently located may be ed and all manure carried to it as removed care must be taken to prevent heating which Is especially liable to happen when horse manure predominates this can be remedied by adding water when needed |