ANIMAL MANURE ON DAIRY FARMS

Cromwell Argus, Volume LXX, Issue 3627, 3 July 1939, Page 7

ANIMAL MANURE ON DAIRY FARMS

On the dairy farm, cow dung accumulates both in the holding yards and in the grazing paddocks. Periodically the manure about the yards, is collected and usually distributed on cultivation areas as a fertiliser. Cow manure contains a moderate amount of fertilising materials which come originally from the pasture area, and to use the manure on crops to be sent away from the farm is virtually 'robbing the pastures to keep up the fertility of the ploughed fields.” Far more serious, however, is the neglect of many dairy farmers to make good use of the manure left in the grazing paddocks by the stook. A dropping allowed to lie undisturbed, in addition to losing much of its fertilising value to the air, promotes in that particular spot a rank growth of grass, which stock find distasteful. If full advantage is to be taken of the fertilising value of the manure, the droppings should be spread uniformly over the paddocks before they become caked. The dung may be distributed with a special pasture harrow, or by running an ordinary peg harrow over the area, and about which several lengths of barbed wire are loosely coiled. A weatherboard or similar type of Limber drag is quite satisfactory, but its use on wet dung in dry weather should be avoided in order to prevent the fouling of the pasture by extensive smearing.