THE VALUE OF FARMYARD MANURE

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1678, 27 April 1904, Page 65

THE VALUE OF FARMYARD MANURE

In all maniurial experiments it is customary to have a plot treated with farmyard dung for comparison, and it comes rather ais a shock to soane to find that this universal manure does not come out so well when tried against others as is generally believed. The basis of all these experimental trials ought to be that of cost or price. Ten tons of dtung per acre is not a very large allowance but. nevertheless, the cost of this runs up to a good deal more than it is customary to, Apply in the case of artificials. There, is likely to be a difference of opinion as to what the value of dung rCally is,'for this very much depends on circumstances. Usually it is reckoned a by-prodjuot of the farm which costs nothing; but for experimental trials some price must be fixed! tor it,

especially ini districts Where it is cuftoinary to uso a lot of boiught-iii dung. The present writer once paid as muon as 4s 6d per ton for stable manure at the station before touemng it, so that, probably by the- time it was carted and spread on the land it .coisfc (is (id to 7s. Fie never did this a second time. Probably, however, where dung is from, fairly well-fed animals, and looking at the expense incurred in carting and handling it, it is worth about us per to,n. or say 4s per cart load. Now, if we apply equal values per aore of each manure —and this ought tc. he the basis cf all trials —it is easy to see that clung will come out of tne trial with a. diminished reputation. Ten shillings per aore will put on a dressing of about 4cw& of superphosphate, or scwt of basic slag, or lewt of nitrate of soda, ancl so on wk.li other manures, but it will only pay for two ton® of dung, and it does not require any evidence, to prove that the former will have niiUCM tne greauei effect., tin the other hand, if even such a small amount of dung as 10 toms he applied, it wifi cost 5.05, and a farmed may well pause and consider if 50s laid out in soma other dressing would, net bo Jjettei: when we get up t.o dressings of 20, 30 and 40 tons, we, are getting near the fee-simple value of the l land. Allowance must ho made, of course for the superior physical effect of the dung in the way of increasing the humus in the soil, but after ail is said and done, farmers will dto well to ponder over the above comparative figure®. The wvitov has a station on his farm and a heavy clay soil, hut years ago' he came to the conclusion that lie would require to have the carriage paid and a bonus -of half-a-crown a ton paid him in addition, to entice him to begin dung-carting again.