FARMYARD MANURE

Otago Witness, Issue 2008, 18 August 1892, Page 7

FARMYARD MANURE

The question of farmyard manure V. b<ihtj« du?t ban been a subject cf discussion in tbcj columns gf tbs Southern Standard during the pact week Or ti»o, THe JPufedsM ConrnpondenS appealed td Mfc Robart DotUla, pf Otama, ta giVs his *lSvlr ott fcfee tiisttefj SJjct in faplj %lt Eoddft tfrdtsa {*-■» 1 ekiUect! 20 fcettil isi eatUg

sent), while I have over a dozen store cattle in open shed and feeding from the stacks. I generally have the cattle in tho stalls four mouths, aud use up all my straw, and sometimes some of my neighbours', who are good enough to let me have it for the carting. After having used all my straw in this way with 15 acres of turnips, as well as what is used in the horse-stable aud pigsties, I have a fine heap of manure, which I would not give in exchange for L4O worth of the artificial manures generally used. Now I shall deal with your Pukerau correspondent's objections to stable manure. Ho says :— ' I understand that stable manure causes the grass to grow rank, and that stock dislike it.' He is wrong in his conclusion. We use this manure, which I have described, for our next turnip crop. It will go over 15 acres for turnips and two acres for potatoes, on such land as mine. I have never had a f ailur* with my turnip crop. After the turnip crop, I usually take one white crop, aud then fow down, as I think by this time that all the disagreeable odour will have evaporated. Hut 1 tell you that tho grass will grow better with this treatment than with the sprinkling of guano and bonedust used. Some will object to the stable manure being used alone, as being insufficient for the turnip crop in tho first stage of its growth. My reply is, all that is required on good lund that has not been overcropped, is to have the land worked down as fine as flour, in order that the soil may retain the moisture." "Another Farmer" follows up Mr Dodds with the following: — " Uutil about five years ago I never used any thing but farmyard manure, which I used for all purposes, with good results— in fact, some of the best crops of turnipi that I seen (that is on a small scale, say, three or four acres) have been grown with farmyard manure. I cau say the same also of both potatoes, grain, and grass. I believe that in wet or damp land, if ploughed in, farmyard manure is tho best you can use. It acts in two ways : First, as a manure ; and in the second place, it helps considerably to drain the land by keeping the land open, and preventing the land from settling together as quickly or as firmly as it would do, were it not there when used as a top-dressing. The grass will be strong and rank, and the stock will not care for it for some time, but I think this one of its best recommendations. The great fault of many of our paddocks is too little grass, and what there is is of poor quality, and too much bare ground. The results are that the grass never gets a ■tart. As soon as it is stocked it is quickly eaten down to the ground. My experience is : Give me a paddock of strong rank grass rather than a paddock of grass roots ; then if the stock go hungry it is their own fault. The only complaint I have about farmyard manure is I cannot make enough. During the last thiee years I have used bones, with roots and grain crops, with very satisfactory results, and I am inclined to believe, with regard to the different manures, it is "six of one and half a dozen of the other," that is with land of average quality. The fact is the land wants manure, and if a liberal supply be put on the results will generally be satisfactory. Of course a good deal can be said in favour of artificial manure. If a farmer wanted to manure 20 acres with farmyard manure it would probably take him two years to get or make enough ; while if ho wanted to manure 100 acres with artificial, if he had the means he could get enough in a few days. Then there is a great difference in carting out and spreading from six to ten loads to an acre, and taking out one bag of artificial manure. On the other hand, the farmyard manure is made on the farm, with no expense. And here I would protest against the way so many farmers have of burning their straw. This is proved by the number of fires seen in the wake of the threshing-machine. In many instances, every straw that grew in the paddock has been totally destroyed in a few hours, while it should have been carefully etacked for food and shelter, or turned into manure, to be taken back on the land. Now, a few words about making manure. If every farmer who owns a fine herd of cattle would make a yard, and keep his cattle in every night, cart a load or two of straw into it every week as it gets trodden down, also put his stable manure, the cleaning of his pigsties, and all the refuse about the place, cart them all into this yard, let them all be trodden down aud mixed together, why, he would be surprised what a large heap he would have to cart on to his paddock in the spring. lam sorry to say that in many cases this all-important depa', tinent is totally neglected."