Farm Practice and Management

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 59, Issue 6, 15 December 1939, Page 518

Farm Practice and Management

' 7 ' -.'J 1 ' . 7 . ... ' ■■ ; ". 77 > 7 ' Contributed by Officers .of /the . Fields Division

It Pays To Make Farm-yard Manure

ARM-YARD manure is a valuable F ' fertiliser made from the litter, dung, and urine of animals. . It contains nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash in various degrees of availability to the plant, and also supplies humus to the soil. Urine-contains most' of the nitrogen and potash of the food in a ' water-soluble and available form. The nitrogen and potash are, . moreover, comparable in their effect, with quickacting, synthetic fertilisers. The litter is poor in the three fertilising constituents,’ but it supplies most of the humus, and acts as a retainer for much of the urine in the manure. The dung. '■ consists of indigestible residue of the food ingested, and contains nitrogen, phosphates, and potash, usually . in an insoluble and comparatively resistant state. Together with the litter or bedding, it supplies humus to the soil. Essential Foods Surprisingly large quantities of the •three essential plant nitrogen, phosphate, . and potash—pass through the animal system, and it has been calculated that although only one-half of the solid matter of the food reappears in the manure, about threequarters of .the nitrogen ; and ninetenths of , the phosphate are voided. These proportions will, of course, be reduced for growing animals and increased for full-grown stock. ; : There is considerable variation in the . quality and character of farmyard manure, depending on the kind of food and animal and the manner of storage. Thus, horses produce" dry ,

“hot” dung, which ferments and acts quickly, whereas that of cattle and pigs is “cold,” slow-acting and more durable. . ■ • . The quality of the manure is largely determined by .the manner in . which it is stored.' In New Zealand very large quantities of cow and pig. excreta are wasted annually solely because proper steps are not taken to conserve this valuable fertiliser. Saving Manure Some farmers have recognised this fact, and have devised means of saving both solid and liquid manure with the least amount of wastage. A certain amount of the nitrogen cannot be prevented from escaping in the form of ammonia. Where dung is exposed to sun, wind, rain, and seepage, the loss may be , as high as 30 per'cent. of the total ingredients. . Farm-yard manure is best made if kept wet enough to rot and sufficiently consolidated \to rot slowly. .These two ends . can be well achieved by depositing new dung over the old .in a pit, preferably constructed of concrete to hold the moisture. \ -

The making of farm-yard manure involves a certain amount of work, but is it beyond doubt that this is amply offset by the subsequent value and return from crops by the applications of this fertiliser. Whether used for * cropping or on pasture, it is ' best applied in the autumn so 'that it holds winter, rains and is well rotted in spring or early, summer. ' • . , ' • M. LEE, Fields Instructor, Whangarei.

The following stock were imported during the year ended 31st March last: Cattle, 33; sheep, 839; pigs, 24; horses, 18. Of the above animals, the. following were placed in quarantine for the respective periods required: Cattle, 33; sheep, 14; pigs, 24; horses, 12 (trotters , from the United ' States of America). During the year under review the following animals were exported: Sheep, 10,742; cattle, 97; pigs, 22; horses,' 6. There was the usual movement of thoroughbred horses to and from Australia. ' ; ; ' ..

Useful Dehorning ~ Boil

IN these days, when every care is necessary that fat cattle should arrive at the killing works without blemish through bruising, it becomes more and more essential either ro breed hornless cattle or to see that the horns are removed as early as possible. 1 ' 1 „ r ( ■Dehorning the calves with caustic soda, while practicable on dairy farms, is not possible with run cattle or fat stock generally, and a good dehorning race and bail is still, required on many farms where horned cattle are raised or fattened. ' . z ;

The photographs are of a dehorning race and bail as used in Hawke’s Bay. This bail has much to recommend it. One man can operate it with ease, the bail remaining

closed without any fixture. Such dehorning race and bail can be constructed to open out of any cattle drafting yards. In operation, the bail illustrated has also proved its effi-

ciency in reducing to a minimum the danger of injury to grown cattle during dehorning. \ ' —R. P. HILL, Fields Instructor, v \''/n ' Hastings:

Useful Farm Vehicles Built From Dismantled Cars

FOR general farm work there is ' perhaps \no equipment in such 'everyday use' as the common horsedrawn Low, easily-drawn vehicles of the type illustrated, which are capable .of being readily loaded and unloaded, and are suitable for a multitude'of. farm purposes, can be constructed at no great cost from old car or light truck chassis. These complete units, together with springs and pneumatic-tyred r wheels, are available ' from car dismantling agencies, or often from garages. When fitted with a decking and shafts, cheap, useful two- or four-wheeled carts and

lorries can be built which are . easily drawn and are capable of bearing considerable weight. Fig. 1 shows the construction of a general purpose two-wheeled model, while the , vehicle shown in Fig. 2 is suitable for cream or milk delivery. The horse-drawn lorry illustrated in Fig. 3 has ' the shafts coupled to a movable : central-pivoted beam, of which a' close-up is shown in Fig. 4. The underside of this beam is shown in Fig. 5, which, also shows the coup-, ling mechanism to the shafts. These replace the original steering gear, and

allow the front wheels to turn , in. the direction in which the horse is driven. ' This type of vehicle is often seen in use in Nelson i, orchards, and is also eminently suitable for much other farm work. , , . —D. M. E. MERRY, Instructor, • in Agriculture, Nelson.