Liquid Manure

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 64, Issue 2, 16 February 1942, Page 95

Liquid Manure

Installations of Sumps, By-passes And Distributors

By

G. A. BLAKE,

Instructor in Agriculture, Stratford.

TN the July issue of the “Journal” i attention was drawn to the value of the animal manure dropped in the cowshed, and means of distributing this over the pastures in the liquid form were also described. Since then, results have shown that when the whole of the shed washings is, the droppings, urine and water —are stored in a sump for about ten days, quicker and better results are obtained.

Sumps

The most common type is the square or oblong sump, preferably not over six feet deep to allow easy stirring.

By using three bags of cement to a yard of shingle and making the walls and bottom 3 inches to 4 inches thick, it will be found that approximately six yards of shingle and one ton of cement will make a sump of 4000 gallons capacity, which is a popular size. Reinforcing of the walls is necessary, and cyclone or similar pig netting is very suitable. A slight fall in the bottom of the sump towards the outlet, where it is emptied by gravity, makes' for easy cleaning. -

•Where the sump is totally enclosed in the ground and is dug in soil of a

clayey nature, the walls may .be plastered, but the bottom should be three inches thick. With this/plaster type of wall, a round sump is better, thus avoiding all corners. Wire netting of a heavy gauge is pegged to the walls with staples made from No. 8 fencing wire, and the whole is covered with the concrete mixture thickly enough to cover the netting completely —about lg inches to 2 inches. A thin coat of plaster made from equal parts of sand and cement is applied later. ■The cost of this type of wall, however, is practically the same as the solid concrete structure. Sumps made by plastering direct on to the clay without any netting have not proved satisfactory, and have filled with water from the surrounding soil.

Because the stored material gives better results, many farmers are now building twin sumps, emptying one when the other is almost full. Although this system is recommended, the cost

of the installation is increased, and considerable time must elapse before the better results obtained offset this added cost. • < ' It should be noted that the Dairy Regulations require the sump to be 30 feet from the shed or yards, so that a sump constructed at the edge of the yard, even though 30 feet from the shed, contravenes the regulations.

Where gravity emptying is employed, the available fall determines the depth of the sump, but the following dimensions give an indication of the sizes most preferred: — . . 10ft. x 10ft. x sft. deep holds 3125 gallons. . • 10ft. x 10ft. x 6ft. deep holds 3750 gallons. . ■ 12ft. x 12ft. x sft. deep holds 4500 gallons. A round sump with a / diameter of 12 feet and' a depth of 6 feet will hold 4243 gallons.

By-passes

When the lay-out is so constructed that all the washings eventually find their way into the sump or distributor, it soon becomes evident that some provision must be made to divert rain or other unwanted water, such as that used for washing the milking plant and

cans. When it is .realised that under an 80 inches. rainfall a stockyard 33 feet square will catch 200 tons of water HiXt-tinc +u’<= nee 1 ° . some . mean of Because no two installations are identical in construction different types of by-passes have been evolved. The best type so far encountered is constructed by making a slight depression in the base of the drain and

placing in this depression a 4 inch glazed pipe bend with the flange end flush w flh the bottom of it and the other end leading into a stormwater dram - Between milkings this pipe is °P en > but when the drain is needed to car ry the manure to the sump, a plug is placed in the flange end of the pipe and*. the manure swept over it. (See Fig. 4.) . •

Another type is constructed by putting the sump alongside the drain instead of at the end of it. A portion of the wall of the drain is movable, and when the sump is needed this portion is removed and placed across the drain to divert the manure into the sump. When stormwater has to be diverted, it simply flows along the drain, past the sump, and into a creek,

or soaks away. In some installations two drains have been constructed from the yard, one for the manure to the sump, and the, other for stormwater leading away from the yard. Movable trap-doors are used at the entrances of these drains so that either drain can be closed or left open as desired. Where the sump is considerably below the level of the stockyard the manure can be conveyed to it by means of 6-inch pipes. ’ In these instances, another pipe drain of 4-inch pipes can be used to divert the unwanted water,

and by the use of suitable plugs either drain can be used as desired.

Distributors

The most common type of distributor is the square iron tank, either 200 or 400 gallons capacity, mounted on a konaki. The platform is constructed about 3 feet longer than the tank so that there is ample room in front to allow comfortable standing room for the driver. This is especially necessary when driving through gateways or over bridges. The ( konaki is fitted with the usual iron skid in front, while the wheels can vary in size from 18 inches' to 24 inches in diameter, but must be fitted with a 6-inch tread to lessen damage to gateways and pastures. A 2-inch axle is sufficient to support the load. The tank, which is fixed on the back of the konaki, is fitted with a splash-proof lid and a 2J-inch or 3-inch tap that can be opened or closed quickly. If procurable, a cheese vat tap is ideal, but failing this, any straight-through tap is suitable.

It will be found that square iron tanks are in short supply, and if they are unprocurable, a distributor can be built with timber. This procedure is necessary in some cases where the fall is too small to allow the use of a tank. These wooden distributors are made from IJ-in ch timber, and a popular size is 6 feet long by 3 feet wide by 2 feet deep, having a capacity of approximately one ton of manure. In addition to - the tap and splash-proof lid, it is advisable to fit two tie-bolts of J-inch iron across each end of the box, so that if shrinkage occurs the bolts can be tightened and the joints again made waterproof. For this purpose the sides of the box should project about 3 inches beyond the ends, and all other parts of the box, including the top and the bottom, should be built between the sides. If the country is undulating and much surging of the material is likely in the box, baffle plates should be fitted to the inside to reduce wear and tear on the distributor from this cause. These plates are made from l-inch or la-inch timber, and are placed 2 feet from each end of the box, and right across it, but 1 inch below the top to leave an air vent, and about 8 inches from the floor to allow sufficient room for periodical removal of the sand that settles in the distributor. A distributor can be mounted on a sledge, a konaki, a wagon, or a motorlorry, so that in most cases the type of conveyance already in use on the farm is suitable. The sledge and the horse-drawn wagon both have a common fault in that the tyres or runners are too narrow for use in wet weather, both tending to cause damage to gateways and pastures. All photographs are by the author.