LIQUID MANURE

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 65, Issue 5, 16 November 1942, Page 257

LIQUID MANURE

The Fertiliser Value of Cowshed Washings

The fact that as yet a very small proportion of our dairy farmers, even in these days of drastically-reduced supplies of artificial fertilisers, have equipped their farms with the means of collecting and distributing the shed washings, makes it clear that some more definite information is required by them as to the real value of this material which is regularly washed away into streams and drains from the great majority of our dairy farms.

THE experience of the pioneers in the use of the washings from the cowshed and holding yards on dairy farms in New Zealand has resulted in a relatively slow extension of the practice in those districts where the results obtained by the topdressing of pastures and fertilising of crops with this liquid manure have given outstanding results easily seen and understood by neighbouring farmers. Every good gardener knows the value of liquid manure (animal droppings and water) and would give almost anything to have a regular supply.. He envies the farmer who can let tons of excellent manure go to waste each year. Records and Observations Knowing something of the actual manurial value of such material in terms of nitrogen, potash, lime and phosphate, and the need to get some accurate details of the quantities of these the average dairy farmer is wasting each year, the author arranged with two dairy farmers in Central

Taranaki to keep the necessary records

£llllllllll ■■■■■■■■■■■■ By .mi

G. A. BLAKE,

I Instructor in Agriculture, : e Hastings. |

rjiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiip, of the amount of liquid manure they obtained during the year from their respective herds. The shed washings were collected in each case in a sump to hold between 5000 and 6000 gallons. Samples of the liquid manure as it came from the sump for distribution on the pastures were taken each month and a complete analysis was made of each sample by the Department’s chemist. The measurement of the quantity of liquid manure together with the analysis of the samples has given some very interesting and instructive indication of what liquid manure so collected does actually contain in the way of fertiliser. The observations and records were made on the farms of Messrs. R. Haseltine and L. Craig, of Pukengahu, who are both firm believers in the

value of this manure on pastures. To

these farmers the thanks of the author for their assistance and co-operation are recorded.

Mr. Haseltine’s farm is typical of many of the smaller high-producing properties of Central Taranaki having been heavily limed and well topdressed with phosphates over a number of years, while Mr. Craig’s farming is on a bigger scale and much less lime and phosphate has been used in the past. These differences in liming and topdressing are very clearly shown in the results of the analysis of the liquid manure from each farm. Undoubtedly the quality of the pastures does affect the quality of the animal manure obtained from the stock. Results of Analysis In the following table, the quantities of liquid manure collected on each farm are recorded for the months of August to May in the case of Mr. Haseltine’s farm and for September to May for Mr. Craig’s farm. The manurial content of the material collected each month is set out in terms of wellknown fertilisers.

Quantities of liquid manure collected per month on Farm 1 and Farm 2. Analysis of monthly collections. Nitrogen, as sulphate of ammonia or dried blood. Phosphate, as superphosphate. Potash, as 30 per cent, potash salts.. Lime, as carbonate of lime. Magnesium, as magnesium sulphate.

On farm No. 1 (Mr. Haseltine’s) the total of 46,00.0 gallons of liquid manure was collected from a herd of 55 cows over the ten months for which records were kept. The sump holding a little over 5000 gallons was big enough to hold , the shed washings for one month and with the distributor employed, the spreading : of the manure from the sump took only a few hours once a month. At an average application of 4000 gallons per acre, some 11 acres of the farm received a dressing containing on the average, the equal of nearly 1 cwt. of sulphate of . ammonia, over J cwt. superphosphate, . a little less than 1 cwt. of 30 per cent, potash, more than | cwt. lime and J- cwt. sulphate • of magnesia. \ ' .’On farm No. 2 (Mr. Craig’s) a total of .48,000 gallons was collected from a herd.of 71 cows. Here because of the greater. average distance from the pasture to the milking shed much more

of the droppings were deposited on the way to the shed. On this farm about 12 acres were topdressed at the rate of 4000 gallons per acre, resulting in an average’distribution of over 1 cwt. of sulphate of ammonia, about 36 lb. of . super, 1| cwt. 30 per cent, potash, 30 lb. of lime and 50 lb. of sulphate of magnesia per acre. . In both cases though- the phosphate and lime content of this mixed fertiliser dressing is somewhat low when compared with such applications as 3-4 cwt. of super and 5-6 cwt. of lime per acre each year, the fact remains that a dressing of 4000 gallons per acre of liquid manure collected as shed washings gives outstanding immediate results and on the two • farms under observation the results of one application have been quite evident after two years. It is considered from observations on these and other farms that a decided

improvement in the growth and density of the sward as well as in the preponderance of rye and clovers, can be expected up to , three seasons and that an application of such liquid manure ’ once in three years would result in satisfactory maintenance of the improvement. The limited quantities of phosphate and lime in liquid manure are apparently readily available and are kept available in the soil. By covering 10-12 acres a year , for three seasons before having to repeat the application, up to 30 acres can be satisfactorily maintained on either of these farms.

Value in £ s. d.

Coming back to money values for the liquid manure as an offset to the cost of the sump and distributor, and the time taken to spread the manure,

the following calculations based on present costs in terms of artificial fertilisers contained in the liquid manure from a herd of 50 cows, demonstrate that those farmers who are collecting the shed washings and distributing them on their pastures are not actually wasting time and money. Based on the average for the 126 cows, on the two farms under observation each 50 cows would produce per annum the equivalent of J ton of sulphate of ammonia costing £l2 10s, J ton of 30 per cent, potash at £5, 4 cwt. of superphosphate at 16s. and 4 cwt. of lime at 45., a total of £lB 10s. worth of fertiliser.

The cost of the sump and distributor on the farms referred to was about £3O in each case and the labour in distribution about four hours per month. In two seasons the cost of equipment and of labour for distribution would be adequately met leaving future costs for many years, those of labour in distribution only. Eighteen to twenty pounds for every 50 cows milked may not appear very much to be wasting every year, but for the 1,800,000 dairy cows of this country the loss of the manurial value of the stock droppings in and around the cowsheds adds up to the tidy sum of £60,000 to £70,000 annually.

As stated in previous articles in this Journal on the subject of liquid manure from shed washings, their application to pastures has a remarkable effect on the ryegrass and cocksfoot and particularly on the clovers, which latter is somewhat surprising in view of the high nitrogen proportion. Further, stock appear to relish pastures treated with liquid manure and have no objection to grazing almost immediately after application. Another very important and striking point where the washings from the shed and yard are properly collected and regularly distributed, is the remarkable improvement in the general conditions of sanitation in and around the milking shed;

No. of Month Cows. Gals of Manure. Sulphate of Dried Super, Ammonia. lb. 30% Potash. . lb. lb. Dried Lime. Blood,lb. Magnesium Sulphate. lb. lb. Super, lb. Total, .30% Potash; lb - lb. Lime. Ammonia. lb. Magnesium .• Sulphate. lb. : • lb - Blood. Total, lb. lb. August 54 3,000 106 340 57 ■ 84 62 ? 59 602 September 55 5,000 176 566 95 140 102 97 1,000 October 55 4,000 141 453 76 112 82 •78 801 November 55 5,000 170 • 600 106 168 . • 101 111 1,086 December 55 5,000 75 311 53 91 60 68 583 January 50 5,000 151 ' 354 54 " 100 61 85 654 February 50 4,200 42 379 74 107 88 102 750 March 50 5,500 48 312 67 . 76 36 81 . 572 April 50 4,500 108 520 118 124 106 .. 96 964 May 30 - 4,800 36 137 28 54 30 41 290 — — — — ■ — — — — — — — — — Totals 46,000 1,053 3,972 728 1,056 728 818 7,302

No. 1 FARM.

September 65 3,400 137 366 42 134 30 48 620 October 71 6,000 241 - 646 74 237 52 84 1,093 November 72 6,000 224 635 91 275 59 89 1,149 December 71 71 6,500 6,500 196 196 434 434 31 31 219 219 28 28 57 57 769 769 January 71 5,300 175 390 35 182 44 78 729 February 71 4,000 74 326 , 23 166 30 50 595 March 68 6,400 99 278 32 93 18 54 475 April 65 6,000 224 606 87 197 69 90 1,049 May 45 5,000 141 305 25 130 21 46 527 ■' Totals — — — — . — — — 48,600 1,511 3,986 440 1,633 351 596 7,006 — ■ - > . —■ ; — — — — — . — : — — — . .

No. 2 FARM.