preserving the nitrogen, and the gain in phosphoric acid will repay all
the cost. It should be used daily on the moist manure, as made in the
stable, and preferably just before bedding is added, so that the
phosphate will not come into direct contact with the feet of the
animals. Some stockmen prefer the use of acid phosphate and kainit
mixed half-and-half. The latter is a carrier of potash, and is a
preservative of nitrogen.

The use of ground rock-phosphate in stables is coming into use in some
localities, chiefly through the recommendation that it be mixed with
manure to secure availability of its own plant-food. It is not a
preservative except in so far as it acts physically as an absorbent. It
should not displace acid phosphate in stables, the preservation of
nitrogen in the manure being the vital matter.

Spreading as Made.--When farm conditions make it feasible to draw and
spread manure fast as made, the danger of heavy loss in storing is
escaped. There is evidence that no appreciable escape of fertility
occurs when manure is spread on land that is not covered with ice. The
phosphoric acid and potash are minerals, and leach into the soil. The
nitrogen does not change into a gas in any appreciable amount when
spread over the surface, and it likewise leaches into the soil. There
are soils in which the decay of the organic matter would have a more
beneficial effect than the rotting upon the surface, it may be, but the
mulching effect of the manure is valuable. There should be no doubt
that the loss from manure is kept to a minimum when it goes directly to
the soil. In some latitudes the snow and ice oftentimes prevent
spreading, or make it inadvisable, and in many farm schemes it is
desirable to hold manure for special fields and crops. Some means of
storing manure must be provided in these instances.

The Covered Yard.--If the possible value of manure were realized,
provision for its care would be made as promptly and surely as
provision for the care of a harvested crop. There are only three
conditions that must be provided in order that manure may be preserved
without much loss. The manure must be protected from leaching rains, it
must be kept moist, and air must be excluded. The exposure of stable
manure to the processes of fermentation and leaching, produces a waste
that is believed to amount to several hundreds of millions of dollars
in the United States annually. The day will come when no farmer will be
wil