Roofing A Manure Pit
Categories:
Soils, Fertilizers and Irrigation
Is it necessary to roof a manure pit, if the pit is tight so that all
rain on manure is caught in the liquid manure and nothing is lost?
To secure satisfactory composting of stable manures in a pit it is
necessary to be able to regulate the moisture of the mass. If it becomes
too dry, too rapid fermentation takes place and the material is
destroyed by what is called fire-fanging. If too much liquid enters the
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pit, so that the material is submerged, the air is excluded and
fermentation stops. For these reasons it is necessary that a pit in the
region of large rainfall be covered, and water be used from a hose or
other source of supply in just sufficient quantity to keep the material
right for slow fermentation. How much water should be added to bring the
moisture to a right condition depends upon how much liquid waste runs
into the pit, and where water is used for cleaning a stable care has to
be taken that the pit is not submerged. Success with a pit is,
therefore, conditioned on the amount of moisture admitted, and this
cannot be controlled unless the pit has a cover fit to shed rainfall. Of
course, it may be adjustable so that some rainfall may be admitted as
may be desirable.