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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
/> 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.



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