For restoring the fertility of the fields, there is nothing better than
barnyard manure. By the ordinary methods of piling it on the ground
or storing it in wooden pens, from 30 to 50 per cent. of the manure’s
strength is wasted. This loss is brought about in two ways:
First—By “leaching” or washing out, due to heavy rains.
Second—By heating or “firing,” caused by lack of sufficient
moisture.
Since concrete pits are waterproof, manure can be kept in them as moist
as necessary. Moreover, with concrete pits the supply of manure is
increased, as all the liquid manure, from the gutters of the barns,
barnyard pavements and feeding floors, is saved.