David Hare-Scott wrote:
I presume a 'below ground' crop is a root ot tuber and that 'well cooked'
means well composted and degraded..

Yes.

Why should the manure be well cooked in that particular case?

There is some risk that the horse manure includes fecal matter from other
animals, domestic and wild, and possibly even human feces (in some barns this
is likely, because there is no toilet anywhere on the premises). You'll
want to avoid bacteria from non-horse feces being in direct contact with any
food you may consume raw. Also, plants will make better use of composted
manure. Composting involves heavy bacterial growth, which briefly consumes
available nitrogen. The nitrogen is released when the bacteria die off at
the end of the composting cycle.

Solar radiation over time takes care of most above-ground contaminations.

Many manure piles are aged yet poorly composted, due to too much moisture
and too little air. They are much improved by composting. Whereas fresh
manure is "green" matter, high in nitrogen, aged manure is "brown" matter.
I like to compost all manure before I apply it, if only to break down the
balls.

Una

In article , (Una) wrote:

David Hare-Scott wrote:
I presume a 'below ground' crop is a root ot tuber and that 'well cooked'
means well composted and degraded..

Yes.

Why should the manure be well cooked in that particular case?

There is some risk that the horse manure includes fecal matter from other
animals, domestic and wild, and possibly even human feces (in some barns this
is likely, because there is no toilet anywhere on the premises). You'll
want to avoid bacteria from non-horse feces being in direct contact with any
food you may consume raw. Also, plants will make better use of composted
manure. Composting involves heavy bacterial growth, which briefly consumes
available nitrogen. The nitrogen is released when the bacteria die off at
the end of the composting cycle.

Solar radiation over time takes care of most above-ground contaminations.

Many manure piles are aged yet poorly composted, due to too much moisture
and too little air. They are much improved by composting. Whereas fresh
manure is "green" matter, high in nitrogen, aged manure is "brown" matter.
I like to compost all manure before I apply it, if only to break down the
balls.

Una

Ouch!
--
- Billy
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the
merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Arn3lF5XSUg
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Zinn/HZinn_page.html

Did anyone notice I used the word "bacteria" meaning two very different sets of
bacteria? There are intestinal bacteria, some of which may make you sick; and
soil bacteria, which do the marvelous work of composting. A good compost pile
favors bacteria that build the soil, in the process consuming stray intestinal
bacteria.

Una

In article , (Una) wrote:

Did anyone notice I used the word "bacteria" meaning two very different sets
of
bacteria? There are intestinal bacteria, some of which may make you sick;
and
soil bacteria, which do the marvelous work of composting. A good compost
pile
favors bacteria that build the soil, in the process consuming stray
intestinal
bacteria.

Una

Yeah, enteric bacteria seem to do better in guts, however they seem to
be persistent enough to survive nearly 3 months on, or in the soil. That
is why it is recommended that manure be at least 3 months old when used,
and if used earlier, it should not come into contact with the edible
portion of the plant, hence the injunction against splattering water
from the manure, to the hereto fore mentioned edible portion of the
plant. Hot composting will kill human pathogens (and wild seeds), and
make the compost product more rapidly available to the garden flora and
fauna, which in turn, support the garden plants.

You mean that?
--
- Billy
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the
merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Arn3lF5XSUg
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Zinn/HZinn_page.html

Una wrote:
Did anyone notice I used the word "bacteria" meaning two very
different sets of bacteria? There are intestinal bacteria, some of
which may make you sick; and soil bacteria, which do the marvelous
work of composting.

To put on my pedant hat, most of the microorganisms in compost are fungi but
your point is still valid about it dealing with fecal coliforms.

A good compost pile favors bacteria that build
the soil, in the process consuming stray intestinal bacteria.

Una

David

Una wrote:
David Hare-Scott wrote:
I presume a 'below ground' crop is a root ot tuber and that 'well
cooked' means well composted and degraded..

Yes.

Why should the manure be well cooked in that particular case?

There is some risk that the horse manure includes fecal matter from
other animals, domestic and wild, and possibly even human feces (in
some barns this is likely, because there is no toilet anywhere on the
premises). You'll want to avoid bacteria from non-horse feces being
in direct contact with any food you may consume raw. Also, plants
will make better use of composted manure. Composting involves heavy
bacterial growth, which briefly consumes available nitrogen. The
nitrogen is released when the bacteria die off at the end of the
composting cycle.

If you are unsure of the provenance of your manure this seems reasonable. I
use the dung from my horses almost hot with no ill effects but I know what
they eat and what contaminants are about. And they always wash their hands
....er hoofs afterwards.


Solar radiation over time takes care of most above-ground
contaminations.

Many manure piles are aged yet poorly composted, due to too much
moisture and too little air. They are much improved by composting.
Whereas fresh manure is "green" matter, high in nitrogen, aged manure
is "brown" matter.
I like to compost all manure before I apply it, if only to break down
the balls.

Una

Nah, it's nature's packaging. Also one should consider that the longer it
lies around the more nutrients are lost due to leaching and volatility

David

In article ,
"David Hare-Scott" wrote:

Una wrote:
David Hare-Scott wrote:
I presume a 'below ground' crop is a root ot tuber and that 'well
cooked' means well composted and degraded..

Yes.

Why should the manure be well cooked in that particular case?

There is some risk that the horse manure includes fecal matter from
other animals, domestic and wild, and possibly even human feces (in
some barns this is likely, because there is no toilet anywhere on the
premises). You'll want to avoid bacteria from non-horse feces being
in direct contact with any food you may consume raw. Also, plants
will make better use of composted manure. Composting involves heavy
bacterial growth, which briefly consumes available nitrogen. The
nitrogen is released when the bacteria die off at the end of the
composting cycle.

If you are unsure of the provenance of your manure this seems reasonable. I
use the dung from my horses almost hot with no ill effects but I know what
they eat and what contaminants are about. And they always wash their hands
...er hoofs afterwards.


Solar radiation over time takes care of most above-ground
contaminations.

Many manure piles are aged yet poorly composted, due to too much
moisture and too little air. They are much improved by composting.
Whereas fresh manure is "green" matter, high in nitrogen, aged manure
is "brown" matter.
I like to compost all manure before I apply it, if only to break down
the balls.

Una

Nah, it's nature's packaging. Also one should consider that the longer it
lies around the more nutrients are lost due to leaching and volatility

Good point, the phosphates and potassium are subject to being carried
away by surface water during rains, and if not interred and sequestered
by soil moisture, the ammonia (NH3), a by product of the break down of
the amino acids, from the proteins (dead bacteria) in the manure, would
escape into the air and be lost to the soil. This is why side dressing
is less efficient than turning the manure into the soil. In lasagna
gardening, the manure is cast on the unturned soil and covered with
mulch, which provides the moisture necessary to sequester the ammonia.

David
--
- Billy
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the
merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Arn3lF5XSUg
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Zinn/HZinn_page.html