Sugar planter. [volume] (West Baton Rouge [i.e. Port Allen, West Baton Rouge Parish, La.]) 1856-1925, 1860-06-02

same le't'''z'"g power az barn manure
but III order 10 do that, no one of il.
constituents must be lacking. The ex
ceIlence of barn manure consists in it.
being derived f.om the varied food o
the domestic animals, and contains there
fore all the mineral element which vege
tation extracts from the soil, and iu ad
dition good proportion of carbon and
nitrogen. Moreover, the process Of ami.
NAL digestion aud secretion have again,
i" a measure, brought these mineral
matters, which had become Fixed in the
plant, into partly soluble state, and
therefore 80 far ready to contribute to
vegetable nutrition. After r4marking on
the Importance of combining liquid with
solid manure, Prof s. stated that animal
matter, being formed chiefly from those e
vegetable elements existing in seeds aud
nutricous roofs, is richer 10 nitrogen,
phosphor'c acid and sulphur, the distinct
i've elements Of seeds, than that part Of
the food Of animals which is rejected in
the form Of excrements, and which. on
the other hand, is richer in some Of the
minerals derived from the soil. To make,
therefore, the animal manure complete
fertilizer, it is on'p necessary tc add to i.
those mineral constituents in which it is
deficient. After illustrating the relative
value Of barn manure and animal mat
Ter, Prot. S. spoke Of the importance Of
fe'menting manures. Strictly speaking,
the food Of plants consists entirely Of Or
ganc matter. Both vegetable and ami
NAL organic matter must be decompo-
sed. After stable manure has thorough
|y fermented, which is a slow combus-
ton, dark, powdery mass remains,
containing the ferti'izing elements in
moe concentrated and soluble form than
before.
Voelker found that 100 parts Of the
dry. soluble, organic matter from fresh
dung contained GOA Of nitrogen, while
100 parts from rotten dung contained
sos, and the phosphate Of lime was
nearly doubled. With proper manage
ment, which the lecturer described, there
is no serious loss of ammonia. Fresh
mature may sometimes be advantage
ous'y directly applied to the soil; but
then the decay must take place in the
ground before the manure is available.
While rotton manure should always BE-
useu on spring crops, fresh manure may
do well on winter grain. The impol-
lance Of fermen,at'on is equally true Of
animal manures. In estimating the
value Of artificial manu,es. in which ami |
NAL matter forms large ingredient, it is |
Of importance to know whether the ani-
NAL matter has been simply dried up, or |
whether il has been decomposed by fer
10 the process Of manufacture,
for on this will depend the activity, and
also the concentratedness of the manure,
In the thorough and judicious fermen-
'ation Of animal matter, not only is the
water already EXISTING in the mass ex-
peIIed, but the weight o: the manure is
arther greatly reduced by the combina
ion Of the elements Of water and of car
'o"'c acid, and their subsequent expul-
ion, while al! the mineral elements and
he ammonia are retained. The manure
;, therefore, much more concentrated
ban it could be made BY merely drying
Up the crude material. 1t IS also rem
|ered more active for the nitrogen has
'een brought Into the form Of ammonia.
he phosphate Of lime usually consider
d as inso'ubIe, has, in the process of
ecay, become partly soluble. Voelker
as observed that bone moistened With
'ater yields, after while, a considera-
le quantity Of phosphate Of lime, ard
rat the soIubi|i.y increases with the pu-
of the gela.ine-an important
'ct in agriculture.
After remarking at some length on
'e qualities of guano and several spe-
al manures. Prof S. considered the OBJ :
ctIon often made TO the continued use !,
concentrated manures, on account of :.
'eir deficiency in hu'nus forming ele- !
ents. He attached bat little impor- :,
nee to he organic matter of straw and -
ter, aside from the mineral ingredients !
l'lch it contains, and It's mechanical ef "
cts in loosening soil. The organic q" ""
after i'self decomposes simply into :. "
ster and carbouic acid, elements which :"
tu'e supplies freely in other ways. II
chiefly the inorganic matter, the Po,- I,
b, s'da, lime and magnesia contained .,
the decaying vegetable matter which "
yes it its manurial value. 80, q
These minerals should be supplied in Al
ificial nnanures. Aud then as regards P
} mechanical benefit Of bulky ,nanures Il,
tightening the soil. this same advan-