Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1868-04-15
agricultural.
The Manure Question.

The Manure Question.
\ correspondent of the Ploughman desires
to know something about the comparative
economy Of using fresh or undec0mposed
barn yard manure, and old or well rotted ma
nure. We have so often discussed this ques-
ton in one phase or another, that we APP
proach it again with some fears that it may
be thought to occupy undue prominence, as
compared with the many other subjects that
are beginning To press for attention at this
season of the year
Direct and careful experiment has shown
that, on an average, one hundred pounds of
fresh farm yard manure are reduced to eIgh-
" pounds, If allowed to lie till the straw is
half rotted down. This is twenty per cent.
1t has shown also, that one hundred
pounds of fresh farm yard manure are re-
duced to sixty pounds, if allowed to ferment
till it becomes - fat cheesy,'' that is it has
lost forty per cent of its weight
1t has shown that one hundred pounds of
fresh farm yard manure are reduced to forty
or fifty pounds, if completely decOmposed.
This result of careful experiment accOrds
In the main with common every day farm ex-
perience- Now it is true that the substances
in manure which constitute the food of
plants, cannot be taken up until they are de-
composed, broken down and brought into a
condition to sustain the plant and the ques-
ton is WleC0cr IL Is DtLItT W dllOW JlllS pro-
cess of preparation to take place in the
manure heap or in the soil. The answer to
this question viii depend somewhat upon the
nature of the soil and the crops. On cold
or stiff soil, we should prefer to long
manure Il general rule 1t has an lmpor-
tant influence on the mechanical texture of
the SOIL and the process of fermentation or
decay improves such soil and lightens it up.
In the dung heap, or wherever fresh or
long manure lies in bulk, the manure soon
heats. Now the loss in weight or bulk
alluded to, is partly from the water which
evaporates, and partly from the escape of a
certain amount of organic materials. The
process of fermentation, which goes on rap
IDLY in heating manure heaps, consists largely
in breaking down of the organic substances
into the primary constituents. Their ele-
ments appear reconstructed in new forms.
Some of these organic substances decompOse
much more rapidly than others. Straw, woody
fibre. starch, etc, decay slowly, while flesh,
blood, gluten, albumen, etc, decay very
quickly and throw off in the process, the
most disagreeable odors, composed of sulphur
and phosphorus, which, uniting with the
hydrogen OF the air, appear about the nose
in the form of sulphuretted and phosphuret-
ted hydrogen, two Of the most disgusting and
nauseous gases No doubt some portion of
nitrogen escapes and unites with hydrogen
to form ammonia, which is also a volatile
compound. So that the ultimate products
which escape from heap of decaying organ
ic matters, consist in part of ammonia, sui
phuretted, phosphuretted and carburetted
hydrogen, with carbonic acid and carbonic
oxides.
If the heap were unprotected, that is il
no absorbents like muck, loan or plaster
were mixed with it, the loss would amount
to Il good deal but if there We're absOrbents
added to it. the escape of the valuable VIOLA
tile gases would be arrested and these case:
would be held and saved. Hence the impor
lance of some absorbing mixture in sucl
heaps.
Scientific analysis has clearly shown tina
one hundred pounds of common fresh barr
ward manure contain about forty pounds d
nitrogen In the first stage of fermentation
about five pounds of this are driven off il
the form Of volatile ammonia !; in the secOnC
stage ten pounds in the third, twenty
pounds SO that unprotected common stable
manure. when completely decomposed, hal
lost about half of its most valuable cOnstit
ucn's-
Now the practical conclusion to be drawn
from these incontestible facts, is to apply
barn yard manures to the land in a frest
state. where it is practicable. The soil is o
itself a powerful absorbent, and even if the
manure Is GOI UuUItdidltlS SONCiCu, oii bh'
soluble salts in the manure. which are easil
washed out by the rain, are carried down in
20 the soil where they are wanted while the
loss of volatile and fertilizing gases is quite
Inconsiderable, because when spread out up
on the surface and not heating in piles, fer
mentat ton is arrested
We say therefore that practical experience
will confirm the deductions of science, and
that it is, az general rule, more economical
to apply farm yard manures in a fresh cOndi-
ton of course it cannot always be carted
out at once, and Immediately spread in all
cases and so practically the preliminary pro-
cess of fermentation will generally have be-
gun in the heap, where the manure under
the stables has accumulated through the
winter, and so, to provide against any posi-
Die loss, we prefer to have some absorbent
to be used as bedding, and to go down into
the mass of the manure. With that, be
II straw or muck, or loan or sand, or even
sawdust which is better than nothing, we
fear no loss, even if the heap lies under the
barn for some weeks. Ofcourse we wouldn
have it exposed to the rains outside, or under
the dripping caves. That would be the worst
kind Of extrava gance, and the farmer who
allowed it, would be spendthrift of the
most carIess sort: but if the heap is under
cover we do not object to its passing through
it's early stages of fermentation
Now if tine rule is adopted to apply ma
nures in fresh state generally, 1t Is evident
that there will always be on hand, more OF
less, that has partially or wholly decomposed
The care of this is worthy of consideration
but it does not form part of the present
inquiry. 1t properly comes under the head
of the general care and management of ma
nures, which we may take up at some future
time, and which. indeed, was very ably
treated in the essay of Mr.. Hyde, which we
recently presented to our readers--Plough-
man.
To cure cough in COWS, take powdered
elecampane and ginger, equal parts mix and