Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-05-06

Value 81 HannFe from D1GeFe0t Feeds.
M. r. Swain, Of Indiana, asls: What Is the
data from which Mr.. Lawes makes - estimate
o. the value or manure from different foods, rs
gwen in Harris on the Pig?'" Mr.. Lswes fed
. number OF sheep, pigs, ETC., with diferent
foocs. These we're carefully ansiyzed anil the
boPpiDgs from the animals were all carefully
OBJECTED, and the amount OF nitrogen, pho,
phates, potash, etc, etc, determined. He aiso
Killed some OF the animals at the time the eS-
periments commenced and anatyZ ed them, de-
termiping how much nitrogen, phosphate, pot
ash, ETC., etc., they contained, and then at the
sna Of the ape some 2, The rat
ascertained: Ql The weight and composition of
the animal At the commencement OF the experi-
ment. t2l The weight and composition OF the
icod consumed. (S) How much the ANIMALS in
creased in weight. t4) What this increase was
composed Of. t5l How much manure was OBJ
tanned from the food consumed, and how much
nitrogen, phos lhs es. potash, etc, etc. it con-
TIMED. Those facts have sill been ascertaiued
although the details OF the investi CATION, which
were commenced tvs il y i've years aga, have not
vet been published. Oar readers may RELY
lmp licitly ON the general accuracy of the facns.
Copjolnty with these investjg atoms Mr..
LaWes, IN a series OF experiments on wheat, bar
ley, beans, peas, tares, turpps, and clover that
have been continued for many years ascertni1
cd the effect Of nitrogen, phusEhstes. potash
etc, ETC., on these different crops, aud on PEE
potash, werefound to be the most valuable Ii
gradients OF plant food, bat il still remained -
determine their relative money value. Here
three points had TO be considered. 10 Tas
effect Iof the msnures. (2) TIE value of the.
CROPS; and tS) the cost OF nitrogen, phos oh ates
and potash in the market. II would nor q, -
say; "Fonr pounds of nitrogen win produce
bushel of wheat worth Si.G0, aud II is, there
fore worth 40 cents pen pound while it could be
bought in the market tor % cents And 50 win
phospates. 1t would not DO % SAY: "One hun
dred pounds OF soluble phosphates will produce
800 bushels OF turnips, worth five cents bushel
ana consequently soluble phosphGtes are worth
Is cents per pound whi'o they could be bought
In the market tor eight Cents.
To sum up, then, Mr.. Lawes bases his esn-
mate of the value Of manure from n ton OF
different foods, on the composition OF the food,
as ascertained by anslysis, and on the composi-
ton OF the manure obtained from its consnnp-
ton. When a lot OF sheep eat three tons OF
clover hay, one ton OF bran, and one ton OF oil
cake, he knows, with gOoi degree of certain
N, how much nitrogen, phosp pa ates, potash, etc,
the manure they make will contain, and he
knows what he can buy these ingredients for in
ne market, and consequently, he can figure mp
what the manure is worth. And there can he
no sort of doubt that the table is sufi ciently
acute for practical purposes; and furthermore
1t " pretty certain that in this country we
cannot go into the market (unless in the case of
manure from the cities and buy the ingredients
at as low price as that adopted in the tabis
stu, it does not follow from this that the NJ a
nure from a ton OF clover hay Is worth 1904 10
MIR Swain in Indiana. Perhaps his land is -
rich that he does not need manure at ALI: or the
price of produce SO low. that the use of manure
at these prices would not be profitable. If five
pounds OF ammonia will produce a bushet OF
wheat, in this Stste, worth S15e, we could at
ford to pay twenty cents per pound for it, and
make good profit by its use: but il wheat WIS
only worth seventy-f i've cents per bushel, we
should lose money. In consulting this table.
therefore, such questions must be taken into
CONSIDERATION. But this is true every where:
y the manHre from ton Of straw IL worth .. Gs.
that from ton of clover hay is worth 50 CT; and
so with other articles, the value of which is
gwen In the table. They are relotire,y true. sb-
deserve the careful considerable OF every i'm
telfgeDt farmer.-Hearti q Home