The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1872-08-15
AGRICULTURAL.

How BEST TO UTILIZE LIQUID MA
NURE.--The Boston Journal of Chemistry
tells us in this wise: "How strangely
we overlook the value of the liquid
exorement of our animals A COW,
under ordinary feeding, furnishes in
year 10000 pounds of solid excrement,
and about 5000 pounds of liquid, The
comparative money value of the two is
but slightly in favor of the solid.
This statement has been verified as
truth, over and over again. The urine
of herbiverous anirnaas contains nearly
all the secretions of the body which are
capable of producing the rich nitrogen
GUS compounds so essential as forcing or
leaf-forming agents in the growth of
plants. The solid holds the phosphoric
acid, the lime and magnesia which go into
the seeds principally; but the liquid,
holding nitrogen, potash, and soda, is
needed for forming the stalk and leaves.
The two forms of plant nutriment should
never be separated or allowed to be
wasted by neglect. The farmer who
saves all the urine of his animals dou-
bles his manural resources every year.
Good seasoned peat is of immense SER
vice to farmers, when used as an abb
sorbent, and the stalls of animals should
be constructed 80 as to admit wide
passage in the rear, with generous
passage room for peat, to be used daily
with the excrement."
But we think there are very few of
us who overlook the value of liquid ma
nure, even when we see it running away
before our eyes. The trouble is not
that we underestimate its value, but
that it calls for labor so often at a time
when we have no labor to attend to it.
Suppose, for instance, we have a dry
time in May, and we conclude to get a
liquid manure cart, and, pumping the
vehicle full, draw it over the Parched
grass ground. We dicide to do it but
then come in the demands of compliant
ing time, when every scrap of labor we
can command has to be called in to get
the work done. There is no doubt it
would pay if it could be done; but so
does the corn crop pay; and what we
have to do regularly when the season
comes-as complaining time comes
will always enlist our attention before
the exceptional jobs, however profitable
they seem to be.
| There may be no doubt but that
pound for pound, liquid is of more
benefit to plant than solid. But solid
manure will always have this advan-
tage, that it will keep till we are ready
to use it; while we must be ready when
ever the liquid manure cistern is full
In winter, or in slack periods when our
time is worth but dollar or so day
to us, we can fill in the time by hauling
manure; but when the liquid tank i,
full we must go to work at it, though
time be worth ten to us for other pur.
poses.
Yet, we think, with little thought.
full arrangement, we might do more
than we do with liquid manure. Where
it can be had in any quantity it may bt
led, as recently remarked, down hill by
its own weight alone to whore it car
itself fertilize the soil.
There may be even many instances
where it might be hauled on to grass
ground with benefit. But perhaps ont
of the best means of utilizing it would
be by having at command, somewhere
under cover, a large quantity OF dry
clay or earth, which from time to time
may be put into position to absorb tn,
liquid manure. 1t has been asserted
that dry earth so employed becomes a,
excellent fertilizer-that one load o
this is worth two of stable manure. l
ought to be richer than common ma
nure to make it worth as much, as ther
is much more labor through so man,
landings. In fact it seems to us in al
these questions there is not enougl
thought given to this one of labor. 1t i
labor as much as essence that regulate
value.