The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-04-15
THE CHANGES THAT TIE NITROGEN uN-

PROCESS OF ROTIlNG.
The nitrogenous substance Of highly
complex composition in plants, which is
produced out of the ammonia and nitric
acid of their food, suffers decomposition
with great readiness when exposed to
moisture and heat, and removed from the
influence of the vital forces of the plant;
the final products of the decomposition
are ammonia and nitric acid again, or
their compounds, together with more or
less, though never much, free, uncom-
bined nitrogen. When the nitrogenous
substances of the plant are taken into
the animal body as food, changes of
similar character 60 on there, and the
products are found in the urine; but the
decomposition has not reached the final
stages to any notable extent in the fresh
urine; the urea, and uric and hippuric
acids, in which ne find this nitrogen that
has been assimilated and made to do
some work in the animal economy and
then cast off again ss waste matter, arc
only steps on the way to complete de-
composition, but they are steps that are
very near the end, and it takes but
slight Impulse to topple the combinations
over and finish the work. The nitrogen
in the solid excrements, on the other
hand, being made up mostly of the orig
inal, undecomposed nitrogenous matters
that were not digested by the animal, is,
therefore, further removed from the end
of the process of decomposition, and is
much less prone to change; but for all
that it is not proof against alteration,
and sooner or later all its nitrogen, too,
will be liberated as ammonia or nitric
acid or free nitrogen-a result that may
be the more speedily brought about if
the solid excrements are mixed with the
liquid. Such, then, is the characteristic
feature of the changes that take place in
rotting manure with respect to its nitro
gen, viz: the passage Of the compounds
Of this element through several stages OF
decomposition into ammonia and nitric
acid, or their compounds; and the change
appears to go on, if time is allowed, till
most of the ammonia that is first formed
is converted into nitric acid; for while
the proportion of soluble nitrogen in rot
ting manure increases, the proportion OF
ammonia dininishes the gradual In
crease of soiubility under such condi-
;tions must be a. result of the increasing
formation of nitric acid at the expense of
the ammonia. According to some au.
thorities, this increase in the proportion
of soluble compounds of nitrogen takes
place more freely if the manure is kept
sih Ia somewhat compact mass, and the
access OF air is thereby hindered. Very
few, determinations of the comparative
solnbility of the nitrogen in fresh and in
rotted manure have been made. In the
case of one series of analysis by Voc.
icker, only one-fourth of the nitrogen of
the fresh manure was soluble in water,
while Of thoroughly rotted manure about
half of the nitrogen was soluble. In gen.
eral, it may be assumed that 100 pounds
of q moderately rotted manure will con.
tain FIVE pounds of soluble matters, of
which one.fourth of pound will be nj
trogen.
THE MONEY VALUE OF THE NITROGEN
IN A TON OF FARMYARD MANURE.
The value of the nitrogen in sample
of manure depends in large measure on
the extent to which it is present in the
form of soluble compounds. Our infor-
nation in regard to this point in the case
of farmyard manure is, as we have
shown, not precise, and therefore it is not
possible to make as precise an, estimate
of this value as we can in the case ,of a
ton of guano or of ammonium sulphate
of average quality. At the rate of 25
cents pound for nitrogen in ammonium
.sulphate, or Chilli saltpetre, which are
quite soluble compounds, it will doubt
less be safe to call the nitrogen in. stable
manure..of fair average quality worth
.l6 cents per pound, or 20 cents if the
manure is old and we'll rotted; at these
rates the nitrogen in ton of carefully
rotted manure would be worth 50.
IN WHAT WAY SHALL THE FARMER
MAKE HIS MANUREs RICH AS POSI-
BILE IN NITROGEN
:. The way is plain. He must have as
large share as may be profitable of we'll.
fed, fattening animals in his stalls; he
must carefully preserve the liquid por-
ton of the excrements containing the
most assimilable part of the nitrogen; !;
he must keep the manure pile moist and
keep it warm by moderate fermenta-
tion,. in order to carry it as rapidly as
possible into the rotted condition; he
must protect the manure from washing
rains and from direct exposure to hot
sun and to drying winds, for under such
circumstances it may sueer serious loss
of nitrogen.