The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1880-09-01
BARN-YARD MANURE.

The waste of the barn yard is
subject of national Importance ;itis
a question that may well command
the attention Of the legislator, the
merchant, the man of letters. One
need only take a point Of obserya-
ton where he can look into the
average farm-ysrd during a shower,
and see the rich brown streams
flowing out into tie street gutter,
perhaps to find their way eventually
into the rivers and ocean, carrying
the very life of the farm and soil.
One has only to do this, I repeat,
to feel in some degree this great
waste. In any other department
of society, loss of anything like
this extent would arouse the peo-
pie to arms. It is the duty, then,
Of every writer, of every educated
person, to call the attention Of the
people to this fact.
In a general way, we may say
that the value of manure depends
upon its solubility. IF it has lain
for nine months in an open yard,
or what is worse yet and more gen
orally the case, under the drip and
wash of the caves it will readily be
seen that the most costly and pre-
c;ous materials will have been re-
moved. We see. then what a marked
difference in effect manure may
have which has been slovenly and
catelessly taken care Of, and what
an important element Of considera-
tion this is IN comparing barn yard
manure with other fertilizers.
It is a common but erroneous
notion. that the value of manure de-
pends upon the kind of animal Pro;
ducing It. This is entirely false,
ezceptzia a very slight degree, as
the physical condition of the ex-
crenent of one .. animal may be
more favorable to chemical chan ge
and physical action on the soil than
that. Of another: The quality Of.
the manure depends upon the quail
ity of the food consumed and the.
use that The animal makes Of that.
food. /. First, the condition Of the,
animal in respect to age condition
and use. Ill, young animals are.
busily engaged inbuilding up their
frames, bones and muscles. Now,
these substances are composed OF
the choicest materials Of their food,
of the phosphoric acid, potash and
nitrogen these the animal must
use 10 large quantities, and hence
its ezcrement is comparatively de-
Z fcient in. manurial value. Work
ing cattle use up larger amount
of muscle in work, which de-
teriorates the value of their ma
nure. Animals kept for the dairy
take, great quantities Of flesh and
bone forming material out of their
food, and leave the residue poorln.
plant-food.
The man who buys, mature cattle
to fatten for the market obtains the
richest manure pile that can posi-
bly, be produced. His object is to
get fat upon his cattle, and that is
all. Now, fatis composed essentially
OF carbon, oxygen and hydrogen.
These elements are of the utmost
abundance. in the soil, and theresls
no need of their application. Hence
all the rich food that is given to
fattening cattle passes into the ma
nure pile minus the elements Of
water and carbon with a small
quantity of the nitrogen. The man
that engages in this branch Of
special farming will always be able
to keep his farm in magnificent
tilth and to secure large crops.
We wish to be especially en-
phatic in regard to this idea that
manure is manure that the condi-
ton of the animal or the food that
it consumes is Of importance;
that meadow hay and straw make
as good fertilizer as cotton-seed
meal Or oil-cake. Meadow hay will
make meadow-hay manure. Being
poor in nutriment originally, it will
be doubly poor after having been
squeezed and digested in the ami
mails stomach. Let it be under
stood that there is no magic about
this question of manure Or it's &C.
ton. All manures containing like
elements in similar combinations
and preparations will have an iden-
tical effect and are OF equal value.