The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1883-07-11
Farm Yard Manure.

manure because it supplies all the
essential elements ofplant food. Its
composition varies according to the
character of the animals contributing
to j., the quality of their food and
the nature and the proportion Of the
litter. IT. value also depends upon
the method in which it has been pre-
pared.
Farm yard IN .nure consists of The
liquid and solid excrements OF the
farm stock and the straw, sawdust or
other material employed as litter. II
will contain from IS TO 80 per cent.
Of water. The nitrogen may be Gao
to 0.65 per cent, or higher, if pro
duced by highly fed animals. The
ash constituents will be 2.5 TO 80
per cent, exclusive Of the sand and
earth present. OF these ash constit
uents O.4 to or will be potash and
o. to o. phosphoric acid. In q
word, one ton of farm yard manure
will supply, according to conditions
already sp. cited from nine to fifteen
pounds Of MT ogep, similar amount
of potash and from four to nine
pounds of phosphoric acid. A con
sideration of some of the causes that
affect the quality of barn yard man
ure may assist the inexperienced far
mer. An animal neither gaining nor
losing weight, as working horse,
will produce excremeents containing
about the same amount of nitrogen
and ash constituents as was present
in the food consumed. If, on the
other hand, the animal is Increasing
in size, is producing young or fur.
nishiug milk or wool, the nitrgen and
ash constituents in the excrements
will be less than those contained in
the food, the difference appearing as
animal increase. In word, the far.
mer will not obtain as rich a manure
from a COW in full milk, or from
rapidly growing pig, as from bis
working horse with the same food
Even more than the character of
the animal does the character of the
food affect the quality of manure. A
diet, for instance, including liberal
amount of oil cake or beans, will
yield a manure rich in nitrogen and
ash constituents, when diet of
maize and straw chat will produce
manure poor in nitrogen and phos
pilates. The constituents of food
which are important as ingredients
OF manure are the nitrogen and ash
elements. but chiefly the nitrogen,
this being the most costly ingredient
OF commercial fertilizers. Oil cakes
yield the richest manure. Next to
these come the leguminous seeds,
mott dust and bran. Clover hay
yields a richer manure than the ce.
real grains, while meadow hay is
rated below these. The cereal grains
and the roots contain pbout the same
proportion of nitrogen in their dry
substance, but the roots supply more
potash. Potatoes stand below roots
In manurial value, and straw takes
The lowest place as a manure yield.
ing food. Bean and pea straw are
more valuable for this purpose than
The straw of the cereals.
Many scientists and not a few far.
mers believe that animal manure is
more Immediately available for the
use OF plants when applied directly
20 the land than when previously
mixed with a great bulk OF litter, as
with litter probably re.
suits in the formation of heterogeneous
humus compounds, which are insolu
Die and decompose but slowly in the
soil. The use Of litter in the prepa-
lion OF farm.yard manure is, how.
aver, necessity, especially in the
winter time.
Scientists, some of them at least,
assert that the immediate return
rom an application of farm.yard
manure is much less than from the
anne amount of plant food applied in
manures. The effect of
arm-yard manure, however, is
pread over considerable number of
ears. q
A most important point is the
reatment of manures. Serious loss !
occur constantly through igno-
ance in this matter. Bear 10 mind
large proportion of the nitrogen is
oided in the form of urine. If,
lerefore, the manure is wasted, by
lin, and the washings are allowed to 4
rain away, loss occurs. 1t must y
so be recoflected that the urea,
hicn forms the chief heterogeneous {
gredient of urine, is speedily chan.
ID by fermentation into a volatile
distance that escapes unless held
: sufficient amount of litter
arm yard manure rapidly under n,
es fermentation and large guam "
y Of carbouic acid is given of.
hen the fermentation occnrs in