The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-01-02
FARM, GARDEN, AND HOME.
THE FARM.
The Composition Of Fertilizers.



Philadelphia Record.
The value of manure depends not only upon
the character of the feed allowed, but also upon
the condition of the animal, the breed and the
age. The principal substances OF value IN
manure are nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash,
the former substance being the most costly. In
the artificial fertilizer nitrogen exists in the
shape Of sulphate of ammonia nitrate of soda,
or us Peruvian guanO, while ground dried blood,
leather and other substances containing 1t are
sometimes used. Potash is usually supplied in
the form Of the sulphate (Sainit) or mu1iate, its
quality depending upon the grade of the salts
used for the purpose, while the phosphoric acid
usually combined with lime) is derived from
bones and sometimes from guano deposits and
marine formations. The Carolina phosphate
beds have been largely instrumental in cheapen-
ing this article, while that from bones is usually
aecociated with proportions of nitrogen.
Barnyard manure and artificial fertilizers diff
fer only III form. The active ingredients of barn
yard manure are the same as those i'll fertilizers,
excepting that the manure contains small pro
portions of magnesia, soda and few other sub
stances not always present in fertilizers, though
easily added to them II necessary. Manure con
tains, however, a large quantity OF carbon,
which is considered by some valuable fertilizer,
but others contend that as plants appropriate
carbon from the atmosphere through the agency
of the leaves. such matter only adds to the bulk
of the manure without increasing the quality.
When food is fed to animals it undergOeS u
chemical process in the body, which extracts the
nutritive portions for sustenance according to
the digestive caDacity of the animal the resdu-
um being vOided as being no longer useful in
that respect. The amount of available fertlliz-
ing material in the manure thus voided depends
upOl the character of the food, and its relative
proportions of nitrogen. Which is always costly.
AS growing animals require not only food for
warmth, but for growth also the manure from
such is less in value than from animals that are
| matured. And as more food is required to as
sist the body against cold in winter than for any
Of a
factor in the matter ALSO especially if it be cor
rect that carbon is beneficial as manure to
| the roots Of plants
Assuming that animals are well fed on aver
age quality Of food, them for every LOCO pounds
of manure from horses more than 700 pounds
| consist of water while the remainder is estima-
| ted at about twelve pounds Of phosphoric acid,
! twenty-eight pounds OF potash and five pounds
/ of ammonia. The manure from the cow con
tains nearly $50 pounds of water in every 1000,
| the amount of ph0sphOric acid in the remainder
| being about five pounds, potash ten pounds and
| nitrogen three pounds, the manure from the
| horse being double the value of that from the
| COW in all the substances except nitrogen, and
! even in nitrogen the horse manure is nearly
| twice as rich. OF the different kinds
| of manure, that from fowls and the
human species is the richest in nitrogen, but this
| includes the urine, the solid portions beng very
deficient in that respect. Manure from the sheep
is the richest in phOsphOric acid. Urine is always
| rich in ammonia (nitrogen), with proportions of
! potash and small quantities of phosphorc acid.
! Considering this fact, too much Importance can
| not be gwen the saving of liquids, that from the
/ human species being valued at one-half cent per
pound The value of the solid portions of man
ure from a horse for one year is said TO be about
SO while the value of the liquids from the same
| source, for the same period, is nearly the same.
! Considering the high value of the liquids,
| which are always Immediately available as plant
! food when applied to the soil, the manure must
| be protected from drenching rains and melting
of Mt pf he