Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-01-18
FARM AND ORCHARD.
VALUABLE FIGURES IN REGARD TO
THE STRENGTH OF MANURE.
Hints to Poultry Farmers = Correctly
Named Froits-onion Sets
General Farm Notes.

The New York Spdrting World says
that during the past summer investiga-
lions have been made in this general sub
ject in three main directions, viz:
l. What loss does horse manure suffer
when thrown out in pile unsheltered
from the weather?
,. What loss does mixed farm yard ma
nure suffer when piled in close pile so
that fermentation is very slow, but with
out protection from rainfall?
8. Is there an appreciable loss of valu-
able matter when manure simply dries
without fermentation
Losses of horse manure in loose pile ::
For this experiment all the manure made
in our horse stable for one dav was used.
The stables we're cleaned out on Saturday
night. March Both, at o'clock They
were then Uttered with 3S4 pounds Of
straw, and on Sunday night. March .3lst,
the accumulated manure aud straw were
gathered together aud weighed. There
were in the stable during this time nine
horses, and the floors were tight, so that
nothing was lost. The total excretion was
as follows:
Total weight, manure and bedding ...........529 5
Weight of bedding $50
Total weight Of excrement, solid and liquid 4glO
Average excreed per horse per day............ 81
The manure so obtained was placed,
without especial care to pack it down in a
wooden box that was not water-tight, but
from which water did not easily escape.
This box was placed out Of doors and sur
rounded with similar manure, so that the
whole pile might heat up. The object
being to place the box and its contents in
the same conditions, as nearly as possible,
that prevail when horse manure is thrown
out in loose pile from the stable door.
The box was allowed to remain in this po-
sition until September 30th, when the con-
tents were weighed thoroughly mixed and
duplicate samples sent to chemists for an
alysis.
In order to obtain sample of manure
for analysis to compare with that put. in
the wooden box, the horse manure for a
single day was collected in the same man.
ner on the succeeding Sunday. These
trials were made on Sunday, because on
that day the horses were in the stable all
day, and the whole amount of excrement
could be obtained. The amount obtained
in the second trial was as follows:
Total weight, manure and bedding 496
Weight of bedding. 30
Total weight of exerement, solid and
liquid --;............- 400
Average excreted per horse per day......... IS D
There were but eight horses this time,
one being absent, the others were the same
and were fed the same 1t is fair to as
sumo that the composition of the manure
was the same, it being very nearly the
same in quantity. The manure was run
through straw cutter to cut up the bed
ding and then thoroughly mixed and du-
plicate samples sent to the laboratory.
incidentally it is interesting to note the
amount of solid and liquid excrement
voided in twenty-four hours by horse.
The average for the two trials is a little
less than 565 pounds. Two Of the horses
were light driving horses, the remainder
were grade Percheron farm horses of from
1900 to 1,400 pounds weight and were fed
literally on oats and hay.
The losses therefore, were threefold;
first, considerable loss in the total weight;
second, gain in the percentage of water;
and, third, loss in the percentage of val
liable fertiliZing elements.
Let US now compute these losses in dol
lars and cents. A ton of fresh horse man
ure would be worth at the present prices
of commercial fertilizers 81 45, as follows: