The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1891-07-29
Commercial Fertilizers Com
pared With 6arnyard
Manure.

The sahjeet Of manure Is o1e of great
importance 70 everyone that Is interested
in agriculture and IS one Of The much
needed restoratives Of exhausted soil
BARNARD manure las been Esed zs such
from the earliest history Of agriculture.
Commercial fertilizers are Of more recent
date and Is = formula Of mineral fertiliz-
ing ingredients whose component parts
are formulated by the aid Of The science
Of chemistry.
That these fertilizers have proven an
important factor in the growing and ma
turing Of crops has been demonstrated,
not by fheory. 5oi by sctnzl practical
experiment
Yard manure contains composition o.
elements neeeszry TO plznt-groEth, and
viii, If applied in sufficient quantity and
with proper tiIlage, increase its produe-
tiFeness.
Concentrated mannres contain the
same principal elements-if complete N
their eonposi ition-and viii compare IA
vorably xith yard manure in commercial
value, while IN agricultural value they
do not
The commercial value Of the mineral
substances Of all msuures We obtain
through the tsbulzted analysis Of our
chemists. These nay be rslied upon As
very nearly correct, as far As they 60
Tie agricultural value can only be OBJ
tanned By experience, and depends large
" upon the composition Of our soil, rain
fall. the manner Of cultivsting the soil
and the method Of applying IL
The farmer should make use Of his
brains a. well as any other business man,
and should watch with deep interest the
outcome Of researches made BY the ex-
pertinent stations, especially on the sub
Ject Of commercial fertilizers
Tie production Of ysrd manure and
cost Of the commercial article should also
Be taken into consideration The amount
We invest in q commercial manure i 80
much cash advanced, with no assured
guaranty Of profitable increase OF even
the return Of the cost Of the investment ;
Il depends on circumstances
We lose nothing by these uncertain
ties by the making and applying Of yard
manure It Is, therefore, one Of the Prin-
cipsI adjunets 70 successful farming, and
Is an article which may be Manufactured
on every farm, and we need not pay
tribute for its uss 10 corporations, agents
or any other class Of men
We should make use Of every available
means to increase in volume as well a'
in value this great farm storehouse o.
profit. al the straw should be convert
ed into manure by being worked Through
the stables or otherwise, and al Othel
worthless material that accumulstes OF
all farms during the growing season
Animal excrements are egslly vaiu
able. We should avoid all waste b!
using other sbsorbents in our stables
such as dry muck, plaster. etc, and j
should be conducted to tank construct
ed to receive II and from thence distrib
uted over the manure heap
The comparative value Of yard msnur
depends on the number Of animals anl
how We feed them. We cannot manu-
faeture ezpacious and valuable produc
with but few animals, nor with large
number Of animals Il we feed them onl,
to keep them from starving. The Pc
cent Of its value depends largely on tn
thrift and growth Of our stock, tn
anountof litter We use and the grain VI
feed. There is another question Of i'm
portance, and that Is the economic treat
ment Of manure after We have drawn
from the stables. Il should be kept IN
der cover until We wish to apply II TO th
land In many bsrnyards the mos
valuable elements are washed away TN
results Of which we way notice in th
adjoining lots By having If under cove
until II Is ready for use We viii get tn
full benefit Of its value. Ii Is in this pre-
scribed form that by analysis il viii shoH
Its largest per cent Of phOsphoric acid
potash and nitrogen
Mr.. Warrington in The Chemistry {
the Farm" gives the following analysis o
rich stable manure: