The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-22
Mhat Is stnhIe Mnnuref

In former times, says the American Ag-
riculturist. tho excrement of domestic an
imals was the only plant food at the COM
mand of the farmer: it was the only de-
pendence, and its use has not ceased, for
1t is still largely relied upon. although it
is now generally used in conjunction with
other fertilizers, as a sort of fundation
upon which to build. 1t is still one of the
most important fertilizing materials and
1t Is more universally used than any other
single substance. 1t is surely entitled to
receive the first consideration.
Barn manure is a general term cover
tie, horses and swine, or that of cattle
and swine only. Horse manure, when
kept distinct from the general mass, is
separately claSSed and is used for special
purposes. On the ordinary farm, manure
IS mixture of the eXcrement of the lead
ing farm animals. There are several
striking characteristics that are peculiar
tiles of barn manure. The most noticea-
bic of these is the large quantity of veg
etable matter 1t contains; and incidentally
the large amount of water. This organic
matter is the greatest popularity of ma
nure, and from it certain effects are pro-
duced in the soil that cannot be OBJ
tanned from any other fertilizer.
Another popularity is that manure is
complete fertilizer; it contains some of eV-
cry element that is required by growing
Crops-nitrogen, phosphoric acid and pot
ash, as the more important plant food ele-
mentS, as well as lime and magnesia. A
third popularity is the variability of the
quantities of these food elements, depend
ing upon the classes of animals contrlbut-
ing to its formation cattle, horse and
SWlne-Some one or two of which may be
absent; upon the fodder rations employed
in feeding the stock; upon the export or
milk from the farm; upon the quantity
of foreign matter Incorporated as bedding,
or absorbents; upon the percentage of the
urine and dry eXcrement, and upon the
way in which it has been preserved,
whether properly housed, or exposed to
the teaching of rains and winds.
The value of manure as a fertilizer has
been appreciated for generations. The
Investigations of science have not displac-
ed its standing, or curtailed its use For 1t
is both the cheapest, and, all things con-
sidered, the best general manure at hand.
1t will always be used whenever the soil
requires fertilizing, and where live stock
The feed has a great effect upon the
quality of the manure. In it's passage
through the animal, the food loses what
is taken out by the growth of the animal
and by the milk. A good deal of carbon
aceous matter, which has no fertilizng
value, is also burned in the sytem to sup
ply animal heat but all the rest of the
food passe into the dung or urine. The
waste of the digested food is voided in
the urine, the undigested in the solid ma
nure of the two, the urine is the more
valuable; it is also more difficult to pre-
serve. Other things being equal. the rich
er the food, the richer the manure. Moth
ing IS AIDED to the manure in the process
of the feed going through the animal You
can get in the manure only what there was
IN the feed, less what the animal used, and
you won't get that unless both solids and
liquids are preserved. If you feed swale
hay you get swaie hay manure; if your
stock is fed with rich feeds like cottonseed
meal and bran, their manure is correspond
lngly richer in plant food.
A ton of manure from ordinary farm
stock not well bedded with chaff to alb
sorb the urine, this being worked into
the pile of solid eXcrement, will contain
about 1850 pounds of water ATS pounds OF
organic matter and 175 pounds of ash The
latter contains of potash II pounds, phos-
phoric acid pounds, lime pounds mag
nesia pounds, and the rest is sand, car
bonic and sulphuric acids. iron, alumina
and soda. The organic matter (that por-
ton which will burn off at a high tenn
perature when perfectly dry contains
| about ten pounds of nitrogen Manure
from poorly fed stocks, especially if alb
| sorbents are not used on the manure pile
| if exposed to the weather, may not con
| tain half these quantities. On the other
| hand, richly fed stock, carefully bedded
| may yield manure twice as rich in plant
food as the average just stated.