Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1902-05-13
VALUE oE LIQUID MANURE.

A correspondent deeply Interested In
the question of the salvage of manure is
anxious for few facts which may be of
benefit to the tenants on the estate in
which he is interested. He properly re-
marks that liquid manure is so generally
wasted and its value so little appreciated
that much of what an incoming tenant
is required to pay for, under the head of
feeding stuffs consumed, is not only lost
to the soil, but is not allowed for by
valuers. 1t is amazing that this question
is so little discussed by practical farmers.
| Let us take the urine of the cow as an
example, remembering that its value is
increased or diminished in proportion as
the foods consumed are rich. An aver
age sample, however, contains 0.S per
cent of nitrogen, OF per cent of phos-
phoric acid, and o.6 per cent of potash.
In sample of the fresh manure of the
cow, which includes the straw, the pro-
portion of the nitrogen present is only
0.34, of phosphoric acid Ole, and of
potash 0.4, SO that, weight for weight,
the liquid manure of the cow is worth as
plant food double as much as the dung
she produces, and to which the straw is
added. In a heightened experiment
the mixed manure Of the COW, liquid and
solid, contained 0. As per cent of nitrogen,
0.3 per cent of phosphoric acid, and O.34
per cent of potash, yet in any case were
either liquid or solid to be kept for a
heightened time the loss would be con-
siderable, and consequently the value
much diminished. Thus we see that the
urine of the COW is very much greater in
value, weight for weight, then the mixed
solid dung and urine, without straw.
The urine of the horse and of the sheep
is much richer in nitrogen and about
equal in potash; in the case of the horse,
it is richer in phosphoric acid, but poor
er in nitrogen and potash, so that where
the liquid is mixed urine of the different
classes of stock, it is immensely superior
in value to the liquid of the COW, as well
as to the solid manure of any class of
stock, separate or mixed, whether as re-
CARDS nitrogen or phosphoric acid, which
are by far the most valuable constituents
of all manurial matter.
The cows kept at the New Jersey sta
ton we see averaged in production,
solid and liquid manure without litter,
10 pounds daily, or about II 3-4 tons per
head per annum, and these animals were
of average size-about 1000 pounds in
weight. But on the basis of other work
the average quantity of solid manure
produced by the cow is nine tons, and
liquid 1-2 tons. Now COW producing
nine tons of solid manure in round num-
bers will yield 6S pounds of nitrogen;
similarly if she produces 3 1-2 tons of
urine, both of average quality, she will
produce "a pounds of nitrogen; thus the
nitrogen value-and this is much the
most important-of the liquid of COW
is almost equal to that of solid manure.
If, however-and this fact We would
emphasize-the urine is distributed on
the land, before there has been any loss |
by the change of the urea in the urine to
carbonate of ammonia, which is so easily |
lost in the atmosphere, the value of the |
liquid will be greater than the value of
the solid for the simple reason that it is
practically impossible to get solid dung
under the soil before it has lost some |
thing of its ammmoniacal value
Michigan Farmer.