The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1911-03-31
VALUE OF BARNARD MANURE
II Represents Fertility Drawn From
Soil and Must Be Returned to
Maintain Productiveness.

Barnyard manure is the most i'm
portant manurial resource of the farm
and should be carefully saved and
used. 1t represents fertility, which rs
drawn from the soil, and must be re-
turned to it if productiveness is to be
maintained. 1t not only enriches the
soil with the nitrogen, phosphoric acid
and potash, but it also renders the
stored-up materials of the soil more
available, improves the mechanical
condition of the soil, makes 1t warm
err. and enables 1t to retain more mois-
ture, says Farmers Bulletin No. 1872.
On the basis of prices charged for
commercial fertilizer. it is estimated
that the average value of the manure
annually produced by each horse or
mule is s27. by each head of cattle
$40. by each hog $12, and by each
sheep So. Probably less than half
these values are actually realized in
practice.
The urine is by far the most valu-
able part of the excreta of animals.
1t is especially rich in readily avail
able nitrogen, which rapidly escapes
into the air if special precautions are
not taken to prevent it's loss. 1t is
also rich in potash, but deficient in
phosphoric acid 1t should, as rule,
be used in connection with the solid
dung, the one thus supplying the de-
ficiencies of the other and making a
more evenly balanced manure.
Barnyard manure Is a very variable
substance. it's composition and value
depending mainly upon Cd age and
kind of animal. (2) quantity and quail
ity of food, 80 proportion of litter.
and (4) method of management and
age. Ordinary barnyard manure prop
erly cared for may be assumed to
contain on the average II per cent.
each of nitrogen and potash and 1-3
per cent. of phosphoric acid
Mature animals neither gaining nor
losing weight excrete practically al
the fertilizing constituents consumed
in the food. Growing animals may
excrete as little as so per cent. of the
fertilizing constituents of the food;
mich cows excrete from 65 to SIS per
cent; fattening or working animals
from s5 to % per cent. AS regards
the fertilizing value of equal weights
II,
farm animals. probably stand in the
following order. Poultry. sheep. pig,
horses.
The amounts a1 fertilizing constir-
uents in the manure stand in direct
relation to those in the food. AS re-
CARDS the value of manure produced.
the concentrated feeding stuffs, such
as meat scrap. cotton seed meal, lin
seed meal and wheat brand, stand
first; the leguminous plants (clover,
peas, etc. second: the grasses third;
cereals (oats, corn. etc., fourth, and
root crops, such as turnips, beets and
mangel-wurzels. last
Nitrogen of the food exerts a great
er influence on the quality of the ma
nure than any other constituent 1t
is the most costly fertilizing con-
stituent. 1t undergoes more modifica-
ton in the animal stomach than the
mineral constituents tpotash and phos-
phoric acid, and rapidly escapes from
the manure in firmation. The secre-
ton of urine increases with the in
crease of heterogeneous substances in
the food. thus necessitating the use of
larger amounts of litter and effecting
both the amount and value of the ma
nure The use of watery foods as is
obvious, produces the same result
Barnyard manure rapidly undergoes
change When practicable to remove
the manure and spread it on the field
nj short intervals the losses OF valu-