158 MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. I903. 



same pen as Xos. 2 and 3 was found to carry 1.28 per cent of 

 nitrogen. 



The composition of the dung would vary with the food fed. 

 According to the X. Y. Station analyses, ''the manure from the 

 fattening fowls was more valuable than from those which were 

 laying, mostly from the larger content of nitrogen." 



FERTlLIZrXG CONSTITUENTS OF FRESH HEV MANURE. ANALYSES- 

 MADE AT AMP:R1CAN EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



o . 



c - 



2£ f- 



Soui'ce of analysed. 





Fertilizixg Constituents. 



so 



c 



7. 





n 



s5 



Vew Jersey Station Bulletin 84 . . . 

 Vew Vork Station Repoi't ISS'J — 



Vew York Station Report 



Vew York Station Rei)ort (capons) 

 -Mass. State Station Report 1886... 

 Mass. State Station Report 1890.... 



Pounds. Per cent. Per cent. 



33 

 29 

 43 



1.15 

 .81 

 .66 



1.24 

 .79 



1.20 



.92 

 .92 

 .82 

 .93 

 .47 

 1.00 



Per cent. 

 .45 

 .32 

 .25 

 .36 

 .18 

 .32 



EXPERIMENTS IN STORING HEN DUNG TO PREVENT LOSS OF 



NITROGEN. 



It has been a common practice for writers to recommend the 

 addition of certain materials to hen dung to prevent loss. The 

 X^. Y. Station advises, "when the manure is not used when fresh, 

 is is better to mix it with dry earth, muck or plaster." The- 

 jNIass. State Station says : "The value of hen manure depends not 

 less on the care which is bestowed on its keeping than on the 

 kind of food the fowls consume. * * * A liberal use of 

 plaster, kieserite or of good loam is highly recommendable for 

 the absorption of ammonia. '''" "^ * A sandy soil is of little 

 use as an absorbent." 



To test the effect of chemicals upon the preservation of the 

 nitrogen of hen dung, the following experiment was made. The 

 roost droppings from i8o mature {20 months old) laying hens 

 were collected each morning, and the droppings for three nights 

 were treated as follows : — 



