364 BOARD OP AGRICULTURE. 



When the phrase "nitrogen equivalent to ammonia" is employed 

 in expressing the results of analysis of a manure, it is for the pur- 

 pose of saying that the amount of nitrogen in it is capable of 

 producing so much ammonia, and the latter is, of course, 3-14ths 

 more than the weight of the nitrogen. 



When a farmer buys stable manure, three-fourths or more of the 

 weight of his purchase consists of water and woody fibre. If saw- 

 dust has been freely used as bedding, perhaps as much as nine- 

 tenths. Now, water is good, nay it is indispensable for vegetation, 

 but no farmer can afford to transport it by team fur the use of his 

 crops ; still less to pay money for it. The vegetable matter is good 

 to improve the mechanical condition, the texture, of heavy soils, 

 rendering them more friable, and more permeable to roots and air 

 and rain, and to some extent it may serve other useful ends ; but 

 the farmer would not carry far, nor pay dear for manure which con- 

 sisted of vegetable matter only. He wants mineral matter more. 



When he buys stable manure, he does so because it contains a 

 small percentage of the most valuable mineral fertilizers. It con- 

 tains potash and phosphoric acid and nitrogen, and these consti- 

 tute by far the greater part of its value. There may be from twenty 

 to forty pounds of all three together in a ton of it. If these were 

 separated they would form a highly concentrated manure, and in 

 many localities would be cheap at ten to fifteen cents per pound, 

 or perhaps even more. And it would be none the worse for having 

 no weed-seeds nor water with it. It is because stable manure con- 

 tains all three of the constituents named, (together with others 

 also, of less commercial value) that it forms a general manure, and 

 is, as we say, suited to all soils and all crops ; and although this 

 may not be strictly accurate, yet the language would hardly be 

 misunderstood. At least it is safe to say, that farm manure very 

 seldom comes amiss. 



It frequently happens that not all of these are equally demanded 

 by the crops which we propose to grow, nor equally lacking in the 

 soil. Consequently it is not always needful to apply all of them. 

 Experience has shown that an addition of phosphate alone is often 

 sufficcnt to insure a bountiful crop of turnips, or of clover; and an 

 application of nitrogenous manure may be all that is required to 

 insure a heavy growth of grass, or of grain, and so in other cases. 



Let me repeat, that potash, phosphoric acid and nitrogen, are the 

 scarce fertilizing substances. They are those which are most fre- 

 quenty lucking in soils, and yet, equally with others, they must be 



