232 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



give the constituents in pounds. Assuming that a cord of 

 ordinary barn-yard manure will weigh 3,000 pounds, its actual 

 value as a fertilizer maybe presented as follows: There are 

 contained in it of water, 2,456 pounds ; common sand, 138 

 pounds. These added together give 2,594 pounds of perfectly 

 worthless substances. Now, if we still further subtract the car- 

 bonaceous matter, 332 pounds, which is of no more value than 

 muck, peat, straw or chaff, we have left only 74 pounds of 

 active fertilizing material which has a money value. To obtain 

 this 74 pounds, which really is all that is valuable, the farmer 

 loads and hauls upon his field 3,000 pounds, or one and a half 

 tons of a compound in which there is water enough to do the 

 weekly washing of a small neighborhood, and a sufficiency of 

 sand to keep the kitchen floor tidy for a month. The 74 pounds 

 of mineral salts might be taken in an ordinary bushel-basket, 

 and carried upon the shoulder to any point desired. In this 

 amount there is the nitrogen, potash, soda, lime, magnesia, 

 phosphoric acid, sulphuric acid, chlorine, iron and alum. In 

 estimating the market value of these substances, we may obtain 

 the nitrogen by the use of crude nitrate of soda or sulphate of 

 ammonia, at a cost of $2.60 ; the potash, soda, <fec, in one and 

 one-half bushels of good wood ashes, at 35 cents, and fifteen 

 pounds of common salt, ten pounds of bone-dust, three pounds 

 of gypsum will supply the remaining constituents, at a cost of 

 fifty cents. If we estimate the carbonaceous matter at ten 

 cents, we have, as the actual cash value of all that promotes 

 plant-growth in 3,000 pounds of barn-yard manure, the sum of 

 $3.35. There are but few localities where the farmer can pur- 

 chase manure at less than $7.00 the cord ; and when to this we 

 add the expense of hauling and applying to fields, we find there 

 is a wide margin between the cost of the isolated valuable con- 

 stituents of manure, and the article as furnished in its natural 

 condition. Barn-yard manure may be imitated by thoroughly 

 composting with a cord of seasoned meadow muck sixty-five 

 pounds of crude nitrate of soda, two bushels of wood ashes, 

 one peck of common salt, ten pounds of fine bone meal, two 

 quarts of plaster and ten pounds of epsom salts. The cost of 

 this compost will not be over $3.50 the cord, and ought, other 

 things being equal, to serve as good purpose in the field. In 

 practical trials of this mixture I have found that while it serves 



