37S 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



"These analytical results sugj^est the following 

 remarks : 



" 1 . It will be seen that these drainings contain a 

 good deal of ammonia, which should not be allowed 

 to run to vvaste. 



" 2. They also contain phosphate of lime, a con- 

 stituent not present in the urine of animals. The 

 fermentation of the dung-heap thus brings a por- 

 tion of the phosphates contained in manure into a 

 soluble state, and enables them to be washed out 

 by any watery liquid that comes in contact with 

 them. 



"3. Drainings of dung-heaps are rich in alkaline 

 salts, especially in the more valuable salts of 

 potash. 



"4. By allowing the washings of dung-heaps to 

 run to waste, not only ammonia is lost, but also 

 much soluble organic matter, salts of potash and 

 other inorganic substances, which enter into the 

 composition of our crops, and which are necessary 

 to their growth. 



" A dung-heap composed chiefly of mixed fresh 

 horse's, cow's, or pig's dung, furnished the material 

 for another analysis of drainings. This liquid 

 was much darker than the two preceding liquids, 

 possessed an oflfensive smell, although it contained 

 no sulphuretted hydrogen, and was collected at a 

 time when no rains had fallen for several weeks, 

 which circumstance accounts for its greater con- 

 centration. It was submitted to the same course 

 of analysis as the first drainings. 7,000 grains 

 evaporated to dryness produced 135f grains of dry 

 matters ; and this quantity, on burning in a pla- 

 tinum dish, furnished 62^ grains of mineral 

 matters. 



" The following table represents the composition 

 of the solid Substances found in one imperial 

 gallon of drainings from fresh manure : 



Composition of Solid Matters in one Gallon of 

 Drainings from Fresh Farmyard Manure. 



Ready-formed ammonia (principally pre-"^ 



sent as humate and ulmate of ammo- y 15'13 



nia) ... J 



Organic matters 7l6'81 



* * Inorganic matters (ash) 625'80 



Total amount of solid matter in one gallon 1 , „ . _ ^ , 



of drainings j ' 



Containing nitrogen ...<., 31 "OS 



Equal to ammonia 37"73 



* * 625*80 of ash consisted of: 



Silica 9"51 



Phosphates of lime and iron 72*65 



Carbonate of lime 59'58 



Sulphate of lime 14"27 



Carbonate of magnesia 9'95 



Carbonate of potash 297'38 



Chloride of potassium 60"64 



Chloride of sodium , , . . 101'82 



" It will be observed that these drainings contain 

 about double the amount of solid matter which was 

 found in the liquid from the first heap. The com- 

 position of this solid matter compared with that of 

 the solid matter in the liquid from the first heap, 

 moreover, presents us with some particulars to 

 which it may be advisable briefly to allude. 



'• In the first place I would remark that notwith- 

 standing the greater concentration of the third 

 liquid, as compared with the first, the proportion of 

 ammonia present in the form of ammoniacal salts 

 is less than one-half; for whilst the first drainings 

 contained in the gallon 39 grains of ready-formed 

 ammonia in round numbers, the third drainings 

 contained only 15 grains per gallon. 



"It thusappearsthatdrainingsfrom manure-heaps 

 in an advanced stage of decomposition contained, 

 as may be naturally expected, a larger proportion 

 of ready-formed ammonia than the liquid which 

 flows from heaps composed of fresh dung. It is 

 further worthy of notice that the first drainings 

 contained nearly all the nitrogen in the form of 

 ammoniacal salts, whilst the drainings from fresh 

 dung contained the larger proportion of this element 

 in the form of soluble organic substances. The 

 most important constituent of farmyard manure, 

 i. e., nitrogen, thus is liable to be wasted in the 

 drainings, whether they proceed from rotten or 

 fresh manure, for in either case it passes oif in a 

 soluble state of combination." 



Now, how do these laboriously-obtained results 

 accord with what we see in our own homesteads ? 

 If there must be uncovered yards, if the rain must 

 shower down over their contents, do we always 

 strive to diminish this as much as possible ? Do 

 we reflect that if our farmyard buildings cover an 

 acre of ground, that upon that acre of slate or 

 thatch about 2,500 tons of rain-water annually 

 fall ? Do we not know that if proper eaves troughs 

 are not provided, that then this large amount of 

 water needlessly and injuriously mingles with the 

 farmyard dung ? and that too in addition to the 

 2,500 tons of rain-water per acre which fall on 

 those uncovered yards ? It maybe true that it is 

 difiicult to entirely prevent this loss, but there are 

 few cases in which it may not be diminished. And 

 then the placing the compost heaps in bad situa- 

 tions, or in " pies" too large, are errors equally 

 easy of being avoided. It is only by such small 

 savings, let us ever remember, that considerable 

 accumulations are made; no one can feel this more 

 than the agriculturist, for he is ever surrounded by 

 other sources of waste (besides those on which I 

 have been dwelling) ; insects, weeds, vermin, para- 

 sites of all kinds, haunt his footsteps ; he does not 

 always even see these robbers at their work ; he ti-aces 

 them, hke the march of other marauders, only by 



