146 



THE BOOK OF POULTRY. 



lecturers all over the kingdom, and scores of 

 larmers are proving it true, to their profit. 

 Horses especially, and cattle only less so, 

 actually prefer to graze where such a stock of 

 fowls have most congregated, round their house. 

 This is nov/ an acknowledged and positive truth, 

 and the manure these fowls make on the farm 

 is of the greatest value to the holding, which 

 farmers — slow as they were for years to believe 

 it — are now at last learning for themselves. We 

 are thus brought first of all, therefore, to con- 

 sider the true agricultural value of this poultry 

 manure. 



We were the first to place this beyond doubt, 

 by obtaining an analysis from the late Dr. 

 Augustus Voelcker, Chemist to the Royal 

 Agricultural Society, of two different samples 

 representing different conditions. We found by 

 repeated trials that poultry manure, 

 Real Value of after storing for a few weeks in casks 

 under cover, was reduced by drying 

 to about half its weight. Our birds 

 at that time being kept in pens, the late Mr. 

 O. E. Cresswell sent for us to Dr. Voelcker 

 samples from his Dorkings, kept on grass ; 

 both fresh as dropped the night before, and 

 that partially dried by storage. They analysed 

 as follows : — 



Poultry 

 Uaniire. 



Fresh Partially Dried 



Moisture 



Organic Matter and Ammonia Salts.. 

 Tribasic Phosphate of Lime ... 

 M.ignesia, Alkaline Salts, etc. 

 Insoluble Siliceous Matter (Sand) .. 



Containing Nitrogen 

 Equal to Ammonia 



There is a fully recognised method of valuing 

 such manures according to the ammonia which 

 they contain, and by this standard Dr. Voelcker 

 valued the fresh moist manure at £2 per ton, 

 and the drier stored sample at £a^ 4s. per ton. 

 l-'or years these were sneered at as fancy values; 

 but there is no mistake about them, and how- 

 ever slow the conversion has been, they are at 

 last becoming recognised. The manure from 

 fatting-sheds, owing to the nitrogenous food, is 

 of perceptibly higher value. Dr. Voelcker ex- 

 pressly reported upon ordinary droppings as 

 " a much more concentrated fertiliser than the 

 best description of ordinary farm-yard manure." 



We have next to consider its quantity, its 

 application, and its results. We found that 

 our Brahmas dropped from 3 ozs. to 4 ozs. per 

 night ; while Mr. Cresswell found his Silver 

 Grey Dorkings (on nine days' average) produced 

 slightly over 2 ozs. each per night. This is 



46 lbs. per annum, while the Brahmas gave 

 68 lbs. of moist fresh dung. We thus find that 

 the night manure alone of the largest birds is 

 worth one shilling per annum, while that of 

 smaller breeds may perhaps be taken as half 

 There is that dropped during the day to be 

 added to this ; and we thus found and calcu- 

 lated, so far back as 1881, that every bird on 

 the farm was worth one shilling per a^inuni in 

 viaimre alone. This calculation also is now 

 endorsed by all competent authorities, and by 

 actual experience on scores of farms. 



The full value of such manure may, however, 

 be partially lost, and often is, by injudicious 

 treatment. Repeatedly in Sussex we found 

 Inne used under the pens, as an antiseptic. 

 Nothing could be worse ; for lime liberates and 

 thus loses ammonia, and Dr. Voelcker expressly 

 cautions against its use. We were not sur- 

 prised that when so managed, the farmers found 

 it best to " get it on the land as soon as 

 possible," which really meant, before more 

 ammonia was lost. Dr. Voelcker recommends 



various methods, which may be 

 ^f th*"^ ^^* selected according to circumstances. 

 Manure. ^^ may be simply mixed with about 



twice its own weight of such dry 

 earthy matters as dry earth, burnt clay, or weed 

 ashes, into a compost, occasionally turned over, 

 which may be used for garden produce or green 

 crops. For roots he would prefer it mixed 

 with an equal quantity of super-phosphate of 

 lime, and the mixture, in a dry and powdery 

 state, drilled in with the seed at the rate of 

 5 cwt. per acre. For sale, he advises that as 

 little earthy matter should be used as will assist 

 in drying it, soot or weed ashes going far and 

 being valuable in this way. But on the whole 

 he advises to keep a mixture of two parts burnt 

 gypsum to one part of mineral super-phosphate, 

 mi.xing three parts of fresh poultry manure 

 with one part of this mixture, and turning over 

 occasionally under cover. It is thus rapidly 

 reduced to a dry and friable condition, whicli 

 makes a good manure for most crop.'-, when used 

 at the rate of 8 cwt. to 10 cwt. per acre. In 

 Sussex most of it is used directly upon the land, 

 simply scattered broadcast, with admirable 

 results upon most crops, and specially upon 

 poor pastures or scrubby land. Its value for 

 tomatoes has been already alluded to. This 

 fruit does not require a highly nitrogenous 

 manure such as guano, and therefore actually 

 thrives better with poultry manure, which may 

 be either applied in water, or the above mi.xture 

 with a little super-phosphate further diluted by 

 dry earth, and applied as a mulching to the 

 plants. Grapes may be treated in the same 



