522 Oa Liquid Manure. 



It will, I tliink, be admitted by every one that, under the name 

 of liquid manure, fertilisers of widely different characters are 

 applied to the land, and that probably the differences in the 

 observed effects of liquid manure may be due, at least to some 

 extent, to its variable composition. It will therefore devolve 

 upon me, in the first place, to point out the composition and 

 fertilisin2: value of several descriptions of liquid manure which I 

 have selected for examination, and to show how far differences in 

 composition influence the effects which it is capable of producing 

 in the field. 



In the next place I propose to examine the circumstances in 

 which liquid manure is employed with decided advantage, and 

 to attempt giving an explanation of the causes of success. 



In the third place I shall discuss the characters of soils upon 

 which liquid manure produces no beneficial effect, and state the 

 reasons of failure ; and 



Lastly, I propose to offer some remarks on the means of dis- 

 posing of liquid manure, 



I. On the Composition and Fertilising Value of 

 Liquid Manure. 



Liquid manure, it need hardly be ol>served, may be produced 

 in a variety of ways. It may consist chiefly of the fermented 

 urine of fiorses, or cows, or pigs, or a mixture of them all ; or it may 

 be produced by converting the solid and liquid excrementitious 

 matters of our domestic animals into a muddy liquid ; and in 

 this process of liquefying the solid excrements and preparing 

 them for distribution on the land, much or little water may 

 be used. These and several other circumstances must, of course, 

 affect the composition of liquid manure, and with it its fertilising 

 value. 



In order, therefore, to ascertain how far the observed dissimi- 

 hirity in the practical effects of liquid manure depends on dif- 

 ferences in composition, I procured six samples of liquid 

 manure, namely : — 



1. From Westonbirt, near Tetbury, Gloucestershire. 



2. From Badminton. 



3. From Royal Agricultural College farm ; collected 1857. 



4. From ditto, collected 1858. 



5. From Tiptree Hall, Essex : clear liquid. 



6. From ditto ; muddy liquid. 



A strong, disagreeable smell, and more or less dark colour, 

 were common to all ; but the differences in the concentration of 

 the liquids were much greater than I expected. 



