MANURES, LIME AND FERTILIZERS 63 



growers. It is commonly known as a hot manure and it 

 decomposes very rapidly in the warm, moist soil of the 

 greenhouse. Sheep manure contains about 0.76 per cent 

 of nitrogen, 0.39 per cent of phosphoric acid and 0.59 per 

 cent of potash. The high nitrogen content makes it 

 imperative to use the manure with caution, in order to 

 avoid injury to the plants. It is especially valuable for 

 lettuce. The fine texture of the manure also enhances its 

 value. 



Poultry manure is not often used in greenhouses, but it 

 possesses special merit for lettuce on account of the large 

 amount of nitrogen which it contains. Analyses show 

 that hen manure contains 0.8 to 2 per cent of nitrogen, 

 0.5 to 2 per cent of phosphoric acid and 0.8 to 0.9 per cent 

 of potash. Like sheep manure, it cannot be used freely 

 without danger of injury to the plants. The fine texture 

 of chicken manure, when properly preserved, increases its 

 value for mixing with greenhouse soil. 



Rate of application. There are no rules governing the 

 rate of applying manures to soils for vegetable forcing. 

 The factors which enter into this problem most largely 

 are, first, the cost of the manure and, second, the cost of 

 transporting it to the greenhouses whether by teams, 

 electric power or steam power. Wherever it can be 

 delivered at low cost there is a tendency to use large 

 amounts, perhaps excessive amounts, of manure. The 

 annual applications range from about 25 to 60 tons of 

 horse manure to the acre, 35 perhaps being the average. 

 A ton of manure applied every year to 1000 square feet 

 of ground should be ample to produce good crops. 



The texture of the soil, however, should be considered 

 in this connection. Heavy soils demand larger and 

 probably more frequent applications than light soife, for 

 i few years at least, until there is a marked increase in 

 the supply of organic matter. In a new range 75 tons of 

 rotten manure to the acre was applied to the Hagerstown 



