MANURES 33 



Hen manure is one of the richest farm manures, for 

 the reason that poultry live on highly concentrated food 

 and that the liquid and solid excrements are voided to- 

 gether. It heats quite readily and violently and should 

 be used very sparingly and with caution, since if put in 

 contact with the roots or stems of plants it is very liable 

 to burn them. It should be handled with great care and 

 be kept dry. If wet, it ferments and parts with its nitro- 

 gen in the form of ammonia gas, which is readily percep- 

 tible to the nose. For the same reason it should not be 

 mixed with lime or wood ashes unless used at once. It 

 acts very quickly, and on this account is valuable for early 

 crops or to apply during the growth of a crop when the 

 available manure in the land appears to have been ex- 

 hausted. It may be composted with dry peat or muck, 

 when it is more safely applied than if clear, and there is 

 less danger of loss from heating. Twenty to thirty bushels 

 of hen manure is generally sufficient for one acre when 

 used with stable manure. 



Cattle and swine manures are rather slow in action, 

 consequently they are not as desirable for early crops as horse 

 manure, while they are excellent for late crops. For this 

 latter purpose they are often better than horse manure. 

 If they are mixed with horse manure they ferment very 

 rapidly. 



Sheep manure is a very concentrated manure and heats 

 rapidly. It is one of the best farm manures. 



Mixing Manures. It may often be a good plan to mix the 

 different kinds of animal manures for general application, 

 as in this way all seem to be improved. Hen manure is 

 an exception and, as a rule, should be applied separately. 

 Lime, wood ashes, or other material of an alkaline nature 

 should never be mixed with stable manure of any kind 



