THE MANURE HEAP AND SEWAGE. KX) 



CHAPTER V. 

 THE MANURE HEAP AND SEWAGE. 



AFTER this somewhat technical, but necessary discussion of 

 the transformations of nitrogen, we may turn to some practical 

 applications of the facts discussed. Recognizing the value of 

 nitrogenous wastes to the soil it is evident that the farmer has 

 sources of wealth in the manure heap, the compost pile and 

 perhaps in sewage. Their relations to the nitrogen problem 

 we may now intelligently consider. 



THE MANURE AND COMPOST HEAP. 



The above considerations of the soil bacteria have contained 

 many references to manure and compost material. The value 

 of the manure and compost heap to the life of the farm is rec- 

 ognized by every agriculturist. So thoroughly is this appreci- 

 ated that in some countries the wealth of a farmer is measured 

 by the size of his manure heap, which is commonly exposed 

 prominently in front of his house. Everywhere one may 

 measure quite accurately the thrift of a farmer by an examina- 

 tion of this somewhat unsavory product of farm life. We can 

 readily understand its importance on the farm when we re- 

 member that in this manure heap are going on, upon a larger 

 scale, exactly the sort of transformations of food material 

 which we have been considering. 



The manure heap is always an extremely complex mixture 

 of organic substances, of almost every conceivable kind. It 

 contains large quantities of partly broken down vegetable tis- 

 sites which have passed through the alimentary canal of the 

 cattle, partly digested and partly, perhaps, fermented by bac- 



