Litter in Manure 347 



to hold fast the ammonia formed in the decomposition 

 of the manure. They thus protect the manure from loss. 

 It is customary in some localities to fill the gutters in 

 the stables with fresh peat-moss and to allow it to re- 

 main there until it had absorbed as much liquid as it 

 will hold. Under the influence of the peat-moss, the 

 urea and hippuric acid are not changed so rapidly into 

 ammonium carbonate, nor does the latter escape so 

 readily into the air. 



Wood-shavings and sawdust are not readily decom- 

 posed by bacteria and, therefore, retard the decay of 

 the manure to which they are added. Even in their 

 case, no injurious effects are noted when they are applied 

 in moderate amounts on clay and loam soils. Larger 

 applications, especially on the lighter soils, seem to 

 react unfavorably on the mechanical and bacteriological 

 properties of the land. Under such conditions, it is 

 better to allow more of the preliminary decomposition 

 to occur in the manure pile than in the soil. 



The activities of the cellulose ferments are thus in- 

 tensified and the woody material sufficiently broken up 

 to assure its more rapid and uniform decomposition in 

 the soil without injury to the texture of the latter. 

 A longer preliminary decomposition period has been 

 found advantageous also in the case of peat and peat- 

 moss. The more so, since peat is comparatively rich 

 in nitrogen, which is rather inert in itself. However, 

 when the peat is mixed with fermenting manure, the 

 bacteria in the latter attack the inert nitrogen com- 

 pounds and change them into forms more readily avail- 

 able to the crops. 



