VALUE OF STABLE MANURE. 71 



manure is variously stated to be from eight to 

 twelve pounds nitrogen, seven to ten pounds potash, 

 and four to nine pounds of phosphoric acid. 



A ton of fresh manure, consisting of the dry ex- 

 crements of fairly-fed working horses and a little 

 urine-soaked straw, contains about ten pounds of 

 nitrogen, four pounds of phosphoric acid, and ten 

 and one-half pounds of potash. 



While we have no means of knowing in what ex- 

 act degrees of solubility or availability the nitrogen, 

 phosphoric acid and potash exists in stable manure, 

 we may well suppose that all these plant foods will 

 be utilized by our crops to the full extent that they 

 are in our best concentrated fertilizers, only perhaps 

 in a somewhat longer period. Consequently I feel 

 justified in rating them pretty high. 



At present prices of commercial fertilizing sub- 

 stances the value of a ton of this fresh horse manure 

 may be computed as follows, viz. : 



10 pounds nitrogen @ 17 cents, - - - $1.50 



4 • ' phosphoric acid @, 7 cents, - - 28 



10^ " potash @ 4 cents, . . - 42 



Total, $2.20 



When we buy from manufacturers of concentrated 

 fertilizers the same quantities of plant foods con- 

 tained in the ton of fresh horse manure, we would 

 perhaps have to pay three dollars for them. 

 Hence if we can get a ton of fresh horse manure of 

 the described quality at $2.20, or less, without having 

 to incur additional expense for hauling it, we make 

 a better bargain than if we buy the average manu- 

 factured fertilizer at current rates. 



Fresh cow manure varies but slightly from fresh 

 horse manure in chemical composition. Hog and 

 sheep manure may have a somewhat larger percent- 



