354 ELEMENTS OF MANURE. 



RELATIONS OF MANURES TO CROPS. 



The manure employed at Bechelbronn is what is commonly called 

 farm-yard dung^, a compost made up of the excrements of horses, 

 oxen, and straw litter impregnated with urine. The dung of fowls 

 and pigeons, and the sweepings of the yard, are sometimes applied 

 to special purposes. The animals whose excrements form the dung- 

 which I have examined were horses, oxen, and swine. 



The manure is put upon the ground when it has undergone fer- 

 mentation in the heap : it is manure half-made : the straw litter is 

 not entirely decomposed, but is soft and filamentous ; in this state 

 manure retains a great deal of moisture. 



DESICCATION OF HALF-.MADE OR HALF-DECAVED MANURE. 

 EXPERIMENT I. 



A quantity of manure prepared during the winter of 1837-1838, 

 which in the state in which it was being put on the ground, weighed 

 257 lbs after it had been dried so as to be easily reduced to powder, 

 weighed 57 lbs. The loss of water was therefore about 77.3 in 100 

 This number comes very near the estimate of several German 

 agriculturists, who reckon the moisture in farm-yard dung at 75 per 

 cent. Still this loss does not represent the whole of the water ; for 

 after desiccation at 212' F. the 57 lbs. weighed 54 lbs. In fine, 

 after desiccation in vacuo, at 230° F. it was found that one part of 

 stove-dried manure lost 0.039. Thus the manure parted in totality 

 with 79.62 per cent, of water, and contained in consequence 20.4 of 

 dry substance. 



EXPERIMENT 11. 



Of the manure prepared in the winter of 1838-1839, 220 lbs. after 

 being chopped and dried weighed 56 lbs. One part of this manure 

 was reduced in dry vacuo at a temperature of 230^ F. to 0.872, The 

 220 lbs. would therefore have weighed when dry 48 lbs. 



EXPERIMENT III. 



Of the manure prepared during the summer of 1839, 660 lbs. 

 weighed after desiccation 151 lbs. ; of this dry manure reduced to 

 powder, one part lost by desiccation in vacuo at 230' F. 0.1461. 



The 151 lbs. would therefore have lost 22 lbs. ; consequently the 

 660 lbs. of manure contained 129 lbs. of dry matter, that is, 19.64 

 [yer cent. 



Subjoined is a summary of the per centage of dry matter: 



First experiment 20.4 



Second " 22.2 



Third ' 19.6 



Average 20.7 



Moisture (avcnige) 79 J 



ANALYSES OF HALF-MADE MANURES. 



I. Manure prepared during the winter of 1837-1838: 

 Matter 0.5595, gave carbonic acid 0.528, water 0.157 . C. 32.4, H. 3.8, 

 Aroto 1.7.— 1.0 gave ashes 0.462. 



