No. 4.] 



BARNYARD MANURE. 



303 



This mixture of dung and urine is collected in tanks for 

 several months in some countries, as, for example, in Hol- 

 land and Switzerland, without further admixture. It is then 

 called Guile. It undergoes a peculiar fermentation, and is 

 spread as a liquid over the fields. In most countries, how- 

 ever, as with us, the better way is followed of using litter, 

 for the double purpose of making confined animals clean and 

 comfortable and of absorbing the liquid portion. This 

 litter consists of almost any light, dry, waste material, such 

 as straw, leaves, sawdust, land plaster or dry earth. 



Dung and Urine. — The value of these depends on the food, 

 age, breed, condition and work of the animal. The richer 

 the food, the richer the excreta ; the older the animal, the 

 richer the excreta. A working animal will yield more value 

 in excreta than one which is fattening. 



Dung. — This consists of the undigested and undissolved 

 portion of the food. It is much poorer in plant food than 

 the U7'i7ie, which has more manurial value, and should be 

 most carefully saved and used. It consists of substances 

 which have been digested, and which are therefore very 

 quickly assimilated by plants. 



The following table (from Wolff") shows the percentages 

 of nitrogen in the original food which go into the dung and 

 urine of the respective animals : — 



Phosphoric acid is practically w^anting in horse and cow 

 urine ; sheep urine has somewhat more. The largest amount 

 is in pig urine, but even there it is present only in traces. 

 Sheep urine is the most valuable, next comes horse urine, 

 then cow urine, and last of all pig urine, counting all the 

 elements together. 



Litter. — The qualities which should be looked for in a 

 good litter are : — 



