304 BOAED OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



1. A conservative action on the fermentino: dung: and 

 urine. 



2. Rapidity of disintegration. 



8. A high water absorbing and retaining power. 



4. Cleanliness. 



5. Relatively high contents of nitrogen, potash and phos- 

 phoric acid. 



6. Low market value. 



The following list contains most of the materials commonly 

 used, and, as to the above qualities 1, 2, 3 and 5, it gives 

 them in the order of their values, beginning with peat moss, 

 the highest in value : — 



Peat moss. 

 Peat. 

 Di"y loam. 

 Dry muck. 

 Summer rye straw, 

 Oat straw. 



Winter rye straw. 

 Barley straw. 

 Wheat straw. 

 Sawdust. 

 Dry leaves. 



The reason for giving preference to peat moss and the 

 three following materials is because they possess the first 

 quality in the highest degree. This will be considered fur- 

 ther under the head of "How to make Ijarnyard manure." 

 But when cleanliness is considered, the straws rank first, 

 and peat, muck and loam come last. Sawdust and leaves 

 decompose very slowly, and leaves especially have but little 

 nitrogen, potash or phosphoric acid left in them. Unfortu- 

 nately, all the good qualities are not possessed by any one 

 material. Peat, etc., have the highest conservative power, 

 but they are not cleanly. The clean straws, however, are 

 the poorest in conservative power, because they support the 

 bacteria which do harm. (See " How to make barnyard 

 manure.") 



Although high percentages of nitrogen, potash and phos- 

 phoric acid are valuable in litter, the best of these materials 

 contain only small amounts, and this quality is outranked by 

 those placed before it in the above list in giving value to 

 barnyard manure. 



'■'■ Fixers J' — When manure is stored at any depth over 

 a few inches, it ferments, and large quantities of the most 



