10 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



of nitrogen uniting with 3 pounds of hydrogen, to 

 form 17 pounds of ammonia. It is a gas much lighter 

 than the air, and rapidly evaporates when exposed in 

 a free state. It is an alkali similar in many respects 

 to potash and soda, forming fixed salts with all the 

 mineral and with most of the organic acids, and has a 

 very strong affinity for them. It is rapidly absorbed 

 by water, for which it has a great affinity, though no 

 combination takes place. As formed from decaying 

 substances it always unites with carbonic acid, form- 

 ino- the volatile salt, carbonate of ammonia. It is 

 this salt which all have observed on entering an ill 

 ventilated stable after it has been closed for some 

 time. It is what ladies sometimes endeavor to keep 

 themselves awake with in church, stimulating the 

 Bostrils when there is little in the sermon to stimulate 

 the brain. If you doubt that the nice clean harts- 

 horn you have purchased of the druggist is the same 

 as that given off from all decaying animal and vege- 

 table substances, get a little moist guano, urine, blood, 

 or any other animal matter, and mix it \vith ashes or 

 lime, allowing it to stand a short time in a covered 

 vessel, and then see if you can detect the least differ- 

 ence in the smell of the two gases — the one purchased 

 In the city, and the one of domestic manufacture. 



Carbonate of ammonia contains all the four or- 

 ganic elements which compose such a large propor- 

 tion (generally from 90 to 98 per cent.) of all animal 

 and vegetable substances; and it is in this shape that 

 nitrogen is taken 'ip by the plant and and organized 

 into food for animals. This is a strong argument, 

 though we possess a still stronger one, for making and 

 saving as much ammonia on the firm as possible. "We 

 know of no modern agricultural improvement, which 

 experience has confirmed as giving larger crops, but 

 what directly or indirectly, brings more ammonia on 

 to the farm or renders that already there more avail- 

 able as food for plants. 



As an aid to the farmer who desires to improve Lis 

 manure heap, we have made up from various reliable 

 sources, the following table, showing the per centage 

 of nitrogen, &c., in various substances used as food 

 and as manure. It is worthy the most careful study 

 and consideration: 



Water 



Dry Matter 



iSilrogea 

 in niiiu- 

 rid fhite 



I^ilrugen 

 in dnj 

 mnlLer 



Barley straw,... 11.0 S9.U u 2.3 0.2b 



Oat do 21.0 79 0.28 0.36 



Eye <1o 14.0 86 0.-30 0.35 



Wheat do 18.0 82 a3 40 



Buckwheat do 11.6 8S.4 0.48 0.54 



English meadow hay, 110 89 1.15 128 



Red clover hay, 12.7 87.3 1 S3 2.10 



Pea straw, 8 5 94.5 1.79 1.95 



Carrots, 87.6 12 4 0.30 2 40 



Potatoes, 74.0 26 0.39 1.43 



Mangel wurzel, 87.0 13 0.29 2.i7 



Rutabaga, 88 6 11.4 0.21 1.87 



Barley,... 16.0 84.0 1.60 1.93 



Malt, 70 93.0 160 1.72 



Wheat, 16.0 84.0 1.80 2.14 



OatV 16 84.0 2M0 2.3S 



Indian corn, 180 82.0 1.64 2.(10 



Malt-dust, 7.0 93.0 4.00 4.n8 



Malt-grains, 6.0 94.0 4.51 4.90 



Linseed, 12 88.0 3.76 4.26 



Beans, peas or tares, 16.0 84 4.00 4.76 



American oil cake, 11.8 88 4 5.04 6.71 



Hair, feathers, leather, woolen rags, horn sliarings, dry blood, 

 dly flesh, and fish, from 15 to 17 per cent, of nitrogen. 



It will be seen that the straw of barley is the poor- 

 est, and that of wheat the richest of all cereals. Pea 

 Btraw is worth five times as much as wheat straw for 

 manure. Clover hay is worth nearly as much again 

 as English meadow hay. We have no analyses of 



corn stalks that are satisfactory, and therefore have 

 not given them in the table. The analyses which we 

 have, indicate that the dry stalk contains about 1.2 

 per cent, of nitrogen, and the dry leaves 2 J per cent, 

 showing them to be of high comparative value. Of 

 the gramineous grains, barley is the poorest in nitro- 

 gen, Indian com a little better, and oats the richest. 

 Flux seed contains a large per centage, peas and beans 

 still higher, and oil cake the highest of all vegetable 

 substances used for food. Hair, feathers, &c., are 

 most valuable fertilizers, equal in nitrogen to the very 

 best Peruvian guano, and much better than wh:it is 

 often sold as such for $60 per ton. They would be 

 quite equal to good Peruvian guano, but that their 

 nitrogen is in a far less available condition. 



In making and preserving barn-yard manure, then, 

 the primary object should be to get as much ammo- 

 nia as possible; and, as we have before stated, the 

 composition of the food is the true index to the com- 

 position of the manure. The more nitrogen the food 

 contains, the more ammonia, or compounds which 

 will ultimately form ammonia, will the jnamjve eon- 

 tain; and therefore, other things beinj equal, the more 

 profitable will it be for feeding purposes; for in all 

 countries having ea,^y access to the great markets of 

 the world, no farmer can afford to feed cattle unless 

 the manure be accounted of some value. 



The first object of the farmer i i making manure, 

 will be to give his animals those kinds of food which, 

 otlier thing.5 being equal, contain the most nitrogen. 

 The next most important point is, how to treat tiie 

 manure so as to retain all the valuable elements it 

 contains, and at the same time reduce its bulk as 

 much as possible by fermentation. The last coasid- 

 eration is seldom mentioned by theoretical writers, 

 but it must not be forgotten. It is intimately con- 

 nected with the expense and profit attending the ap- 

 plication of manure. If, as we assert, the carbon of 

 the manure is of litile value on a wheat farm, and its 

 wati'r of no value; and if carbon and water compose 

 four- fifths of all unfermeated barn-yard manure, as 

 we knov/ ihf^y do, ii cannot but be to our advantage 

 to reduce their quantity, if it can be done without 

 loss to the valuable portions of the manure. 



The most valuable part of the excrements of ani- 

 mals is the liquid. More lo.^s is sustained by allow- 

 ing this to run to v/aste than in any other one thing. 

 Rapid fermentation in a loose heap is another source 

 of loss. Allowing the eaves water to run on and 

 leach out the soluble portion of the manure is another 

 common mal-practice. These three evils every one 

 familiar with agriculture must have observed. The 

 loss to each individual farmer by such mismanage- 

 ment is great, and viewed as a national question, is 

 most appalling. The direct loss to the farmers them- 

 selves, in the aggregate, is immense; while the indirect 

 loss to the country is positively inestimable. To pre 

 vent this loss, we must in the first place, save the 

 liquid excrements. This is a problem which ha.s puz- 

 zled the most scientific farmers of the age. The dif- 

 ficulty is much greater in England, where turnips, 

 containing 90 per cent, of water, are used for stall 

 feeding, than with us. Here, if the buildings are all 

 spouted, the greater part of the liquid of the animals 

 and the rain falling on the surface of the yard may 

 be absorbed in the course of the year. To do thia, 

 the bottom of the yard should be covered with diy 

 peat, muck, saw-dust, waste straw, potato vines and 

 numerous other absorbent substances which can be 



