982 



MANURE 



other absorbents, are usually spoken of as barn Manures. 

 Commercial Manures or " fertilizers" are usually concen- 

 trated forms of nitrogen, potash and phosphoric acid, 

 mixed or unmixed (see Fertilizers) ; green Manures are 

 living plants plowed under to furnish humus and increase 

 productivity; amendments are substances, surh as lime, 

 which may increase the growth and healthfuluess of 

 plants by improving the physical con 

 ditoin of the soil and by setting free un- 

 available plant-food. In gentral farm- 

 ing, barn Manures are usually applied in 

 the raw or unrotted state; in hortknil- 

 ture, rotted or partially rotted. Horse 



MANURE 



nures when spread over the mass from time to time in 

 small quantities. The quantity and value of Manure 

 made by domestic animals is not realized by those who 

 allow it to be scattered over large, open barnyards or 

 allow it to remain for considerable periods under the 

 eaves of the barn. Extended experiments at the Cornell 

 Experiment Station showed that the following amounts 

 of excrements were produced 

 daily for each 1,000 pounds of live 

 weight of animal: 



Sheep 34.1 lbs. 



<'.;ilves UJ.Slbs. 



Cows:::;:.".!.";;:::; 74:1 ii.s: 



^ 



Manure is used for hotbeds, while cow Manure, mixed 

 with soil, is best for forming a moist, rich, potting 

 earth. Dung, the solid voidings of animals, after weath- 

 ering tor a time, is also a valuable addition to potting 

 earth. Florists often keep a number of dairy cattle that 

 an abundant supply of bovine Manure, which is sovalu- 

 in floriculture, may be at hand. ( 



t or in solution. 

 ■Til and tends to 

 ■hosphoricacid, 

 cw.ll-developed 



are used in small qua 

 Nitrogen stimulates the vi_. 

 produce rapid growth and <! .^ i 

 a:noiigothere£fects, has that • 

 plump seeds and fruits; pot 

 fects, as well as increase aii( 



Barn Manures are more highly pri/,. d tlian f.imu rly. 

 Waste of their valuable coustitueiiti is udw laiKoly 

 avoided either by applying them to the land d.ay by day, 

 as they are produced, or by more rational methods of 

 caring for them until they are partly rotted or oppor- 

 tunity is afforded for most suitable application to the 

 land. Covered yards or pits are now sometimes used 

 for temporarily storing Manures, where they can have 

 water added if too dry and if likely to "flrefang;"or 

 absorbents, such as straw, dry muck, f^ypsum and the 

 like, may be used if they are too \vai. ^^ ' Win ., li. ,I,Iing 

 is abundant, the animals may take i : in the 



covered yard, as they will solidify I'l '>,,•." • innp- 



ing it, thereby diminishing loss by i m'"" " nta- 



tion. Salt and gypsum both consent- i.iani-i."..! in ma- 



Fowls 39.8 lbs. 



Animals fed on a highly nitro- 

 L't-nous or narrow rationias 1:4), 

 ,1- \-r^. Up [Mt's in the above in- 

 i . consume large 

 r water and produce 

 ;. iirj- :iiii..iint of Manure, the 

 weight of wliich often exceeds 

 the amount of food consumed; 



or wide ration (as liU) consume 

 comparatively little water and 

 produce less weight of manure. 



Some conditions affecting the 

 production of Manure and its 

 value may be stated as follows: 

 If the plant-food value of Manure 

 is computed at the price that is 

 paid for the same constituents in 

 fertilizers, it is found that the 

 value of Manure produced by ani- 

 mals is equal to 30 to 50 per cent 

 of the cost of their food. Young 

 animals produce poorer Manure 

 than mature ones. The excre- 

 ments of animals which give a 

 product, as milk or young, are 

 poorer than those from non-pro- 

 ductive animals. The more abun- 

 dant the ration the less complete 

 the digestion and the greater the 

 value of the Manure produced. 

 Concentrated and nitrogenous 

 foods result in richer and more 

 valuable excrements than uncon- 

 centrated or carbonaceous foods. 

 Liberal salting and excessively 

 succulent foods diminish the 

 value of Manures. The amount 

 and kind of bedding affect not only the quantity but 

 the value per ton. Animals kept in cold quarters drink 

 little water, digest their food closely and produce a Ma- 

 nure relatively sniall in amount and poor in quality. 



Rich Manures are relatively more valuable per unit 

 of contained fertility than poor ones. Plants are most 

 benefitted when they receive extra nourishment in the 

 early stages of their growth. Coarse, low-grade Ma- 

 nures should be weathered or rotted to improve their 

 availability, even though some loss may occur. A unit 

 of plant-food in high-gradefertilizersor well-preserved, 

 rutted Manures is worth more than in low grades. The 

 \'aluable constituents in farm Manures are not soquickly 

 available as they are in high-grade fertilizers, but they 

 have an additional value, since they furnish humus, 

 lighten the soil and increase its power to hold moisture, 

 while assisting in liberating the mineral constituents of 

 the soil. The value of Manure as set down below is 

 determined by investigations during the winter months, 

 and the nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash are com- 

 puted at 15, G and i% cents per pound, respectively. 

 The indirect beneficial effects of Manure are considered 

 an equal offset for the slightly less availability of their 

 plant-food constituents as compared with fertilizers: 

 Kind of Manure. Yaltie per ton. 



Sheep $3 30 



Calves 2 17 



1369. Manihot. 



whose roots prodi 



(See p. 981.) 



