THE TRUE VALUE OF MANURE. 



example is made to follow precept. It is the concur- 

 reut testimony of travelers, 'that uo substance of 

 whatever description, capable of serving as food for 

 plants, is allowed to be wasted. Pojces, made ino- 

 dorous by mi.^ture with dried clay or charcoal, are 

 daily sold in their markets; and to such an e.xtent is 

 their economy carried that the hair clipped and 

 shaved from their polls is carefully collected by the 

 barbers for the same purpose. But few animals are 

 kept, and the means which we possess of addmg to 

 the fertility of our fields, are to them unavailable. • 



But some may say, this is but theory; show us the 

 facts. To oblige such we quote the account of a 

 correspondent of the London Agricultural Gazette: 



" It may appear to some that there is too much 

 sameness in this annual report of my experiments, 

 but that sameness is the test of truth; for if year 

 after year the results are the same, a valuable truth 

 has been more and more established beyond dispute. 

 On the other hand, if they vary, it is interesting and 

 instructive to investigate the causes of that variety; 

 for that too tends to the establishment of truth, even 

 though it may sometimes be a doubtful approxima- 

 tion. In the first class I may reckon the full effect of 

 ammouiacal manures upon grass. In seventeen ex- 

 pei'iments of this description, a profit appeared, alter 

 deducting the cost of the manure, more or less, in 

 caih case, but altogether amounting to £13 ($65), 

 and the only soUtary set-off against this was one sol- 

 itttry experiment with guano, where the value of the 

 increased produce of hay fell short by 8s. 2d. (iSLSS) 

 of the ralue of the two cwt. bestowed upon the land. 



"There is a certain limit in all soils beyond which 

 nature refuses to answer your deiiiands upon her, and 

 so far from any profit being derived by an increase of 

 manures applied to the soil, there is an inverse pro- 

 portion observable, viz: the more manure the less the 

 profit." 



(The point which we wish our readers particularly 

 to notice is the use of peat charcoal mixed with night- 

 soil.) 



" Not so, however, in the case of the Irish peat 

 charcoal mixed with night-soil ; for of the latter in- 

 gredient so small a quantity is present, compared with 

 the bulk, that a large dose is required to produce any 

 effect; and that sort which professes to contain none 

 has been found utterly useless as a top-dressing; and 

 in one instance two cwt. did not repay the expense, 

 though that only amounted to 5s. ; but the addition 

 of one-half cwt. made a difference of 12s. profit. In 

 another instance three cwt. was a loss, but four cwt. 

 gave a profit of Is. 6d. But when applied to the 

 growth of corn (wheat), even a single cwt. of the sim- 

 ple peat charcoal proved beneficial by adding one 

 and one-fourth bushels to the corn, and 224 lbs. to 

 the hay." 



Were further evidence required, many more facts 

 might be given, but the above is sufficient. Therefore 

 is it economy to pay out millions of dollai's for ferti- 

 lizers before we have economized all our resources at 



home, to say nothing of the vast amount which might 

 be rendered available by proper municipal regulations 

 in all our large cities? We cannot forbear in further 

 illustration of this subject, quoting from a prize re- 

 port, before a Scotch Agricultural Society, respect- 

 mg the quantity of fertihzing material now lost or 

 wasted, which can be saved by care and economy: 



Cow9 and balls 21 



Fattening bullocks 18 



— Gallons. 



39 at 3 gallons each .117 



Qucys 10at2iJ " ?6 



One year old cattle 20atl?a " ;jo 



Horses, old and young 16 at >a " 8 



Swine 15 at >i " 5 



185 



Which for the whole year would be 67,626 



But, as the horses will be employed in the fields 

 at an average of eight hours daily, one-third 

 of the urine they make must of course be do- Gals. 



ducted, which is 973 



And the cows and young stock, exclusive of the 



p bullocks, may also be more or less in the fieltls, 



at an average of say four hours daily, one-si.xth 



of what the produce must also be deducted, 



which ia 7,178 



8,151 



This shows a produce, available for the whole year, 

 of 59,374 gallons from the stock kept on such a farm 

 as the reporter has assumed. But as it is proved 

 that, in its original state, it is much too caustic and 

 strong to be applied to grass lands with advantage 

 and economy, it should be well diluted with water, 

 and applied frequently in a weaker state ; these 59,- 

 374 gallons should, therefore, at least be doubled, by 

 adding water, making — 



Gallons. 

 118,748 

 And to which must be added slop.s from the dwelling house 

 being disli-wa,shings, aoap-suds, and contents from the 

 water-closet, &c., at the low estimate of 10 gallons daily 

 for 365 days, 3,650 



Hero then is, in whole 122,398 



gallons, which will irrigate thirty acres three several 

 times, allowing 1,200 gallons per acre each time, and 

 that after allowing waste by absorption, evaporation, 

 or otherwise, and a considerable quantity for throw- 

 ing daily over the dung, as pointed out. If, however, 

 the cows and young stock should be kept a longer 

 time in the house than the reporter has stated, then, 

 of course, a greater quantity of urine will be made 

 for the purpose of irrigation, and for saturatmg the 

 dung. 



THE TKTTE VALUE OF MANTJEF. 



[Translated from the German of Professor Bubget for the 

 Farmer ; with a Note by the Editor.] 



" The true value of manure is known by very few 

 farmers; most of them have only obscure and con- 

 fused notions on the subject, and so neglect the 

 requisite production and gathering of the same. 

 Nothing, therefore, would more raise to a proper 

 footing the cultivation of fodder and the rearing of 

 cattle, and by this means induce the profitalilo culti- 

 vation of gi'aiu and plants for trade, than the ascer- 

 taining the proportional value of manure to the 



