FARM- YARD MANURE. 



ant upon tlie food used, and the pro- 

 portion of dung to straw, the litter 

 absorbing the lluid parts and running 

 into decay, but reducing the vahie of 

 any given weight of the manure. 

 Where animal garbage or fish can 

 be obtained, the value is much in- 

 creased. (See Manures.) But in the 

 common yard dung the fluid parts 

 are altogether the richest portions. 



Yard manure should be taken out 

 and ploughed as early in the spring 

 as possible, before it is much re- 

 duced by rotting, nor should it be in 

 the soil very long before the seeds, 

 for it wastes away rapidly. Well-rot- 

 ted dung is necessary for particular 

 plants, but is by no means economi- 

 cal. In many cases an application 

 to the hill is best, as in potatoes, tur- 

 nips, corn, and tobacco. 



Soiling is a certain means of in- 

 creasing the quantity of manure at 

 the same time that expenses are less- 

 ened ; it is to be considered an es- 

 sential in good arable husbandry. It 

 is common to keep the horse, cow, 

 and pig dung separate ; but there is 

 little benefit in this. 



Coniposltio?i of Farm-yard Manure. 

 — " The elementary composition of 

 farm dung is a point which is not 

 undeserving of consideration," says 

 Boussingault. " The animals which 

 had produced the dung were thirty 

 horses, thirty oxen, and from ten to 

 twenty hogs. The absolute quantity 

 of moisture was ascertained by tirst 

 drying in the air a considerable weight 

 of dung, and, after pounding, continu- 

 ing and completing the drying, in vac- 

 uo, at 230° Fahrenheit. 



" The dung prepared in the winter 

 of the year 



. 20-4 ^jiercent. of 

 . 22-2 ) diy matter. 

 . 19-6 



1837-8 contained . 

 1838-9 

 In.summer of 1839 



Medium . . 



Water . . 



20-7 

 79-3 



" Analysis yielded the following 

 results : 



Times of preparation. Garb. Hvd. O.w?:. AzAte. Ashes. 

 Winter of 1837-8 324 3"-8 258 1-7 363 



Spring of 1838 



" 1839 



t( (I 



272 



32-5 

 38-7 

 30-4 

 400 

 34 5 



41 

 4-5 

 40 

 4-3 

 4-3 



260 

 28-7 

 191 

 27-6 

 27-6 



1-7 

 1-7 

 2-4 

 2-4 

 20 



35-7 

 26-4 

 381 

 257 

 31-5 



" On the average, farm dung, dried 

 at SSS'^, contains : 



Carbon 35-8 



Hydrogen 42 



Oxygen 258 



Azote 20 



Salts and earths . . . 32-2 



1000 

 " When moist, its composition is 

 represented by 



Carbon 7'41 



Hydrogen 0-87 



Oxygen 5-34 



Azute 041 



Saks and earths . . 607 

 Water 7930 



100^ 



" The constitution of dung heaps 

 must of necessity vary ; those, how- 

 ever, which have a common origin 

 do not seem to present very great 

 differences in the proportion of their 

 elements. 



'• Excretions of the Horse. — The 

 horse was fed upon hay and oats. 

 The urine and the excrements togeth- 

 er contained 76-2 per cent, of moist- 

 ure. In twenty-four hours the excre- 

 tions weighed, moist, 342 pounds; 

 dry, 81 pounds. 



" Their composition was found to 

 be: 



In tlie drs- nt^t*. Moist ditto. 



Carbon 386 »19 



Hydrogen .... 50 1-20 



Oxygeu 36-4 866 



Azote : 2-7 413 



Salts and earth . . 173 4i3 



Water 17-3 7G17 



100-0 lUOO 



" Excretions of the Coiv. — The cow 

 was fed upon hay and raw potatoes. 

 The urine and the excrements to- 

 gether contained 86 4 of moisture. 

 The weight of the excretions, in 

 twenty-four hours, was, moist, 80 5 

 pounds ; dry, 109 pounds. 



" Their composition, by analysis, 

 was : 



Dry. Wet 



Carbon 39 8 5 39 



Hydrogen .... 4-7 064 



Oxygen 35-5 481 



Azote 2-6 0-36 



Salts and earth . . 174 236 



Water .... . 174 66-44 



1000 10000 



" Excretions of the Pig. — The pigs 



upon which the observations were 



made were, from six to eight months 



old. They were fed upon steamed 



