MANURES. 19 



depend on the crop to which it is to be applied and the kind 

 and condition of the manure. This is a matter which must be 

 left to the good judgment of the individual manager, but some 

 of the factors bearing- on this will be found discussed farther 

 on. 



The Compost Heap can be made a prolific source of home 

 made manure. Every farm and garden should have one of 

 sufficiently large proportion to take care of all refuse organic 

 material about the place. It should be made about as follows: 

 Select a place handy to get at but where there is no standing 

 water and put down first a bed one foot deep of old sods or 

 muck and on this pile all the refuse material as it collects in 

 various places. It may consist of old straw, leaves, an oc- 

 casional load of heating manure, rotten vegetables, etc. This 

 should be turned over occasionally by hand if necessary, but 

 the best plan is to have the compost heap in a hog yard and 

 to it haul manure as it collects near the stables. If manure 

 is piled upon a good bed of rotten sod, it will not lose much 

 by leaching, nor will it lose anything by heating if a suf- 

 ficient number of hogs have the run of it to keep it well 

 worked up. 



Commercial Manures. — By commercial manures is meant 

 those manures which are commonly sold by the trade. When 

 of a high price they are generally of a guaranteed compo- 

 sition, and they should be bought at a valuation based on the 

 amount of nitrogen, potash and phosphoric acid which they 

 contain in condition available to the roots of plants. The 

 more available the form in which these materials exist in 

 the fertilizer, the more valuable it is generally considered. 

 Most of the older states require a guaranteed analysis to ac- 

 company the packages in which the fertilizers are sold and 

 exercise some supervision over the business. Among the 

 most common of this class of fertilizers are the following : 



Tankage. — This is the refuse product from slaughtering 

 establishments, which after being relieved of its fat is brought 

 to dryness and ground. It is very rich in nitrogen and phos- 

 phoric acid but contains very little potash. Most of the nitro- 

 gen and phosphoric acid which it contains is available to the 

 roots of plants. It is probably the cheapest source of nitro- 

 gen and phosphoric acid to be found in the western states. 



