FOODS WHICH MAKE KICH MANURE. 47 



from 22 to 25 Ibs. per bushel of 40 quarts. They are frequently 

 mixed at the breweries with the " grains," and are sold to milkmen 

 at the same price from 12 to 15 cents per bushel. Where their 

 value is not known, they can, doubtless, be sometimes obtained at 

 a mere nominal price. Milkmen, I believe, prefer the " grains " to 

 the malt-dust. The latter, however, is a good food -for sheep. It 

 has one advantage over brewer's " grains." The latter contain 76 

 per cent of water, while the malt-dust contains only 6 per cent of 

 water. We can afford, therefore, to transport malt-dust to a 

 greater distance than the grains. We do not want to carry water 

 many miles. There is another advantage : brewer's grains soon 

 ferment, and become sour ; while the malt-dust, being dry, will 

 keep for any length of time. It will be seen that Mr. Lawes esti- 

 mates the value of the manure left from the consumption of a ton 

 of malt-dust at $18.21. 



Tares or vetches, lentils, linseed or flaxseed, beans, wheat, bran, 

 middlings, fine mill- feed, undecorticatecl cotton-seed cake, peas, 

 and cotton-seed, stand next on the list. The value of these for 

 manure ranging from $13.25 to $16.75 per ton. 



Then comes clover-hay. Mr. Lawes estimates the value of the 

 manure from the consumption of a ton of clover-hay ct $9.64. 

 This is from early cut clover-hay. 



When clover is allowed to grow until it is nearly out of flower, 

 the hay would not contain so much nitrogen, and would not be 

 worth quite so much per ton for manure. When mixed with 

 timothy or other grasses, or with weeds, it would not be so valu- 

 able. The above estimate is for the average quality of good pure 

 English clover-hay. Our best farmers raise clover equally cs 

 good ; but I have ssen much clover-hay that certainly would not 

 come up to this standard. Still, even our common clover-hay 

 makes rich manure. In Wolft's Table, given in the appendix, it 

 will be seen that clover-hay contains only 1.97 per cent of nitro- 

 gen and 5.7 per cent of ash. Mr. Lawes' clover contains more 

 nitrogen and ash. This means richer land and a less mature con- 

 dition of the crop. 



The cereal grains, wheat, barley, oats, and Indian corn, stand 

 next on the list, being worth from $6.82 to $7.70 per ton for 

 manure. 



" Meadow-hay," which in the table is estimated as worth $6.43 

 per ton for manure, is the hay from permanent meadows. It is a 

 quite different article from the " English Meadow-hay " of New 

 England. It is, in fact, the perfection of hny. The meadows are fre- 

 quently top-dressed with composted manure or artificial fertilizers, 



