54 



TALKS ON MANURES. 



place of well-rotted dung. * * The farmer will, therefore, al- 

 ways be compelled to submit a portion of home-made dun*.; to 

 fermentation, and will find satisfaction in knowing that this pro- 

 cess, when well regulated, is not attended with any serious de- 

 preciation of the value of the manure. In the foregoing analyses 

 he will find the direct proof that as long as heavy showers of rain 

 are excluded from man are-heaps, or the manure is kept in water- 

 proof pits, the most valuable fertilizing matters are preserved." 



This experiment of Dr. Vcelcker proves conclusively that manure 

 can be kept in a rapid state of fermentation for six months during 

 winter, with little loss of nitrogen or other fertilizing matter. 



During fermentation a portion of the insoluble matter of the 

 dung becomes soluble, and if the manure is then kept in a heap 

 exposed to rain^ there is a great loss of fertilizing matter. This is 

 precisely what we should expect. We ferment manure to make it 

 more readily available as plant-food, and when we have attained 

 our object, the manure shoull be applied to the land. We keep 

 winter apples in the cellar until they get ripe. As soon as they are 

 ripe, they should be eaten, or they will rapidly decay. This is well 

 understood. And it should be equally well known that manure, 

 after it has been fermenting in a heap for six months, cannot safely 

 be kept for another six months exposed to the weather. 



The following table shows the composition of 100 Ibs. of the 

 farm-yard manure, at different periods of the year : - 



COMPOSITION OF 100 LBS. OF FRESH FARM- YARD MANURE (NO. I.) EXPOSED IN 

 NATURAL STATE, AT DIFFERENT PERIODS OF THE YEAR. 



It will be seen that two-thirds of the fresh manure is water. 

 Afte"r fermenting in an exposed heap for six months, it still con- 



