800 TALKS ON MANURES. 



us figure up what the half ton of manure and the 100 Ibs. of hen- 

 inanure would contain. Here are the figures, side by side : 



100 I6a. dry Half tot, 



I would, myself, far rather have 100 Ibs. of your dry hen-manure 

 than half a ton of your farmyard-manure. Your hens are fed on 

 richer food than your cows. The 100 Ibs. of hen-manure, too, 

 would act much more rapidly than the half ton of cow-manure. 

 It would probably do twice as much good possibly three or four 

 times as much good, on the first crop, as the cow-manure. The ni- 

 trogen, being obtained from richer and more digestible food, is in 

 a much more active and available condition than the nitrogen in 

 the cow-dung. 



" If you go on," said the Deacon, " I tliink you will prove that I 

 am right." 



" I have never doubted," said I, " the great value of hen-dung, as 

 compared with barnyard-manure. And all I wish to show is, that, 

 notwithstanding its acknowledged value, the fact remains that a 

 given quantity of the same kind of food will give no greater 

 amount of fertilizing matter when fed to a hen than if fed to a pig." 



I want those farmers who find so much benefit from an applica- 

 tion of hen-manure, ashes, and plaster, to their corn and potatoes, 

 to feel that if they would keop better cows, sheep, and pigs, and 

 feed them better, they would get good pay for their feed, and the 

 manure would enable them to grow larger crops. 



While we have been talking, the Deacon was looking over the 

 tables. (See Appendix.) " I see," said he, " that wheat and rye 

 contain more nitrogen than hen-manure, but less potash and phos- 

 phoiic acid." 



" This is true," said I, " but the way to compare them, in order 

 to see the effect of passing the wheat through the hen, is to look at 

 the composition of the air-dried hen-dung. The fresh hen-dung, 

 according to the table, contains 56 per cent of water, while wheat 

 contains less than 14| per cent." 



L^t us compare the composition of 1,000 Ibs. air-dried hen-dung 

 with 1,000 Ibs. of air-dried wheat and rye, and also with bran, 

 malt-combs, etc. 



