128 



BOARD OF AGRICULTUEE. 



late, at least approximately, the annual production of barn- 

 yard manure for every kind of animal. 



A short enumeration of the facts on whicli such calculations 

 are usually based may be of interest. 



First, the entire fresh secretion of cattle, sheep, and 

 horses, amount, on an average, to 50 per cent, of the dry 

 substances (at 100° C.) of the food consumed.* 



Secondly, one-fourth of the weight of dry substance con- 

 sumed as food is required in dry straw, to absorb the secre- 

 tions ; and thirdly, the stal)le manure contains, on an average, 

 25 per cent, of dry substance and 75 per cent, of water. 



From these statements we learn that, for every 100 pounds 

 of dry food consumed, 300 pounds of stable manure are ob- 

 tained. 



Taking for granted, that for every 1,000 pounds of live 

 weight of ordinary farm-stock are usually fed 24 pounds of 

 dry fodder, and allowing (^) six pounds of straw for bed- 

 ding, we find that the daily produce of manure in the case of 

 stable-feeding amounts to 72 pounds, or per year to 26,280 

 pounds. The amount of straw used as bedding modifies this 

 figure somewhat, for in case of horses are needed 6 pounds, 

 of co^vs 8 pounds, of pigs 4 pounds, and of sheep 0.6 

 pounds of wheat-straw. 



The average stable manure produced in general mixed 

 farming contains, in a well preserved state, in one thousand 

 pounds, from 4.5 to 5.8 pounds of nitrogen, provided the 

 farm live-stock, which contributed to its production, has been 

 well fed. 



The commercial value of stable manure may be, approx- 

 imately at least, ascertained by allowing for every ton 

 about ten pounds of potassa, eight pounds of nitrogen, and 



* The dry substance of food, according to Wolff, is found to be distributed in the 

 case of — 



