CHAPTER X. 



FARM- YARD MANUUKS COMPOSITION OF THEIR LIQUID AND SOLID 



ELEMENTS COMPARATIVE VALUE OP ABSORBENTS, WITH 



ANALYSES COMPOSITION OF VARIOUS STRAWS SUPERIOR 



VALUE OF TUE LIQUID SUBSTANCE HOW TO PRESERVE 



AND UTILIZE IT TREATMENT OF MANURE HEAPS HOW 



TO COMPLETE THEIR VALUE AS FERTILIZERS THEIR DE- 

 COMPOSITION FORMATION AND DESCRIPTION OF HUMUS 



EXPERIMENTS ON FRESHLY MADE AND FERMENTED MA- 

 NURES RESULTS OF EACH EXPERIMENT GENERAL RE- 

 MARKS. 



In entering upon an examination of what is perhaps the most im- 

 portant matter with which we have had to deal, we shall carefully 

 avoid all ideas of prejudice and partiality. 



None of us ignore that farm yard manures have for many cen- 

 turies been the prop and mainstay of our agricultural operations, 

 and no science was necessary to teach us that it owed its virtues to 

 its happy combination of physical and chemical constituents. 



If it were possible for those who cultivate old or mature soils to 

 manufacture a sufficiency of this manure, the introduction of chem- 

 ical substitutes would in their case be unnecessary, and the problem 

 which is occupying our attention would never have arisen. 



The requisite quantity to constitute complete restitution could, 

 however, be only attained by literally putting back the whole of the 

 crops and living things which have derived direct and indirect sus- 

 tenance from the soil; and hence, even if such an idea were not ab- 

 surd, it would be impracticable, since the grains, seeds, cattle, poultry, 

 milk, butter and wool, are all sent to market and go to feed the teem- 

 ing populations of the towns. 



