MANURES. 115 



little more tlian thirty per cent, of water held in the cells of 

 the leaf structure. A cord of absolutely dry leaves will weigh 

 about 325 pounds, reckoning 100 bushels to the cord. In 

 weight, then, a cord represents about one-twelfth of a cord of 

 wet barnyard manure, and if they contained the same amount 

 of fertilizing material in the same condition would be equal in 

 value to that amount of manure. But this is far from being 

 the fact. The dried leaves I have found to stand relatively to 

 the leached organic matter of manure as 10 to 30, in ash value, 

 and when the soluble salts of manure are taken into account 

 the comparative value is as 10 to 60, weight for weight. A cord 

 of dry forest leaves, made up of the usual deciduous varieties, 

 maple, beach, oak, &c., has an actual manurial value of not 

 over fifty cents, reckoning good stable manure at eight dollars 

 the cord. Will it pay to collect them ? Certainly not for the 

 amount of fertilizing material they contain. As litter or ab- 

 sorbents in the stable, leaves have some value ; but much less 

 than straw, inasmuch as they lack the reedy character of straw, 

 and because they are far more difficultly and slowly decomposed. 

 A pound of good, thoroughly formed peat, taken fresh from 

 the meadow upon my farm, lost of water in drying a little more 

 than fourteen ounces. A farmer drawing from his meadow a 

 cord of peat weighing 4,000 pounds has upon his wagon 3,500 

 pounds of water and but 500 pounds of the dry material he 

 seeks. This, dried and compressed, could be placed hi a couple 

 of our largest-sized farm baskets. The amount of ash constitu- 

 ents in the pound of peat after drying was a little less than 10 

 per cent. ; so that when we reduce the heavy load of peat, which 

 to the eye appears so bulky and valuable, down to its contained 

 inorganic principles, we find the whole amount to be less than 

 50 pounds. I hope not to be misunderstood in the matter. 

 The ashes are far from being the only manurial part of peat ; 

 and as in burning some of the most valuable elements are vola- 

 tilized and lost, it is not good economy to burn peat for the 

 purpose of securing the ashes. Fresh peat allowed to ferment 

 in contact with lime is changed into new substances capable of 

 nourishing plants, and where it can easily be obtained it pays 

 the farmer well to secure a good supply. I cannot help remark- 

 ing, however, in this connection, that many of the statements 

 made by our chemists and journal writers regarding the value 



