Farmyard Manure. 61 



been most carefully mixed before a sample was taken for analysis. 

 The earthy matters I have every reason to believe were inti- 

 mately mixed with the manure ; and since the composition of 

 the entire mass has been calculated from the data already fur- 

 nished, the general deductions which may be derived from my 

 experiments are not affected by this cfrcum stance. In speaking 

 of the loss which this manure sustained in keeping, I will select 

 the more important fertilizing constituents for illustration, and 

 in reference to them beg to make the following observations : 



1. The weight of the whole manure, when spread out in an 

 enclosed yard, amounted to 1652 Ibs. In this quantity were 

 present 40*97, or nearly 41 Ibs. of soluble organic matters. After 

 the lapse of six months only 16 Ibs. were left in the manure ; in 

 nine months barely 5 Ibs., and after twelve months merely 4 Ibs. 



Thus only about l-10th part of the original quantity of soluble 

 organic matters was left over by keeping fresh farmyard manure 

 spread out in an open yard. 



2. The nitrogen contained in the 41 Ibs. of soluble organic 

 matters amounted to 3*28 Ibs. After six months only 1/19 Ibs. of 

 nitrogen, in the state of soluble compounds, was left ; after nine 

 months little more than lb., and after twelve months only | of 

 a lb. In other words, the nitrogen in the state of soluble com- 

 pounds has disappeared almost entirely in the course of a year. 



3. In an equally considerable degree the soluble mineral mat- 

 ters were dissipated in the manure. Originally the manure 

 contained 25*43 Ibs. of soluble mineral matters. After six months 

 this quantity became reduced to 14*41 Ibs. ; after nine months to 

 to 6*47 Ibs., and after a lapse of twelve months to 5*52 Ibs. 



On the whole the manure thus lost 78*2 per cent, of the ori- 

 ginal quantity of soluble mineral matters. 



4. Still more striking is the loss in insoluble organic matters. 

 In the fresh manure were present 425*67 Ibs. of insoluble organic 

 substances. In the course of six months these became reduced to 

 163*79 Ibs. ; a further exposure of rather more than three months 

 to the weather reduced this quantity to 106*81 Ibs., and after 

 twelve months merely 94*45 Ibs. were left over. The manure 

 lost thus no less than 77*7 per cent, of the original quantity of 

 insoluble organic matters. 



5. If we look to the total amount of nitrogen, we shall find 

 that the original proportion of nitrogen in the manure, amounting 

 to 9*49 Ibs., was reduced in the course of six months to 7*70 Ibs., 

 after nine months to 4*14 Ibs., and after twelve months to 

 3-88 Ibs. 



At the conclusion of the experiment more than half the quan- 

 tity, or, in exact numbers, 59*1 per cent, of the nitrogen con- 

 tained in the fresh manure, was wasted. 



