Farmyard Manure. 29 



substances found in one imperial gallon of drainings from fresh 

 manure : 



Composition of Solid Matters in one Gallon of Drainings from Fresh Farm- 

 yard Manure. 



Ready-formed ammonia (principally present ) 15-13 

 as humate and ulmate of ammonia) . . J 



* Organic matters . . . . 716*81 



* * Inorganic matters (a sli) 625*80 



Total amount of solid matter in one gallon! 1 or-?. 



of drainings j 13o7 74 



Containing nitrogen 31*08 



Equal to ammonia 37*73 



* * 625*80 of ash consisted of: 



Silica 9-51 



Phosphates of lime and iron 72*65 



Carbonate of lime 59*58 



Sulphate of lime 14*27 



Carbonate of magnesia 9*95 



potash 297*38 



Chloride of potassium 60*64 ' 



sodium 101-82 



It will be observed that these drainings contain about double 

 the amount of solid matter which was found in the liquid from 

 the first heap. The composition of this solid matter compared 

 with that of the solid matter in the liquid from the first heap, 

 moreover, presents us with some particulars to which it may 

 be advisable briefly to allude. 



In the first place I would remark that notwithstanding the greater 

 concentration of the third liquid, as compared with the first, the 

 proportion of ammonia present in the form of ammoniacal salts 

 is less than one-half; for whilst the first drainings contained in 

 the gallon 39 grs. of ready-formed, ammonia in round numbers, 

 the third drainings contained only 15 grs. per gallon. 



It thus appears that drainings from manure-heaps in an ad- 

 vanced stage of decomposition contained, as may be naturally 

 expected, a larger proportion of ready-formed ammonia than the 

 liquid which flows from heaps composed of fresh dung. It is 

 further worthy of notice that the first drainings contained nearly 

 all the nitrogen in the form of ammoniacal salts, whilst the 

 drainings from fresh dung contained the larger proportion of this 

 element in the form of soluble organic substances. The most 

 important constituent of farmyard manure, i.e., nitrogen, thus is 

 liable to be wasted in the drainings, whether they proceed from 

 rotten or fresh manure, for in either case it passes off in a soluble 

 state of combination. 



Whilst speaking of the nitrogen in the drainings of dungheaps 

 I ought to mention that in both the liquids examined in detail I 



