t 64. 1 



and of milch-cattle, the proportions of manurial sub- 

 stances lost to the land by the utilisation of food-sub- 

 stances as food first, are insignificant. In the case of nitrogen 

 alone, Lawes and Gilbert deduced 10 to 15 per cent, of loss, as 

 there is more wastage of nitrogen than of phosphoric acid and 

 potash ; though it was also recognised that in the case of 

 highly nitrogenous food-substances, like oil-cake, bean-meal 

 &c., the manurial value of the dung is specially great. As 

 cattle-food, linseed-cake is the best of all foods, that is, more 

 fattening than other food stuffs, but the manurial value of de- 

 corticated cotton cake is much greater, as the proportions of 

 N, PzO-, and K 2 O contained in decorticated cotton-cake are 

 much greater than in linseed-cake. It is, therefore, from the 

 chemical composition of food-stuffs in these three constituents, 

 that we are to infer their manurial value, making a slight de- 

 duction in the case of P 2 O 5 and K 2 O and 10 to 15 per cent, 

 deduction in the case N. If the farmer considers the manurial 

 value of such food-stuffs as oil-cakes or leguminous seeds, he 

 would not grudge giving a liberal allowance of these to his 

 cattle, as by so doing he would not only have his animals, but 

 his land also, " in condition." 



1.109. All the organic manures act slowly on tha land, t.e. 

 even after a crop is taken, it is assumed that half the 

 dung applied to the land still remains unexhausted, and 

 after two years, a third is still unexhausted. If annually 

 cattle are hurdled on a piece of land and given oil-cake, or 

 gram, to eat, while so hurdled, the land will get richer and 

 richer, and the accumulated fertility of 8 or 10 years will bring 

 it to a high condition, after which careful cropping and ma- 

 nuring may help to keep the land always in this condi- 

 tion. 



1.110. The following figures will give an idea of the 



cccc 



