No. 4.] 



KEEPING UP FERTILITY 



89 



does not render the manure more valuable for continuous 

 use is a question to which I shall later recur. 



The value of manures varies with numerous conditions, 

 most important amonji' which are the nature of the food of 

 the animals from which it is made, and the method of hand- 

 ling and saving. To illustrate these points, I wish to call 

 your attention to a few analytical results. 



Composition of Manure. 



LOCAUTT. 





!2i a, 



< c- 



o. 



S O 



POUNDS PEK TON. 



^ 3 



o 



Amherst (average) , 



Hadley, 



Westfield, . 



Concord, . 



Worcester, 



Average of thirty- 

 eight samples, 



Liquid manure, . 



11.2 



28.0 



3.3 



6.9 



2.6 



9.8 

 17.6 



It will be noticed that form-yard manure on the average 

 contains al)out one-half of one per cent of nitrogen, one- 

 third of one per cent of phosphoric acid, and four-tenths of 

 one per cent of potash. A ton of such manure therefore 

 will supply about nine pounds of nitrogen, nearly five 

 pounds of phosphoric acid and about eight pounds of potash. 

 A cord of farm-yard manure weighs upon the average about 

 three tons. The plant food supplied in one cord is, there- 

 fore, al)out as follows : nitrogen, twenty-seven pounds ; 

 phosphoric acid, fifteen pounds ; and potash, twenty-four 

 pounds. A common two-horse cart-load weighs usually 

 just about one ton. It will be observed, however, that the 

 analvses varv widelv ; a few are much better than the aver- 

 age, generally because they are drier, while a number are 



