MANURES. 25 



food, and the nature and proportion of the litter. The 

 composition of the manure will also depend a good deal 

 upon the method in which it has been prepared. 



In the case of an adult animal, neither gaining nor 

 losinty weiojht — a workino^ horse for instance — the excre- 

 ments will contain the same quantity of nitrogen and ash 

 constituents as was present in the food consumed. If 

 however the animal is increasing in size, is producing 

 young, or furnishing milk or wool, the nitrogen and ash 

 constituents in the excrements will be less than those con- 

 tained in the food, the difference appearing as animal 

 increase. The manure from animals of this class will 

 therefore be poorer than that obtained from the former 

 class, supposing the same food given to each. We must 

 not expect valuable manure from a cow in full milk, or 

 from a rapidly growing pig. 



The character of the food will affect the quality of the 

 manure even more than the character of the animal. A 

 diet of maize and straw chaff can yield only a poor 

 manure, because these foods contain very little nitrogen 

 or phosphates. A diet including a liberal amount of oil- 

 cake or beans will, on the other hand, yield a valuable 

 manure, these foods being rich in nitrogen and ash consti- 

 tuents. A common mode of increasing the supply of 

 manure on a farm is by the consumption of purchased 

 food by the stock. This part of the subject will be more 

 fully discussed in Chapter IX. 



The treatment of the manure is also most important. 

 A large proportion of the nitrogen is voided in the form 

 of urine, and generally the richer the diet the higher will 

 this proportion be. If, therefore, the manure is washed by 

 rain, and the washings are allowed to drain away, serious 



