STOCK RAISING AND SOIL FERTILITY 



m 



go to waste. A part is absorbed in tbe 

 bedding used and finds its way to the 

 common heap, but large quantities are 

 lost through the cracks in the barn 

 floor and leaching in the yard. If the 

 real fertilizing value of this material 

 were well known, much greater care 

 would be taken to preserve it. European 

 farmers understand this better than 

 American farmers do, and preserve this 

 material with as much care as any pro- 

 duct produced on the farm. 



■Relative value of solid and liquid 

 manure — As between the solid and liquid 

 excrement the liquid is by far the more 

 valuable from a fertilizing standpoint. 

 The urine of all farm animals is espe- 

 cially rich in nitrogen and potash, but is 

 lacking in phosphoric acid. Investiga- 

 tions at the Pennsylvania station showed 

 that the urine of milch cows contains 

 nearly one-half the nitrogen and three- 

 fourths of the potash of the food con- 

 sumed and almost no phosphoric acid. 

 The dung on the other hand contains 

 about one-third of the nitrogen, one- 

 sixth of the potash and three-fourths of 

 the phosphoric acid of the food. 



Fig. 129 FRENCH METHOD OF KEEPING 



MANURE 



Similarly, experiments with sheep at 

 the Maine station showed that the urine 

 contained nearly half the potash, and 

 from one-half to three-fourths of the 

 nitrogen. All of the phosphoric acid 

 was found in the solid excrement. These 

 data show that neither the solid excre- 

 ment nor the liquid is a complete ferti- 

 lizer in itself ; the one is lacking in nitro- 

 gen and potash and the other in phos- 

 phoric acid and much better results will 

 be secured where both are Combined. 

 This is effected in a large measure by 

 using such materials for bedding as will 

 absorb the liquid, when it may be mixed 

 with the solid excrement. The best ab- 

 sorbents from the standpoint of economy, 

 fertilizing value and effectiveness are 

 straw, peat and peat moss. Sawdust is 

 a good absorbent, but has no value as a 

 fertilizer. 



On the average 2.2 per cent of the ni- 



trogen of manure is in the solid matter 

 and 10.8 per cent in the liquid; 1.67 

 per cent of the phosphoric acid is in the 

 solid matter and only a trace in the 

 liquid of cows and horses, but practi- 

 cally 5 per cent in the liquid of hogs; 

 1 per cent of the potash and soda is in 

 the solid matter and 13.2 per cent in 

 the liquid. 



Character of manure from different 

 farm animals — The various kinds of 

 manures produced by the different farm 

 animals, differ markedly in their physi- 

 cal characteristics as well as their chemi- 

 cal composition, and have greatly differ- 

 ing values for the various purposes to 

 which manures are put. 



Poultry manure, since it always con- 

 tains both the solid and liquid excre- 

 is the richest of all farm manures, par- 

 ticularly in nitrogen. This manure, 

 however, quickly loses its nitrogen by 

 fermentation, when not properly mixed 

 with absorbents or preservatives. Pmt 

 neither this manure nor any other farm 

 manure should ever be mixed with such 

 alkaline substances as lime, wood ashes, 

 etc, as they set free the nitrogen of the 

 manure in the form of ammonia, which 

 is lost in the air. 



"Sheep manure contains a smaller 

 amount of water, and, weight for weight, 

 is the richest manure produced by 

 any of the common farm animals. It is 

 what is called a hot manure, fermenting 

 rapidly with the development of heat. 

 Like horse manure, it is especially likely 

 to lose ammonia. 



"Horse manure is very dry and is 

 therefore difficult to thoroughly mix with 

 litter. It is a hot manure, undergoing 

 fermentation rapidly and generating a 

 high heat on account of its loose texture. 

 It is likely to lose ammonia more rapidly 

 than sheep manure and requires careful 

 management from the moment it is 

 voided. The composition of horse man- 

 ure is more uniform than that of any 

 other farm animal, chiefly because the 

 food of horses is more uniform. The 

 urine is especially rich. 



"Hog manure is variable in composi- 

 tion owing to the variable nature of the 

 food supplied to this animal, but is gen- 

 erally rich, although containing a high 

 percentage of water. It generates little 

 heat in decomposing. 



"The manure of neat cattle, like that 

 of hogs and for the same reason, is vari- 

 able in character, but is generally poorer 

 than that of other farm animals on ac- 

 count of its large percentage of water. 



