DIKKKKKNT KINDS OK MAM KE. 303 



" Cows," said tlif Doctor, " when giviiii; a hirice (luanlily of 

 milk, makt' rather poor manure. The muuure loses what the milk 

 takes from the food." 



" We have shown what that loss is," s:iiil I. " It amounts to less 

 than I tiiink is generally supposed. And in the winter, when the 

 cow.sare ilry, the manure would be as rieh as from oxen, provided 

 both were fed alike. See Appendix, pagi- 'M2. It will there be 

 seen that oxen take out only 4.1 li)s. of nitrogen from 100 llts. of 

 nitrogen consumed in the food. In otlier wonls, provided there 

 is no loss, wc should get in the li(iuid and solid excrements of the 

 ox and drj' cow "J").;) per cent, of the nitrogen furnished in the 

 food, and a still higher per cent of the mineral matter. 



SllEEP-MAXUKE. 



According to Prof. WolflTs table of analyses, sheep-manure, both 

 solid and liquid, contain less watf^r than the manure from horses, 

 cows, or swine. With the exception of swine, the solid dung is 

 also the riciiest in nitrogen, while tiie urine of siicep is pre- 

 eminently rich in nitrogen and potash. 



These facts are in accordance with the general o|>inionsof farm- 

 ers. Sheep-manure is considered, next to hen-manure, the most 

 valuable manure made on the farm. 



I do not think we have any satisfactory evidence to prove that 

 3 tons of clover-hay and a ton of corn fed to a lot of fattening- 

 sheep will afford a quantity of manure contaiMin? anymore i>lant- 

 food than the s;imo kind and amount of food fid to a lot of fat- 

 tening-cattle. The experiments of Lawes & Gilbert indicate that 

 if there is any diff'-rence it is in favor of the ox. See Appendi.x, 

 page;U;{. But it may w 11 l)e tiiat it is much easier to save the 

 manure from the sheep than from the cattle. And so, practically, 

 Bheep may be better manure-makers than cattle — for the simple 

 reason that less of the urine is lost. 



"As a rule," said the Doctor, "the dung of sheep contains far 

 less water than the dung of cattle, though when you slop your 

 breeding ewes to make them give more milk, tlie dung differs but 

 little in appearance from that of cows. Ordinarily, liowevcr. sheep- 

 dung is light and dry, and, like horse-dung, will ferment much 

 more rapidly than cow or pig-<lung. In piling manure in the win- 

 ter or spring, special pains should be used to mix tiie sheep and 

 horse-manure with the cow and pia-manure. And it may be re- 

 marked that for any crop or for any purpose where stable-manure 

 is deemed desirable, sheep-manure would be a better substitute 

 than cow or pig-manure." 



