HOME MANURE. 71 



twice as much as would he yielded by the whole nitrogen 

 of an equal weight of farm -yard manure. 



Gypsum, charcoal, and lime are sometimes added to 

 manure heaps with the view of fixing their ammonia; but 

 wiiere the mana":einent of the manure is otherwise sfood, 

 these are not much required. Chalk and lime are found 

 to have a very good eifect in preventing escape of am- 

 monia from farm-yard manure, provided it is fresh ma- 

 nure. Applied to rotten manure, caustic lime causes a 

 great loss of ammonia. 



As far as possible the formation of field manure-heaps 

 is to be avoided; but if they must be formed, the i:>ractice 

 of turning the manure should be avoided. The labor of 

 doing so, is mostly lost,, and much manure is wasted. It 

 is best in every sense to cart the manure direct from the 

 yards upon the land and spread it at once. The questiou 

 of immediate plowing in, or covering it, is of less 

 consequence than has generally been imagined; but on 

 light soils the practice of immediate plowing under is 

 advisable. 



We must add, as a somewhat disheartening comment 

 upon the whole of these directions and suggestions, the 

 conclusions of the most experienced agricultural chemist 

 of the dav. 



" I am bound to confess," says Sir J. B. Lawes, '' that 

 I am just as helpless in regard to the management or im- 

 provement of manure as the most old-fashioned farmer. 

 It is of no use fixing ammonia Avhere there is hardly any 

 to fix. It costs nothing to look at the dung with the idea 

 of doing something to it; but you certainly cannot touch 

 it without going to some considerable expense. I, for 

 my part, am content, therefore, to let it alone. All labor 

 expended on dung- adds certainly to the cost, but it does 

 not add with the same certainty to its value. 



'^ As I grow a good many mangels," he goes on to say, 

 '' I apply the greater part of the farm-yard manure to 



