Proceedii^gs of the Farmers' Club. 789 



of muck to that of manure in the compost. This will vary with the 

 character of the muck. As much is needed as will absorb and hold 

 the liquid and no more. In general from forty to fifty per cent of 

 the entire mass may consist of muck. 



The first requisite of a properly managed compost pile, the 

 thorough saturation of the muck with the Hquid manure, having 

 been secured, we may turn for a moment to the nature of the chemi- 

 cal changes that occur in the mass and the agency of the muck in the 

 utilization of the substances mingled with it. We have thus far 

 considered it simply as an absorbent, holding liquids like a sponge. 

 We may now view it as a means of preserving gases, in which its 

 mode of action will be somewhat diiferent. 



It should be kept in mind that the most active ingredient of 

 manure, ammonia, does not exist ready formed either in fresh dung 

 or in fresh urine, but is produced by the subsequent decomposition of 

 certain nitrogenized compounds contained therein. This accounts 

 for the slow action of fresh manure in the soil as compared with that 

 which is well rotted. Supposing our compost to be newly made of 

 mingled muck, liquid and solid manure, the reaction is substantially 

 the same as occurs in a fermenting dung heap, except that, theoreti- 

 cally, at least, the waste of gases will be less and the changes more 

 sharply defined. Horse manure, it should be mentioned, sliould form 

 some portion of the heap whenever possible, as that of cows, pigs, 

 &c., notwithstanding the highly ammoniated nature of the urine 

 mixed with it in the heap, is too cold to produce decomposition as 

 quickly as is desirable. 



Being moist, and more or less permeated with air, decomposition 

 of the more complex particles of organic matter occurs as the first 

 step in the reduction of the compost to its most efficient condition as 

 a fertilizer. This, of course, produces heat, which hastens decay in 

 the rest of the mass. The decomposition of the urea and other nitro- 

 genized bodies evolves ammonia, which, as we all know, is alkaline 

 in its nature. Simultaneous with this the decomposition of the muck 

 also progresses, and gives rise to ulmic and analagous acids. 

 These last unite with the ammonia to form ulmates, (fee. These 

 salts of ammonia are not volatile^ and consequently do not fly off) 

 into the atinosphere, as ammonia alone loill do. Just here a note 

 may be properly made concerning a query often made as to tlie pro- 

 priety of mixing lime with manure in the process of composting. 

 This is too often done. Tlie mixture of lime with fre.5h manure will 



