COMPENSATION FOE FOOD IN MANURE. 



419 



sheep and oxen. This shows a very small waste of the fer- 

 tilizing matter of food in fattening sheep. 



The following table will show the composition of solid 

 and liquid excrement of sheep fed on hay : 



Table No. 4. 



It will be seen that the solid and liquid excrements, even 

 when the sheep are fed upon hay, are rich in both nitrogen 

 and ash constituents, as a ton of the solid would contain 

 14 Ibs. of nitrogen, and a ton of liquid 28 Ibs. of nitrogen ; 

 at 18 cents per lb., the first would be worth $2.52, and the* 

 second $5.04 per 2,000 Ibs., in the ordinary wet state. 



That the reader may see the relative value of various 

 foods, and how much they differ, depending on the propor- 

 tion of nitrogen and the ash constituents, we give Table 

 No. 5, containing many of the most common foods, 

 and giving the nitrogen, potash, and phosphoric acid in 

 1,000 parts. 



This table shows how much of each valuable constituent 

 is contained in each of these different foods ; and anyone 

 can calculate the value of a ton, by multiplying the pounds 

 of nitrogen, potash, and phosphoric acid by the price of 

 each in the market. Nitrogen is usually estimated at 18 

 cents per pound, potash at 8 cents, and phosphoric acid at 

 12 cents per pound. The figures in this table give the 

 amounts of these elements in 1,000 pounds of each food, 

 when of good quality, and all is saved. If 90 to 95 per 

 cent, of these fertilizing constituents of food could be 



