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HThe Use of Skeep Manure 



FRANK J. MYERS 



I 



Lionhead Goldfish 



OvJned and Photographed by F. Schaefer 



Having read of the advantages of 

 using sheep manure as a cultivator for 

 aquatic plants in the household aquarium, 

 I decided to do some investigating along 

 this line, as I had always had poor suc- 

 cess with Sagittaria under certain condi- 

 tions of light. Some years ago I had an 

 eighty-gallon aquarium built to fit into a 

 square space containing three windows 

 with western exposure. The dimensions 

 of this aquarium were not what they 

 should have been, the depth being too 

 great in proportion to the width ; besides, 

 it was subjected to the full glare of the 

 afternoon sun. Plants, with the single 

 exception of Anacharis, never grew well 

 in this tank. I tried Sagittaria many 

 times with the same result ; they never 

 shot off runners, and gradually died out 

 each time. 



Accordingly I set up two twelve-gal- 



lon aquaria in the following manner : In 

 number one I placed a layer of sand 

 about one-half inch thick; then over this 

 I sprinkled a thin layer of pulverized 

 sheep manure, just enough to cover the 

 sand well, then about an inch and one- 

 half of clean sand over all. I planted 

 this aquarium with Sagittaria and placed 

 it in a strong west light, exposed to the 

 afternoon sun, a position identical with 

 that of the unsuccessful large aquarium. 

 In aquarium number two, I placed two 

 incbes of clean sand, planted Sagittaria 

 without adding the sheep manure, decid- 

 ing to feed these plants directly by in- 

 jecting a saturated solution of the 

 manure among the roots by means of a 

 special syringe consisting of a thin glass 

 tube about fifteen inches long, with a 

 rubber bulb on one end. I filled both 

 aquaria with water at the same time, and 



