MANUBES 75 



diseases, the use of chemical manures entirely would leave the soil 

 in the course of time impoverished owing to the absence of all humus, 

 and this as already mentioned is a very important ingredient of most 

 soils. 



Peat-moss Utter, now largely employed for bedding down animals, is 

 also a good manure, but its heating qualities, although rapid, are not so 

 lasting as ordinary stable manure. It however soaks up liquids from 

 the stables much better and holds it in the tissues. 



Poultry manure. — Where fowls are kept it is a mistake to waste 

 the cleanings from their pens. A ton of chicken manure yields 18-25 

 lbs. of nitrogen, 12-24 lbs. oi phosphate, and 6-12 lbs. oi potash. The 

 excreta should be used with care and should always be well mixed with 

 soil, or made up in bags or sacks and sunk in tanks of water to yield a 

 good liquid manure. 



Pigeon manure is even richer in manurial value than that of 

 chickens. A ton contains about 72 lbs. of nitrogen, 48 lbs. of phos- 

 phates, and 25 lbs. oi potash. It may be used with care in the same 

 way as chicken manure. Indeed the excreta of all animals make 

 excellent manures and are well worth saving for garden purposes. A 

 few experiments in using them will soon enable the gardener to find 

 out the most useful quantities to use. 



Guano. — This is the excreta and decayed bodies of the sea-birds that 

 frequent the rocky islands near the coast of Peru. In a saleable state 

 it is a dark brownish or snuff-coloured powder, with a peculiar smell of 

 its own, and weighs about 70 lbs. to the bushel. As a manure its value 

 depends mainly on the amount of ammonia, soluble and insoluble 

 phosphates, and alkaline salts which it contains. One ton of good 

 Peruvian Guano is considered to be equal in manurial value to either 

 33^ tons of farmyard manure ; 20 tons of horse-dung ; 38^ tons of 

 cow-dung ; 22^ tons of pig-dung ; or 1 4^ tons of ' night soil ' or human 

 excrement. Looked at in another way it may be stated that out of 

 1 cwt. (112 lbs.) of good Guano, there is about 8 lbs. of nitrogen, 18 

 lbs. of phosphoric acid, and 3^ lbs. of potash — the quantity of each per 

 ton of course being 20 times as much. For garden purposes about 

 2-4 cwts..per acre, or 1-2 ozs. to the square yard, is a reasonable 

 dressing, but care should be exercised in its use, and it is better to give 

 smaller amounts to most crops until the action has been tested. As a 

 liquid manure it is very valuable, about a tea-spoonful — more or less — 

 to a couple of gallons of water being a good stimulant for flowers. It 

 is better not to wet the foliage of plants with liquid manures of any 

 kind owing to their rather vigorous action. 



When buying Guano or any other high class manure it is always 



