

NITROGEN, PHOSPHORUS AND POTASSIUM 



fertilizing value of $2.34. When fertilizer prices were greatly 

 advanced by the World War, a ton of ordinary manure had a value 

 of about eight or nine dollars. 



The value based on the returns from a ton of barnyard manure 

 under average, general farming conditions is usually higher than 

 this — depending on the soil, method of cultivation and crops grown. 

 The returns per ton of yard manure on poor soil amounted to 

 $4.69 in a j&ve-year test made at the Ohio Station. - Corn, oats, 

 wheat, clover and timothy were the crops grown. Eight tons of 

 manure were applied to the acre — ^f our to the corn and four to the 

 wheat. On some farms manure is regarded more as a waste product 

 only to be gotten rid of (Fig. 144). Usually, however, it is given 

 a value of from one dollar to one dollar and a half a ton. On most 

 dairy farms the value of the manure' produced much more than 

 offsets the labor cost of feeding and caring for the herd (milking 

 not included). The annual total labor cost per cow is figured at 

 sixteen to twenty-three dollars, and the value of manm^e produced 

 at twelve to seventeen dollars. (Manure at about a dollar and a 

 half per ton.) 



Manures Differ in Fertilizing Value. — ^The accompanying table 

 shows the composition of fresh manure produced by various 

 farm animals. 



Composition of Fresh Manure 



(The figures give the number of pounds of fertilizing elements in one ton of manure, 

 including liquid, solid and bedding.) 



Animal 



Average 



per cent 



water 



Nitrogen 



(N) 



Phosphorus 



(P) 



Potassium 

 (K) 



Cow . . . 

 Horse . . 

 Hog. . . 

 Sheep * 

 Hea| . . 



78 

 63 

 74 

 63 

 58 



9-10 

 10-15 

 11-13 



27-34 t 

 20 



2.5-3 

 2-3 

 5-6 



3.5-5 



8 



6-8 

 8-14 

 6-12 

 20-23 

 15 



* Made by fattening lambs. 



t Average of four analyses from three states. 



t Fed corn and clover hay. 



Feeding Affects Value of Manure. — ^The kinds of feed fed an 

 animal determine in a large measure the richness of the manure 

 produced. If a cow were fed timothy hay only, the manure would 

 be poor indeed as compared with that produced when a cow is 

 fed alfalfa; bran, corn, etc. When cows are fed bran, the 



