174 
JOURN^AL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ Marcli 2, 1893. 
SILVER MEDAL ESSAY. 
MANURES AND THEIR USES. 
By Mr. Gr. A. Bishop, The Gardens, Wiglitwich Manor, Wolverhampton, 
(.Continued from page 151.') 
Management of Manure Heaps, 
The animals should have sufficient litter to absorb the whole of the 
urine, which contains most of the nitrogen pro ’uced; but only this 
quantity of litter, any excess being objectionable. Another matter of 
importance is the thorough mixing of the various kinds of manure. On 
no account should horse manure be allowed to accumulate by itself, but 
it ought to be mixed with the cooler refuse of the cow and pig. 
When the manure is removed from the stables, pigstyes, and cow¬ 
sheds, it should be placed under cover. A good covered bin is a valuable 
adjunct to a farm or stable ; the manure should be stored there, and 
frequently watered with the liquid that drains from the buildings and 
yards provided it is not diluted with rain or surface water. 
Rain washes out much of the valuable constituents, therefore down 
spouts and drains should not be allowed to carry water into places 
where manure is stored. Where a large number of cattle are kept a 
good coveied-in yard should be a reality, then all the litter from the 
stables and sheds can be placed in the yard to be well trodden down. 
In order to prevent loss of ammonia by drainage and evaporation 
powdered gypsum may be used to fix it, sprinkling the powder on the 
floors of stables, over manure heaps, or in yards where manure is being 
trodden down. The ammonia displaces the calcium from the calcium 
sulphate (gypsum) and forms ammonium sulphate. Lime should on no 
account be employed, as it will liberate and drive off the ammonia. 
Kainit as containing 12 per cent, of potash is a good addition to the 
manure. As the manure accumulates it will probably have to be stacked 
out. This should be done if possible in frosty weather, when the ground 
is hard, a clay foundation should be chosen, and a few inches of peat, 
Potato haulm, or weeds and rubbish laid upon it, to absorb moisture. 
On this the manure is placed, forming a heap about 5 feet high, made 
as compact as possible, trimming it and covering with about 6 inches of 
soil, the top being rounded to throw off the rain. 
COMPOSITION OF FARMYARD MANURE. 
Fresh. 
Partially decayed. 
Much decayed. 
tVater 
70-00 . . 
.. 70-00 .. 
.. 79-00 
Organic matter 
24-GO .. 
.. 19 20 ,. 
.. 14-50 
Ash 
4-40 .. 
.. 5-80 .. 
.. 6-50 
Potash . . 
0-52 .. 
.. 0-63 .. 
.. 0-50 
Soda .. .. 
0-15 .. 
.. 0-19 .. 
.. 0-13 
Lime 
0-57 .. 
.. 0-70 .. 
., 0-88 
Magnesia 
0-14 .. 
.. 0-18 .. 
.. 0-18 
Phosph’r’spentoxid 0-21 .. 
.. 0-26 w 
.. 0-38 
Sulphuric acid.. 
0-12 .. 
.. 0-16 .. 
.. 0-13 
Chlorine .. 
0-15 .. 
.. 0-19 .. 
.. 0-16 
Silica 
1-25 .. 
.. 1-68 .. 
.. 1 70 
Nitrogen.. 
0-45 .. 
.. 0-50 .. 
.. 0-58 
The above (rather 
a poor 
sample) will show the change manure 
undergoes during fermentation. Some of the organic matter disappears, 
while the water, ash, nitrogen, and phosphorus pentoxide increase. 
Manure for Fruit Crops. 
Fruit trees which have been long in bearing require more attention 
than they usually receive, particularly as regards their food. If they 
are grown in orchards the fruit is gathered and taken away, the leaves 
fall and are usually blown away by the wind, the grass growing 
beneath is often cut and made into litter or carried away green without 
a thought on the part of the cultivator that some provision should be 
made to return most or all of the elements contained in the grass, fruit, 
and leaves to the soil surrounding the trees. Vegetables will not 
succeed year after year without the ground being enriched with 
manure in some form. How, then, can it be expected that a fruit tree 
will continue satisfactorily productive in impoverished soil ? A 
judicious use of phosphatic, nitrogenous, and potassic manures will 
return these elements to the soil which have been abstracted from it. 
If old trees are in a bad state of health, the first thing the gardener 
ought to do is to learn the cause ; if the roots are in the subsoil they 
must be pruned before feeding, because after root-pruning new 
fibres issue from the smoothly cut ends, and these fibres will be able to 
make use of the food applied to the ground. If the trees are in a bad state 
and the roots are not in the subsoil the cause must be looked for else¬ 
where. Parasites may be causing the damage, or pruning may be at 
fault, but more often poorness of soil will be responsible. In this 
case the soil must be considered, its nature and physical condition known 
and suitable manures applied. 
Prepared farmyard manure used as a top-dressing will supply all that 
is necessary, particularly if ib is prepared under cover and drenched 
with liquid manure, and also dressed with kainit or gypsum to retain the 
ammonia. 
Liquid manure applied to orchard fruit trees in winter, and also in 
summer, will supply most that is required for good growth, fruiting, 
and a healthy condition throughout. Where the leaves do not blow 
away, the grass is eaten off, and mulching is done, a dressing of 
lime will have good results by decomposing the nitrogenous matter, so 
that the rain can wash this down to the roots. 
If stand pipes can be placed convenient to fruit trees and 
connected with force pumps in cesspooh«, so that a hose may be attached 
for watering the trees, the return will be found to pay for the outlay. 
Liquid made from chemical manure may be used to great advantage 
w'ith the force pumps and hose. 
Where clay can be burnt with wood, this affords a valuable top¬ 
dressing for fruit trees. 
Fruit trees that are grown by the side of the walks in the kitchen 
garden and against walls are not, as a rule, supplied with sufficient 
water to enable them to appropriate the food that is in the soil. Any 
of the manures mentioned for orchard trees can in this case be applied 
to garden trees that need support. The soil round the butt of the 
tree should not be dug so as to injure the fine roots which come to the 
surface for food. These remarks apply particularly to Strawberries, 
Raspberries, Gooseberries, and Currants. Good mulchings with decayed 
manure destroy weeds, and the residue can be raked off in the spring, 
when the manurial qualities will be washed out. 
A few hints upon the quantities that may be safely used of the 
various phosphatic, nitrogenous, and potassic manures will be useful to 
some readers of this essay. 
The sizes of the tree must be the index by which the operator must 
judge in manuring it. To give a pound of guano to large old or long 
established Apple or other trees would be like giving a fly to a lion, while 
to a spider it might be a good meal. 
Nitrate of soda and superphosphate of lime J, may be applied at the 
rate of 2 lbs. to each tree having a root area of 8 square yards—more to 
an old and less to a very small tree ; give three dressings each year. 
Phosphoric slag or basic slag will be found to improve the colour of 
the leaves and increase the size of the fruit, particularly stone fruit, and 
can be used from 2 lbs. to each tree having a root area of 4 square 
yards ; give three dressings each year. 
Sulphate of ammonia is very active, and so soon lost that it is almost 
useless applying it by itself for old fruit trees. 
Nitrate of potash is perhaps the best manure for supplying nitrogen 
and potash. The best way of supplying these to fruit trees, and to be 
within the reach of every gardener, is to make heaps of wood ashes, 
and ashes from the burning of refuse, and mix all the urine at his 
disposal and apply as a top-dressing ; give three or four dressings 
each year. 
Kainit will supply potash and soda, and may be used the same as 
nitrate of potash ; give three or four dressings each year, 2 lbs. to a tree 
having a root area of 8 square yards. 
Sulphate of iron.—This I have applied as a surface dressing upon 
old orchard trees which had been root-pruned in the autumn or winter 
at the rate of 4 lbs. to a tree with a root area of 16 square yards, and 
have been watered in with cesspool liquid. The fruit, which had 
hitherto been small and shrivelled, developed into fine specimens in 
succeeding crops. 
The reader must not think because the quantities of manure are 
given above, all may be applied at the same time; they may only be 
applied together in right proportions. 
Home Made Manure. 
I have found the following very satisfactory for most plants and 
crops, judgment being exercised in mixing and applying, always bearing 
in mind the nature and disposition of the plants :— 
Finely ground Ijasic slug. 20 lbs. 
Sulphate of ammonia .. ,. .. ., ,. .. 20 
Nitrate of soda .. .. .. .. .. .. 10 ” 
Done ash (powdered) .40 ” 
Kainit .. ,. .. .. .. ., _ _ .. 40 
Nitrate of potash. ,, ” !! 80 ,” 
These ingredients should be finely powdered and thoroughly mixed 
immediately before use. The mixture will be found to contain about 
7 per cent, of phosphorus pentoxide, 6-5 per cent, of nitrogen, 
