Cheaper Plant Food 
unload and spread. There is actually less work, all 
things considered, with fermented manure than with 
the raw stuff. 3. It is true that in my own case I 
think it desirable to turn the manure in the pile. 
This accelerates decomposition and mixes it and 
makes it in good condition for use in the spring. But 
I do this turning by drawing it to the field and build¬ 
ing it into another heap. This, it will be said, is 
handling the manure twice. True, but the work is 
done when the men and teams are not busy and when 
the ground is frozen or there is good sleighing, and the 
new heap is in the field where I intend to use it. The 
superior condition of the manure and the ease with 
which it is spread and mixed 
with the soil far more than 
compensate for the extra 
labor. For root crops, such 
as Swede turnips, mangel- 
wurzel, beets, carrots, par¬ 
snips, etc., I hardly see how 
we could get along with raw 
manure. At any rate it is far 
better to ferment and mix it 
well with the soil. For cab¬ 
bage, squash, cucumbers, mel- 
ons and a dozen other dif- 
ferent crops fermented is far 
better than raw manure. 
4. Do we lose valuable plant 
food by fermenting manure ? 
This is an important ques- 
tion. Writers at the present 
time claim that we lose a w-fW 
large proportion of the / 
nitrogen, phosphoric acid, ! 
potash, etc. The nitrogenous 
matter, it’s contended, is con- pL-j: 
verted by decomposition or J& 
fermentation into ammonia gf 
which, being volatile, escapes 
into the atmosphere. The 
phosphoric acid, potash and 
other ash ingredients of plant 
food will not evaporate, but 
they can be washed out of 
the manure heap. It is clear, however, that they 
cannot be washed out of the heap unless the manure 
is more than saturated with water. If the water 
drains away from the heap, the soluble matter will be 
carried off and unless saved in some way will be lost. 
As manure is ordinarily treated, there can be no doubt 
that there is a great loss from leaching. But this is 
not a necessary result of fermentation in a properly 
made heap. The loss comes from throwing the man¬ 
ure into small heaps which are exposed to heavy rains 
or the droppings from the eaves of the buildings. 
But there need be no serious leaching from a properly 
constructed manure pile made high enough to hold 
all the rain that ordinarily falls on it. If any liquid 
manure oozes out of the heap, it 
can be absorbed by throwing a 
little earth on it. 
But how shall we prevent the 
ammonia from escaping ? In fresh 
manure, either liquid or solid, as it 
comes from the animal, there is no fej 
actual, ready - formed ammonia. '**§ 
The latter comes from the decom- 
position or fermentation of the - . . 
nitrogenous matter in it. When V • . 
it ferments, carbonate of ammonia 
is produced, but simultaneously 
with the formation of ammonia, 
humic, ulmic and other organic 
acids are produced, and these unite ^ 
with the ammonia and prevent its 
I hope our experiment stations 
will investigate this matter. It is 
not pleasant to have to go back 
nearly 40 years to find a carefully 
made and reliable experiment 
showing what changes take place 
jn a fermenting manure heap. At 
the Royal Agricultural College at Cirencester, the 
lamented Dr. Voelcker placed five tons (10,000 pounds) 
of fresh manure in a heap on November 3, 1854, and 
let it lie out-of-doors exposed to the rain till April 30. 
The following figures show the results : 
When put In heap. Same heap 
Novembers. April 30. 
Pounds. Pounds. 
Total weight of manure. 10,000 7,138 
Water. 6,617 4,707 
’„,o ’AXl 
other ash constituent, and practically no loss of am¬ 
monia or nitrogen, the entire loss of nitrogen being 
less than half a pound. 
It is evident, therefore, that we lose nothing of value 
by keeping and fermenting manure. Do we gain any¬ 
thing ? In commenting on his own experiments, Dr. 
Voelcker says : “ It is worthy of observation that dur¬ 
ing a well regulated fermentation of dung, the loss in 
intrinsically valuable constituents is inconsiderable 
and in such a preparatory process the efficiency of the 
manure becomes greatly enhanced.” 
The chemists of several of our experiment stations, 
in estimating the trade values of fertilizers, place the 
Fertility in Waste Products. 
A Cuban Manure Problem. —Wishing to avoid trans¬ 
porting large quantities of green manure to a farm 
several miles distant from Havana, what method 
would be advisable for concentrating or reducing its 
weight here in the city ? Would storing the green 
manure (droppings of mules and oxen) in tightly- 
covered boxes, mixed with charcoal dust, be advisable ? 
In this case, will the dust absorb the moisture of the 
droppings while avoiding fermentation and drying the 
latter ? How long would 
they take to dry, and what 
would be the quality of the 
dry manure thus obtained, 
and how could it be used to 
t the best advantage ? When 
put in the ground, buried or 
unburied, will it not ferment 
in rainy weather, causing 
some injury to the plants, 
especially to young orange 
trees, on account of the fer¬ 
mentation ? In what propor¬ 
tion should charcoal dust be 
employed? Would lime 
(slaked or unslaked) or ashes 
(alkaline or non-alkaline) be 
the same or better or not so 
good as charcoal dust ? Could 
the urine be advantageously 
saved as manure by mixing 
it likewise with charcoal 
dust, lime or ashes ? p. i. d. 
Ans. —The mere pressing of 
the manure into bales, as is 
done with hay, is sufficient to 
prevent decomposition of the 
manure by excluding the air 
from it. In the absence of 
air, there can be no decom¬ 
position even of manure. This 
method is adopted with the manure of the horse 
stables in the city of New York, and the baled 
manure is shipped from the city to distant farms 
without any inconvenience or loss. If the quantity 
will not warrant the expense of a baling press, it may 
serve a useful purpose to mix the charcoal dust or 
finely ground gypsum (the common plaster) with the 
manure and remove it in boxes. But neither lime nor 
anything of an alkaline nature should be used, as this 
will cause rapid decomposition and set the ammonia 
produced by it free, and waste it as well as make 
the manure offensive. On the whole, the pressing 
into bales of the manure mixed with sawdust, or 
even coal ashes, to absorb the liquid, would be the 
cheapest. 
Coal Screenings. — Of what 
benefit to the ground are screen¬ 
ings or dust from soft coal? I put 
t some in the plum yard, which is 
also the chicken yard ; will they 
hurt the trees? The chickens eat 
some and they seem to agree with 
them. I can get for hauling enough 
to cover my chicken yard two or 
three inches deep. Are ashes from 
corn cobs of any account for small 
fruits or garden ground ? I have 
been told that they are very strong 
' in saltpeter. o. c. 
New Madison, O. 
|||<^ . • Ans. —There is but little fertility 
in the coal screenings. Large 
quantities would injure the ground 
rather than help it. We would not 
use them heavily around trees. 
V Chickens like to pick them over, 
and you will find that hogs will eat 
them readily and with good re¬ 
sults. We should haul all we could 
readily get and use them in small quantities for 
chickens and hogs, or for burning, mixed with larger 
coal ? Corn-cob ashes are about the best to be found. 
They contain a larger proportion of potash than 
ordinary wood ashes, and are excellent for fruits. 
Saltpeter contains nitrogen and cannot be found in 
ashes, as the heat of burning would drive all the nitro¬ 
gen away. 
For Grinding Bones. —In regard to the reduction of 
bones for fertilizing purposes, which is said to be a 
tough problem, has the stamp mill or a modification 
of it ever been tried ? One of my neighbors has a bone 
mill, and his bone is all cut to pieces by manual labor 
before it is run through his mill. It is an expensive 
process, and so is the grinding, as he runs the bone 
through two or three times. The crushing power of 
Bale’s Golden Gooseberry. Fig. 12 , 
value of insoluble nitrogen in hair, horn shavings and 
coarse fish scrap at seven cents per pound ; of soluble 
nitrogen in ammonia salts at 18% cents per pound ; of 
insoluble phosphoric acid at two cents per pound, and 
of soluble phosphoric acid at eight cents per pound. 
In fermenting manure, can we convert the insoluble 
nitrogen into soluble nitrogen and the insoluble phos¬ 
phoric acid into soluble phosphoric acid ? You will 
see from the table given above that there were about 
15 pounds of soluble nitrogen in the five tons of 
manure when put in the heap on November 3, and 21% 
pounds on April 30. The fermentation increased the 
solubility of the nitrogen over 43 percent. The soluble 
mineral matter was increased from 154 pounds to 207 
Red Jacket Gooseberry. Fig. 13 
pounds, or over 34 per cent. We do not know how 
much of this is phosphoric acid, but Dr. Voelcker says, 
“ During the fermentation of dung the phosphate of 
lime which it contains is rendered more soluble than 
in fresh manure.” 
From the above facts it is quite evident that we lose 
no plant food by fermenting manure, while, on the 
other hand, we greatly increase its actual value by 
rendering over 43 per cent of the inert and insoluble 
nitrogen soluble and immediately available, and over 
34 per cent of the insoluble mineral matter soluble. 
This is a great gain. 
One cent will carry this paper to your friend in any 
part of North America after you have written your 
name on the corner to show whom it is from. 
