1850. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
199 
The percentage of albumen in the dry matter of 
these manures is evidently greater than the per 
centage of albumen in the dry food eaten. This 
corresponds with experiments of Boussingault; that 
though the weight of the dry manure voided by an 
animal is always considerably less than the dry food 
eaten, yet it is sensibly richer in organic matter and 
nitrogenized bodies. The reason of this, is that re¬ 
latively a larger proportion of carbon is given off 
through the lungs in respiration, than there is of 
nitrogen compounds and inorganic matter assimila¬ 
ted by the system. 
Comparative view of the percentage quantity of the 
inorganic and organic bodies in equal weights of 
the hog and cow manures. 
(Calculated from the foregoing results.) 
HOG MANURE. 
COW MAN URE. 
1000 lbs. 
one 
ton. 
1000 lbs. 
one ton. 
lbs. 
lbs. 
lbs. 
lbs. 
Silicic acid,. .... 
16 
• 571 
33 
142 
15 
.947 
31 
.894 
Carbonic acid,. 
0 
• 162 
0 
324 
0 
.045 
0 
.090 
Sulphuric acid,. 
1 
• 500 
3 
.000 
1 
.886 
3 
.772 
Phosphoric acid and per oxide 
of iron,. 
10 
• 663 
21 
.326 
4 
.080 
8, 
.160 
Lime, .. 
1 
■ 045 
2 
.090 
0 
.526 
1 
.052 
Magnesia,. 
0 
• 422 
0 
.S44 
0 
.538 
1 
.076 
Potash,. 
1 
■ 208 
2 
.416 
1 
.301 
2. 
.602 
Soda, .. 
3 
.909 
7. 
.818 
5 
.954 
11. 
.908 
Chlorine,. 
0 
111 
0, 
.222 
0 
.015 
0 . 
.030 
Organic acids,. 
Chlorophyl, fatty matter and 
0 . 
759 
1. 
.518; 
0 
.568 
1 
.136 
wax,.. 
4, 
.218 
8. 
.436 
1 . 
.980 
3. 
.960 
Fibre,. 
131 
.151 
262, 
.302 
125. 
.503 
251. 
.006 
Dextrine or gum,. 
15 
.546 
31 
.092! 
14, 
.888 
29. 
.776 
Sugar and extract,. 
7 
.691 
15 
.382! 
7, 
.761 
15 
.522 
Albumen,... 
26. 
.434 
52 
.868 
42 
.233 
84, 
.466 
Casein,. 
2 
.150 
4 
.300 
l, 
.425 
2 
.850 
Water and volatile organic 
products,. 
1552 
.600 
774 
.950 
1549 
.900 
1999 840 
1999.680 
999.600 
1999.200 
There is a marked difference in the composition of 
these two manures; and this difference affords,I think 
one reason why their effect on the grain crops general¬ 
ly is so different. In organic products they do not 
materially differ, except in albumen, and in this the 
cow manure is the richest by about 31 lbs. to the ton. 
This large per centage of albumen in the cow ma¬ 
nure (if this body were as essential as phosphoric 
acid) would argue that this manure is the best; but 
experience teaches otherwise. Every farmer knows 
that generally, in the grain crops, a given weight 
of good hog manure is worth double its weight of 
cow manure. The cow manure is the richest in so¬ 
da by about 4 lbs. to the ton. But the essential 
difference in the value of these manures, appears 
from the foregoing analyses to reside mainly in the 
phosphoric acid. Of this the hog manure contains 
about 21 lbs. in the ton, while the cow manure has 
but 8 lbs. in the same quantity. Thus it will be 
seen that in phosphoric acid, hog manure is the rich¬ 
est by about 13 lbs. to the ton of the manure before 
it is deprived of water. In a ton of dry hog ma¬ 
nure, there is 95.40 lbs. of phosphoric acid, and in 
the same weight of dry cow manure 36.32 lbs.; giv¬ 
ing a quantity in the former greater than that imthe 
latter by 59.08 lbs. to the ton. 
In the cultivation however, of potatoes and the 
root crops generally, cow manure is considered in 
the main to be equally as good, if not better than 
hog manure. The foregoing results would incline 
to the same conclusion, from the fact, that the com¬ 
position of the former manure corresponds more 
nearly with the food required by the last mentioned 
crops; while the composition of the latter is more 
analogous to the food required by the grains. 
It may be well to state, since the dung of the 
same animal varies in composition with the food eat¬ 
en, that the cows which afforded manure from which 
the foregoing results were obtained, were fed prin¬ 
cipally upon hay; and the hogs, during the summer, 
upon grass and potatoes, and during the fall and 
winter upon potatoes, with some pumpkins, apples 
and soft corn. The manure from the hog sty was 
of a poorer quality comparatively than that from the 
cow stable, on account of a little admixture of chaff 
and straw which had been thrown in for nesting. 
Jbrrign (fforasponfona. 
On the Silk Culture of Austria. 
Stuttgardt , Feb. 21, 1850. 
In the 14th century the enterprising Venetians 
introduced the culture of silk into their country, 
from whence it gradually spread over all those re¬ 
gions of Italy favorable to the silk worm. 
In the mountainous regions of Lombardy, where 
the ever refreshing air of the Alps mingles with the 
hot rays of the Italian sun, producing a balmy atmos¬ 
phere in which the mulberry tree bears the most ten¬ 
der leaf, and where the worm thrives and spins the 
most perfect thread, silk culture has been brought 
to a great degree of perfection, and the silk of Lom¬ 
bardy is celebrated all over Europe. 
There is no branch of industry which yields such 
rich results from so small an outlay for land and la¬ 
bor as silk growing; agriculture prospers in connec¬ 
tion with it, because the mulberry tree takes but lit¬ 
tle nutriment from the soil, feeds mostly on the 
balmy air, and leaves the full strength of the soil to 
the perfection of grain. It does not interfere with 
the principal operations of farming; after the ground 
has been prepared for the spring crop, the worm 
then begins to burst forth from its winter cell, and 
in 40 days passes through all the stages of metamor¬ 
phose, and the glossy cocoons furnish the industri¬ 
ous silk grower with the means to secure his other 
crops, and all necessary domestic comforts. 
The reeling and twisting operations give employ¬ 
ment to women and children during the greater part 
of the year, and enable this densely inhabited 
country to support a large population; and, al¬ 
though England brings great quantities of silk from 
the East Indies, and the silk crop of France and 
other countries is steadily on the increase, never¬ 
theless, the demand for Italian silk has been con¬ 
stantly advancing, with a fair prospect of : continu¬ 
ing to do so. 
According to the last official returns, the yearly 
production of cocoons in Austria is estimated at— 
In Lombardy,. 248,000 Cwt. 
In the Venetian provinces,. 190,000 “ 
In Tyrol,. 30,000 “ 
In Hungary,. 5,000 “ 
In the Military colonies,. 4,000 11 
In Dalmatia, Bohemia, &c. &c.,. 10,000 “ 
488,000 Cwt. 
Or, in a round sum, 500,000 cwt. of cocoons. 
According to the official statistics, there are now 
in Lombardy 842,000 Jochs* of land planted with 
mulberries; a Joch produces on an average 29-| lbs. 
of cocoons; in Brianza it amounts to nearly 50 lbs. 
of cocoons per Joch. 
The mulberry orchards increase in Lombardy with 
every year; districts which served as pastures are 
now planted with this valuable tree, giving to the 
whole country the aspect of a garden. 
In the highly cultivated provinces where land is 
scarce, the less valuable grapevine must make room 
for the mulberry tree. According to the estimate 
* An Austrian Joch is 1.422 acre. 
