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New York AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 23 
It will be seen therefore that even with erowing animals not six 
per cent of the food consumed by them was retained, and in the 
case of the four cows giving milk only nine and a quarter per cent 
of the food was utilized in the production of milk, so that it is 
safe to estimate that fully ninety per cent upon an average of all 
_ the fertilizing constituents of the food consumed by these animals 
was again returned, and if properly preserved may be used to 
maintain the productive capacity of the soil. 
MANURE PLATFORM. 
It was for the purpose of securing this invaluable product of the 
farm, as also in connection with the extended feeding experiments 
' with the several breeds of cattle and swine, to provide the means 
by which the amount and value of this material could’ be accur- 
- ately determined that an appropriation was made by the Legis~ 
lature for the purpose and there has been constructed a platform, 
described elsewhere in detail, for storing the manure from the 
several animals, with reservoirs beneath connected directly with 
the several stables and pens, by which arrangement it will appear 
to everyone, even upon the most casual imspection, that every 
needed facility exists for the preservation of every pound and 
pint of manure. 
Few, I think, even of our most Gaiiioent farmers fully appre- 
ciate the great importance of this matter. 
In the case of eight animals the ageregate amount daily of dry 
matter in the dung was 53.28 pounds. This contained as the 
average of six of them 2.025 per cent of nitrogen, or 1.08 pounds 
which at nineteen cents per pound was worth 20.49 cents; 1.75 
- per cent of phosphoric acid, or .93 pounds, which at eight cents 
per pound was worth 7.46 cents; and .96 per cent of potash, or 
.51 pounds, which at six cents a pound was worth 3.07 cents; an 
ageregate for these three constituents of thirty-one cents, or 
three and seven-eights cents per day per cow. 
There was also secured a daily aggregate of 108.7 pounds of 
‘urine from six of the animals, in which there was an average of 
8.87 per cent of solids, 1.37 per cent of nitrogen, 1.337 per cent 
- of potash, and asmall quantity of phosphoric acid. This would give 
anageregate average daily yield of 1.49 pounds of nitrogen worth 
98.31 cents ; 1.453 pounds of potash worth 8.72 cents, oraggregating 
daily thirty-seven cents or six and one-sixth cents for each animal. 
