CHAPTER XL._Talks on Manures A Series of Familiar and Practical Talks Between the Author and the Deacon, the Doctor, and Other Neighbors, on the Whole Subject

RESTORING FERTILITY TO THE SOIL.

By Sir J. B. Lawes, Bart., LL.D., F.R.S., Rothamsted, Eng.

A relation of mine, who already possessed a very considerable estate,

consisting of light land, about twenty years ago purchased a large

property adjoining it at a very high price. These were days when farmers

were flourishing, and they no more anticipated what was in store for

them in the future, than the inhabitants of the earth in the days of

Noah.

Times have changed since then, and bad seasons, low prices of wheat, and

cattle-disease, have swept off the tenants from these two estates, so

that my relation finds himself now in the position of being the unhappy

owner and occupier of five or six farms, extending over several thousand

acres--one farm alone occupying an area of two thousand four hundred

acres. Fortunately for the owner, he possesses town property in addition

to his landed estates, so that the question with him is not, as it is

with many land owners, how to find the necessary capital to cultivate

the land, but, having found the capital, how to expend it in farming, so

as to produce a proper return.

It is not very surprising that, under these circumstances, my opinion

should have been asked. What, indeed, would have been the use of a

relation, who not only spent all his time in agricultural experiments,

but also pretended to teach our neighbors how to farm on the other side

of the Atlantic, if he could not bring his science to bear on the land

of an adjoining county! Here is the land--my relation might naturally

say--here is the money, and I have so much confidence in your capacity

that I will give you _carte-blanche_ to spend as much as you

please--what am I to do?

An inspection of the property brought out the following facts--that all

the land was very light, and that you might walk over the fresh plowed

surface in the wettest weather without any clay sticking to your boots:

still a portion of the soil was dark in color, and therefore probably

contained a sufficient amount of fertility to make cultivation

profitable, provided the management could be conducted with that care

and economy which are absolute essentials in a business where the

expenditure is always pressing closely upon the income.

Upon land of this description meat-making is the backbone of the system,

which must be adopted, and a large breeding flock of sheep the first

essential towards success.

Science can make very little improvement upon the four-course

rotation--roots, barley, clover, and wheat, unless, perhaps, it may be

by keeping the land in clover, or mixed grass and clover, for two or

three years.

A good deal of the land I was inspecting was so light, that, in fact, it

was hardly more than sand, and for some years it had been left to grow

anything that came up, undisturbed by the plow.

To a practised eye, the character of the natural vegetation is a sure

indication of the fertility of the soil. Where herds of buffaloes are to

be seen--their sides shaking with fat--it is quite evident that the

pastures upon which they feed cannot be very bad; and in the same way,

where a rank growth of weeds is found springing up upon land that has

been abandoned, it may be taken for certain that the elements of food

exist in the soil. This ground was covered with vegetation, but of the

most impoverished description, even the “Quack” or “Couch-grass” could

not form a regular carpet, but grew in small, detached bunches;

everything, in fact, bore evidence of poverty.

Possibly, the first idea which might occur to any one, on seeing land in

this state, might be: Why not grow the crops by the aid of artificial

manures?

Let us look at the question from two points of view: first, in regard to

the cost of the ingredients; and, secondly, in regard to the growth of

the crop.

We will begin with wheat. A crop of wheat, machine-reaped, contains, as

carted to the stack, about six pounds of soil ingredients in every one

hundred pounds; that is to say, each five pounds of mineral matter, and

rather less than one pound of nitrogen, which the plant takes from the

soil, will enable it to obtain ninety-four pounds of other substances

from the atmosphere. To grow a crop of twenty bushels of grain and two

thousand pounds of straw, would require one hundred and sixty pounds of

minerals, and about thirty-two pounds of nitrogen; of the one hundred

and sixty pounds of minerals, one-half would be silica, of which the

soil possesses already more than enough; the remainder, consisting of

about eighty pounds of potash and phosphate, could be furnished for from

three to four dollars, and the thirty-two pounds of nitrogen could be

purchased in nitrate of soda for six or eight dollars. The actual cost

of the ingredients, therefore, in the crop of twenty bushels of wheat,

would be about ten to twelve dollars. But as this manure would furnish

the ingredients for the growth of both straw and grain, and it is

customary to return the straw to the land, after the first crop, fully

one-third of the cost of the manure might, in consequence, be deducted,

which would make the ingredients of the twenty bushels amount to six

dollars. Twenty bushels of wheat in England would sell for twenty-eight

dollars; therefore, there would be twenty-two dollars left for the cost

of cultivation and profit.

A French writer on scientific agriculture has employed figures very

similar to the above, to show how French farmers may grow wheat at less

than one dollar per bushel. At this price they might certainly defy the

competition of the United States. It is one thing, however, to grow

crops in a lecture room, and quite another to grow them in a field. In

dealing with artificial manures, furnishing phosphoric acid, potash, and

nitrogen, we have substances which act upon the soil in very different

ways. Phosphate of lime is a very insoluble substance, and requires an

enormous amount of water to dissolve it. Salts of potash, on the other

hand, are very soluble in water, but form very insoluble compounds with

the soil. Salts of ammonia and nitrate of soda are perfectly soluble in

water. When applied to the land, the ammonia of the former substance

forms an insoluble compound with the soil, but in a very short time is

converted into nitrate of lime; and with this salt and nitrate of soda,

remains in solution in the soil water until they are either taken up by

the plant or are washed away into the drains or rivers.

Crops evaporate a very large amount of water, and with this water they

attract the soluble nitrate from all parts of the soil. Very favorable

seasons are therefore those in which the soil is neither too dry nor too

wet; as in one case the solution of nitrate becomes dried up in the

soil, in the other it is either washed away, or the soil remains so wet

that the plant cannot evaporate the water sufficiently to draw up the

nitrates which it contains.

The amount of potash and phosphoric acid dissolved in the water is far

too small to supply the requirements of the plant, and it is probable

that what is required for this purpose is dissolved by some direct

action of the roots of the plant on coming in contact with the insoluble

phosphoric acid and potash in the soil.

In support of this view, I may mention that we have clear evidence in

some of our experiments of the wheat crop taking up both phosphates and

potash that were applied to the land thirty years ago.

To suppose, therefore, that, if the ingredients which exist in twenty

bushels of wheat and its straw, are simply applied to a barren soil, the

crop will be able to come in contact with, and take up these substances,

is to assume what certainly will not take place.

I have often expressed an opinion that arable land, could not be

cultivated profitably by means of artificial manures, unless the soil

was capable of producing, from its own resources, a considerable amount

of produce; still the question had never up to this time come before me

in a distinct form as one upon which I had to decide one way or the

other. I had, however, no hesitation in coming to the conclusion, that

grain crops could never be grown at a profit upon my relation’s land,

and that consequently, for some years, it would be better to give up the

attempt, and try to improve the pasture.

After what I have said about the insolubility of potash and phosphoric

acid, it may possibly be asked--why not give a good dose of these

substances at once, as they do not wash out of the soil--say enough to

grow sixty crops of grain, and apply the nitrate, or ammonia every year

in just sufficient amounts to supply the wants of the crop?

The objections to this plan are as follows: assuming the most favorable

conditions of climate, and the largest possible produce, the wheat could

certainly not take up the whole of the thirty-two pounds of nitrogen

applied, and the crop which requires nearly one pound of nitrogen in

every one hundred pounds of gross produce, would be certainly less than

three thousand two hundred pounds, if supplied with only thirty-two

pounds of nitrogen. If we take the total produce of the best and worst

wheat crop, grown during the forty years of our experiments, we shall

arrive at a better understanding in the matter. The following are the

figures:

Weight of Dry Produce of Wheat Per Acre.

_Straw and Grain._

1863 9330 lbs.

1879 3859 ”

In order to ascertain the increase due to the nitrogen of the salts of

ammonia or nitrate of soda, we must deduct from the crop the produce

obtained, where mineral manures without nitrogen were used. In 1863 this

amount was three thousand pounds, and in 1879 it was one thousand two

hundred pounds. Deducting these amounts from the gross produce in each

case, leaves six thousand three hundred and thirty as the produce due to

the nitrogen in the season of 1863, and two thousand six hundred and

fifty-nine as the produce due to the nitrogen in 1879.

But in each case we applied the same amount of nitrogen, eighty-seven

pounds; and as the amount of nitrogen in a wheat crop, as carted from

the field, contains less than one per cent. of nitrogen, it is evident

that if all that was contained in the manure had been taken up by the

plant, the increased crop should have weighed eight thousand seven

hundred pounds instead of six thousand three hundred and thirty. Thus

even in our best year, some of the nitrogen applied failed to produce

growth; and when we come to the bad year we find that only twenty-six

and a half pounds were taken up out of the eighty-seven pounds applied,

thus leaving more than two-thirds of the whole unaccounted for.

Seasons are only occasionally either very bad or very good. What we call

an average season does not differ very much from the mean of the best

and worst years, which in this case would be represented by a crop of

four thousand four hundred and ninety-four pounds, containing nearly

forty-five pounds of nitrogen. I may say that, although I have employed

one per cent. to avoid fractions in my calculations, strictly speaking

three-quarters of a per cent. would more nearly represent the real

quantity. If, however, on the average, we only obtain about forty-five

pounds from an application of about eighty-seven pounds of nitrogen, it

is evident that not more than one-half of the amount applied enters into

the crop.

Now in dealing with a substance of so costly a nature as ammonia, or

nitrate of soda--the nitrogen contained in which substances cannot cost

much less than twenty-five cents per pound by the time it is spread upon

the land, it becomes a question of importance to know what becomes of

the other half, or the residue whatever it may be, which has not been

taken up by the crop. Part is undoubtedly taken up by the weeds which

grow with the wheat, and after the wheat has been cut. Part sinks into

the sub-soil and is washed completely away during the winter.

I, myself, am disposed to think that the very great difference in the

size of the Indian corn crops, as compared with the wheat crops in the

States, is partly accounted for by their greater freedom from weeds,

which are large consumers of nitric acid, and, in the case of the wheat

crop, frequently reduce the yield by several bushels per acre. It must,

however, be borne in mind that, though the wheat is robbed of its food

where there are weeds, still if there were no weeds, the amount of

nitric acid which the crop could not get hold of, would, in all

probability, be washed out of the soil during the ensuing winter. I come

to the conclusion, therefore, that the nitrogen alone, which would be

required to produce one bushel of wheat, would cost not much less than

fifty cents; and that, in consequence, wheat-growing by means of

artificial manures, will not pay upon very poor land.

I have said that the land, about which I was consulted, had not been

plowed for several years, and that although nature had done all she

could to clothe the soil with vegetation, the most disheartening feature

in the case was, the poverty of the weeds. A thistle may be a giant or a

dwarf, according to circumstances; here they were all dwarfs. The

plaintain, which I believe is sometimes sown in these districts for

food, has a very deep root; here the plants were abundant, but the

leaves were very small and lay so close to the ground, that, as the

manager informed me, “the sheep were often injured from the amount of

sand which they swallowed with the leaves when feeding.”

At Rothamsted, the analyses of the rain water passing through the

ordinary soil of one of my fields, which has been kept free from

vegetation, have shown that the amount of nitric acid liberated in a

soil, and washed out each year, is very large. Taking the ten years

during which these special experiments have been in progress, I should

think that the loss of nitrogen would be equal to, or possibly exceed,

the amount of that substance removed by the average crops grown in the

United States.

The results obtained by the rain gauges, are further completely

confirmed by those in an adjoining field, where wheat and fallow have

been grown alternately for twenty-seven years. The liberation of nitric

acid, during the year of rest, produced for a time a large growth of

wheat, but it was done at a very great waste of the fertility of the

soil, and the produce is now, in proportion, considerably lower than

that grown on the continuously unmanured land.

These results, if they are to be accepted as correct, must bring about a

very considerable change in the generally received views in regard to

fertility. We not only see more clearly the connection between a former

vegetation and the stored up fertility in our soil, but we also see the

importance of vegetation at the present day, as the only means by which

the loss of nitric acid is prevented. The more completely the land is

covered with vegetation, and the more growth there is, the greater will

be the evaporation of water, and the less will be the loss of nitric

acid by drainage.

I was not at all surprised to find, that the surface soil of a wood on

my farm, was poorer in nitrogen than the soil of an old permanent

pasture, to which no manure had been applied for twenty-five years,

though during the whole period, the crop of hay had been removed every

year from the land. The wood to which I refer is covered with oak,

centuries old, and the foliage is so dense that but little underwood or

other vegetation can grow beneath it. If both the wood and the pasture

were put into arable cultivation, I have no doubt that the pasture would

prove much more fertile than the wood land.

In our experiments on permanent pasture, it has been observed that the

character of the herbage is mainly dependent on the food supplied.

Weeds, and inferior grasses, can hold their own as long as poverty

exists, but with a liberal supply of manure, the superior grasses

overgrow and drive out the bad grasses and weeds. In consequence of the

low price of wheat a good deal of land in England has been laid down to

permanent pasture, and much money has been spent in cleaning the land

preparatory to sowing the grass-seeds. I have on more occasions than

one, suggested that the money employed in this process would be better

expended in manure, by which the weeds would be “improved” off the face

of the land. While walking over the abandoned portion of these estates I

explained my views upon this point to the manager. They were, however,

received with the usual skepticism, and the rejoinder that “there was

only one way of getting rid of the weeds, which was by the plow and

fire.”

There is nothing that speaks to me so forcibly as color in vegetation;

when travelling by rail, I do not require to be told that such a farm

is, or is not, in high condition, or that we are passing through a

fertile or infertile district. There is a peculiar green color in

vegetation which is an unmistakable sign that it is living upon the fat

of the land. I need hardly say that, in this case, the color of the

vegetation gave unmistakable signs of the poverty of the soil; but in

the midst of the dingy yellowish-green of the herbage, I came upon one

square of bright green grass. In answer to my enquiry I was told that,

a “lambing-fold had been there last year,” and my informant added his

opinion, “that the manure would be so strong that it would kill

anything!” It had certainly killed the weeds, but in their place, some

good grasses had taken possession of the soil.

The plan I proposed to adopt was, to spend no more money on tillage

operations, but to endeavor to improve the pasture by giving to it the

food necessary to grow good grasses, sowing at the same time a small

quantity of the best seeds. I further suggested that a flock of sheep

should be allowed to run over the whole of the land by day, and be

folded there every night--about one pound of cotton-seed cake per head

being allowed daily. By this means, as the fold would be moved every

day, the amount of manure deposited on the soil could be estimated.

If there were a hundred sheep, receiving one pound of decorticated

cotton-seed cake per head, daily, and the hurdles were arranged to

enclose a space of twenty-five by twenty yards, in the course of ten

days an acre of land would have received manure from one thousand pounds

of cake; which amount would supply seventy-seven pounds of nitrogen,

sixty-eight pounds of phosphate of lime, and thirty-two pounds of

potash. This amount of cake would cost about sixteen dollars.

As regards the value of the cake as a food, it is somewhat difficult to

form an estimate; but it takes nine or ten pounds of dry food--say

roots, cake, and hay--to produce an increase of one pound of live weight

in sheep. The cake has certainly a higher feeding value, than either hay

or roots, but I will here give it only the same value, and consider that

one hundred and ten pounds of increase of the animal was obtained by the

consumption of the one thousand pounds of cake. The value of the

increase of the live weight would be in England fully eleven dollars,

leaving five dollars as the cost of the manure. Now the cake furnished

seventy-seven pounds of nitrogen alone, which, if purchased in an

artificial manure, would have cost nineteen dollars; and the other

substances supplied by the cake, would have cost from four to five

dollars more. The manures required, therefore, would be obtained much

more cheaply by this than by any other process.

Labor would be saved by not cultivating the land. Manure would be saved

by substituting vegetation which grows under or above ground, almost all

the year round. And, by feeding the stock with cake, the necessary

fertility would be obtained at the lowest possible cost.

It is probable that the land would require this treatment to be repeated

for several years, before there would be a fair growth of grass. The

land might then be broken up and one grain crop be taken, then it might

again be laid down to grass.

Hitherto, I have considered a case where fertility is almost absent from

the land, this, however, is an exception, as agriculture generally is

carried on upon soils which contain large stores of fertility, though

they may be very unequally distributed. By analysis of the soil we can

measure the total amount of fertility which it contains, but we are left

in ignorance in regard to the amount of the ingredients which are in

such a form that the crops we cultivate can make use of them.

At Rothamsted, among my experiments on the growth of continuous wheat,

at the end of forty years, the soil supplied with salts of ammonia has

yielded, during the whole time, and still continues to yield, a larger

produce than is obtained by a liberal supply of phosphates and alkaline

salts without ammonia.

When we consider that every one hundred pounds of wheat crop, as carted

to the stack, contains about five per cent. of mineral matter, and one

per cent. of nitrogen, it is impossible to avoid the conclusion that my

soil has a large available balance of mineral substances which the crop

could not make use of for want of nitrogen. The crop which has received

these mineral manures now amounts to from twelve to thirteen bushels per

acre, and removes from the land about sixteen pounds of nitrogen every

year.

Analyses of the soil show that, even after the removal of more than

thirty crops in succession, without any application of manure containing

ammonia, the soil still contains some thousands of pounds of nitrogen.

This nitrogen is in combination with carbon; it is very insoluble in

water, and until it becomes separated from the carbon, and enters into

combination with oxygen, does not appear to be of any use to the crop.

The combination of nitrogen with oxygen, is known as nitric acid. The

nitric acid enters into combination with the lime of the soil, and in

this form becomes the food of plants.

From its great importance in regard to the growth of plants, nitric acid

might be called the main spring of agriculture, but being perfectly

soluble in water, it is constantly liable to be washed out of the soil.

In the experiment to which I have referred above--where wheat is grown

by mineral manures alone--we estimate that, of the amount of nitric acid

liberated each year, not much more than one-half is taken up by the

crop.

The wheat is ripe in July, at which time the land is tolerably free from

weeds; several months, therefore, occur during which there is no

vegetation to take up the nitric acid; and even when the wheat is sown

at the end of October, much nitric acid is liable to be washed away, as

the power of the plant to take up food from the soil is very limited

until the spring.

The formation of nitric acid, from the organic nitrogen in the soil, is

due to the action of a minute plant, and goes on quite independent of

the growth of our crops. We get, however, in the fact an explanation of

the extremely different results obtained by the use of different

manures. One farmer applies lime, or even ground limestone to a soil,

and obtains an increase in his crops; probably he has supplied the very

substance which has enabled the nitrification of the organic nitrogen to

increase; another applies potash, a third phosphates; if either of these

are absent, the crops cannot make use of the nitric acid, however great

may be the amount diffused through the soil.

It may possibly be said that the use of mineral manures tends to exhaust

the soil of its nitrogen; this may, or may not, be true; but even if the

minerals enable the crop to take up a larger amount of the nitric acid

found in the soil year by year, this does not increase the exhaustion,

as the minerals only tend to arrest that which otherwise might be washed

away.

We must look upon the organic nitrogen in the soil, as the main source

of the nitrogen which grows our crops. Whatever may be the amount

derived from the atmosphere, whether in rain, or dew; or from

condensation by the soil, or plants, it is probable that, where the land

is in arable cultivation, the nitrogen so obtained, is less than the

amount washed out of the soil in nitric acid. Upon land which is never

stirred by the plow, there is much less waste and much less activity.

The large increase in the area of land laid down to permanent pasture in

England, is not due alone to the fall in the price of grain. The

reduction of fertility in many of the soils, which have been long under

the plow, is beginning to be apparent. Under these circumstances a less

exhausting course of treatment becomes necessary, and pasture, with the

production of meat, milk, and butter, takes the place of grain fields.

APPENDIX.

Letter from Edward Jessop, York, Pa.

YORK, PA., March 16, 1876.

_Joseph Harris, Esq., Moreton Farm, Rochester, N.Y.:_

DEAR SIR--Your favor of the 22d of last month came safely to hand, and I

am truly obliged to you for the reply to my question.--You ask, can I

help you with facts or suggestions, on the subject of manure? I fear not

much; but it may be useful to you to know what others need to know.

I will look forward to the advent of “Talks on Manures” with much

interest, hoping to get new light on a subject second to none in

importance to the farmer.

I have done a little at composting for some years, and am now having a

pile of about forty cords, made up of stable-manure and earth taken from

the wash of higher lands, turned and fined. The labor of digging and

hauling the earth, composting in thin layers with manure, turning, and

fining, is so great, I doubt whether it pays for most farm crops--this

to be used for mangel-wurzel and market-garden.

The usual plan in this county is to keep the stable-manure made during

winter, and the accumulation of the summer in the barn-yard, where it is

soaked by rain, and trampled fine by cattle, and in August and September

is hauled upon ground to be seeded with wheat and grass-seeds. I do not

think there is much piling and turning done.

My own conclusions, not based on accurate experiments, however, are,

that the best manure I have ever applied was prepared in a covered pit

on which cattle were allowed to run, and so kept well tramped--some

drainage into a well, secured by pouring water upon it, when necessary,

and the drainage pumped and distributed over the surface, at short

intervals, particularly the parts not well tramped, and allowed to

remain until it became a homogeneous mass, which it will do without

having undergone so active a fermentation as to have thrown off a

considerable amount of gas.

The next best, composting it with earth, as above described, piled about

five or six feet high, turned as often as convenient, and kept moist

enough to secure fermentation.

Or, to throw all the manure as made into a covered pit, until it is

thoroughly mixed and made fine, by allowing hogs to run upon it and root

at will; and when prepared for even spreading, apply it as a

top-dressing on grass-land--at any convenient time.

As to how many loads of fresh manure it takes to make one of well-rotted

manure, it may be answered approximately, _three to one_, but that would

depend a good deal on the manner of doing it, and the amount of rough

material in it. If well trodden by cattle under cover, and sufficient

drainage poured over it, to prevent any violent fermentation, the loss

of weight, I think, would not be very great, nor the bulk lessened over

one-half.

Many years ago an old and successful farmer said to me, “if you want to

get the full benefit of manure, spread it as a top-dressing on some

_growing crop_,” and all my experience and observation since tend to

confirm the correctness of his advice.

While on this subject, allow me to protest against the practice of

naming the quantity of manure applied to a given space, as so many

_loads_, as altogether too indefinite. The bushel or cord is a definite

quantity, which all can understand.

The average price of good livery stable horse-manure at this place has

been for several years four dollars a cord.

With two and a half miles to haul, I am trying whether keeping a flock

of 50 breeding ewes, and feeding liberally with wheat bran, in addition

to hay and pasture, will not produce the needed manure more cheaply.

Respectfully yours,

EDWARD JESSOP.

_P.S._--You ask for the average weight of a cord of manure, such as we

pay four dollars for.

I had a cord of horse-stable manure from a livery stable in York which

had been all the time under cover, with several pigs running upon it,

and was moist, without any excess of wet, loaded into a wagon-box

holding an entire cord, or 128 cubic feet, tramped by the wagoner three

times while loading.

The wagon was weighed at our hay-scales before loading, and then the

wagon and load together, with a net result for the manure of 4,400 lbs.

I considered this manure rather better than the average. I had another

load, from a different place, which weighed over 5,000 lbs., but on

examination it was found to contain a good deal of coal ashes. We never

_buy_ by the ton. Harrison Bros. & Co., Manufacturing Chemists,

Philadelphia, rate barnyard-manure as worth $5.77 per ton, and say that

would be about $7.21 per cord, which would be less than 1½ tons to the

cord. If thrown in loosely, and it happened to be _very dry_, that might

be possible.

Waring, in his “Handy Book of Husbandry,” page 201, says, he caused a

cord of well-trodden livery stable manure containing the usual

proportion of straw, to be carefully weighed, and that the cord weighed

7,080 lbs.

The load I had weighed, weighing 4,400 lbs., was considered by the

wagoner and by myself as a fair sample of good manure. In view of these

wide differences, further trials would be desirable. Dana, in his “Muck

Manual,” says a cord of green cow-dung, pure, as dropped, weighs 9,289

lbs.

Farmers here seldom draw manure with less than three, more generally

with four horses or mules; loading is done by the purchaser. From the

barn-yard, put on loose boards, from 40 to 60 bushels are about an

average load.

In hauling from town to a distance of three to five miles, farmers

generally make two loads of a cord each, a day’s work. From the

barn-yard, a very variable number, per day. In my own case, two men with

three horses have been hauling six and seven loads of sixty bushels,

fine compost, a distance of from one-half to three-fourths of a mile, up

a long and rather steep hill, and spreading from the wagon, as hauled,

upon grass-sod.

Our larger farmers often have one driver and his team, two wagons, one

loading, while the other is drawn to the field; the driver slips off one

of the side-boards, and with his dung-hook draws off piles at nearly

equal distances, to be spread as convenient.

EDWARD JESSOP.

Letter from Dr. E. L. Sturtevant, South Framingham, Mass.

SOUTH FRAMINGHAM, MASS., April 2, 1876.

FRIEND HARRIS--Manure about Boston is sold in various ways. First,

according to the number of animals kept; price varying so much, that I

do not venture to name the figures. By the cord, to be trodden over

while loading; never by weight, so far as I can learn--price from 0 to

$12.00 per cord, according to season, and various accidental

circumstances. During the past winter, manure has been given away in

Boston. Handling, hauling to the railroad, and freight costing $4 per

cord for carrying 30 miles out. Market-gardeners usually haul manure as

a return freight on their journeys to and from market. About South

Framingham, price stiff at $8 a cord in the cellar, and this may be

considered the ruling suburban price. Very friendly yours,

E. LEWIS STURTEVANT.

Letter from M. C. Weld.

NEW YORK, Nov. 9, 1876.

MY DEAR HARRIS--I don’t know what I can write about manures, that would

be of use. I have strong faith in humus, in ashes, leached and

unleached, in lime, gas-lime, plaster, bones, ammonia ready formed,

nitrates ready formed, not much in meat and blood, unless they are

_cheap_. Nevertheless, they often are cheap, and produce splendid

effects. I believe in sulphuric acid, with organic nitrogenous manures;

the composting of meat, blood, hair, etc., with peat and muck, and

wetting it down with dilute sulphuric acid. I believe in green-manuring,

heartily, and in tillage, tillage, tillage. Little faith in

superphosphates and compounded manures, at selling prices. Habirshaw’s

guano is good enough. So much for my creed. Truly yours,

M. C. WELD.

Letter from Peter Henderson.

NEW YORK, Oct. 26, 1876.

_Mr. Joseph Harris_:

DEAR SIR--If you will refer to my work “Gardening for Profit,” New

Edition, page 34, you will get about all the information I possess on

Manures, except that I do not say anything about price. In a general way

it might be safe to advise that whenever _a ton_ (it is always best to

speak of manures by weight) of either cow, horse, hog, or other

stable-manure can be laid on the ground for $3, it is cheaper than

commercial fertilizers of any kind at their usual market rates. This $3

per ton, I think, would be about the average cost in New York, Boston,

or Philadelphia. We never haul it on the ground until we are ready to

plow it in. If it has to be taken from the hog or cattle yards, we draw

it out into large heaps, convenient to where it is to be put on the

land, turning it, to keep it from burning or “fire-fanging,” if

necessary. None of our farmers or market-gardeners here keep it under

cover. The expense of such covering and the greater difficulties in

getting at it, for the immense quantities we use, would be greater than

the benefits to be derived from keeping it under cover--benefits, in

fact, which, I think, may be greatly overrated. Very truly yours,

PETER HENDERSON.

Letter from J. M. B. Anderson, Ed. “Canada Farmer,” Toronto.

“CANADA FARMER” OFFICE, TORONTO, March 29, 1876.

_J. Harris, Esq._:

DEAR SIR--Yours of the 25th inst. is to hand, and I shall be most happy

to render you any assistance in my power. The work you undertake is in

able hands, and I have every confidence that, when completed, it will

form an invaluable acquisition to the agricultural literature of the

day.

Manure in this city is usually sold by the two-horse load--about 1½

tons--at the rate of $1 per load, or 66 cents per ton. The load contains

just about a cord of manure, consequently a cord will weigh about 1½

tons.

With reference to the general management of manure in Canada, I may say

that the system followed differs in no material respect from that of New

York and the other Eastern States. It is usually kept over winter in the

open barn yard (rarely under cover, I am sorry to say), laid out on the

land about the time of disappearance of last snow, and plowed in. In

some cases it is not carted out until the land is ready for immediate

plowing. With some of our more advanced farmers, the system has lately

been adopted of keeping manure under cover and sprinkling it thoroughly

at intervals with plaster and other substances. Tanks are also becoming

more common than formerly, for the preservation of liquid manure, which

is usually applied by means of large, perforated hogs-heads, after the

manner of street-watering.

You ask, how the manure is managed at Bow Park, Brantford. That made

during fall and winter is carefully kept in as small bulk as possible,

to prevent exposure to the weather. In February and March it is drawn

out and put in heaps 8 feet square, and well packed, to prevent the

escape of ammonia. In spring, as soon as practicable, it is spread, and

plowed under immediately. Manure made in spring and summer is spread on

the field at once, and plowed under with a good, deep furrow.

Very truly yours, J. M. B. ANDERSON, Ed. _Canada Farmer_.

MANURE STATISTICS OF LONG ISLAND.

The Manure Trade of Long Island--Letter from J. H. Rushmore.

OLD WESTBURY, Long Island, April 6, 1876.

_Joseph Harris, Esq._:

DEAR SIR--The great number of dealers in manure in New York precludes

accuracy, yet Mr. Skidmore (who has been testifying voluminously before

the New York Board of Health in relation to manure and street dirt),

assures me that the accompanying figures are nearly correct. I enclose

statement, from two roads, taken from their books, and the amount

shipped over the other road I obtained verbally from the General Freight

Agent, and embody it in the sheet of statistics.

The Ash report I _know_ is correct, as I had access to the books showing

the business, for over ten years. I have made numerous applications,

verbally, and by letter, to our largest market gardeners, but there

seems to exist a general and strong disinclination to communicate

anything worth knowing. I enclose the best of the replies received.

Speaking for some of our largest gardeners, I may say that they

cultivate over one hundred acres, and use land sufficiently near to the

city to enable them to dispense with railroad transportation in bringing

manure to their places and marketing crops. I have noticed that one of

the shrewdest gardeners invariably composts horn-shavings and bone-meal

with horse-manure several months before expecting to use it. A safe

average of manure used per acre by gardeners, may be stated at ninety

(90) tubs, and from two hundred to twenty hundred pounds of fertilizer

in addition, according to its strength, and the kind of crop.

The following railroad manure statistics will give a generally correct

idea of the age of manure, when used:

Statement of Manure Sent from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 1875.

_Over F.N.S.&C.R.R._ _Over Southern R.R._

January 1,531 tubs. 5,815 tubs.

February 4,357 ”

March 740 ” 12,217 ”

April 12,122 ” 7,055 ”

May 7,383 ” 3,049 ”

June 5,725 ” 1,365 ”

July 6,473½ ” 685 ”

August 6,370½ ” 2,911 ”

September 3,197 ” 14,702 ”

October 880 ” 660 ”

November 512 ” 840 ”

December 1,406 ” 4,923 ”

-------------- ------------

46,340 tubs. 57,679 tubs.

A tub is equal to 14 bushels.

Hobson, Hurtado & Co. report the amount of Peruvian guano sold in this

country last year at thirty thousand tons.

Estimated number of horses in New York city, 100,000.

Estimated product of manure per horse. Four cords.

Estimated proportion of straw to pure excrement. One-half.

Amount shipped direct from stables. Nearly all.

Amount shipped on vessels. One-half.

Length of time the unshipped manure remains in heaps. From three to four

months.

Average cost per horse, annually. $3.

Greatest distance of shipment. Virginia.

Average amount shipped via L.I.R.R. 60,000 tubs.

Price of manure per tub delivered on cars or vessel. 80 cents.

Average amount put on car. 40 tubs.

Statistics of Ash Trade.--Time when ashes are delivered. From middle of

June to middle of October.

Places from which they are mostly shipped. Montreal, Belleville, and

Toronto (Canada).

Method of transportation. Canal boats.

Average load per boat. About 8,000 bushels.

Average amount annually sold. 360,000 bushels.

Average cost delivered to farmers. 20½ cents per bushel.

_Per Acre, about._

Amount used by farmers for potatoes 60 tubs.

” ” ” ” ” cabbage (late) 50 ”

” ” ” ” ” corn 12 ”

Amount of guano used on Long Island, as represented by the books of

Chapman & Vanwyck, and their estimate of sales by other firms, 5,000

tons.

The fertilizers used on the Island are bought almost exclusively by

market gardeners or farmers, who do a little market gardening, as it is

the general conviction that ordinary farm-crops will not give a

compensating return for their application. Most market gardeners keep so

little stock that the manure made on the place is very inconsiderable.

Our dairy farmers either compost home-made manures with that from the

city, spread it on the land for corn in the spring, or rot it separate,

to use in the fall for wheat, on land that has been cropped with oats

the same year. The manure put on for potatoes is generally estimated to

enrich the land sufficient for it to produce one crop of winter grain,

and from five to seven crops of grass, when it is again plowed and

cultivated in rotation with, first, corn, second, potatoes or oats, and

is reseeded in autumn of the same year.

Fish and fish guano are largely used on land bordering the water, and

adjacent to the oil-works. The average price for guano in bulk at

oil-works is $12 per ton. The average price for fish on wharf is $1.50

per thousand, and it is estimated that, as a general average, 6,000 fish

make a ton of guano. The fish, when applied to corn, are placed two at

each hill, and plowed under at any time after the corn is large enough

to cultivate. Seaweed is highly prized by all who use it, and it will

produce a good crop of corn when spread thickly on the land previous to

plowing.

Very respectfully,

J. H. RUSHMORE.

Letter from John E. Backus.

NEWTOWN, Long Island, N.Y., March 2nd, 1876.

_Mr. G. H. Rushmore_:

DEAR SIR.--Some farmers and market-gardeners use more, and some less,

manure, according to crops to be raised. I use about 30 good two-horse

wagon-loads to the acre, to be applied in rows or broad-casted, as best

for certain crops. I prefer old horse-dung for most all purposes. Guano,

as a fertilizer, phosphate of bone and blood are very good; they act as

a stimulant on plants and vegetation, and are highly beneficial to some

vegetation--more valuable on poor soil than elsewhere, except to produce

a thrifty growth in plants, and to insure a large crop.

By giving you these few items they vary considerably on different parts

of the Island; judgment must be used in all cases and all business.

Hoping these few lines may be of some avail to Mr. Harris and yourself,

I remain, yours, etc.,

JOHN E. BACKUS.

MANURE IN PHILADELPHIA.

Letter from Joseph Heacock.

JENKINTOWN, Montgomery Co., Pa., April 18th, 1876.

MY DEAR FRIEND HARRIS.--Stable-manure in Philadelphia, costs by the

single four-horse-load, about $9 or $10. Mostly, the farmers who haul

much of it, have it engaged by the year, and then it can be had for from

$7 to $8 per load. Mostly, four horses are used, though we frequently

see two and three-horse teams, and occasionally, five or six horses are

used. I have never seen any kind of dung hauled but that of horses.

Cow-manure would be thought too heavy to haul so long a distance.

Sugar-house waste, spent hops, glue waste, etc, are hauled to a small

extent. We live about 9 miles from the center of the city, and the road

is very hilly, though otherwise a good one, being made of stone.

The loads vary from 2½ to 3½ or 4 tons for four horses, according to the

dryness of the manure. The wagons are made very strong, and weigh from

1,600 lbs. to 2,300 or 2,400 lbs., according to the number of horses

that are to be used to them. I cannot say how many cords there are in an

average load, but probably not less than two cords to four horses. One

of my neighbors has a stable engaged by the year. He pays $2.50 per ton,

and averages about three tons per load, and the distance from the stable

in the city to his place, can not be less than 12 miles. His team goes

empty one way and of course can not haul more than a load a day. In

fact, can not average that, as it would be too hard on his horses. The

horses used for the purpose are large and strong. Fifteen or twenty

years ago, there was kept on most farms of 75 to 100 acres, a team

purposely for hauling manure from the city. But it is different now,

many of the farmers using artificial manures, as it costs so much less;

and others are keeping more stock, and so making their own manure.

Still, there is a great deal hauled yet. And some of it to a distance of

20 miles. Though when hauled to this distance, the teams are loaded both

ways. For instance, they will start to the city with a load of hay (35

to 50 cwt.), on Monday afternoon (Tuesday is the day of the Hay Market);

and when they have their load of hay off on Tuesday, they load their

manure and drive out five or six miles and put up for the night. Next

morning they start about 3 o’clock, arriving home before noon, having

been away two days. On Thursday afternoon, they start again. You can see

that manuring in this way is very expensive. But farmers about here well

know that if they do not manure well they raise but little. Probably

about four loads are used per acre on the average. Each load is

generally thrown off the wagon in one large heap near where wanted, and

is allowed to lie until they use it. I can not tell how much it loses in

bulk by lying in the heap.

As to what crops it is used on, farmers do not think that they could go

amiss in applying it to anything except oats. But it is probably used

more for top-dressing mowing land, and for potatoes, than for anything

else.

The usual rotation is corn, potatoes, or oats, wheat seeded to clover

and timothy, and then kept in grass from two to four years. Those who

haul stable-manure, usually use bone-dust or superphosphate to a greater

or less extent.

Last December I built a pig-pen, 20 ft. × 40 ft., 1½ stories high. The

upper story to be used for litter, etc. There is a four feet entry on

the north side, running the length of the building. The remainder is

divided into five pens, each 8 ft. × 16 ft. It is made so that in cold

weather it can be closed up tight, while in warmer weather it can be

made as open as an out-shed. I am very much pleased with it. The pigs

make a great deal of manure, and I believe that it can be made much

cheaper than it can be bought and hauled from Philadelphia.

JOSEPH HEACOCK, Jr.

Letter from Herman L. Routzahn.

MIDDLETOWN, Md., May 11th, 1876.

_Joseph Harris, Esq._:

I herewith proceed to answer questions asked.

Wheat and corn are principal crops. Corn is fed now altogether to stock

for the manure.

There is but little soiling done. The principal method of making manure

is: Feeding all the corn raised, as well as hay, oats, and roots, to

cattle; using wheat straw, weeds, etc., as bedding, throwing the manure

in the yard (uncovered), and to cover the pile with plaster (by sowing

broadcast), at least once a week. To this pile is added the manure from

the hog-pens, hen-house, etc., and worked over thoroughly at least twice

before using. It is then applied to corn by plowing _under_; to wheat,

as a top-dressing. For corn it is usually hauled to the field, thrown

off in heaps 25 feet each way, a cart-load making two heaps. Spread just

before the plow. For wheat, spread on directly after plowing, and

thoroughly harrowed in. Applied broadcast for potatoes. Composts of

different kinds are made and used same as in other localities,

I presume. Artificial manures are going into disrepute (justly too).

This is the plan now adopted by the farmers in this county (Frederick).

Where woods are accessible, leaves and mould are hauled in and added to

the manure-heap; in fact, every substance that can be worked into the

manure-heap is freely used. Well-rotted stable-manure is worth from

$1.50 to $2.50 per cord, according to condition and locality.

Very Respectfully Yours,

HERMAN L. ROUTZAHN.

Letter from Prof. E. M. Shelton, Prof. of Agriculture, Kansas State

Agricultural College.

KANSAS STATE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE,

MANHATTAN, Kansas, May 5, 1876.

DEAR SIR.--In reply to your first question, I would say that

stable-manure in this vicinity, is held in very light estimation.

Indeed, by the householders of this city, and quite generally by the

farmers, manure is regarded as one of those things--like drouth and

grasshoppers--with which a mysterious Providence sees fit to clog the

operations of the husband-man. The great bulk of the stable-manure made

in this city is, every spring, carted into ravines and vacant

lots--wherever, in short, with least expense it can be put out of reach

of the senses.

It must not be understood by this that manure has little influence on

the growing crops in Kansas. Nowhere have I seen such excellent results

from application of home-made fertilizers, as in Kansas. For those

sterile wastes known as “Alkali lands,” and “Buffalo wallows,” manure is

a speedy and certain cure. During two years of severe drouth, I have

noticed that wherever manure had been supplied, the crop withstood the

effects of dry weather much better than where no application had been

made. Four years ago, a strip across one of our fields was heavily

manured; this year this field is into wheat, and a dark band that may be

seen half a mile shows where this application was made.

These facts the better class of our farmers are beginning to appreciate.

A few days ago, a neighbor, a very intelligent farmer, assured me that

from manuring eight to ten acres every year, his farm was now in better

condition than when be broke up the prairie fifteen years ago.

I know of no analysis of stable or farmyard-manure made in Kansas.

Concerning the _weight_ of manures, I can give you a few facts, having

had occasion during the past winter to weigh several loads used for

experimental purposes. This manure was wheeled into the barnyard,

chiefly from the cattle stalls, during the winter of 1874-5. It lay in

the open yard until February last, when it was weighed and hauled to the

fields. I found that a wagon-box, 1½ × 3 × 9 feet, into which the manure

was pitched, without treading, held with slight variations, when level

full, one ton. At this rate a cord would weigh very close to three tons.

The greatest difficulty that we have to encounter in the management of

manure grows out of our dry summers. During our summer months, unless

sufficient moisture is obtained, the manure dries out rapidly, becomes

fire-fanged and practically worthless. My practice upon the College farm

has been to give the bottom of the barn-yard a “dishing” form, so that

it holds all the water that falls upon it. The manure I keep as flat as

possible, taking pains to place it where the animals will keep it trod

down solid. I have adopted this plan after having tried composting and

piling the manure in the yards, and am satisfied that it is the only

_practical_ way to manage manures in this climate.

There is no particular crop to which manure is generally applied in this

State, unless, perhaps, wheat. The practice of applying manure as a

top-dressing to winter-wheat, is rapidly gaining ground here. It is

found that the manure thus applied, acting as a mulch, mitigates the

effects of drouth, besides improving the quality of the grain.

Very Respectfully Yours,

E. M. SHELTON.

Letter from Prof. W. H. Brewer, Professor of Agriculture in Sheffield

Scientific School of Yale College.

SHEFFIELD SCIENTIFIC SCHOOL OF YALE COLLEGE,

NEW HAVEN, Conn., April 14th, 1876.

_Joseph Harris, Esq., Rochester, N.Y._:

MY DEAR SIR.--I have made inquiries relating to “the price of

stable-manure in New Haven, and how far the farmers and gardeners haul

it, etc.” I have not been to the horse-car stables, but I have to

several _livery_ stables, and they are all essentially the same.

They say that but little is sold by the _cord_ or _ton_, or by any

weight or measure. It is sold either “in the lump,” “by the month,” “by

the year,” or “per horse.” Some sell it at a given sum per month for all

their horses, on a general estimate of their horses--thus, one man says,

“I get, this year, $25 per month for all my manure, he to remove it as

fast as it accumulates; say one, two, or three times per week. He hauls

it about five miles and composts it all before using.”

Another says, he sells _per horse_. “I get, this year, $13 per horse,

they to haul it.” The price per horse ranges from $10 to $15 per year,

the latter sum being high.

From the small or private stables, the manure is generally “lumped”

by private contract, and is largely used about the city. It is hauled

sometimes as much as 10 miles, but usually much less.

But the larger stables often sell per shipment--it is sent by cars up

the Connecticut Valley to Westfield, etc., where it is often hauled

several miles from the railroad or river.

Much manure is sent by boat from New York to the Connecticut Valley

tobacco lands. Boats (“barges”) are even loaded in Albany, go down the

Hudson, up the Sound to Connecticut, to various places near Hartford,

I am told. Two or three years ago, a man came here and exhibited to us

pressed masses of manure--a patent had been taken out for pressing it,

to send by R.R. (stable manure). I never heard anything more about

it--and he was confident and enthusiastic about it.

Yours truly,

WM. H. BREWER.

FOOD, INCREASE, MANURE, ETC., OF FATTENING ANIMALS.

The following table is given by Mr. J. B. Lawes, of Rothamsted, England,

showing the relation of the increase, manure, and loss by respiration,

to the food consumed by different animals:

[Transcriber’s Note:

The table headers as printed are difficult to interpret. I have given

my best guess about what the author intended.]

250/600/3500 (Oxen):

250 lbs. Oil-cake }

600 lbs. Clover-chaff }

3500 lbs. Swede turnips }

Produce 100 lbs. Increase and supply:

250/300/4000 (Sheep)

250 lbs. Oil-cake }

300 lbs. Clover-chaff }

4000 lbs. Swede turnips }

Produce 100 lbs. Increase and supply:

500 lbs. Barley meal (Pigs)

produce 100 lbs. increase and supply:

(In) Food.

100 I: In 100 lbs. Increase.

(In) Man(ure).

(In) Resp(iration, etc).

100 Total Dry (Substance of Food supply.)

(In) Inc(rease).

Amount (of each constituent) stored (up for 100 of it consumed).

----------------------------------------------------------------------

OXEN.

---------------------+-----------------------++----------------++-----

| 250/600/3500 || 100 Total Dry || A S

+----+-----+-----+------++-----+----+-----++ m t

|Food|100 I| Man.|Resp. || Inc.|Man.|Resp.|| t d.

---------------------+----+-----+-----+------++-----+----+-----++-----

|lbs.| lbs.| lbs.| lbs. || | | ||

Nitrogenous substance| 218| 9.0}| | { || 0.8}| | {|| 4.1

Non-Nitrogenous | | }|323.0| 636{ || }|29.1|57.3{||

substance | 808|58.0}| | { || 5.2}| | {|| 7.2

Mineral Matter | 83| 1.6 | 81.4| .. || 0.2 | 7.4| .. || 1.9

Total dry substance |1109|68.6 |404.4| 636 || 6.2 |36.5|57.3 || ..

---------------------+----+-----+-----+------++-----+----+-----++-----

SHEEP.

---------------------+-----------------------++----------------++-----

| 250/300/4000 || 100 Total Dry || A S

+----+-----+-----+------++-----+----+-----++ m t

|Food|100 I| Man.|Resp. || Inc.|Man.|Resp.|| t d.

---------------------+----+-----+-----+------++-----+----+-----++-----

|lbs.| lbs.| lbs.| lbs. || | | ||

Nitrogenous substance|177 | 7.5}| {| {|| 0.8}| | {|| 4.2

Non-Nitrogenous | | }| 229{|548.5{|| }|25.1|60.1{||

substance |671 |63.0}| {| {|| 7.0}| | {|| 9.4

Mineral Matter | 64 | 2.0 | 62 | .. || 0.2 | 6.8| .. || 3.1

Total dry substance |912 |72.5 | 291 |548.5 || 8.0 |31.9|60.1 || ..

---------------------+----+-----+-----+------++-----+----+-----++-----

PIGS.

---------------------+-----------------------++----------------++-----

| 500 lbs. Barley meal || 100 Total Dry || A S

+----+-----+-----+------++-----+----+-----++ m t

|Food|100 I| Man.|Resp. || Inc.|Man.|Resp.|| t d.

---------------------+----+-----+-----+------++-----+----+-----++-----

|lbs.| lbs.| lbs.| lbs. || | | ||

Nitrogenous substance| 52| 7.0}| {| {|| 1.7}| | {||13.5

Non-Nitrogenous | | }|59.8{|276.2{|| }|14.3|65.7{||

substance | 357|66.0}| {| {||15.7}| | {||18.5

Mineral Matter | 11| 0.8 |10.2 | .. || 0.2 | 2.4| .. || 7.3

Total dry substance | 420|73.8 |70.0 |276.2 ||17.6 |16.7|65.7 || ..

---------------------+----+-----+-----+------++-----+----+-----++-----

In the last edition of his book on Manure, “Praktische Düngerlehre,”

Dr. Emil Wolff, gives the following tables:

Of 100 lbs. of _dry substance_ in the food, there is found in the

excrements:

--------------------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------

--------------------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------

In the Dung |38.0 lbs.|45.6 lbs.|46.9 lbs.|42.0 lbs.|43.1 lbs.

In the Urine | 9.1 ” | 5.8 ” | 6.6 ” | 3.6 ” | 6.3 ”

in the Manure |47.1 ” |51.4 ” |53.5 ” |45.6 ” |49.4 ”

--------------------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------

Of 100 lbs. of _organic substance_ in the food, there is found in the

excrements:

----------------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------

----------------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------

In the Dung |36.5 lbs.|43.9 lbs.|45.6 lbs.|38.2 lbs.|41.0 lbs.

In the Urine | 6.0 ” | 3.2 ” | 3.9 ” | 2.5 ” | 3.9 ”

in Manure |42.5 ” |47.1 ” |49.5 ” |40.7 ” |44.9 ”

----------------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------

Of 100 lbs. of _nitrogen_ in the food, there is found in the excrements:

----------------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------

----------------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------

In the Dung |45.5 lbs.|51.0 lbs.|43.7 lbs.|56.1 lbs.|49.1 lbs.

In the Urine |18.3 ” |38.6 ” |51.8 ” |27.3 ” |34.0 ”

in Manure |63.8 ” |89.6 ” |95.5 ” |83.4 ” |83.1 ”

----------------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------

Of 100 lbs. _mineral matter_ in the food, there is found in the

excrements:

--------------------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------

--------------------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------

In the Dung |53.9 lbs.|70.8 lbs.|63.2 lbs.|85.6 lbs.|68.4 lbs.

In the Urine |43.1 ” |46.7 ” |40.3 ” |16.3 ” |35.1 ”

matter in Manure |97.0 ” |117. 5 ” |103. 5 ” |101.9 ” |103. 5 ”

--------------------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------

The excess of mineral matter is due to the mineral matter in the water

drank by the animals.

The following tables of analyses are copied in full from the last

edition (1875), of Dr. Emil Wolff’s _Praktische Düngerlehre_.

The figures differ materially in many cases from those previously

published. They represent the average results of numerous reliable

analyses, and are sufficiently accurate for all practical purposes

connected with the subject of manures. In special cases, it will be

well to consult actual analyses of the articles to be used.

I.--TABLES FOR CALCULATING THE EXHAUSTION AND ENRICHING OF SOILS.

A.--HARVEST PRODUCTS AND VARIOUS MANUFACTURED ARTICLES. Average quantity

of water, nitrogen, and total ash, and the different ingredients of the

ash in 1000 lbs. of fresh or air-dried substance.

W Water.

N Nitrogen.

A Ash.

P Potash.

S Soda.

L Lime.

M Magnesia.

PhA Phosphoric Acid.

SA Sulphuric Acid.

S&S Silica and Sand.

------------------+----+----+-----+----+----+----+----+----+----+-----

Substance. | W | N | A | P | S | L | M |PhA | SA | S&S

------------------+----+----+-----+----+----+----+----+----+----+-----

I.--HAY.

Meadow Hay |143 |15.5| 51.5|13.2| 2.3| 8.6| 3.3| 4.1| 2.4| 13.9

Rye Grass |143 |16.3| 58.2|20.2| 2.0| 4.3| 1.3| 6.2| 2.3| 18.5

Timothy |143 |15.5| 62.1|20.4| 1.5| 4.5| 1.9| 7.2| 1.8| 22.1

Moharhay |134 |17.3| 58.4|21.2| 1.2| 6.1| 5.4| 3.4| 2.1| 16.3

Red Clover |160 |19.7| 56.9|18.3| 1.2|20.0| 6.1| 5.6| 1.7| 1.4

Red Clover, ripe |150 |12.5| 44.0| 9.8| 1.4|15.6| 6.8| 4.3| 1.3| 3.0

White Clover |165 |23.2| 59.8|10.1| 4.5|19.3| 6.0| 8.4| 4.9| 2.5

Alsike Clover |160 |24.0| 39.7|11.0| 1.2|13.5| 5.0| 4.0| 1.6| 1.6

Crimson Clover |167 |19.5| 50.7|11.7| 4.3|16.0| 3.1| 3.6| 1.3| 8.2

Lucern |160 |23.0| 62.1|15.3| 1.3|26.2| 3.3| 5.5| 3.7| 3.8

Esparsette |167 |21.3| 45.8|13.0| 1.5|16.8| 3.0| 4.6| 1.4| 3.7

Yellow Clover |167 |22.1| 55.7|11.9| 1.3|32.6| 2.1| 4.3| 1.0| 1.5

Green Vetch Hay |167 |22.7| 83.7|28.3| 5.6|22.8| 5.4|10.7| 2.8| 4.9

Green Pea Hay |167 |22.9| 62.4|23.2| 2.3|15.6| 6.3| 6.8| 5.1| 0.9

Spurry |167 |19.2| 56.8|19.9| 4.6|10.9| 6.9| 8.4| 2.0| 0.8

II.--GREEN FODDER.

Meadow Grass |700 | 5.4| 18.1| 4.6| 0.8| 3.0| 1.1| 1.5| 0.8| 4.9

Young Grass |800 | 5.6| 20.7|11.6| 0.4| 2.2| 0.6| 2.2| 0.8| 2.1

Rye Grass |734 | 5.7| 20.4| 7.2| 0.7| 1.5| 0.4| 2.2| 0.8| 6.5

Timothy Grass |700 | 5.4| 21.6| 7.4| 0.5| 1.6| 0.7| 2.5| 0.6| 7.7

Rye-Fodder |760 | 5.3| 16.3| 6.3| 0.1| 1.2| 0.5| 2.4| 0.2| 5.2

Green Oats |810 | 3.7| 18.8| 7.5| 0.6| 1.2| 0.6| 1.7| 0.6| 5.7

Green Corn-Fodder |822 | 1.9| 12.0| 4.3| 0.5| 1.6| 1.4| 1.3| 0.4| 1.7

Sorghum |773 | 4.0| 13.0| 3.6| 1.8| 1.2| 0.5| 0.8| 0.4| 3.7

Moharhay |700 | 5.9| 13.9| 5.0| 0.3| 1.4| 1.3| 0.8| 0.5| 3.9

Red Clover |780 | 5.1| 13.7| 4.4| 0.3| 4.8| 1.5| 1.4| 0.4| 0.3

” ” | | | | | | | | | |

before ” |830 | 5.3| 14.5| 5.3| 0.3| 4.2| 1.5| 1.7| 0.3| 0.4

White Clover |805 | 5.6| 13.6| 2.3| 1.0| 4.4| 1.4| 1.9| 1.1| 0.6

Alsike Clover |820 | 5.3| 8.8| 2.4| 0.3| 3.0| 1.1| 0.9| 0.4| 0.4

Crimson Clover |815 | 4.3| 12.2| 2.8| 1.0| 3.8| 0.7| 0.9| 0.3| 2.0

Lucern |740 | 7.2| 18.7| 4.6| 0.4| 7.9| 1.0| 1.6| 1.1| 1.1

Esparsette |800 | 5.1| 12.1| 3.4| 0.4| 4.4| 0.8| 1.2| 0.4| 1.0

Yellow Clover |830 | 4.5| 14.7| 3.2| 0.3| 8.6| 0.6| 1.1| 0.3| 0.4

Green Vetch |820 | 5.6| 18.1| 6.1| 1.2| 4.9| 1.2| 2.3| 0.6| 1.1

Green Peas |815 | 5.1| 13.9| 5.1| 0.5| 3.5| 1.4| 1.5| 1.1| 0.2

Green Rape |870 | 4.6| 12.2| 4.0| 0.4| 2.7| 0.5| 1.4| 1.7| 0.6

Spurry |800 | 3.7| 12.2| 4.3| 1.0| 2.3| 1.5| 1.8| 0.4| 0.2

III.--ROOT CROPS.

Potatoes |750 | 3.4| 9.4| 5.7| 0.2| 0.2| 0.4| 1.6| 0.6| 0.2

Jerusalem |800 | 3.2| 9.8| 4.7| 1.0| 0.3| 0.3| 1.4| 0.5| 1.0

Mangel-wurzel |880 | 1.8| 7.5| 4.1| 1.2| 0.3| 0.3| 0.6| 0.2| 0.2

Sugar Beets |815 | 1.6| 7.1| 3.9| 0.7| 0.4| 0.5| 0.8| 0.3| 0.1

Turnips |920 | 1.8| 7.3| 3.3| 0.7| 0.8| 0.3| 0.9| 0.8| 0.1

Carrots |850 | 2.2| 7.8| 2.8| 1.7| 0.9| 0.4| 1.0| 0.5| 0.2

Russia Turnips |870 | 2.1| 11.6| 4.7| 1.2| 1.3| 0.3| 1.7| 1.5| 0.1

Succory |800 | 2.5| 6.7| 2.6| 1.1| 0.5| 0.3| 0.8| 0.5| 0.3

part of root |840 | 2.0| 9.6| 2.8| 2.3| 0.9| 1.1| 1.2| 0.7| 0.2

IV.--LEAVES & STEMS OF ROOT CROPS.

Potato Vines, |770 | 4.9| 19.7| 4.3| 0.4| 6.4| 3.3| 1.6| 1.3| 0.9

unripe |825 | 6.3| 16.5| 4.4| 0.3| 5.1| 2.4| 1.2| 0.8| 1.2

Artichoke |800 | 5.3| 14.5| 3.1| 0.2| 5.0| 1.3| 0.7| 0.2| 3.6

Mangel-wurzel |905 | 3.0| 14.1| 4.1| 2.9| 1.6| 1.3| 0.8| 0.8| 0.5

Sugar Beets |897 | 3.0| 8.1| 6.5| 2.7| 2.7| 2.7| 1.3| 0.9| 0.7

Turnips |898 | 3.0| 11.9| 2.8| 1.1| 3.9| 0.5| 0.9| 1.1| 0.5

Carrots |822 | 5.1| 26.0| 2.9| 5.2| 8.5| 0.9| 1.2| 2.0| 2.9

Succory |850 | 3.5| 16.5| 4.3| 2.9| 3.2| 0.4| 1.0| 1.4| 0.6

Russia Turnips |850 | 4.6| 25.3| 3.7| 1.0| 8.4| 1.0| 2.6| 3.0| 2.6

Cabbage, white |890 | 2.4| 16.0| 6.3| 0.9| 3.1| 0.6| 1.4| 2.4| 0.2

Cabbage Stems |820 | 1.8| 11.6| 5.1| 0.6| 1.3| 0.5| 2.4| 0.9| 0.2

V.--MANUFACTURED PRODUCTS & REFUSE.

Wheat Bran |131 |22.4| 53.5|14.3| 0.2| 1.7| 8.8|27.3| 0.1| 0.5

Rye Bran |125 |23.2| 71.4|19.3| 1.0| 2.5|11.3|34.3| .. | 1.4

Barley Bran |120 |23.7| 48.4| 8.1| 0.7| 1.8| 3.0| 8.9| 0.9| 23.6

Oat Hulls |140 | .. | 34.7| 4.9| 0.3| 1.4| 1.0| 1.6| 1.3| 23.3

Pea Bran |140 | .. | 22.7|10.3| 0.2| 4.1| 2.2| 3.1| 0.9| 0.9

Buckwheat Bran |140 |27.2| 34.6|11.2| 0.7| 3.4| 4.6|12.5| 1.0| 0.7

Wheat Flour |136 |18.9| 7.2| 2.6| 0.1| 0.2| 0.4| 3.7| .. | ..

Rye Flour |142 |16.8| 16.9| 6.5| 0.3| 0.2| 1.4| 8.5| .. | ..

Barley Meal |140 |16.0| 20.0| 5.8| 0.5| 0.6| 2.7| 9.5| 0.6| ..

Corn Meal |140 |16.0| 5.9| 1.7| 0.2| 0.4| 0.9| 2.6| .. | ..

Green Malt |475 |10.4| 14.6| 2.5| .. | 9.5| 1.2| 5.3| .. | 4.8

Dry Malt | 75 |16.0| 26.6| 4.6| .. | 1.0| 2.2| 9.7| .. | 8.8

Brewer’s Grains |766 | 7.8| 11.7| 0.5| 0.1| 1.3| 1.0| 4.1| .. | 4.6

Beer |900 | .. | 6.2| 2.1| 0.6| 0.2| 0.4| 2.0| 0.2| 0.6

Malt-sprouts | 80 |36.8| 66.7|20.6| 1.2| 1.9| 1.8|18.0| 2.9| 14.7

Potato Fibre |850 | 1.3| 1.8| 0.3| .. | 0.9| 0.1| 0.4| .. | 0.1

Potato Slump |948 | 1.6| 5.0| 2.2| 0.4| 0.3| 0.4| 1.0| 0.4| 0.2

Sugar-beet Pomace |700 | 2.9| 11.4| 3.9| 0.9| 2.6| 0.7| 1.1| 0.4| 0.9

Clarifying Refuse |948 | 0.8| 3.3| 0.3| 0.1| 1.1| 0.2| 0.2| 0.1| 0.7

Molasses |172 |12.8| 82.3|57.5|10.0| 4.7| 0.3| 0.5| 1.7| 0.3

Molasses Slump |920 | 3.2| 14.0|11.0| 1.5| 0.2| .. | 0.1| 0.2| ..

Rape-cake |150 |48.5| 54.6|12.4| 1.8| 6.8| 7.0|19.2| 3.2| 2.8

Linseed Oil-cake |115 |45.3| 50.8|12.4| 0.7| 4.3| 8.1|16.1| 1.6| 6.4

Poppy-cake |100 |52.0| 76.9| 2.3| 2.3|27.0| 6.2|31.2| 1.9| 4.5

Beech-nut-cake |100 |38.1| 43.3| 6.5| 4.6|13.2| 3.6| 9.7| 0.6| 0.8

Walnut-cake |137 |55.3| 46.2|14.3| .. | 3.1| 5.6|20.2| 0.6| 0.7

Cotton-seed-cake |115 |39.0| 58.4|14.6| .. | 2.7| 8.9|28.1| 0.7| 2.3

Cocoanut-cake |127 |37.4| 55.1|22.4| 1.3| 2.6| 1.6|14.9| 2.1| 1.9

Palm-oil-cake |100 |25.9| 26.1| 5.0| 0.2| 3.1| 4.5|11.0| 0.5| 0.8

VI. STRAW.

Winter Wheat |143 | 4.8| 46.1| 6.3| 0.6| 2.7| 1.1| 2.2| 1.1| 31.2

Winter Spelt |143 | 4.0| 50.1| 5.2| 0.3| 2.9| 1.2| 2.6| 1.2| 36.0

Winter Rye |143 | 4.0| 40.5| 7.8| 0.9| 3.5| 1.1| 2.1| 1.1| 22.9

Spring Wheat |143 | 5.6| 38.1|11.0| 1.0| 2.6| 0.9| 2.0| 1.2| 18.2

Spring Rye |143 | 5.6| 46.6|11.2| .. | 4.2| 1.8| 3.0| 1.2| 26.1

Barley |143 | 6.4| 41.3| 9.4| 1.7| 3.2| 1.1| 1.9| 1.5| 21.5

Oats |143 | 5.6| 40.4| 8.9| 1.2| 3.6| 1.6| 1.9| 1.3| 19.6

Indian Corn-stalks|150 | 4.8| 41.9| 9.6| 6.1| 4.0| 2.6| 5.3| 1.2| 11.7

Buckwheat Straw |160 |13.0| 51.7|24.2| 1.1| 9.5| 1.9| 6.1| 2.7| 2.9

Pea Straw |160 |10.4| 44.0|10.1| 1.8|16.2| 3.5| 3.5| 2.7| 3.0

Field Bean |160 |16.3| 43.9|18.5| 1.1| 9.8| 3.3| 3.2| 1.6| 3.2

Garden Bean |160 | .. | 40.0|12.8| 3.2|11.1| 2.5| 3.9| 1.7| 1.9

Common Vetch |160 |12.0| 44.1| 6.3| 6.9|15.6| 3.7| 2.7| 3.3| 3.6

Lupine |160 | 9.4| 41.4| 8.0| 2.6|14.8| 3.6| 3.7| 3.0| 2.1

Rape |160 | 5.6| 40.8|11.1| 3.8|11.6| 2.5| 2.4| 3.1| 2.6

Poppy |160 | .. | 48.7|18.4| 0.6|14.7| 3.1| 1.6| 2.5| 5.5

VII. CHAFF.

Winter Wheat |143 | 7.2| 92.5| 8.5| 1.7| 1.8| 1.2| 4.0| .. | 75.1

Spring Wheat |143 | 7.5|121.4| 4.8| 1.0| 4.0| 1.5| 3.1| 0.7|105.3

Winter Spelt |143 | 5.6| 82.7| 7.9| 0.2| 2.0| 2.1| 6.1| 1.9| 61.3

Winter Rye |143 | 5.8| 84.0| 5.3| 0.3| 3.5| 1.2| 5.6| 0.1| 69.2

Barley Awns |143 | 4.8|120.0| 9.4| 1.2|12.7| 1.6| 2.4| 3.7| 86.6

Oats |143 | 6.4| 71.2| 4.6| 2.9| 4.0| 1.5| 1.3| 3.5| 50.4

Indian Corn-cobs |140 | 2.3| 4.6| 2.4| 0.1| 0.2| 0.2| 0.2| 0.1| 1.3

Field Beans |150 |16.8| 54.5|35.3| 1.3| 6.8| 5.9| 2.7| 1.2| 0.3

Lupine |143 | 7.2| 18.1| 8.7| 0.7| 3.6| 1.5| 1.1| 0.5| 0.9

Rape |140 | 6.4| 73.2|11.8| 4.4|36.3| 4.2| 3.4| 7.3| 1.0

Flax-seed hulls |120 | .. | 54.7|15.4| 3.0|15.4| 3.3| 4.5| 3.4| 5.0

VIII. COMMERCIAL PLANTS, ETC.

Flax Stems |140 | .. | 30.4| 9.4| 2.5| 6.8| 2.0| 4.0| 2.0| 1.7

Rotted Flax Stems |100 | .. | 7.0| 0.3| 0.2| 3.6| 0.2| 0.8| 0.2| 1.3

Flax Fibre |100 | .. | 6.8| 0.3| 0.3| 3.6| 0.3| 0.7| 0.3| 0.8

Hemp Stems |150 | .. | 33.2| 4.6| 0.7|20.3| 2.4| 2.3| 0.7| 3.5

Hops, entire plant|140 | .. | 81.4|20.1| 2.8|18.1| 6.4| 7.5| 3.7| 16.4

Hops |120 | .. | 66.8|23.0| 1.4|11.1| 3.7|11.2| 2.4| 11.1

Hop Stems |160 | .. | 40.7|11.4| 1.7|12.6| 2.7| 4.4| 1.3| 3.4

Tobacco Leaves |180 | .. |151.0|30.3| 5.1|62.8|17.7| 4.8| 5.8| 13.5

Wine and Must |866 | .. | 2.1| 1.3| .. | 0.1| 0.1| 0.4| 0.1| ..

Wine-grounds |650 | .. | 13.9| 6.1| 0.2| 2.9| 0.7| 2.5| 0.6| 0.2

Grape Stems, etc. |550 | .. | 13.0| 4.0| 1.4| 4.5| 0.7| 1.6| 0.3| 0.2

Mulberry Leaves |850 | .. | 16.3| 3.9| 0.2| 5.4| 1.0| 1.3| 0.3| 4.1

IX. MATERIALS FOR BEDDING.

Reed |180 | .. | 36.7| 6.8| 0.2| 3.3| 1.1| 2.3| 0.6| 20.0

Sedge Grass |140 | .. | 61.2|17.7| 4.9| 4.2| 2.9| 4.6| 2.3| 20.3

Rush |140 | .. | 48.1|19.0| 3.1| 3.6| 3.1| 4.3| 1.3| 6.8

August |560 | .. | 19.0| 3.7| 0.4| 6.4| 1.4| 1.8| 0.4| 3.8

” ” | | | | | | | | | |

Autumn |150 | 8.0| 58.5| 2.3| 0.4|26.4| 3.5| 2.4| 2.1| 19.7

August |550 | .. | 15.8| 5.4| .. | 4.1| 2.1| 1.9| 0.4| 0.7

” ” | | | | | | | | | |

Autumn |150 | 8.0| 41.7| 1.4| 0.3|20.3| 1.7| 3.5| 1.8| 12.9

Fir Needles |475 | 5.0| 18.4| 1.0| 0.3| 6.1| 1.1| 1.0| 0.4| 6.3

Pine ” |450 | .. | 32.0| 0.6| 0.1| 4.3| 0.5| 1.4| 0.6| 22.6

Moss |250 | .. | 19.2| 2.6| 1.6| 2.2| 1.1| 0.9| 1.0| 5.5

Fern |250 | .. | 50.7|18.0| 2.1| 6.2| 3.5| 4.2| 1.8| 10.3

Heath |200 |10.0| 16.6| 2.1| 1.1| 3.6| 1.6| 1.1| 0.7| 4.9

Broom |250 | .. | 13.6| 4.8| 0.3| 2.2| 1.6| 1.1| 0.4| 1.3

Sea-Weed |150 |14.0|122.3|15.9|28.1|16.7|10.0| 3.8|26.3| 2.5

X. GRAINS AND SEEDS.

Winter Wheat |144 |20.8| 16.9| 5.3| 0.4| 0.6| 2.0| 7.9| 0.1| 0.4

Spring Wheat |143 |20.5| 18.3| 5.5| 0.4| 0.5| 2.2| 8.9| 0.3| 0.3

without husk |143 |22.0| 14.2| 5.1| 0.5| 0.4| 1.7| 6.0| .. | 0.2

Spelt, with husk |148 |16.0| 36.6| 5.7| 0.4| 1.0| 2.4| 7.6| 1.1| 17.1

Winter Rye |143 |17.6| 17.9| 5.6| 0.3| 0.5| 2.1| 8.4| 0.2| 0.4

Winter Barley |145 |16.0| 17.0| 2.6| 0.7| 0.2| 2.1| 5.6| 0.5| 4.9

Spring Barley |143 |16.0| 22.2| 4.5| 0.6| 0.6| 1.9| 7.7| 0.4| 6.1

Oats |143 |19.2| 27.0| 4.4| 0.6| 1.0| 1.9| 6.2| 0.4| 12.8

Millet |140 |20.3| 29.8| 3.4| 0.4| 0.2| 2.9| 5.9| 0.1| 15.8

Indian Corn |144 |16.0| 13.0| 3.7| 0.2| 0.3| 2.0 5.9| 0.2| 0.2

Sorghum |140 | .. | 16.0| 3.3| 0.5| 0.2| 2.4| 8.1| .. | 1.2

Buckwheat |140 |14.4| 11.8| 2.7| 0.7| 0.5| 1.5| 5.7| 0.2| 0.1

Peas |143 |35.8| 23.5| 9.8| 0.2| 1.2| 1.9| 8.6| 0.8| 0.2

Field Beans |145 |40.8| 30.7|13.1| 0.4| 1.5| 2.2|11.9| 0.8| 0.2

Garden Beans |150 |39.0| 27.4|12.0| 0.4| 1.8| 2.0| 9.7| 1.1| 0.2

Vetch |143 |44.0| 26.8| 8.1| 2.1| 2.1| 2.4|10.0| 1.0| 0.3

Lupine |130 |56.6| 34.1|10.2| 0.1| 3.0| 4.0|14.3| 1.5| 0.2

Red Clover |150 |30.5| 38.3|13.5| 0.4| 2.5| 4.9|14.5| 0.9| 0.5

White Clover |150 | .. | 33.8|12.3| 0.2| 2.5| 3.9|11.6| 1.6| 0.8

Esparsette |160 | .. | 38.4|11.0| 1.1|12.3| 2.6| 9.2| 1.2| 0.3

Ruta-bagas |140 | .. | 48.8| 9.1| 8.5| 7.6| 8.6| 7.6| 2.1| 1.1

Sugar-Beet |146 | .. | 45.3|11.1| 4.2|10.2| 7.3| 7.5| 2.0| 0.8

Carrots |120 | .. | 74.8|14.3| 3.5|29.1| 5.0|11.8| 4.2| 4.0

Succory |130 | .. | 54.6| 6.5| 4.6|17.3| 5.9|16.5| 2.4| 0.6

Turnips |125 | .. | 34.6| 7.6| 0.4| 6.1| 3.1|14.0| 2.5| 0.2

Rape |118 |31.2| 39.1| 9.6| 0.6| 5.5| 4.6|16.5| 0.9| 0.5

Summer-Rape |120 | .. | 34.9| 7.7| .. | 5.2| 4.7|14.9| 2.3| ..

Mustard |130 | .. | 36.5| 5.9| 2.0| 7.0| 3.7|14.6| 1.8| 0.9

Poppy |147 |28.0| 52.9| 7.2| 0.5|18.7| 5.0|16.6| 1.0| 1.7

Linseed |118 |32.8| 32.6|10.0| 0.7| 2.6| 4.7|13.5| 0.8| 0.4

Hemp |122 |26.1| 45.3| 9.4| 0.4|10.9| 2.6|16.9| 0.1| 5.5

Grape-Seeds |110 | .. | 25.0| 7.2| .. | 8.4| 2.1| 6.0| 0.6| 0.3

Horse-chestnuts, |492 |10.2| 12.0| 7.1| .. | 1.4| 0.1| 2.7| 0.3| 0.3

Acorns, fresh |560 | .. | 9.6| 6.2| 0.1| 0.7| 0.5| 1.4| 0.4| 0.1

XI. VARIOUS ANIMAL PRODUCTS

Cows’ Milk |875 | 5.1| 6.2| 1.5| 0.6| 1.3| 0.2| 1.7| .. | ..

Sheep |860 | 5.5| 8.4| 1.8| 0.3| 2.5| 0.1| 3.0| 0.1| 0.2

Cheese |450 |45.3| 67.4| 2.5|26.6| 6.9| 0.2|11.5| .. | ..

Ox-blood |790 |32.0| 7.5| 0.6| 3.4| 0.1| 0.1| 0.4| 0.2| 0.1

Calf-blood |800 |29.0| 7.1| 0.8| 2.9| 0.1| 0.1| 0.6| 0.1| ..

Sheep-blood |790 |32.0| 7.5| 0.5| 3.3| 0.1| 0.1| 0.4| 0.1| ..

Swine-blood |800 |29.0| 7.1| 1.5| 2.2| 0.1| 0.1| 0.9| 0.1| ..

Ox-flesh |770 |36.0| 12.6| 5.2| .. | 0.2| 0.4| 4.3| 0.4| 0.3

Calf flesh |780 |34.9| 12.0| 4.1| 1.0| 0.2| 0.2| 5.8| .. | 0.1

Swine-flesh |740 |34.7| 10.4| 3.9| 0.5| 0.8| 0.5| 4.6| .. | ..

Living Ox |597 |26.6| 46.6| 1.7| 1.4|20.8| 0.6|18.6| .. | 0.1

Living Calf |662 |25.0| 38.0| 2.4| 0.6|16.3| 0.5|13.8| .. | 0.1

Living Sheep |591 |22.4| 31.7| 1.5| 1.4|13.2| 0.4|12.8| .. | 0.2

Living Swine |528 |20.0| 21.6| 1.8| 0.2| 9.2| 0.4| 8.8| .. | ..

Eggs |672 |21.8| 61.8| 1.5| 1.4|54.0| 1.0| 3.7| 0.1| 0.1

Wool, washed |120 |94.4| 9.7| 1.8| 0.3| 2.4| 0.6| 0.3| .. | 2.5

Wool, unwashed |150 |54.0| 98.8|74.6| 1.9| 4.2| 1.6| 1.1| 4.0| 3.0

------------------+----+----+-----+----+----+----+----+----+----+-----

B.--AVERAGE COMPOSITION OF VARIOUS MANURES.

W Water.

OS Organic Substance.

A Ash.

N Nitrogen.

P Potash.

S Soda.

L Lime.

M Magnesia.

PhA Phosphoric Acid.

SA Sulphuric Acid.

S&S Silica and Sand.

C&F Chlorine and Florine.

------------+----+----+-----+----+----+----+----+---+----+----+----+----

Fertilizer. | W | OS | A | N | P | S | L | M | PhA| SA |S&S |C&F

------------+----+----+-----+----+----+----+----+---+----+----+----+----

| | | | | | | | | | | |

Horse |757 |211 | 31.6| 4.4| 3.5| 0.6| 1.5|1.2| 3.5| 0.6|19.6| 0.2

Cattle |838 |145 | 17.2| 2.9| 1.0| 0.2| 3.4|1.3| 1.7| 0.4| 7.2| 0.2

Sheep |655 |314 | 31.1| 5.5| 1.5| 1.0| 4.6|1.5| 3.1| 1.4|17.5| 0.3

Swine |820 |150 | 30.0| 6.0| 2.6| 2.5| 0.9|1.0| 4.1| 0.4|15.0| 0.3

Horse |901 | 71 | 28.0|15.5|15.0| 2.5| 4.5|2.4| .. | 0.6| 0.8| 1.5

Cattle |938 | 35 | 27.4| 5.8| 4.9| 6.4| 0.1|0.4| .. | 1.3| 0.3| 3.8

Sheep |872 | 83 | 45.2|19.5|22.6| 5.4| 1.6|3.4| 0.1| 3.0| 0.1| 6.5

Swine |967 | 28 | 15.0| 4.3| 8.3| 2.1| .. |0.8| 0.7| 0.8| .. | 2.3

Horse |713 |254 | 32.6| 5.8| 5.3| 1.0| 2.1|1.4| 2.8| 0.7|17.7| 0.4

Cattle |775 |203 | 21.8| 3.4| 4.0| 1.4| 3.1|1.1| 1.6| 0.6| 8.5| 1.0

Sheep |646 |318 | 35.6| 8.3| 6.7| 2.2| 3.3|1.8| 2.3| 1.5|14.7| 1.7

Swine |724 |250 | 25.6| 4.5| 6.0| 2.0| 0.8|0.9| 1.9| 0.8|10.8| 1.7

Fresh |710 |246 | 44.1| 4.5| 5.2| 1.5| 5.7|1.4| 2.1| 1.2|12.5| 1.5

rotted |750 |192 | 58.0| 5.0| 6.3| 1.9| 7.0|1.8| 2.6| 1.6|16.8| 1.9

rotted |790 |145 | 65.0| 5.8| 5.0| 1.3| 8.8|1.8| 3.0| 1.3|17.0| 1.6

Manure |982 | 7 | 10.7| 1.5| 4.9| 1.0| 0.3|0.4| 0.1| 0.7| 0.2| 1.2

fresh |772 |198 | 29.9|10.0| 2.5| 1.6| 6.2|3.6|10.9| 0.8| 1.9| 0.4

” |963 | 24 | 13.5| 6.0| 2.0| 4.6| 0.2|0.2| 1.7| 0.4| .. | 5.0

fresh |933 | 51 | 16.0| 7.0| 2.1| 3.8| 0.9|0.6| 2.6| 0.5| 0.2| 4.0

liquid |955 | 30 | 15.0| 3.5| 2.0| 3.0| 1.0|0.6| 2.8| 0.4| 0.2| 4.3

fresh |519 |308 |173.0|17.6|10.0| 0.7|16.0|5.0|17.8| 3.3|20.2| ..

Hen ” ” |560 |255 |185.0|16.3| 8.5| 1.0|24.0|7.4|15.4| 4.5|35.2| ..

Duck ” ” |566 |262 |172.0|10.0| 6.2| 0.5|17.0|3.5|14.0| 3.5|28.0| ..

Geese ” ” |771 |134 | 95.0| 5.5| 9.5| 1.3| 8.4|2.0| 5.4| 1.4|14.0| ..

| | | | | | | | | | | |

| | | | | | | | | | | |

Guano |14.8|51.4| 33.8|13.0| 2.3| 1.4|11.0|1.2|13.0| 1.0| 1.7| 1.3

Fish-Guano|12.6|53.4| 34.0| 9.0| 0.3| 0.9|15.4|0.6|13.5| 0.3| 1.6| 1.1

Poudrette |24.0|27.0| 49.0| 2.0| 0.9| 1.0|18.6|0.5| 2.1| 1.0| 5.4| 1.5

Animals | 5.7|56.9| 37.4| 6.5| 0.3| 0.8|18.2|0.4|13.9| 1.0| 1.7| 0.2

Flesh-Meal |27.8|56.6| 15.6| 9.7| .. | .. | 7.0|0.3| 6.3| 0.1| 1.1| ..

Dried Blood |14.0|79.0| 7.0|11.7| 0.7| 0.6| 0.7|0.1| 1.0| 0.4| 2.1| 0.4

Shavings| 8.5|68.5| 25.0|10.2| .. | .. | 6.6|0.3| 5.5| 0.9|11.0| ..

Bone-Meal | 6.0|33.3| 60.7| 3.8| 0.2| 0.3|31.3|1.0|23.2| 0.1| 3.5| 0.3

parts | 5.0|31.5| 63.5| 3.5| 0.1| 0.2|33.0|1.0|25.2| 0.1| 3.0| 0.2

parts | 7.0|37.3| 55.7| 4.0| 0.2| 0.3|29.0|1.0|20.0| 0.1| 3.5| 0.2

used | 6.0|10.0| 84.0| 1.0| 0.1| 0.3|43.0|1.1|32.0| 0.4| 5.0| ..

spent |10.0| 6.0| 84.0| 0.5| 0.1| 0.2|37.0|1.1|26.0| 0.4|15.0| ..

Bone ash | 6.0| 3.0| 91.0| .. | 0.3| 0.6|46.0|1.2|35.4| 0.4| 6.5| ..

Baker Guano |10.0| 9.2| 81.0| 0.5| 0.2| 1.2|41.5|1.5|34.8| 1.5| 0.8| 0.3

Jarvis Guano|11.8| 8.2| 80.0| 0.4| 0.4| 0.3|39.1|0.5|20.6|18.0| 0.5| 0.2

Apatite | 0.6| .. | .. | .. | 0.7| 0.3|48.1|0.1|37.6| 0.2| 9.0| 1.5

Phosphate | 8.5| .. | 91.5| 0.1| .. | 0.8|43.5|0.6|35.0| 0.5| 1.0| 0.6

Phosphate | 2.6| 5.4| 92.0| 0.1| .. | .. |37.5|0.6|33.2| 0.5| 5.0| 0.1

rich | 2.6| .. | 97.4| .. | 0.8| 0.4|45.1|0.2|33.0| 0.3| 5.5| 3.1

medium | 2.5| .. | 97.5| .. | 0.7| 0.4|40.1|0.2|24.1| .. |20.8| 1.5

phorite | 6.5| 1.6| 91.8| .. | .. | .. |21.8|0.9|19.7| 1.0|22.0| 1.6

phorite | 2.0| 3.5| 94.5| .. | .. | .. |37.2|0.2|29.2| 0.5| 3.3| 1.5

Coprolites | 4.3| .. | 95.7| .. | 1.0| 0.5|45.4|1.0|26.4| 0.8| 7.5| 0.1

Ammonia | 4.0| .. | .. |20.0| .. | .. | 0.5| ..| .. |58.0| 3.0| 1.4

Soda | 2.6| .. | .. |15.5| .. |35.0| 0.2| ..| .. | 0.7| 1.5| 1.7

offal |10.0|56.0| 34.0| 5.2| 0.3| 0.1| 1.4|0.3| 1.3| 0.5|29.0| 0.2

Lime-cake | 6.5|47.0| 46.5| 3.1| .. | .. |20.5|2.4| 3.0| .. | 8.0| ..

refuse |23.0|68.4| 8.6| 5.7| .. | .. | 3.0|0.2| 2.3| .. | 3.0| ..

Common Salt | 5.0| .. | 95.0| .. | .. |44.3| 1.2|0.2| .. | 1.4| 2.0|48.2

Plaster |20.0| .. | 80.8| .. | .. | .. |31.0|0.1| .. |44.0| 4.0| ..

Gas-lime | 7.0| 1.3| 91.7| 0.4| 0.2| .. |64.5|1.5| .. |12.5| 3.0| ..

Scum |34.5|24.5| 41.0| 1.2| 0.2| 0.6|20.7|0.3| 1.5| 0.3| 9.1| 0.1

ashes |20.0| 5.0| 75.0| .. | 2.5| 1.3|24.5|2.5| 6.0| 0.3|20.0| ..

Wood-soot | 5.0|71.8| 23.2| 1.3| 2.4| 0.5|10.0|1.5| 0.4| 0.3| 4.0| ..

Coal-soot | 5.0|70.2| 24.8| 2.5| 0.1| .. | 4.0|1.5| .. | 1.7|16.0| ..

trees | 5.0| 5.0| 90.0| .. |10.0| 2.5|30.0|5.0| 6.5| 1.6|18.0| 0.3

trees | 5.0| 5.0| 90.0| .. | 6.0| 2.0|35.0|6.0| 4.5| 1.6|18.0| 0.3

Peat-ashes | 5.0| .. | 95.0| .. | 1.5| 0.8| ? |1.5| 0.6| 1.3| ? | 0.2

coal-ashes| 5.0| .. | 95.0| .. | 0.5| 0.4| ? |3.2| 0.2| 3.5| ? | ..

coal-ashes| 5.0| 5.0| 90.0| .. | 0.1| 0.1| ? |3.0| 0.1| 5.0| ? | ..

| | | | | | | | | | | |

| | | | | | | | | | | |

Guano |16.0|41.9| 42.1|10.0| 2.0| 1.2| 9.5|1.0|10.5|15.0| 1.5| 1.1

Baker Guano |15.0| 6.2| 78.8| 0.3| 0.1| 0.8|25.9|0.9|21.8|28.5| 0.9| 0.2

Apatite |15.0| .. | 85.0| .. | 0.4| 0.2|28.2|0.1|22.1|28.5| 5.3| 0.9

Phosphate |15.0| .. | 85.0| .. | .. | 0.5|26.4|0.4|20.2|25.5| 0.6| 0.4

Phosphate |15.0| 2.5| 82.5| .. | .. | ? |17.0|0.3|15.4|19.5| 2.3| ?

rich |15.0| .. |85.0 | .. | 0.5| 0.2|26.5|0.1|19.4|25.5| 3.2| 1.8

medium |12.0| .. |88.0 | .. | 0.3| 0.1|24.2|0.1|16.6|19.5|13.5| 1.3

Bone-black |15.0| 8.0|77.0 | 0.3| .. | 0.1|25.0|0.7|16.2|21.0| 9.3| ..

Bone-Meal |13.0|23.8|63.2 | 2.0| 0.1| 0.2|22.4|0.7|16.6|19.5| 2.5| 0.2

factured.)|15.5|13.0|80.3 | 3.3| 0.3| 0.4|24.0| ..|20.5|28.8| 3.0| 0.9

------------+----+----+-----+----+----+----+----+---+----+----+----+----

* It is estimated that in the case of horses, cattle, and swine,

one-third of the urine drains away. The following is the amount of

wheat-straw used daily as bedding for each animal. Horse, 6 lbs.;

Cattle, 8 lbs.; Swine, 4 lbs., and sheep, 0.6 lbs.

2.--TABLE SHOWING THE DISTRIBUTION OF INGREDIENTS IN SOME

MANUFACTURING PROCESSES.

DS Dry Substance.

N Nitrogen.

A Ash.

P Potash.

L Lime.

M Magnesia.

PhA Phosphoric Acid.

----------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----

Name of Material. | DS | N | A | P | L | M | PhA

----------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----

1.--Brewing. | lbs.| lbs.| lbs.| lbs.| lbs.| lbs.| lbs.

1000 lbs. Barley, contain |855 | 15.2|22.23|4.48 |0.58 |1.92 |7.71

15 ” Hops ” | 13.2| .. | 1.00|0.345|0.167|0.056|0.168

Water | .. | .. | 1.23|0.852|0.039|0.045|0.234

Malt-Sprouts | 33 | 1.38| 2.43|0.749|0.069|0.066|0.653

Brewers’ Grains |269 | 8.74|13.08|0.580|1.474|1.134|3.631

Spent Hops | 9 | .. | 0.54|0.032|0.160|0.055|0.062

Yeast | 30 | 2.94| 2.27|0.643|0.097|0.185|1.349

Beer | .. | 2.14| 3.65|1.998| .. |0.484|0.939

| | | | | | |

contain |250 | 3.2 | 9.43|5.69 | 0.24|0.44 |1.63

40 ” Kiln-Malt | 37 | 0.56| 1.06|0.184|0.040|0.088|0.388

20 ” Yeast-Malt | 18.5| 0.28| 0.53|0.092|0.020|0.044|0.194

The Slump, contains |125 | 4.04|11.02|5.966|0.300|0.572|2.212

800 lbs. Rye, contain |684 |14.08|14.32|4.501|0.376|1.648|6.710

200 ” Kiln-Malt, contain |184 | 2.82| 5.12|0.883|0.195|0.429|1.526

50 ” Yeast-Malt, ” | 46 | 0.71| 1.28|0.221|0.049|0.107|0.382

The Slump, contains |443 |17.61|20.72|5.605|0.620|2.184|8.618

| | | | | | |

contain |599 |12.32|12.53|3.941|0.329|1.444|5.876

300 ” Barley-Malt, ” |276 | 4.23| 7.67|1.325|0.293|0.643|2.801

Yeast | 45 | 4.60| 3.41|1.273|0.192|0.367|2.672

Grains and Slump |325 |11.95|16.79|3.993|0.430|1.720|6.005

| | | | | | |

1000 lbs. Potatoes, contain |250 | 3.20| 9.43|5.69 |0.24 |0.44 |1.63

The remains in the Fibre | 75 | 0.60| 0.51|0.086|0.266|0.042|0.133

” ” ” Water | 45 | 2.60| 8.89|5.604| .. |0.398|1.497

| | | | | | |

1000 lbs. Wheat, contain |857 |20.80|16.88|5.26 |0.57 |2.02 |7.94

Flour (77.5 per cent) |664 |14.65| 5.50|1.980|0.154|0.458|2.862

Mill-feed ( 6.5 ” ) | 58 | 1.64| 1.80|0.648|0.050|0.148|0.936

Bran (16.0 ” ) |135 | 4.51| 9.60|2.762|0.396|1.394|4.102

| | | | | | |

1000 lbs. Milk, contain |125 | 4.80| 6.10|1.505|1.333|0.186|1.735

Cheese | 65 | 4.53| 2.84|0.247|0.687|0.028|1.515

Whey | 60 | 0.27| 3.26|1.258|0.646|0.158|0.584

| | | | | | |

1000 lbs. Roots, contain |184 | 1.60| 7.10|3.914|0.379|0.536|0.780

of roots) | 19 | 0.24| 1.15|0.336|0.108|0.132|0.144

of roots) | 46 | 0.44| 1.71|0.585|0.390|0.105|0.165

of roots) | 24 | 0.60| 1.20|0.380|8.640|0.240|0.384

of roots) | 25 | 0.32| 2.47|1.741|0.141|0.009|0.015

Sugar and loss | 85 | .. | 0.57|0.872| .. |0.040|0.072

| | | | | | |

contain |860 | .. |30.36|9.426|6.751|1.995|3.990

In the Water |215 | .. |25.15|9.175|4.100|1.850|3.400

Stems or Husks |460 | .. | 4.03|0.171|2.052|0.096|0.474

Flax and Tow |155 | .. | 1.22|0.054|0.648|0.054|0.126

----------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----

INDEX.

Absorptive Powers of Soils, 217

Ammonia Absorbed by Soil from the Atmosphere, 219

Ammonia and Superphosphate, 242

” and Weeds, 254

” Converted into Nitric Acid in the Soil, 313

” for Oats, 253-254

” for Potatoes, 261

” for Wheat, 192-213

” in Fresh Horse-dung, 96

” in Limed and Unlimed Soils, 220

” in the Soil Liberated by Lime, 221

” Locked Up in the Soil, 221

” Loss of by Fermenting Manure, 98

” on Grass Land, 273

” Potential, 31

” Quantity of to Produce One Bushel of Wheat, 211-212

” Required to Produce a Bushel of Barley, 240-242

” Retained by the Soil, 218

” Salts, Composition of, 312

” ” How to Apply, 286-312

” ” for Private Gardens, 297

Anderson, J. M. B., Letter from, 345

Animals, Composition of Manure from Different, 306

” What They Remove from the Food, 301

Apple Trees, Nitrate of Soda for, 314

Artificial Manures, Will They Pay, 214

Ashes, Burnt Earth, 72

” Coal, 72

” for Barley, 241

” for Indian Corn, 279

” for Oats, 253

” for Potatoes, 259

” of Manure for Wheat, 173

” on Long Island, 346

” Plaster and Hen-dung for Potatoes, 255

” Wood, 104

Barley After Ten Crops of Turnips, 250

” a Large Yield of, 242

” and Clover after a heavily-manured Root-crop, 287

” Best Soil for, 227

” Cost of Raising With and Without Manure, 245

” Lawes’ and Gilbert’s Experiments on, 227

” Potash Increases the Crop of at Rothamsted, 329

” Profits of Raising in Poor Seasons, 243

” Quality and Price of, 242

” Yield Per Acre, 11

Barn-yard Manure, Difference in Quality of, 246

Bean-straw for Manure, 48

Beets, Sugar, Lawes’ and Gilbert’s Experiments on, 288

” ” Manure for, 286

Blood, 32

Bone-dust, 314

” ” Composition of Compared with Stable Manure, 316

” ” Fermented with Manure, 316

” ” Made into Superphosphate, 319

” ” on Dairy Farms, 315

Bones as Manure, 102

Bran, 26

” for Manure, 102

” Richer in Plant-food than Wheat, 301

Brewer, Prof. W. H., Letter from, 341

Cabbage and Barn-yard Manure, Composition of, 292

” Composition of, 290-292

” Hog and Cow Manure for, 302

” Lime for, 292

” Manure for, 275-290

” Manure for Early and Late, 291

” Needs a Large Supply of Nitrogen in the Soil.

Though it Removes but Little, 293

” Potash for, 292

” Special Manure for, 323

” Yield of per Acre, 291

Cattle vs. Sheep as Manure-makers, 303

Cheese, from a Ton of Hay, 111

” Plant-food in, 101

” versus Beef, 110

Clay Retains Ammonia, 219

Clover and Indian Corn, 275

” as a Renovating and Exhausting Crop, 277

” as Manure, 119-122

” as Manure for Wheat, 158

” Does it Get Nitrogen from the Atmosphere, 133-138

” Dr. Vœlcker’s Experiments on, 135

” for Wheat, 126

” Gathers Up Manure from the Sub-soil, 287

” Hay, Composition of, 129-137

” Hay, English and German, for Manure, 47

” How to Make a Farm Rich by Growing, 133-163

” Letting it Rot on the Surface as Manure, 134

” Nitrogen as a Manure for, 141

” Pasturing by Sheep versus Mowing for Hay, 137

” Plowing Under versus Feeding Out, 123

” Roots, Amount of per Acre, 143-144-155

” Roots, Composition of, 145-147

” Seed, Amount of Roots per Acre, 162

” Water Evaporated by, 132

” Why it Enriches Land, 131

Coal-ashes to Mix with Artificial Manures, 312

Composting Cow-manure with Muck, Leaves, etc, 302

Compost of Stable-manure and Earth, 342

Corn, as a Renovating Crop, 275

” Ashes for, 279

” Barn-yard Manure for, 284

” Cost of Raising, 9

” Crop, Composition of, 25

” Experiments on, 279

” Guano for, 279-284

” Manure for, 275

” Meal for Manure, 185

” Superphosphate for, 279-284

” Fodder, 275

” ” vs. Mangel-wurzels, 288

” ” Plaster for, 277

” ” vs. Wheat, Yield per acre, 276

Cotton-seed Cake, 46-339

Cow-manure, 86-100

” ” and How to Use it, 302

” ” Composition of, 306

Cows, Feeding Grain to, 110-113

” Feeding in Winter for Manure, 256

Crops Best to Apply Manure to, 265

” How to Get Larger, 28-36

” Raised and Sold from the Farm, 27

” Rotation of, 116-168

” We Must Raise Larger per Acre, 266

” Why so Poor, 28

Dairy Farms, Bone-dust on, 315

Drainage from Barn-yard, 306

Dry Earth for Pig Pens, 304

Earth-closet Manure, 310

” ” ” on Grass, 225

Fallow, Fall, 12

” for Wheat, How to--Mr. Lawes’ Experiments, 35

” Summer, for Wheat, 15-34

Farm Dairy, Receipts and Expenses of, 109

” Hon. George Geddes’, 119

” Hon. Joseph Shull’s, 109

” John Johnston’s, 76-81-120

” Mr. Dewey’s, 39

” Mr. Joseph O. Sheldon’s, 15

” to Restore a Worn Out, 37

Farming, a Poor Business, 9

” Difference Between High and Good, 11

” Faith in Good, 14

” Good Does Not Lead to Over Production, 14

” Slow Work, 17

Fermenting Manure to Kill Weed-Seeds, 97

Fish as Manure, 347

Food, Nothing Added to it by the Animal, 42

Gardens, Manure for Private, 296

Geddes, Hon. George, 17-117

Grains, Malt, English and German, 47

Grass a Saving’s Bank, 41

” Importance of Rich, 113

” Manure for, 120

Guano as a Top-dressing for Wheat, 270

” for Barley, 240

” for Oats, 253

” for Peas, 17

” for Potatoes, 255-258

” on Wheat, 120-180-184

” Peruvian, Composition of, 311

” ” for Onions, 294

” ” Price and Composition of Now

and 30 Y’rs Ago, 327

” ” Rectified for Turnips, 286

” ” What it is, 311

Gypsum, 104-116-126

” for Oats, 254

” for Peas, 17

” for Potatoes, 255-259

Harison, T. L., Letter from, 115

Hay, Best Manure for, 274

” Plant-food in, 101

Heacock, Joseph, Letter from, 348

Henderson, Peter, Letter from, 344

Hen Manure, 43-104-301

” ” for Potatoes, 255

High Farming, 12

” ” versus Good Farming, 11

Hops, Manure for, 274

Horse-manure, Composition of, 306

Hot-beds, Manure for, 297

Human Excrements, Composition of, 308

Indian Corn. See Corn.

Irrigation on Market Gardens, 295

Jessup, Edward, Letter from, 342

Johnson, Prof. S. W., on the Value of Fertilizers, 324

Lawes’ and Gilbert’s Experiments on Barley, 227

Lawes’ and Gilbert’s Experiments on Oats, 252

Lawes’ and Gilbert’s Experiments on Permanent Meadows, 271

Lawes’ and Gilbert’s Experiments on the Amount

of Excrements Voided by Man, 309

Lawes’ and Gilbert’s Experiments on Sugar beets

and Mangel-wurzels, 288

Lawes’ and Gilbert’s Experiments on Wheat, 170

Lawes’ and Gilbert’s Experiments,

Potash Beneficial for Barley, 329

Lawes’ Table, Showing Composition and Value of Foods, 45

Lettuce, Manure for, 289

” Superphosphate for, 290-293

Lewis, Hon. Harris, Letter from, 103

Liebig’s Special Manures, 321

Lime as Manure, 215

” Beneficial Effect of for Thirty Years, 216

” Changes the Chemical and Physical Character of the Soil, 224

” Composting with Old Sods, 224

” for Cabbage, 292

” Hastens the Maturity of the Crop, 222

” Impoverishes the Soil, 222

” in Connecticut, 224

” in Delaware, 223

” in New Jersey, 223

” in Pennsylvania, 224

” Mixed with Barn-yard Manure, 222

” on Grass Land, 223

” on Lime-stone Land, 217

” Quantity per Acre, 216

” Sets Free Ammonia in the Soil, 221

” Silicate Absorbs Ammonia from Atmosphere, 219

” When to Apply, 223

” Why Beneficial, 220

Liquid Manure, 306

Lowland, Draining, 30

Malt-combs, 46

Mangel-wurzels for Manure, 48

” ” Manure for, 103-286-288

” ” Yield per Acre, 11

Manure Absorbing Liquid, 115

” Amount from Feed and Bedding, 78

” Amount Made by a Horse, 50-346

” ” Made by Horses, Cows, Sheep, and Pigs, 51

” Amount Made on a 250-acre Farm, 257

” Amount of Rain Required to Dissolve, 267

” Amount of Straw in Horse, 346

” and Rotation of Crops, 246

” Applying Artificial, 312

” Applying Near the Surface, 267

” Applying on the Surface, 173

” as Top-dressing, 269

” Barn-yard for Barley, 240

” Barn-yard vs. Artificial for Indian Corn, 284

” Basin for, 92

” Best for Hay, 274

” Bone-dust, 314-316

” Brings in Red Clover, 82

” Buying, 306

” Buying by Measure or Weight, 305

” Buying by the Load or Ton, 306

” Cellar, 114

” Cheapest a Farmer Can Use, 127

” Clover as, 119-122

” Clover-seed as, 127

” Comes from the Land, 42

” Common Salt as, 200

” Composition of Fresh Barnyard, 51

” Composition of from Different Animals, 306

” Composition of Heap at Different Periods, 57

” Corn-meal for, 185

” Cost of Hauling, 342

” Cost of Loading and Drawing, 77

” Cow, 87-100

” Dairy-farm, How to Save and Apply, 114

” Dr. Vœlcker’s Experiments on, 51

” Drawing Out to the Field, 89

” English Plan of Keeping, 69

” Equivalent to Water, 296

” Farm-yard for Potatoes, 261

” Fermenting in Winter, 85-92-93

” Fermenting, Shrinkage in, 116

” Fire-fang, 84-98

” Fish, as, on Long Island, 347

” Foods which Make Rich, 45

” for Cabbage, Parsnips, Onions, Carrots, Lettuce, etc, 289

” for Corn, 80

” for Grass, 82

” for Hops, 274

” for Hot-beds, 297

” for Indian Corn, 275

” for Mangel-wurzels and Sugar-beets, 287

” for Market Gardens, 294

” for Oats, 252

” for Potatoes, 255

” for Seed-growing Farms, 296

” for Sorghum or Chinese Sugar-cane, 283

” for Tobacco, 275

” for Turnips, 285-322

” for Wheat, 167

” from Cows, 302

” from Earth-closet, 310

” from Oxen, 303

” from Pigs, Mr. Lawes’ Experiments, 301

” from Sheep, 303

” Grain Farms, Management of, 117

” Guano, Price of Now and Thirty Years Ago, 328

” Guano, Rectified Peruvian, 319

” Gypsum and Clover as, 125

” Heap, Changes in, 67

” ” Fermenting, 38

” ” in Winter, 84

” ” Piling in Field, 88-89-90

” ” Turning, 88

” Hen, 43-104-301

” Horse, 32-86

” Horse and Farm-yard, 50

” How and When it Should be Applied, 267

” How John Johnston Manages it, 76

” How Made and Used in Maryland, 349

” How the Deacon Makes it, 74

” How to Make, 41

” How to Make More, 256

” How to Make More and Better on Dairy Farms, 105

” How to Make Poor, Rich, 274-293

” How to Make Richer, 257

” How Much it Shrinks by Fermentation, 342

” How Much Nitrogen in a Load of, 306

” in Kansas, 340

” in Philadelphia, Interesting Facts, 338

” Keeping Under Cover, 59

” Lime as, 215

” Liquid, 306

” Management of in Canada, 335

” Mr. Lawes’ Experiments with, 95

” Loss from Leaching, 99

” Management of, 94

” Market Value of, 104

” Mixed with Lime, 222

” Natural, 23

” Night soil as, 308

” Nitrate of Soda as, 134

” Not Available, 95

” on Dairy Farm, 101

” on Permanent Meadows and Pastures, 271

” Preserved by the Soil, 177

” Pigs’, 86

” Piling, 116

” Potash as, 329

” Price of in Boston, 344

” ” ” Maryland, 339

” ” ” New Haven, 341

” ” ” New York, 334

” ” per Horse in New York, 336

” Quantity Made on a Farm, 12

” Quantity of Used on Long Island.

Interesting Statistics, 336

” Reduced by Fermentation, 297

” Richer in Plant-food than the Food

from which it is Derived, 301

” Sea-weed as, 337

” Sheep, 86

” Should be Broken Up Fine, 268

” Soluble Phosphates in, 72

” Special, 140-320

” Specific Gravity of from Different Animals, 305

” Spread in Open Yard, 63

” Stable, Management, 333

” Straw and Chaff as, 200

” Superphosphate, How Made, 317

” Swamp-Muck as, 29

” Tank, 115

” the Author’s Plan of Managing, 83

” Tillage as, 32-121-225

” Top-dressing for Wheat in Kansas, 350

” ” ” on Growing Crops, 343

” to What Crops Should it be Applied, 265

” Value of, 78

” Value of Depends on the Food, Not on the Animal, 43

” Value of Straw as, 123

” Water in, 124

” Weeds as, 24

” Weight of, 343-350

” Well-rotted, Composition of, 65

” Well-rotted, Loss from Leaching, 65

” What is it?, 19-22

” Why Do We Ferment?, 94

Market Gardens, Irrigation in, 295

” ” Manure for, 294

” ” Pig-manure on, 295

Meadows, Manure for, 271

Night soil, 225-308

Nitrate of Potash, 312

Nitrate of Soda, 134

” ” Acts Quicker than Ammonia, 313

” ” as a Top-dressing for Wheat, 270

” ” Composition of, 312

” ” for Apple Trees, 314

” ” for Barley, 243

” ” for Oats, 252

” ” for Onions, 294

” ” for Sugar-Beets, 289

” ” for Wheat, 159

” ” How to Apply, 312

Nitric Acid, 341

Nitrogen, Amount per Acre in the Soil, 28-162

” as Manure, 28

” in Soils, 106-226-336-341

” Makes Poor Manure Rich, 246

Nurserymen, Manure for, 297

Oats, Experiments on in Virginia, 253

” Experiments on at Moreton Farm, 254

” Lawes’ and Gilbert’s Experiments on, 252

” Manures for, 252

Oil-cake for Sheep, 76

Onions, Manure for, 294

Peas for Pigs, 17

Pea-straw for Manure, 48

Peat, Composition of, 31

Phosphates, 27

” Exhaustion of on Dairy Farms, 101

” Soluble in Barn-yard Manure, 72

Phosphoric Acid in Soils, 106-226

” ” per Acre in Soils, 162

” ” Retained by the Soil, 219

” ” Removed from the Farm by Hay,

and by Milch Cows, 316

Pig Manure, 43-86

” ” Composition of, 306

” ” for Cabbage, 302

Pigs as Manure-Makers for Market Gardeners, 295

Pigs’ Bedding, 31

” for Enriching Pasture-Land, 304

” How to Save Manure from, 304

” Manure from, 301-304

Piling Manure, 97

Plant-food, 21-105

” ” Amount of in an Acre, 24-39

” ” in New and Cultivated Land, 39

Plaster for Indian Corn, 277

Plowing in the Fall, 17

Potash, Amount of in the Soil, 25-329

” as Manure, 329

” as Manure for Wheat, 215

” for Cabbages, 292

” for Potatoes, 255-260

” for Potatoes and Root-Crops, 330

” How to Ascertain when the Soil Needs, 330

” in Nitrate of Potash, 314

” Not a Special Manure for Turnips, 322

” on Grass Land, 273

” our Soils not so likely to be Deficient in,

as of Nitrogen and Phosphoric Acid, 330

” Retained by the Soil, 219

” Value of in Artificial Manures, 326

Potatoes, after Root-Crops, 287

” Ammonia for, 261

” Cost of Raising, 10

” Experiments on at Moreton Farm, 259

” for Manure, 48

” How to Raise a Large Crop, 255

” Manures for, 255

” Mr. Hunter’s Experiments on in England, 260

” on Rich Land, 263

” Profits of Using Artificial Manures on, 263

” Will Manure Injure, Quality of, 264

Rape-cake, 46

” ” as Manure for Hops, 274

Roots, Amount of Left in Soil by Different Crops, 164

Root-crops, 17

Rotation of Crops and Manures, 246

Rushmore, J. H., Letter from, 345

Routzahn, H. L., Letter from, 349

Salt as a Manure for Wheat, 270

” Common as Manure for Wheat, 200

” for Mangel-wurzels, 104

Saw-dust for Bedding, 103

Season, a Poor, Profitable for Good Farmers, 213

” and Manure for Oats, 253

” Influence of on the Growth of Wheat, 210

” Profit in Raising Oats in a Poor, 253

” Profit in Raising Barley in a Poor, 243

Seasons, Influence on Crops, 21

Seed Growers, Manures for, 296

Sewage, 308

Sheep-Manure, 303-333-339

” ” Composition of, 306

” vs. Oxen as Manure Makers, 303

Shelton, Prof. E. M., Letter from, 350

Soil, Composition of, 144-150

” Exhaustion of, 23-27-332

” from Earth-closet, 225

” Nitrogen and Phosphoric Acid in, 226

” Plant-food in, 105

” Weight of per Acre, 221

Soils Absorb Ammonia from Atmosphere, 219

” Absorptive Powers of, 217

Sorghum, Manures for, 283

Special Manures, 320

Straw, 26

” Amount of Manure from, 124

” and Chaff for Manure, 200

” for Manures, 48

” on Grain Farms, 118

” Selling, 123

Sturtevant, Dr. E. L., Letter from, 344

Superphosphate, 116

” for Barley, 241

” for Indian Corn, 279

” for Potatoes, 259

” for Private Gardens, 296

” for Turnips, 285-322

” for Wheat, 168-169

” from Bones, Composition of, 319

” from Mineral Phosphates, 320

” How Applied, 320

” on Dairy Farms, 315

” on Grass Land, 273

” Value of as Compared with Bone-Dust, 319

” What Crops Best for, 243

Superphospate of Lime, Doctor Tells How it is Made, 317

Superphosphate of Lime, When First Made in the United States, 324

Surface Application of Manure, 70-268

Swamp-muck, 29

” ” Composition of, 31

Swine, see Pigs.

Thomas, J. J., Remarks on the Application of Manures, 269

Tillage is Manure, 32-121-163-225

Tobacco, Manure for, 275

Top dressing with Manure, 269

Turnips, Do They Absorb Nitrogen from the Atmosphere, 250

” Impoverish the Soil More than Grain, 250

” Manure for, 285

” and Wheat, Special Manures for, 321

Urine from Farm Animals Richer than Human, 309

” vs. Solid Manure, 294

Valuation of Fertilizers, 324

Water, Amount Given Off by Plants During Their Growth, 131

Water Equivalent to Manure, 296

Weeds, 15-41-189

Weed-seeds in Manure, 97

Weld, Col. M. C., Letter from, 344

Wheat, Ammonia for, 192

” Artificial Manures for

Should be Drilled in with Seed, 168-169

” Common Salt as Manure for, 200

” Crop, Composition of, 26-129-138-340

” Effect of Manure on, in Poor Season, 213

” Influence of Season on, 210

” is it Deteriorating? 189

” Larger Crops per Acre, 122

” Lawes’ and Gilbert’s Experiments on, 140-170-333

” Manures for, 167

” Mr. Lawes’ Experiments on, 122

” Nitrogen as Manure for, 141

” Plant-food in, 101

” Potash as Manure for, 215

” Straw and Chaff as a Manure for, 200

” Summer Fallowing for, 35-168

” the 20th Crop on Same Land, 213

” Top-dressing for, 270

” vs. Corn, Comparative Yield of, 276

” Well-rotted Manure for, 267

” Why Our Crops are so Poor, 214

” Yield per Acre, 11

* * * * *

Sent Free on Application

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+Feeding Farm Animals+

By Professor THOMAS SHAW. This book is intended alike for the student

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task. His book is unquestionably the most practical work which has

appeared on the subject of feeding farm animals. Illustrated. 5½ × 8

inches. Upward of 500 pages. Cloth. $2.00

+Profitable Dairying+

By C. L. PECK. A practical guide to successful dairy management. The

treatment of the entire subject is thoroughly practical, being

principally a description of the methods practiced by the author.

A specially valuable part of this book consists of a minute

description of the far-famed model dairy farm of Rev. J. D. Detrich,

near Philadelphia, Pa. On the farm of fifteen acres, which twenty

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kept twenty-seven dairy cattle, in addition to two horses. All the

roughage, litter, bedding, etc., necessary for these animals are grown

on these fifteen acres, more than most farmers could accomplish on one

hundred acres. Illustrated. 5 × 7 inches. 200 pages. Cloth. $0.75

+Practical Dairy Bacteriology+

By Dr. H. W. CONN, of Wesleyan University. A complete exposition of

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340 pages. Cloth. 5½ × 8 inches. $1.25

+Modern Methods of Testing Milk and Milk Products+

By L. L. VanSLYKE. This is a clear and concise discussion of the

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+Animal Breeding+

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+Forage Crops Other Than Grasses+

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* * * * *

* * * *

* * * * *

Errors and Anomalies noted by transcriber:

Close quotes have been supplied or deleted where unambiguous, and

paragraph-ending full stops (periods) have been silently supplied. No

other attempt was made to regularize quotation format or punctuation.

The Deacon, the Doctor, the Squire, Charlie

_the name is spelled “Charley” everywhere else_

it would seem desirable to apply the superphosphate

_text reads “superhosphate”_

wherever agri-_culture_ is practised.

_so in original_

Turning over, and fining a manure-heap

_word “fining” probably technical term, not error_

said the Doctor, “but value.” “Suppose, Deacon,” said he

_quotation marks as in original (same speaker)_

carbonaceous matter and water, of little or no value?”

_text has question mark after close quote_

It would be a very exceptional case.

_word “It” illegible_

“7. In the insoluble organic matters

_number 7 missing from original; adjacent paragraphs have 6 and 8_

would be reduced to 49.6-10 tons

_numeral format as in original: 49-6/10 or 49.6, though computed total

is 49.508_

Dr. Vœlcker draws the following conclusions

_text reads “Voelcker” with separate vowels_

It is high, rolling land, but needed underdraining.

_text reads “under / draining” at line break without hyphen_

“Why so?” asked the Deacon.

_text has question mark after close quote_

and consequently will ferment or putrefy much more rapidly

_text reads “putrify”_

crenic and apocrenic acids are produced

_text reads “aprocrenic”_

100 tons of hay lying dormant

_text reads “dorment”_

endeavor to persuade them to eat more

_text reads “persaude”_

when we draw deductions from the facts of the case

_text reads “the the case”_

and I think the mechanical condition of the land

_text reads “mechancial”_

”In 672 lbs. of clover-ash, we find:

_open quote missing_

Organic matter* ... 64.76

_text reads “Oganic”_

“Now,” said the Doctor, “... in the soil_.”

“There was more clover-roots per acre...

_unclear whether speaker is the same for both paragraphs (delete close

quote) or changes (from the Doctor to Harris)_

For the superphosphate of lime,

_text reads “superphoshate”_

Table VII.--Manures and Produce; 7th Season, 1849-50.

6b | .. | *00 | 200

_first digit of number is missing: probably “300”_

Even gold may be bought too dear.

_text reads “to dear”_

The value of quick-lime as a manure

_anomalous hyphen in original_

Table IV.--Offal Corn per Acre--lbs.

1 N. |}(94){|283 ‖109 ...

2 N. |} {|228 ‖286 ...

_double lines as printed: should be one year earlier?_ ]

cotton-seed-cake

_hyphenation as in original (two occurrences);

similarly “Beech-nut-cake”, “Palm-oil-cake” etc._

fish-scrap, woollen-rags, Peruvian guano

_hyphens as in original_

the plants / came up first, and exhibited a healthy, dark-green

_text reads “exhibted”_

for sugar-making purposes, or for fodder

_text reads “foddder”_

ruta-bagas

_hyphenation is standard for this text_

Isn’t it paying a little too much for the whistle?

_text reads “Is’nt”_

And this fact ought to be understood

_text reads “An this fact” with invisible “d”_

The plaintain, which I believe is sometimes sown

_spelling “plaintain” as in original_

... his book on Manure, “Praktische Düngerlehre,” Dr. Emil Wolff

_text reads “Wollf”_

[Index]

_Note that the Index uses short dashes where commas would be expected_

Crops Best to Apply Manure to

_“Crops” entries printed out of sequence, between “Corn” and “Cotton”_

Farm Dairy // Mr. Joseph O. Sheldon’s

_name in body text is James O. Sheldon_

Talks on Manures A Series of Familiar and Practical Talks Between the Author and the Deacon, the Doctor, and Other Neighbors, on the Whole Subject · 第 41 / 41 章