CHAPTER VI.
DIFFERENT KINDS OF ANIMAL EXCREMENT.
The manures of different animals are, of course, of different value, as fertilizers, varying according to the food, the age of the animals, etc.
STABLE MANURE.
By stable manure we mean, usually, that of the horse, and that of horned cattle. The case described in chap. 2 (of this section), was one where the animal was not increasing in any of its parts, but returned, in the form of manure, and otherwise, the equivalent of every thing eaten. This case is one of the most simple kind, and is subject to many modifications.
Is the manure of full-grown animals of the same quality as that of other animals?
Why does that of the growing animal differ?
Why does not the formation of fat reduce the quality of manure?
What does milk remove from the food?
The growing animal is increasing in size, and as he derives his increase from his food, he does not return in the form of manure as much as he eats. If his bones are growing, he is taking from his food phosphate of lime and nitrogenous matter; consequently, the manure will be poorer in these ingredients. The same may be said of the formation of the muscles, in relation to nitrogen.