It will be seen that two-thirds of the fresh manure is water. After fermenting in an exposed heap for six months, it still contains about the same percentage of water. When kept in the heap until August, the percentage of water is much greater. Of four tons of such manure, three tons are water.
Of Nitrogen, the most valuable ingredient of the manure, the fresh dung, contained 0.64 per cent; after fermenting six months, it contained 0.89 per cent. Six months later, it contained 0.65 per cent, or about the same amount as the fresh manure.
Of mineral matter, or ash, this fresh farm-yard manure contained 5.59 per cent; of which 1.54 was soluble in water, and 4.05 insoluble. After fermenting in the heap for six months, the manure contained 10.55 per cent of ash, of which 2.86 was soluble, and 7.69 insoluble. Six months later, the soluble ash had decreased to 1.97 per cent.
The following table shows the composition of the manure, at different periods, in the dry state. In other words, supposing all the water to be removed from the manure, its composition would be as follows:
COMPOSITION OF FRESH FARM-YARD MANURE (NO. I.) EXPOSED. CALCULATED DRY.
| When put up, Nov. 3, 1854. | Feb. 14, 1855. | April 30, 1855. | Aug. 23, 1855. | Nov. 15, 1855. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soluble organic matter | 7.33 | 12.79 | 12.54 | 12.04 | 10.65 |
| Soluble inorganic matter | 4.55 | 9.84 | 8.39 | 8.03 | 7.27 |
| Insoluble organic matter | 76.15 | 61.12 | 56.49 | 49.77 | 42.35 |
| Insoluble mineral matter | 11.97 | 16.25 | 22.58 | 30.16 | 39.73 |
| 100.00 | 100.00 | 100.00 | 100.00 | 100.00 | |
| Containing nitrogen | .44 | .91 | .88 | .77 | .72 |
| Equal to ammonia | .53 | 1.10 | 1.06 | .93 | .88 |
| Containing nitrogen | 1.46 | 1.55 | 1.75 | 1.92 | 1.85 |
| Equal to ammonia | 1.77 | 1.88 | 2.12 | 2.33 | 2.24 |
| Total amount of nitrogen | 1.90 | 2.46 | 2.63 | 2.69 | 2.57 |
| Equal to ammonia | 2.30 | 2.98 | 3.18 | 3.26 | 3.12 |
| Ammonia in free state | .10 | .062 | .023 | .041 | .023 |
| Ammonia in form of salts easily decomposed by quicklime | .26 | .212 | .249 | .154 | .159 |
| Total amount of organic matter | 83.48 | 73.91 | 69.03 | 61.81 | 53.00 |
| Total amount of mineral substances | 16.52 | 26.09 | 30.97 | 38.19 | 47.00 |
“A comparison of these different analyses,” says Dr. Vœlcker, “points out clearly the changes which fresh farm-yard manure undergoes on keeping in a heap, exposed to the influence of the weather during a period of twelve months and twelve days.
“1. It will be perceived that the proportion of organic matter steadily diminishes from month to month, until the original percentage of organic matter in the dry manure, amounting to 83.48 per cent, becomes reduced to 53 per cent.
“2. On the other hand, the total percentage of mineral matter rises as steadily as that of the organic matter falls.
“3. It will be seen that the loss in organic matter affects the percentage of insoluble organic matters more than the percentage of soluble organic substances.