TABLE SHOWING THE COMPOSITION OF EXPERIMENTAL HEAP (NO. II.) FRESH FARMYARD MANURE UNDER SHED, IN NATURAL STATE AT DIFFERENT PERIODS OF THE YEAR.
| When put up, Nov. 3, 1854. | Feb. 14, 1855. | April 30, 1855. | Aug. 23, 1855. | Nov. 15, 1855. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | 66.17 | 67.32 | 56.89 | 43.43 | 41.66 |
| * Soluble organic matter | 2.48 | 2.63 | 4.63 | 4.13 | 5.37 |
| Soluble inorganic matter | 1.54 | 2.12 | 3.38 | 3.05 | 4.43 |
| † Insoluble organic matter | 25.76 | 20.46 | 25.43 | 26.01 | 27.69 |
| Insoluble mineral matter | 4.05 | 7.47 | 9.67 | 23.38 | 20.85 |
| 100.00 | 100.00 | 100.00 | 100.00 | 100.00 | |
| * Containing nitrogen | .149 | .17 | .27 | .26 | .42 |
| Equal to ammonia | .181 | .20 | .32 | .31 | .51 |
| † Containing nitrogen | .494 | .58 | .92 | 1.01 | 1.09 |
| Equal to ammonia | .599 | .70 | 1.11 | 1.23 | 1.31 |
| Total amount of nitrogen | .643 | .75 | 1.19 | 1.27 | 1.51 |
| Equal to ammonia | .780 | .90 | 1.43 | 1.54 | 1.82 |
| Ammonia in free state | .034 | .022 | .055 | .015 | .019 |
| Ammonia in form of salts easily decomposed by quicklime | .088 | .054 | .101 | .103 | .146 |
| Total amount of organic matter | 28.24 | 23.09 | 30.06 | 30.14 | 33.06 |
| Total amount of mineral substance | 5.59 | 9.59 | 13.05 | 26.43 | 25.28 |
TABLE SHOWING THE COMPOSITION OF EXPERIMENTAL HEAP (NO. II.) FRESH FARMYARD MANURE UNDER SHED, CALCULATED DRY, AT DIFFERENT PERIODS OF THE YEAR.
| When put up, Nov. 3, 1854. | Feb. 14, 1855. | April 30, 1855. | Aug. 23, 1855. | Nov. 15, 1855. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| * Soluble organic matter | 7.33 | 8.04 | 10.74 | 7.30 | 9.20 |
| Soluble inorganic matter | 4.55 | 6.48 | 7.84 | 5.39 | 7.59 |
| † Insoluble organic matter | 76.15 | 62.60 | 58.99 | 45.97 | 47.46 |
| Insoluble mineral matter | 11.97 | 22.88 | 22.43 | 41.34 | 35.75 |
| 100.00 | 100.00 | 100.00 | 100.00 | 100.00 | |
| * Containing nitrogen | .44 | .53 | .63 | .46 | .72 |
| Equal to ammonia | .53 | .66 | .75 | .56 | .88 |
| † Containing nitrogen | 1.46 | 1.77 | 2.14 | 1.78 | 1.88 |
| Equal to ammonia | 1.77 | 2.14 | 2.59 | 2.16 | 2.26 |
| Total amount of nitrogen | 1.90 | 2.30 | 2.77 | 2.24 | 2.60 |
| Equal to ammonia | 2.30 | 2.80 | 3.35 | 2.72 | 3.08 |
| Ammonia in free state | .10 | .067 | .127 | .026 | .033 |
| Ammonia in form of salts, easily decomposed by quicklime | .26 | .165 | .234 | .182 | .250 |
| Total amount of organic matter | 83.48 | 70.64 | 69.73 | 53.27 | 56.66 |
| Total amount of mineral substance | 16.52 | 29.36 | 30.27 | 46.73 | 43.34 |
The above analyses are of value to those who buy fresh and fermented manure. They can form some idea of what they are getting. If they buy a ton of fresh manure in November, they get 12¾ lbs. of nitrogen, and 30¾ lbs. of soluble mineral matter. If they buy a ton of the same manure that has been kept under cover until February, they get, nitrogen, 15 lbs.; soluble minerals, 42½ lbs. In April, they get, nitrogen, 23¾ lbs.; soluble minerals, 67½ lbs. In August, they get, nitrogen, 25½ lbs.; soluble minerals, 61 lbs. In November, when the manure is over one year old, they get, in a ton, nitrogen, 30¼ lbs.; soluble minerals, 88½ lbs.
When manure has not been exposed, it is clear that a purchaser can afford to pay considerably more for a ton of rotted manure than for a ton of fresh manure. But waiving this point for the present, let us see how the matter stands with the farmer who makes and uses the manure. What does he gain by keeping and fermenting the manure under cover?
The following table shows the weight and composition of the entire heap of manure, kept under cover, at different times:
TABLE SHOWING COMPOSITION OF ENTIRE EXPERIMENTAL HEAP (NO. II.) FRESH FARM-YARD MANURE, UNDER SHED.
| When put up, Nov. 3, 1854. | April 30, 1855. | Aug. 23, 1855. | Nov. 15, 1855. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight of manure | 3,258. | 1,613. | 1,297. | 1,235. |
| Amount of water in the manure | 2,156. | 917.6 | 563.2 | 514.5 |
| Amount of dry matter | 1,102. | 695.4 | 733.8 | 720.5 |
| * Consisting of soluble organic matter | 80.77 | 74.68 | 53.56 | 66.28 |
| { Soluble mineral matter | 50.14 | 54.51 | 39.55 | 54.68 |
| { † Insoluble organic matter | 839.17 | 410.24 | 337.32 | 341.97 |
| { Insoluble mineral matter | 131.92 | 155.97 | 303.37 | 257.57 |
| 1,102. | 695.4 | 733.8 | 720.5 | |
| * Containing nitrogen | 4.85 | 4.38 | 3.46 | 5.25 |
| Equal to ammonia | 5.88 | 5.33 | 4.20 | 6.37 |
| † Containing nitrogen | 16.08 | 14.88 | 13.08 | 13.54 |
| Equal to ammonia | 19.59 | 17.46 | 15.88 | 16.44 |
| Total amount of nitrogen in manure | 20.93 | 19.26 | 16.54 | 18.79 |
| Equal to ammonia | 25.40 | 22.79 | 20.08 | 22.81 |
| The manure contains ammonia in free state | 1.10 | .88 | .19 | .23 |
| The manure contains ammonia in form of salts, easily decomposed by quicklime | 2.86 | 1.62 | 1.33 | 1.80 |
| Total amount of organic matter | 919.94 | 484.92 | 390.88 | 408.25 |
| Total amount of mineral matter | 182.06 | 210.48 | 342.92 | 312.35 |
This is the table, as given by Dr. Vœlcker. For the sake of comparison, we will figure out what the changes would be in a heap of five tons (10,000 lbs.) of manure, when fermented under cover, precisely in the same way as we did with the heap fermented in the open air, exposed to the rain. The following is the table: