VOLLX
INDIANAPOLIS,   DEC. 2, 1905.
NO 48
T1H-'  COMPOSITION  AND   PRODUCTION OF BARNYARD MANURE.
Editors  Indiana  Fanner
To I.ielig, the great German agricultural chemist of tlie nineteenth century
belongs most of the credit of discovery
ami first iitv*-t.tifj:»tinil the natural relatione between soils nml plants and between soils nml fertilizers. Chemistry
lias not only shown why fertilizing agents
should he applied to the soil, hut also how
ami when they should he applied, Ry
the term manure is commonly meant the
solid and liquid excrement of animals,
either alone or mixed with straw or
other convenient litter. Sometimes the
term is expanded to include all sorts of
fertilizers. Iir this writing we shall
limit the meaning to the barnyard product.
Plants derive their sustenance from
both air and the soil, and are made up of
water, organic combustible substances
anil inorganic, in-combustible materials,
common called  minerals.
A great per cent of Die organic portion
of the plant comes from the air and comprises hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen.
The inorganic or mineral parts come from
the soil and include lime, magnesia, phosphoric and sulphuric acids, chloride, iron
oxide, potash, soda and silica. Continuous cropping will in time impoverish the
land by removing these essential soil ingredients, and some means must tie re-
Forted to whereby the lacking elements
can be restored.
The logical, ami most natural, as well
ar, the best aud most valuable method of
soil restoration is by the use of barnyard
manure; for, unlike all other kinds, it
contains without exception all the constituents necessary to good soil, and fulfils
all the requirements for producing perfect,
cultivated   crops. Farmers   who   have
used  both  commercial  fertilizers  and   old
fashioned barnyard    manure    know from
■ experience  th.it  the  latter is  by  far  the
best for general purposes.
Chemical analysis of barnyard manure
shows the presence of nitrogen, in- the
form of ammonia, nitrates ami other nitrogenous substances; humus, phosphates,
sulphates, lime magnesia, soda potash and
silica.
This ia what we may expect; for all
these come from the foods of the animals. All these are sufficient to supply the missing components of any soil.
The most important of all the constituents
of manure aro lime phosphates and potash.
As the farmer cannot control the composition of the air he must direct his efforts towards the soil and familiarize himself with it through experience and by the
aid of chemistry so as to supply intelligently the deficient constituents to benefit his crops.
Generally speaking, farmyard manure
consists of urine and solid excrement of
farm animals, collected in stables on
straw or other bedding materials. The
straw acts as a valuable absorbent and
retainer of the liquids, besides possessing
several important compounds to enrich
the land.
The percentage composition of manure
varies greatly, depending upon the age
and kimls of animals, their foods, length
of time and manner in which it is kept.
Young animals void less phosphoric acid
and solid matter than older ones, because they need most of these to build up
their l>odies during their period of growth.
In the voidings of mature animals, where
the foods are not all assimilated, we
rind a better grade of manure.      For the
same wight of food cattle produce more
dung than sheep and sheep more than
pigs; the composition of course depends
upon  the kimls of food.
Practically all the mineral substances
and ninety per cent of the nitrogenous
compounds of the food of animals are recovered in til'* solids and liquids excreted;
heme it can be readily seen how valuable
a good coat of manure must be to the
land.
Well fermented manure is better and
more concentrated than the frcsli article,
and therefore more effective in crop production. If stable manure be hauled
direit from the stable to the field and be
allowed to lie without plowing it under
at once,  it  loses    none of  its    fertilizing
catur, Franklin, Dearborn.
.Section r>. Counties—Gibson, Posey,
\ andcrburg, Warrick, l'ike, Dubois,
Spencer, I'errv, Crawford. Orange, Washington, Harrison, Floyd, Scott, Jefferson,
Switzerland,   Ohio.
— Rules  of   Entry.
1. All exhibits will be classified as
either white or yellow, or mixed and each
must be entered iu its proper class. The
mixed class will include all exhibits not
coming   under  white   or  yellow.
L\ No exhibitor will be allowed to make
more than  one entry in any one class.
.5. All exhibits must con-sist of ten
ears   each.
■I. The State will be divided into five
sections.        Sits of prizes will be offered
Ranch  of  Feeders  on   the   Farm   of   H. 15. James, Vermillion Co., Indiana.
properties through evaporation. The
gaseous ammonia will have passed off for
the most part while lying in the stable
or while loading on tho wagon. The remaining ammonia is fixed in the form of
chloride or sulphate, both very soluble
compounds. The.se  with  other  soluble
solids are carried into the soil by means
of rains and melting snows.
Modern successful farming dopen-ds almost entirely upon the use of fertilizing
materials and manures and the value of
barnyard manure is appreciated more and
understood better than ever before by the
American- farmer. II. S. C.
DIVISIONS OP THE STATE FOR THE
CORN SHOW.
To be Held bv the Indiana Corn Growers'
Association at Purdue University, Lafayette? Ind., January 8-13, 1906.
Section 1. Counties—Lake, Newton-,
Jasper, Porter, Laporte, Starke, I'ulaski,
Fulton, Marshall. St. Joseph, Elkhart,
Kosciusko, Whitley, Noble, Lagrange,
Steuben.  DeKalb,  Allen.
Section 2. Counties—Benotn, Warren, Tippecanoe, White, Cass, Carroll,
Clinton, Tipton, Howard, Miami, Wabash, Grant, Delaware, Blackford, Huntington,  Wo'ls,  Adams, Jay,  Randolph.
Section ",. Counties—Fountain, Vermillion, Parke, Putnam. Montgomery,
L'ootre, Hendricks, Morgan, Johnson,
Marion. Hamilton, Madison, Hancock,
Shelby, Rush, Henry, Wayne, Fayette.
Union.
Section    4. Counties—Vico,     C|ny,
Owen, Sullivan, Knox, Daviess. Green,
Martin, Lawrence, Monroe. Brown, Jackson, Bartholomew, Jennings,  Ripley,  De-
in each section. Prize winning exhibits
in- the several sections wil Ibe eligible for
entry in sweepstakes classes including the
whole  State.
5. No exhibitor will be allowed to exhibit in more than one section of th?
State.
G. Every exhibit must have been produced on the exhibitor's own farm, in
100.', and within the section in which it is
shown.
7. All exhibits must be placed in the
hands of the Superintendent of Exhibits
in the show room or later than VI o'clock
on- Tuesday,  January  '.).
8. All exhibits remain the property of
tbe  exhibitor.
0. Exhibifs must be left in the show
room until  noon of  Friday, January  l'J.
10. The committee in charge of the
show reserves the right to make such
other  rules  as  may  bo  found  necessary.
11. Exhibitors must be in attendance
at least two days.
THE FARMERS' INSTITUTE WORK.
Washington
D. C.   Meeting   ol  Institute
Workers.
The recent meeting of Institute workers-
including directors, superintendents, conductors and .sneakers, held in Washington. I). C, November 0-11, was one of es-
teria1 interest and profit to those in attendance. The several gnat sections
of our country, including the New England, Middle, Southern, Central AYestern
and far 'Western divisions were all represented   from  one  to  several  delegates.
1 he Institute work is steadily growing
in magnitude and importance, from year
to vear.       At the meeting especial stress
was laid upon the preparation and training of the Institute speaker. To accomplish this end, several stales now hold
Normal Institutes for the speakers, and
other states will take up this work in-
tlime near future. It is the desire of tho
State Superintendent to hold oue of these
Normal Institutes in connection with the
next Indiana Conference of Institute
Workers, to be held at Purdue IJnivcr-
Mtv,  in   October,   V.HH\.
Especial attention is being given to
work at Farmers' Institutes for women in
Ontario. Canada, which doubtless, leads
all other provinces and states in this particular line of work. In several States
substantial progress has been made iu
making the Farmers' Institutes helpful to
the bo.\s and girls of the farm. Illinois
and Michigan have both accomplished
much in this direeton. Indiana has dono
something in tin's line in previous years
and will do more during the current season than ever before.
Several excellent papers and talks were
given at the Washington meeting. Those
treating subjects of especial interest to
the farmers of In.liana were the addresses
of Assistant Secretary, W. M. Hays, on
",'otrsolidatod Schools," Frank 11. Hall,
Superintendent of Farmers' Institutes for
Illinois, on "Co-operation with other Educational Agencies," and John Hamilton,
banners" Institute Specialist of the Department of Agriculture, Washington, I).
C, on "Movable Schools." All of these
were excellent, but the addresses of Mr.
Hall and Mr. Hamilton possessed outstanding merit. A further reference
will be made to these at some future
time.
Tile Institute season in Indiana opened
auspiciously on- the 14th of this month.
An excellent corn crop will, doubtless,
keep many farmers from the early meetings. Notwithstanding the fact, however, that the farmers have plenty of
work jnst now, reports are already coming to the olllee of the Superintendent
showing that interesting and well attended meetings are being held in some cases.
If the fanners can be convinced that a
real live Institute is to be held, they will
not object to giving a day or two to
attending the meeting. It rests with
the several chairmen to get their meetings
advertised in such a way as to arrest
attention and awaken interest. That accomplished, good audiences will gather
and successful meetings will he held.
Miss M. M. Mather, who did such effective work at the Summer Farmers' Institutes, has been engaged for the entire
winter. She will attend Institutes in
as many of the counties as possible during Ihe season, spending but one day in-
each. Farmers' wives and daughters
should bear this in mind, and be sure to
hear Miss Mather when she comes to the
Institute.
The Institute speakers are seeking to
make their instruction more practical and
definite than in any previous year. For
this purpose charts and diagrams are being prepared in the office of the Superintendent to enalle the speakers to present
more clearly and forcibly their subjects.
The farmer who feels disinclined on account of pressure of work should remember that the Institute comes but one to
two days a year. If he will only go to
the meeting in the right spirit, he will get
suggestion, encouragement and inspiration that will far more than make up for
the day or two that she will lose ou the
farm by attending the Institute.
W. C. Latta, Supt. Farmers Insts.
Purdue    University,    Lafayette,    Ind.