Manure

From Gardening Wiki

Types of Garden Manure

Animal Manures are the excreta of the horse, cow, pig, sheep, and the pigeon or fowl.

Horse manure

Horse manure is rich in nitrogen phosphates and potash, especially if the liquid urine has been thrown over it from time to time during decomposition.

It is specially adapted for heavy or medium soils, as it serves the useful purpose of lightening the texture, increasing the porosity, supplying the needful humus for promoting the development of nitrifying bacteria, darkening the colour of -the soil, and enabling it to absorb the heat of the sun, and thereby render it warmer, as well as supplying the three chief plant foods. Best used in a decomposed state, mixing it freely with the soil in the course of trenching at the rate of 2cwt. to every square rod. May also be used as a mulch or topdressing in autumn, forking it in after pruning.

Cow manure and Pig manures

Cow and pig manures are also rich in potash, phosphates, and nitrogen. Being more solid and plastic in composition, also of a colder nature than horse dung, they are specially suited for light or sandy soils, as they bind the soil particles together, retain the moisture in summer, keep the soil cool, and also supply it with humus. Neither are adapted for heavy soils, as they would render them too cold, damp, and plastic or cohesive. A combination of horse, cow, and pig dung, known as farmyard manure, would be suitable for medium soils. Use at the same rate and in the same way as advised for horse dung.

Peat-moss-litter manure

Peat moss litter manure is a very rich manure in a fresh state, because it absorbs the urine of animals as well as contains the solid faeces. It is of a retentive nature, and hence is best adapted for light, dry, or sandy soils. Should be dug into the soil in a fresh state ; if allowed to decompose it loses its nitrogen quickly. Not suitable for mulching purposes. Quantity to use: 2cwt. per square rod.

Sheep Manure

Sheep manure is another very rich manure, but, being difficult to obtain in quantity, is best utilised in a liquid form.

See paragraph on Liquid manures.

Poultry Manure and pigeon Manure

Poultry Manure is equal in fertilising value to guano. Its chief manurial constituents are nitrogen, phosphates, potash, magnesia, and lime. It is rather too rich to dig into the soil before planting, and hence should be used as a topdressing. The droppings, as collected, should be stored in layers six inches deep, with a layer of fine, dry soil between in tubs or boxes in a shed. The soil will then absorb the moisture, and convert the droppings into a powdery condition. In this state pass the mixture through a quarter-inch mesh sieve, and then apply at the rate of 4oz. per square yard at intervals of a month in spring and summer, lightly raking or forking it into the soil. May also be used in liquid form, as per instructions given further on.

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