FARMYARD MANURE

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1052, 16 August 1930, Page 29

FARMYARD MANURE

ARTIFICIAL METHODS Considerable use is being made it various parts of the Empire of the Rothamsted process for making stray and other plant residues into artificia farmyard manure. This is done without the use of animals and by en couraging the decomposition of th material by the micro-organisms a! ready present. The chemistry of the process (say the annual report of the Rothamsted Experimental Station) is slowly being worked out. The first constituents, of the straw to be decomposed are th: hemicelluloses, then the cellolose goes, excepting in so far as it is protected by a resistant layer of lignin; it is interesting that cellulose, while fairly resistant to chemicals, is easily broken down by certain micro-organisms. These, however, do not appear to attack the lignin, so that this constituent is left mainly undecomposed, but not altogether unchanged. The ratio of cellulose plus hemicelluloses to lignin seems to be the dominant factor in determining the rate of decomposition of the straw, provided sufficent available nitrogen be present. The xylan associated with the cellulose is not unavailable, but is decomposed only as fast as it is exposed byremoval of the encrusting cellulose layers. The small amount of pectin present in straw is not removed dur ing normal decomposition, but only if acid conditions set in.

A consignment of 24 sheep loaded in a special motor-truck evolved by Sir Edward Mitchell, K.C., was successfully carried from Melbourne to Sydney, last month, says the “Pastoral Review,” and on slaughtering was found to be in good condition. The sheep, which were trussed down, in a semi-recumbent position, with canvas contrivances, were 52 hours on the