s that a given
quantity of the same kind of food will give no greater amount of
fertilizing matter when fed to a hen than if fed to a pig."

I want those farmers who find so much benefit from an application of
hen-manure, ashes, and plaster, to their corn and potatoes, to feel that
if they would keep better cows, sheep, and pigs, and feed them better,
they would get good pay for their feed, and the manure would enable them
to grow larger crops.

While we have been talking, the Deacon was looking over the tables. (See
Appendix.) "I see," said he, "that wheat and rye contain more nitrogen
than hen-manure, but less potash and phosphoric acid."

"This is true," said I, "but the way to compare them, in order to see
the effect of passing the wheat through the hen, is to look at the
composition of the air-dried hen-dung. The fresh hen-dung, according to
the table, contains 56 per cent of water, while wheat contains less than
14-1/2 per cent."

Let us compare the composition of 1,000 lbs. air-dried hen-dung with
1,000 lbs. of air-dried wheat and rye, and also with bran, malt-combs,
etc.

_Phosphoric
_Nitrogen._ _Potash._ Acid._
Wheat 20.8 5.3 7.9
Wheat Bran 22.4 14.3 27.3
Rye 17.6 5.6 8.4
Rye Bran 23.2 19.3 34.3
Buckwheat 14.4 2.7 5.7
Buckwheat Bran 27.2 11.2 12.5
Malt-roots 36.8 20.6 18.0
Air-dry Hen-dung. 32.6 17.0 30.8

"That table," said the Doctor, "is well worth studying. You see, that
when wheat is put through the process of milling, the miller takes out
as much of the starch and gluten as he wants, and leaves you a product
(bran), richer in phosphoric acid, potash, and nitrogen, than you gave
him."

"And the same is true," continued the Doctor, "of the hen. You gave her
2,000 grains of wheat, containing 41.6 grains of nitrogen. She puts this
through the mill, together with some ashes, and bones, that she picks
up, and she takes out all the starch and fat, and nitrogen, and
phosphate of lime, that she needs to sustain life, and to produce flesh,
bones, feathers, and eggs, and leaves you 1,000 grains of manure
containing 32.6 grains of nitrogen, 17.0 grains of potash, and 30.8
grains of phosphoric acid. I do not say," c