Definitions

• Most people think of animal waste when they use the word "manure." The Ninth Edition of the Chambers Dictionary (Reference 1) includes animal waste as part of its definition of manure, but adds that manure is any substance added to soil to enhance its fertility. The dictionary defines compost as manure consisting of decomposed organic materials.
  
  

History

• References to the use of manure and compost as soil improvements have been identified in Roman, Greek, Arab and Renaissance writings, according to the University of Illinois Extension Service. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington Carver all used compost.
  
  According to "A Short History of Technology: From the Earliest Times to A.D. 1900" by T.K. Derry and Trevor I. Williams (Reference 2), commercial fertilizer was first manufactured in 1814 by James Murray, an Irishman who created superphosphate by treating bones and mineral phosphate with sulfuric acid. His invention caused many farmers to turn away from using compost and manure as fertilizers.
  
  Renewed interest in the use of compost and manure in farming occurred as a result of Sir Albert Howard's 1943 book, "An Agricultural Testament." His writings were based on 30 years of experimentation with the Indore method of composting, which uses 1 part manure to 3 parts vegetative matter to produce compost.
  
  

Uses of Manure

• In many parts of the world where wood or brush are limited, manure is the primary fuel for cooking fires and heat. In those countries, livestock is an important source of both food and fuel.
  
  Manure is still used to improve grazing pastures and hay meadows. Farmers spread livestock manure by dragging a flat tool such as a railroad tie or heavy gate behind a tractor or all-terrain vehicle. This breaks down clumps of manure and allows it to decompose into the soil more quickly. Chicken litter, a combination of bedding soaked with chicken manure, is spread over pastures as a rich fertilizer.
  
  Gardeners add manure to garden compost as a source of nitrogen. The microorganisms living in manure also help jump-start the composting process.
  
  

Uses of Compost

• Gardeners create compost by allowing organic matter to decompose. Composting materials include non-greasy food scraps, grass clippings, garden waste, dead leaves, non-slick newspaper and cardboard, and manure.
  
  The resulting decomposed material is a rich addition to the garden, lawn or pasture, supplying nutrients, microorganisms and bulk to the soil.
  
  

Warnings

• The Henry Doubleday Research Association's "Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening" (Reference 3) notes that animal manure can contain the residue of pesticides, herbicides and veterinary products the animals have ingested. It recommends composting animal manure with some form of bedding (hay or straw) or adding it to compost heaps to stabilize the manure's nutrients and avoid burning tender plants with high concentrations of nitrogen.