Billy wrote:
In article ,
"David Hare-Scott" wrote:

Malcom "Mal" Reynolds wrote:
In article , "Farm1"
wrote:

"Malcom "Mal" Reynolds" wrote in
message ...
does anyone have an idea of how much protein is typically found in
cow manure?

Sorry, I don't eat cown manure so have never been interested in
it's protein level. I've only ever been interested in the NPK.

heck I don't eat plenty of things, but occasionally I'm curious
about other aspects of food other than it's taste

but thanks anyway

I think Fran's point (she may correct me) is that as a gardener one
is not interested in foodstuffs or their components, like protein,
as inputs as one might in the cases of say stockfeed or your own
diet.

finds nearest soapbox
Plants are autotrophs, that is they don't eat, they take in fairly
substances (air, water, minerals etc) and photosynthesise more
complex substances using sunlight energy. Those complex substances
may be food for organisms that do eat (heterotrophs) like cows and
us. The inputs we are interested in, NPK and other elements, are
often loosely called "plant food" which can be confusing in
comparison with animal nutrients such as protein, carbohydrates etc
as the two are not similar classes of substances nor do they have
the same role in metabolism. Gardening terminology is also loose in
talking about inputs as elements when to a chemist none of them are
present in the form of elements but as compounds and molecules.

This leads us to the case of N (nitrogen) as a plant input which is
what I think you were asking about. Although it is four fifths of
air plants cannot absorb N directly as nitrogen gas is a molecule of
two atoms (N2) and that molecule is extremely stable and chemically
inaccessible to the plant. So plants need some help to absorb N.
This can be from microbes that fix nitrogen, such microbes can take
in N2 from the air and produce useable N compounds. Often such are
symbiotic with plants as in legumes. Plants can also get N as
compounds as part of synthetic fertilisers, manures and composts,
and from rain during electrical storms. This is why the N component
of manures in its NPK value is of interest not the protein content.
descends soapbox

If this was not the point of your question ask and I will try again.

David

ascends soapbox
Uh, you forgot the amino acids that come from micro-organisms, which
is what organic gardening is all about, i.e. the feeding of micro
flora and fauna.
descends soapbox

That's true but the context was inputs not stocks. Once present the
microflora act as a storage and exchange medium but the OP cannot feasibly
add microflora to his soil as a source of N for the whole community.

D