Year: 1868

ing.


Animal mannres. solid and liquid are moi
only valuable to the farmer for the ingredl-
eats they contain. considered as food for his
crops, but on many farms their value is per-
haps chiefly due to the fermentation which
they incite in other substances. Thus, very
much on the principal of yeast in a batch of
dough, q small quantity af animal droppings
will make good manure of a great quantity
OF otherwise inert vegetable matter. Peat,
muck, salt mud, sodS, swamp grass. weeds,
chip dirt, sawdust, and similar substances,
are very commonly used TO increase the ma
nure pile. but with the impression that they
add bulk rather than much value-that they
act as abs orbents OF urine and amonloa, and
to save. rather than increase the value of
the manure. This is a grave error, as prac-
tice shows. The number of cattle and the
quaty of their feed are not SO important as
the manner in which their manure is. treated,
and the place where it is kept. Exposed in
the open yard it is subjected to all untavora-
bic influences possible The rains wash aud
soak it the sun dries ii its own ftrmenta
ton burns it up by internal heat. If water
comss from external sources, from the caves
of the barns or from higher ground, as is the
case on thousands of pretty good farms, 1t
seems almost a wonder that there is any vlr-
tue left. The manure ought to be covered.
Sheds are inconvenient aud cost labor to
move the manure into them, and they rapid
ly ill up, and the heaps are soon too bulky,
too much i'll the way, and besides are eN-
posed to the action of sun and wind, more
or less \ well arranged barn cellar OBJ
viatcs every difficulty. The manure is drop
ned from the stock floor directly into it,
materials with which to mix it are easily
added through trapdoors or Shu;es the
liquid manure if from the outset mingled
with the compost the whole is easily spread.
worked over, and equalized it is shielded
from the influences Of the weather; its fer
mentaton, which might be injurious, is east
lv controlled; and the system is applicable
on every farm.


1bsorJents.-'Thc recent promul CATION of
the fact that dried soil is one of the most eff
iicient absorbents, deodorizers. and disin-
iectants. is not essentially new. John
Smith, late of Holliston, Mass, prosper
Gus old farmer, asserted twenty years ago,
that he could keep his horse in tirst-rate
condition through the year on hay and
grain. and sell the manure made by simply
mixing dry loam with the eNcrements, for
enough to pay the whole cost of Keeping
His plan was simply to gather Il great guam
tity of loan in August or September, when
perfectly dry, so that it would not freeze IN
winter, and store it in bin contiguous to
the horse stall, and keep large supply
say six inches or more deep-constantly un-
der the horse, removing all that was damp,
morning and night to the cellar below, and
replacing it with dry. Besides the saving
in manure, this plan is excellent, as it bene-
fits the horses feet.


Any common loan, even a sandy soil
makes an excellent material to mix with ma
nurc in barn cellar, and either this, (raked
over until dry run through coal screen.
and exposed in thin layer on a floor to the
sun for anshour or two,) or fine dry peat or
muck, ought to be conveniently stored un.
der cover in abundant quantity to last all
winter, using from Il peck to half bushel
to each animal each day on an average
One side of the cellar may be used to store
it in, and there is NJ better month than Au-
gust to get in good supply to last all win
ter,