88 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Mr. Harris. I keep quite a large stock, many pigs and 

 many sheep, cows, horses, etc. I use my manure princi- 

 pally for growing roots — mangel wurtzel, &c. I keep ray 

 manure as tar as possible fermenting. I have told this to 

 many, but most of them seem to fail in making the plan work. 

 I make a hot-bed of horse manure and keep adding to it. I 

 have it made in a square shape and it keeps growing larger 

 and larger. If it was of a conical shape the first cold weather 

 would freeze it, but on account of its shape, and as there is 

 quite a body of it, the cold weather does not aflect it. I 

 allow this pile of manure to remain until March, and then 

 draw it over and it gets into good condition for spring. I 

 sometimes adopt another plan, of drawing it into a lot where 

 I am going to use it, and let it stay until I get ready. The 

 plan works well. That is one thing I am successful in. I 

 make mine work to a charm, but I have had letters from per- 

 sons I have explained my plan to, and who have tried it, say- 

 ing they cannot make it work. But I know it will if properly 

 done. I sometimes spread it broadcast on the land, harrow 

 it well, and plow it in ; that is one plan, and another is to use 

 it in a kind of drill. I do not know which is the best.- 



Mr. Flint. I wish to ask Mr. Harris this question : If the 

 value of the manure is worth $6, and the value of a ton of 

 shorts is $15 or |16, is the manure of the shorts worth two 

 and a half times as much for application to the land? 



Ans. I should think so, sir. 



QuES. Where will you place the comparative value? 



Ans. It is worth about $7, I think. Of course I do not 

 say the manure from a ton of corn meal is worth $7. If the 

 manure from a ton of straw is worth $2.50, then the manure 

 from clover is worth from $7 to $10, and there is no doubt 

 about that. 



Dr. Sturtevant. If the manure from a ton of hay is 

 worth $10, then that from one ton of meal is worth $8 ; cot- 

 ton seed meal $42 ; but it all depends upon relative values. 



Mr. Gilbert. Let us as farmers not be misled, but 

 alwaj's bear in mind that manures have a commercial as well 



