SECRETARY'S REPORT. ■ J^D 



feet long, if made at the time of building or repairing. The idea 

 of this gutter was taken from "The Working Farmer," and acting 

 upon the suggestion, in repairing the stables on the farm of R. H. 

 Gardiner, Esq., I made a gutter of the kind here recommended, in 

 stable room enough for the accommodation of thirty or forty head 

 of cattle, seven years ago. An advantage, not before named, is that 

 of less liability of the manure freezing to the floor in the gutters 

 than on a floor where the urine runs off. The gutters described by 

 the editor, and which he has adopted on his own premises, are much 

 larger than those here described — large enough to hold the manure 

 made for several days, with the addition of muck to absorb the urine 

 for the time. Those recommended above will need clearing out 

 every day. 



Having these preparations — the shed or a dry cellar for the 

 reception of manure, the dry yard, and the gutter in the stable 

 floor — there should be provided a supply of dry material to be used 

 in the gutter as an absorbent. For this purpose, bog muck, rotten 

 wood, leaves, saw dust, spent tan, charcoal dust or loam, may be 

 used with profit. If the material, whatever it is, is not dry at tho 

 time of collecting, it should be stacked in or near the yard, and in 

 the dry part of the season spread a few inches thick over its surface, 

 and as it becomes dry. removed under cover, and the yard spread 

 over again. In this manner, the matter intended for absorbents may 

 all be prepared. A convenient place of deposit is one end of the 

 stable, if not wanted for cattle. When this cannot be spared, an 

 open shed, with ground or floor so raised as not to be exposed to 

 water, may be used ; and in the absence of this, it may be re-stacked 

 and a temporary roof thrown over till better preparation can be 

 made. In cases where it is necessary to make additions to the farm 

 buildings in order to adopt this method of preserving manure, a gocd 

 arrangement would be to make an addition to the stable, twelve feet 

 wide or more, upon the side or end in which are the (Jattle stalls. If 

 the ground falls off, or the stable stands a foot or two above the level 

 of it, the floor over the lower room which is designed to receive the 

 manure as thrown from the gutters, miy be so low as to admit of 

 conveniently throwing the material to be used as absorbent from the 

 cart into the room directly above that which is to receive it after 

 being saturated in the gutter. From this second floor, (on the sup- 



