SECRETARY'S REPORT. 211 



liquid manure. The above is enough to satisfy every farmer of its 

 value, provided means are used to put the arguments into effect. 

 For this purpose stables should be so constructed that the liquid 

 voidings of stock can run into a gutter filled with dry loam, muck, 

 leaves, &c., to absorb it. Until farmers pursue this plan, they 

 cannot tell what a vast amount of manure can be saved, nor what 

 a large amount is lost by the opposite practice. It is absolutely 

 necessary to compost manure with dry muck or loam, if it is kept 

 under cover. The quantity is largely increased by this method. 

 How far our farmers can enter into the soiling system with profit, 

 remains for each one to prove by trial. 



I need not refer to wastefulness as a leading defect with farmers 

 in carrying on their operations. It is every where seen. An in- 

 telligent fiirmer, residing in the western part of the county, recent- 

 ly stated to me that with all his care and attention, he had become 

 satisfied that what was wasted upon his farm, amounted to a larger 

 sum than what was saved — referring particularly to the single item 

 of manure. The same gentleman said that from investigations and 

 inquiries to considerable extent, he believed the agricultural wastes 

 of his own town was not far from twenty thousand dollars annual- 

 ly ! Another farmer, now considerably advanced in years, and 

 who first settled in one of the towns on the Kennebec, says that 

 when the land was new, and was being settled, no account was 

 made of manure, and those who obtained settling lands near the 

 river were considered more fortunate than others who were obliged 

 to take up with farms further back, because they could put their 

 manure into the river without hauling so far. He has stated to me 

 that within the past sixty years, farmers have let their manure 

 accumulate around their barns and stables to such an extent, that 

 it was inconvenient approaching them ; and when at length they 

 were from necessity, driven to do something with it, it was either 

 carted away in a huge pile to lie useless, or dumped into some 

 convenient hollow or brook. 



There is a waste of labor in going over in a superficial manner, 

 a field intended for a certain crop, when by a more judicious and 

 thorough system of cultivation, a return as large, or even larger, 

 may be generally obtained from a field of considerably smaller size. 

 There is often a large waste of fodder in the care of cattle, if not 

 properly fed out ; or by not having some simple machine to cut ■ 

 coarse fodder, to be mixed with meal ; thus using all, both coarse 

 and fine forage, to good account. In addition to this, a great 



