THE WASH OF MANURES. 85 



ocean to the guano islands to bring back guano to take the 

 place of the manure that they had allowed to wash away. I 

 would not apply manure to the surface of the ground where 

 there was much declivity until I wanted to plough it in. 

 But, as I said before, I tried it on a side-hill where there 

 was grass, because my neighbors said, if I put manure there, 

 it would all run down. Well, at the foot of the hill there 

 was the basin to which I have referred ; and my cows went 

 to this basin to drink rather than go to the spring, which 

 was a little farther off. I have a very good opinion of a cow 

 as to her taste, when let alone. A cow will not drink water 

 when there is the slightest smell of manure in it, unless she 

 is compelled to ; and my cows would go to that basin to drink 

 rather than go to the spring a little distance off. That was 

 evidence to my mind that the manure was not washed down 

 into the basin. 



Since I tried that experiment, Dr. Sturtevant has published 

 an account of a very similar experiment, where trenches 

 were dug in order to stop the water as it ran down in differ- 

 ent places ; and it was found that the first trench did catch 

 some of the fertilizing water, the next had less, and so on 

 until it got to the bottom. I recollect being in Dr. Sturte- 

 vant's office, and making this statement of the purification of 

 the water as it came down hill, by reason of the fertilizing 

 material being left behind in the grass, and he then showed 

 me the experiment I have just mentioned, which had been 

 made by another person, but which he described in " The 

 Scientific Farmer." 



But do not understand me as advocating putting manure 

 in the fall on to land that has a declivity that has been 

 ploughed. I would not plough it in the fall if I could help 

 it, or, if I did plough it, I would put in something that would 

 hold the fertilizing material, because we lose a great deal of 

 fertilizing matter from- our side-hills. I think we lose most 

 in winter time ; that is, if we have a thaw and a heavy rain- 

 fall, or a rapid thawing of snow, it will take off just about 

 half an inch or an inch of surface, and the best part of your 

 land goes with that half-inch or inch. There is not so much 

 danger where you have a good covering of grass. I suppose 

 it would filter better if you had three inches of grass than if 

 you had but one. 



