SECRETARY'S REPORT. 75 



for corn and root cro^DS, and covered with a plough, harrow, or 

 cultivator. Much attention is paid to composting by most 

 farmers. Farmers differ somewhat in regard to the most profit- 

 able manner of doing it. But few men among us would think 

 of building a barn without a cellar of some sort. The waj 

 most practised at present, is to cart loam or muck into the 

 cellar in the fall, and fork it over with the manure from the 

 cattle made during winter, before using in spring. Few of the 

 farmers, (myself among them,) have adopted a new plan of saving 

 manure — that is, dig a cellar about four or five feet deep, put 

 up stanchions from the bottom of the cellar to the scaffold floor, 

 about four feet apart, (tie with chains,) then fill the cellar within 

 three feet of the barn floor with loam or muck, which will enable 

 any full grown animal to eat with ease and convenience from 

 the floor, arranged in such manner as to prevent the wasting 

 of hay. The manure is forked back from the animal every 

 morning for a week or so, and littered with cut straw or hay, 

 leaves, brakes, saw-dust, shavings, &c. &c., then forked for- 

 ward under the animal and covered with litter, raising the 

 animal nearer the floor, until the stable or cellar is filled, which 

 usually takes until the time of using in spring; then carted 

 out and covered with a small plough as fast as spread, to de- 

 compose with the earth, and thereby saving a loss that a heap 

 of compost undergoes while in a state of fermentation. The 

 muck in the bottom of the cellar, answers as an absorbent to 

 take up that part of the liquid that is not retained in the litter. 

 Cattle can be kept much cleaner than on a floor without litter, 

 taking no more than is necessary for an absorbent. 



" The foregoing is the manner that a few of us practise in 

 making mamu-e, and preparing the ground for the corn crop. 

 Compost is usually preferred for the root crops. Some farmers 

 have top-dressed their mowing lands with the above-mentioned 

 kind of manure, sowing plaster over the same as fast as spread, 

 to prevent evaporation, and are well satisfied with the result. 

 The saturated muck in the bottom of the cellar, if not too 

 strong, (if so mix more muck,) answers all purposes, where com- 

 post is usually used. The manure is trodden so hard there is 

 no fermentation until moved, and the cattle lie almost as easy 

 and comfortable as on the ground, the liquid i3assing into the 



