^, Ih-cughts en the Maria^emffit of Dung. Felu 



icitaUJc [late of preparation afterwards ; and, at all events, Its 

 virtues are thereby confiderably diminiflied. Laft feafon fur^ 

 nifned 11 rung jprcofs in fupport of what I am maintaining ; for,;, 

 owing to the goodncfs of the weather during the winttr ancl 

 Ipnng months, lefs dang was driven out than common ; and 

 the coniequence was, that on few clay farms, dung was made 

 half rotten, even where the moll anxious efforts were bellowed 

 upon watering and turning it, when the feafon advanced. The 

 continued dryr.efs of the weather was, ♦'o Ic lure, an exception to 

 -that of common feafons. and iLcrcukd the dimculties wliich, at 

 all times, are underj^ose in fiich fituations ; but, had it been 

 ecjually wet, as it was dry, the propriety of frequent remoraks 

 wiuikl net liave been lefs urgent. Straw flung out in conlider- 

 able portioi)s to the fold-yard, after being compreiTed by the 

 trampling of cattle, becomes ratlier like a well packed lli.ck, 

 •than a mafs of diing in a preparatory flate. Thefmall quantity 

 of water and dung made by the animals, is .barely fufficient to 

 ^caufe a flight fermentation;; and this fli>^ht fermentation, when 

 the heap gets iiito a compreffed Hate, is fure to ^bring on Jire-^ 

 faugingy as already faid ; aftev which, its original powers can 

 r^/jely be reftored. To prevent fuch an injury, no meafure can 

 be fo fucccfsfuUy ufed, as a frequent removal of this unmade 

 dung, efpccially if the weather is wet at the time. If people 

 can iland out to work, you cannot have too much wetnefs when 

 executing this operation ; for there is always fuch a quantity of 

 the 11 raw that lias not paffed thrcugh the entrails of the cattle, as 

 renders it almoll impoilible to do nijury, in t,he firil inllance, by 

 an excels cf moilture. 



What I would therefore recommend, upon ^v^ry clay-land 

 farm, efpecially thofe of con fide r able fize, is a frequent clearing 

 of the foid-vard J and that the greateli care fliould be taken to 

 mix the liable or horfe dung in a regular wi^y with what is ga- 

 thered in the fold-yard, or made by other animals, in order tliat 

 a gradual heat or fermentation may be fpeedily produced. Where 

 the materials are of fuch forts as 1 am now fptaknig of, (that is, 

 a fmall quantity of dung, or excrementitious matter, and a large 

 iiore of unrotten 11 raw, onjy partially moillencd), 1 am cle.ir 

 thut no damage can enfue from jnitting horfes and uirts upon the 

 hc:ip ; nay, 1 rather think, tliat a pofitivc benefit will be 

 gained from this flight compreflion. I am, at the fame 

 time, well aware that the fentiments of many able and judicious 

 larmers, are different from mine on this point ; they being of 

 opinion, that the natural prefTiire of the materials is quite fwlt]- 

 cient, and that any more is accompanied with injurious confc*. 

 quences. 1 am, however, fatisfied, that fuch ideas are unfound- 

 ed j having tri^d both methods upon an exteiifivs fcale, and^ from 



the 



