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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



consume 12 to 13lbs. of the dry substance of such 

 mixed food per week for every lOOlbs. of Hve 

 weight, and will give lib. increase for every 12 to 

 ]3lbs. dry substance so consumed. Sheep so fat- 

 tening will consume about 15lbs, of the dry sub- 

 stance of such mixed food per lOOlbs. live weight, 

 and will increase lib. live weight for about Qlbs, of 

 the dry substance of this food. 



There is yet much to be learned in regard to the 

 real value of liquid manure. It is a question too 

 often undervalued by the very confused arguments 

 by which its use is supported. Whilst, however, 

 we are discussing the merits of liquid manure, the 

 Flemish farmers are using it, as their forefathers 

 have long done, carefully and systematically. But 

 then we must not confound the rich liquid manure 

 of Flanders with the merely discoloured waters of 

 our homesteads. The *' engrais liquide" of Bel- 

 gium has thus been described by a recent explorer 

 of the Flemish agriculture : "This term," observes 

 Mr. R. S. Burn {Quar. Journ, of Agriculture, 

 1860, p. 105) does in Belgium, as is the case most 

 generally with us, mean merely the liquid excretae 

 of the farm-yard cattle ; it means this, but it means 

 more ; not only is this liquid excretion saved, but 

 liquid manure is made, and that at considerable 

 expense, and with the greatest care, by the Flemish 

 farmer. The manufacture of manure, so to speak. 

 is effected by him with the aid of human excrette 

 and rapecake. This saving and making of liquid 

 manure demands an apphance, which forms an 

 essential feature in every Flemish farm-yard, no 

 matter how humble its pretensions, and limited 

 the extent of land attached to it. The smallest 

 cottage, with its tiny patch of ground, has its 

 " liquid manure tank," the contents of which play 

 an important part in reducing to fertility the 

 wretchedly poor soil which the farmer has in so 

 many parts of Flanders to cultivate. 



This liquid manure is often so strong, that to 

 avoid injuring the growing crops, it is applied to 

 them in rainy weather, or after it is diluted with 

 water. The most powerful of these liquid prepara- 

 tions, there called " d'engrais Jlamand," is used 

 principally for flax, colza, hops, and tobacco ; it is 

 also used, but more sparingly, for the cereals. The 

 quantity applied to the land per hectare is from 50 

 to 200 hectolitres. 



" Those," continues Mr. Burn, " acquainted 

 with the historical details of agriculture, are well 

 aware of the important part ' the cultivation of 

 green crops plays in Flemish farming ; but it not 

 80 generally known that the success attained in 

 this department, not only in raising good crops, 

 but those in such quick succession, is mainly owing 

 to the liberal supplies of manure, not given to the 

 land merely before sowing, but to the plants at 

 various stages of their growth. The whole gist, 

 indeed, of Flemish farming is comprehended in 

 their universally-current proverb, " No harvest 

 without manure ; no manure without cattle ; no 

 cattle without forage." 



That given weights of certain organic matters 

 are materially increased in value as manures 

 by being fermented is certain, and that this en- 

 larged value is still more important if the decom- 

 posing matters are mixed with a considerable por- 



tion of water, has been long determined, not only 

 by the almost universal practice of the Belgian 

 farmers, but by the result of chemical investiga- 

 tions. To refer to one instance— we all know how 

 important an ingredient in manures is ammonia, 

 Sprengel, a celebrated chemist, analysed urine in 

 three different states, in order that the effect of 

 diluting it with water, previous to putrefaction, 

 might be ascertained ; he therefore examined the 

 urine, first when fresh ; secondly, after it had been 

 putrified, immixed with water 5 thirdly, after it had 

 been putrified, after being mixed with its own bulk 

 of water. The ammonia which he found in 

 100,000 parts of each was as follows ;— 



When fresh 205 parts, 



After it had been putrefied by it- 

 self 487 „ 



After being putrefied, mixed with 

 its own bulk of water 1622 „ 



The amount of ammonia in the urine, therefore, 

 was doubled by putrefaction by itself; but in- 

 creased nearly eight times when mixed with water. 

 Such are some of the practical and deeply interest- 

 ing facts, which should be carefully studied by the 

 reader, who is contemplating the use of liquid ma- 

 nure. I have no doubt but that much more will 

 yet be accomplished in this way than those farmers 

 are apt to believe, who have not informed them- 

 selves carefully what liquid manure really is, re- 

 garding it, first, in the state when it is rich enough 

 as that of Flanders, to pay for carrying on to the 

 land; and, secondly, when it is so diluted as to be 

 only available for grass lands, when flowing on to 

 them, either by its own gravity, or by the aid of 

 a very small artificial power, as at Edinburgh and 

 other places. In these latter cases we have com- 

 monly a weak liquid manure, in which decomposi- 

 tion and the consequent increase of its ammonia 

 has only recently commenced; still, under judici- 

 ous management, there is much yet to be accom- 

 plished. The nearest spot to the metropolis 

 where any considerable application of diluted liquid 

 manure is taking place, is at Beddington, near 

 Croydon, where the sewage of that town is con- 

 stantly and successfully applied to a very valuable 

 extent on grass land. 



It was in consequence of the members of the 

 Croydon Board of Health being desirous of 

 comparing the sewage irrigation of other towns 

 with that of Croydon, that Mr. Fenton, their 

 engineer, made, during last March, a visit to the 

 irrigated meads of Mansfield, Carhsle, and Edin- 

 burgh, The result of that visit will be found in 

 the following interesting report, which he has just 

 made to the Croydon Board ; 



" In reporting the information obtained, I should 

 observe that in each of the three cases I saw the 

 managers who had charge of the works, which 

 they went over with me, explaining the system 

 adopted, and giving the information contained in 

 this report. 



" At Edinburgh the land is situated on the 

 south shore of the Frith of Forth, near Portobello. 

 The part irrigated is 1 ^ mile in length, and varying 

 in depth from a quarter to half-a-mile ; it is also 

 divided along its whole length by the PortobellQ 



