E. J. Russell and E. H, Richards 557 



device has been worked out^ for the whole of the manure we are making 

 a commencement with the most valuable part, the liquid excretions. 

 A modification of the Belgian liquid manure tank, which is built under 

 the animal to receive the liquid, furnishes a suitable starting point. 

 These new experiments are being carried out by one of us on the farm 

 of the Hon. Rupert Guinness at Hoebridge. 



The solid excretions and the litter would still require to be dealt 

 with, but even if no advance on present methods were made with 

 these the loss would be shorn of most of its seriousness once the 

 liquid were better treated. 



The practical conclusions that we draw are: 



(a) The method of leaving manure under the beasts in boxes or 

 covered yards until it is wanted remains the best that we can suggest 

 where it is practicable. 



(6) If the manure has to be stored it should be under anaerobic 

 conditions, and if possible at a temperature of about 26° C. 



(c) No heap, however well compacted or sheltered, fully satisfied 

 these requirements. Probably the making of the heap has been developed 

 to as perfect a pitch as possible, and we have no further improvement 

 to suggest. 



(d) The best hope for improvement lies in storing the manure in 

 watertight tanks or pits so made that they can be completely closed, 

 and thereby allow the attainment of perfect anaerobic conditions. 

 The proper temperature would have to be maintained. 



We are hoping the experience gained in the new Woking experiments 

 will indicate a method whereby this end can be achieved in practice. 



Experimental Details. 



1. Method of taking samples of dung for analysis. The dung 

 from the bulk heap of fresh manure was thrown, a forkful at a 

 time, on to a sheet of tarpaulin or a wood or concrete floor, and 

 then transferred to the crate to be weighed before stacking in the 

 experimental heaps. A small portion was picked by hand from each 

 forkful and thrown alternately on to two small sample heaps. These 

 small heaps were then subsampled in exactly the same way and each one 

 finally yielded about 20 lbs. of dung which was tightly filled into tins 

 for analysis in the laboratory. In order to obtain more homogeneous 



1 It is difficult to suggest anything wholly new in agriculture. An illustration of a 

 manure pit can be seen in Hale's Gompleat body of Husbandry, 1756, and another in an 

 interesting pamphlet by Boussingault, La Fosse a Fumier, Paris, Bechet Jeune, 1858. 



