162 EUROPEAN AGRICULTURE. 



a favorable subject falls into their hands, will not leave willingly- 

 even a pin-feather, and who value such a bird, not for the 

 fineness of his flesh, nor the beauty of his plumage, but for the 

 richness of his notes. 



These engagements oblige Mr. Dickenson to keep always on 

 hand a large number of horses ; and his stables in London may 

 be considered as model stables, from the manner in which they 

 are arranged, the condition in which the animals are kept, the 

 perfect cleanliness which prevails in every department, and the 

 admirable provision for securing an equable temperature and a 

 thorough ventilation. Among other things, likewise, an inge 

 nious provision is made for the saving of the urine of the animals, 

 and, as far as possible, for preventing the escape of the ammonia, 

 which high authorities deem its most valuable ingredient, in its 

 transition from the stall to the tank in which it is finally col 

 lected from the various stables. To effect this, the floors of the 

 stalls are laid either in brick, or stone, or a composition of the 

 hardness of stone, with a gentle inclination of the floor from 

 each side to the centre of the stall. Here an iron pipe is sunk, 

 the whole length of the stall, similar to half a gun-barrel, with 

 its concave side up, of course, into which the urine finds its 

 way ; and this is covered the whole length with a thin strap 

 of iron, which can easily be lifted when the conduit needs clean 

 ing. The urine goes into this channel unmixed with straw, and 

 is conveyed by this pipe into a larger whole pipe in the rear of 

 the stable, and is thence carried to the tank, which is placed in 

 the outer yard. This tank is very securely covered, and is 

 emptied into a watering cart by a pump, whenever occasion 

 requires. Mr. Dickenson conceives there is great advantage in 

 the liquid being thus, as far as possible, secured from the evap 

 oration of its most valuable gases. The stalls are six and a half 

 feet wide ; ten feet in the whole length, with seven feet behind 

 the mangers. The inclination of the floor from the sides to the 

 centre, and from the front to the rear, is as little as possible, con 

 sistently with securing the passage of the urine. The number 

 of horses kept here is, I believe, from 150 to 200. The liquid 

 manure is, as far as possible, all saved for the use of his own 

 farm. The solid parts of his manure are sold to farmers. This 

 fact deserves particular notice. It is a point of the highest con 

 sideration. The stale of a horse is equal to about three gallons 



