474- THE HOME, FARM AXD BUSINESS CYCLOPEDIA. 



Chemical study further confirms this view, and shows that this popular 

 manure stands forward prominently as a true "general manure." 



These remarks sufficiently show the importance of farmyard manure. 

 It is, however, well known to all practical men, that under the term dung, 

 or farmyard manure, much comparatively worthless material may be 

 included. The quality of dung depends upon a considerable number of 

 circumstances, which may be thus enumerated : 



1. Upon the species of animal producing it. 



2. Upon the age and condition of the animal. 



3. Upon the food of the animal. 



4. Upon the accommodation of the animal. 



5. Upon the amount and quality of the litter supplied. 

 0. Upon the management during its accumulation. 



7. Upon its after-treatment. 



The domestic animals which furnish the farmer with the most valuable 

 portion of his manure-heap are cattle, horses, and pigs, and in rarer cases 

 sheep. The dung of cattle forms the staple. It is generally of a somewhat 

 thin and watery consistency, and is consequently not likely to heat rap- 

 idly, even when massed together. The cool character of cow dung is 

 illustrated by the fact that grooms employ it to stuff their horses' feet at 

 night for the purpose of keeping them cool and moist. Horse dung is 

 voided in a drier state, and is therefore much hotter in its character. 

 Horse dung is chosen by gardeners to make their hot-beds, and to place 

 under forcing frames. If heaped together in large quantities, it is liable 

 to a form of dry-rot or " fire-fang," which is readily detected by a white 

 dust that soon encrusts the straws, and causes dryness and lightness 

 throughout the mass. 



Pig dung is cool in its nature, like that of cattle. 



Owing to these differences of nature, it is desirable that dung should be 

 well mixed together, and this has an important bearing upon the design- 

 ing of farm-buildings. 



AGE AND CONDITION OF THE ANIMAL. A dull animals allow a larger 

 proportion of nutritive food-constituents to pass through the alimentary 

 canal than young and growing animals. Phosphates are reserved for the 

 formation of bone, nitrogen and salts for the development of muscle and 

 blood, in the case of young animals ; whereas, in mature bodies, the pro- 

 cesses of decay and elimination keep pace with those of nutrition. Lean 

 animals absorb more nutritive matter from the food supplied than those 

 which are fat or forward in condition. Hence the dung of fatting bullocks 



