NATURE AND PREPARATION OF MANURE. 45 



(ime and labor in tilling it, by not making a careful an.! judi- 

 cious application of compost manure, which may be entirely 

 v.-ithin his power. When he is apprised of this, and has adopt- 

 ed the principle, that it is necessary and proper to collect and 

 save every thing that is suitable to make this kind of manure, 

 he will find the quantity immediately hicreasing bey£)nd what 

 he had conceived, without the experiment; and which, by ap- 

 plying it while it still retains its most nutritious elements, will 

 so increase the efhcacy of his labor, as richly to reward him 

 for his particular attention to this branch of agricultural science. 



There is hardly a day passes, in which a child may not be 

 taught to contribute something, by its industry, to the quantity 

 of compost. 



There are certain chemical tests by v^^hich the progress of 

 fermentation may be ascertained. But the farmer will be 

 more likely to regard some general principle, which may aid 

 Iiim in the exercise of his discretion, to decide correctly in this 

 matter. If he finds the degree of heat, either in the com- 

 mon dung-hill or heap of compost, is not so great as to destroy 

 itself, and terminate in a degree of temperature equal to that 

 of common earth at the same distance from the surface, it may 

 be continued without injury. Any moderate degree of heat 

 which may be continued until the manure is committed to the 

 soil, may be kept up without materially impairing the efficacy 

 of the manure. His own observation may therefore aid him 

 to a correct exercise of his discretion. Too much attention to 

 the object of providing compost manure, cannot be given by 

 the farmer who would increase the productive powers of the 

 soil to their greatest extent. 



What has been remarked above, respecting the importance 

 of properly securing and preparing compost manure, is not 

 considered inconsistent with the practice of applying vegetable 

 substances, such as straw, dry corn-stalks, &:c. as manure, 

 whenever they are ready at seed time, in sufficient quantities ; 

 but the farmer will see from what has been observed, that such 

 substances must be efiectually buried with seed, if he would 

 render them most efficacious. But it is well known that this 

 is seldom if e^er effected by the usual process of jiloughing 

 and harrowing, as it is practiced by most farmers. The coarse 

 undecomposed substances spread on the field, are not all buri- 

 ed wii!) the plough, many of those that are, are drawn out 

 again by the drag teeth, and left exposed to the alternations of 

 drought and rain, to evaporate and waste, without efficacy to 

 the soil. Some few farmers in our country, are so well av/arc 

 of the importance of effectually covering coarse vegetable sub- 



