MANURES. 56 



neat and becomes fire fanged. When it becomes heated and 

 mouldy its value is nearly all gone. It is hardly worth carting 

 to the field. Horse manure should never be kept in a pile by 

 itself, it should either be spread evenly with the other manures, 

 or muck, and kept moist with the liquid from the manure well. 

 Water and muck are the universal absorbents of ammonia, and 

 should always be plentifully supplied to the manure heap. 



The Piggery and Hennery should also be kept well supplied 

 with peat or muck, which in the Hennery should be kept moist. 

 The manure, both liquid and solid, of fattening pigs, being espe- 

 cially rich, should be especially cared for; enough soil should be 

 shoveled in every day to absorb all the droppings ; it should be 

 protected from the rain and sunshine ; and whenever practicable 

 should be mixed with the barnyard manure before spreading. 



The pig will work over the soil, pulverizing it and adding at 

 the same time to each particle the most valuable fertilizing in 

 gredients ready to be dissolved for the use of the plants ; for it 

 must be born in mind, that in the end nothing but liquid ma- 

 nures can be of any value to the plants. The roots can take up 

 nothing but liquids. Every solid particle must be reduced to a 

 liquid state before it will be available to the plants. There- 

 fore the more thorough the decomposition of the manure the 

 sooner and the more surely will it reach the plant ; and the 

 more moisture the manure absorbs the more readily will it dis- 

 solve in the soil and be taken up into the crops. 



Barnyard manure, prepared as above, contains all the ele- 

 ments of nutrition needed by any crop. 



It does not always contain them all in sufficient quantities 

 for a succession of crops, and here is where the fertilizers 

 come in as aids. But before discussing this subject we will 

 speak of the application of manures to the soil. 



The general principle of application is that manure sinks 



