.24 FARMER'S ASSISTANT. 



By first carting earth and rubbish into the barn -yard, the 

 same process of making manure may be carried on there j 

 but this requires an additional carting, which greatly en- 

 hances the expense. It is usually better to make these 

 yards in suitable places, and drive the cattle into them, after 

 the Cows are milked. They may be made in the field in- 

 tended to be manured. Sheep, however, should never be 

 shut up in this manner, as it will be found more hurtful to 

 them, than the advantage gained by their manure is worth. 

 Perhaps the same may be observed of Horses. 



Let a slight shed be made in a Sheep pasture, and under 

 this cart a layer of sand or other earth : The Sheep will 

 resort to this for shade if it be the only one in the fidd. 

 As they saturate the earth thus carted in, bring in more 

 and spread it over the other; as this becomes also saturated, 

 let more be brought in, until the mass is raised so high as 

 to render it necessary to cart it off to manure the soil, as 

 before directed. The same process may be carried on in 

 the Sheep-pen, during Winter, to nearly equal advantage. 

 The earth becomes in this way so fully saturated with the 

 urine and excrements^ that it becomes very good manure. 

 The stale and manure of Horses and other cattle might in 

 part be saved, during the warm Summer-days, in the man- 

 ner above directed for Sheep. 



The Reader will find the most effectual and complete 

 method of making the most of the manure, which is usually 

 lost in Summer, under SOILING OF CATTLE, 



Mr. Peters says that barn dung should not be completely 

 roted, before using; but that it should be so far advanced 

 in putrefaction, as to destroy the vegetative power of the 

 seeds of weeds it contains ; that it should be applied to the 

 soil while it is still in a state of fermentation, and during 

 the latter part of the process of roting. 



There seems to be some diversity of opinion, on this 

 point. Some say dung should be perfectly roted, before it 

 is used ; wliile others contend for burying it in the soil, be- 

 fore roting. 



We believe that any given quantity of fresh barn-dung 

 may, in most cases, be rendered more productive by being 

 first roted to a certain degree; and that 11 will go siill far- 

 ther, when properly mixed in a compost: But, as additional 

 expense must, in either of these cases, be incured, this 

 should be duly estimated, and regulated according to cir- 

 cumstances. 



For instance, if labor is high, the price and the produce 

 of lands low, and the lands already in a high state of fertil- 

 ity ; there may be a loss incured in expending too much 

 labor ia making the most of the contents of the barn- 

 yard. 



