422 



SCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE. 



Part II. 



neat garden, with piggery, bee -house, poultry, dung-pit, water closet, covered seat or 

 bower, pump-well, and other appendages to each cottage. 



2739. A varietij of other plans of cottages will be found connected with the plans of 

 farmeries, and in cur Topographi/ of Jgriculture (Part IV.} 



Sect. V. Of the Stack-yard, Dung-yard, and other Enclosures immediately connected 

 ivith Farm Buildings. 



2740. The deferent appendages which are common to farm buildings arc the dung-yards, 

 pits and reservoirs, the rick-yard, the straw-yard, the poultry-yard, drying yard, garden, 

 orchard, and cottage-yards. These necessarily vary much, according to situation and 

 other circumstances, but all of them are more or less essential to a complete farmery, 



2741. The dung-yard and pit is placed in almost every case in the centre of the main 

 yard. A pavement, or causeway, ought to be carried round the yard, next to the houses, 

 of nine or hfteen feet in width, according to the scale of the whole: the remaining part 

 of the yard should either be enclosed with a wall with various doors to admit cattle, carts, 

 and wheel barrows, or on a small scale, it may be entirely open. From this space the 

 earth should be excavated so as to form a hollow deepest at the centre, or at the lower 

 end if the original surface was not level ; and from the lowest part of this hollow should 

 be conducted a drain to a reservoir for liquid manure. The bottom of this excavation, 

 or dung basin, ought to be rendered hard, in order not to take the impression of cart 

 wheels, in removing the dung, and impervious to moisture, in order to prevent absorption. 



2742. For these purposes, it may be either paved, the stones being set on a layer of 

 clay ; or what will generally answer equally well, it may be covered with a thick coat 

 of grave] or chalk, if it can be got, and then well-rolled, mixing some loam with the 

 gravel, if it is found not to consolidate readily. To prevent as much as possible a 

 superfluity of rain-water from mixing with the dung and diluting its drainings, all ex- 

 ternal surface-water should be prevented from entering the farm-yard by means of 

 drains, opened or covered; and that which collects on the inner slopes of the roofs 

 should, in every case, be carried off by gutters. Such is the opinion of most agricul- 

 turists as to the situation of the farm yard, dung-hill, and reservoir; but, in addition 

 to these requisites, it is now very properly considered as equally important that there be 

 urine-pits, either open or covered. 



2743. The urirmrium, or urine-pit, is constructed in or near to the stables and 

 cattle-sheds, for the immediate reception of the drainage of these buildings, un- 

 mixed with rain-water. It is found from experience that a very considerable addition 

 of the richest kind of manure is thus obtained on every aral)le farm. At the same time 

 it is proper to observe, that no benefit, but a loss, Avill be sustained if the urine is so com- 

 pletely drained from the straw, as to leave it too dry for fermentation. Where there are 

 no stall-fed cattle, an able author {Supp. En. Brit. i. 12] ) is of opinion there will be 

 no more urine than what will be required for converting the straw into manure. Whea 



