198 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 4 



has proved the escape of gases (rom a heap of 

 duiiij which has been lonir tertTieiiting. But, 

 what harm accrues to the dung as a manure from 

 the escape oC these gases? None vvhalevcr. We 

 are told these gases constitute the lood of plants, 

 and if they are permitted to be (hssipated hy de- 

 comp,osition, the quantity of nourishment in tiie 

 heap of manure will oi" course be so much dimln- 

 ished; that, if the bulk ol'the dunir-iieap lie dimin- 

 ished one-iialf or one-third bv excessive lt;rmenta- 

 tion, the quantiiy of nourishment to the crops 

 will be diminished in a greaier ratio. Tli'^se 

 cautions have long been whispered in the ears 

 of practical men, but they have listened to tiie ad- 

 vice with a provoking indili'crence. Like duck- 

 lings when they first take the water, they have 

 continued to disregard ever}' remonstrance of then' 

 iostcr brethren against injurious practices, raising 

 and devouring their Ibod, and enjoyinir themselves 

 with the greatest complacency in their vocation. 

 It is true, and we must admit it, tliat some of 

 the gases constitute the (bod of plants, but it does 

 not Ibllow that plants would receive them as food 

 directly, as they are disengaged Imm a fermenlinii 

 and heated mass; nay, it is probable they would 

 rather reject the food that would injure "them. — 

 JJut, as plants are not endowe<l with locomotive 

 powers, they cannot avoid the food which is di- 

 rectly presented to them; they will, therefore, be 

 xDbliged to partake of it even in an injurious state, 

 and in thus taking it they die. Accordingly, we 

 invariably find that plants sulTer from the cmtact 

 of lermenting dun^; and it is this well-known 

 ^acf, n)ore than Irom any o'lier circumstance, 

 wnich deters liirmers fl'om applyinii dunij in an 

 unnrepared state. It is sometimes applied to the 

 soil, it is true, in an unprepared stale, but long 

 before the crop is brouirht into contact wiih it, 

 and alter it has underiijoiie lermenlalion in the soil. 

 Though this application of dung is recommended 

 by men of science, it is performed from the very 

 opposite principle which they recommen.-l. They 

 recommend it because the gases arisinir, while 

 the dung is fermenting, are absorbed by the soil, 

 and are thence given out fur the use of plants; on 

 the other hand, liirmers (lerfbrm it, because the 

 fermentation will have ceased lielbre the crop is 

 inserted into the ground. Which of these is the 

 more rational reiison? The practical one, undoubt- 

 edly; Ibrit is surely impossible that the slight co- 

 vering of earth upon the dung can prevent the 

 «.scape of the elastic gases, however it may re- 

 tard fermentation. 



'Moreover, practice finds that fresh Auncr is in- 

 jurious to vegetation, and recent discoveries now 

 inform us that this arises ir-om the acridity of the 

 ammonia, which is always present in unfennenled 

 dung. Fermentation drives off the acrid ammo- 

 nia. Fresh duntj is found to injure plants by 

 burning them, which is a very appropriate term to 

 describe the action of ammonia, in like manner, 

 stale liquid manure is not so good a top-dressinir 

 to grass as fresh, or when it is largely mixed with 

 water; because science now inlbrms us, that am- 

 monia becomes concentrated in stale liquitl ma- 

 nure, and is, therefore, in an injurious state for 

 plants; and that it is necessary to mix liquid ma- 

 nures largely with water, in order to dilute the 

 ammonia, and allow the proper action of the hu- 

 mic acid, which exists in a large quantity in them. 

 Again, it is not an uncommon practice to cover a 



dunghill with earth in hot weather; and this is 

 now ex[)lained, not as it hitherto has been — "that 

 tae earth absorbs and firevents the escape of the 

 carbonic acid gas'' — but that a violent U'rmenta- 

 tion in the dung is checked by the earth, partly 

 excludiiijT the atmospheric air and rain water, the 

 oxygen in either of which is indisiiensable lo con- 

 tinue the process, it being this oxygen which 

 forms ilie csirbonic acid gas by uniting with the 

 carbon of the dung. Tiie necessity of checking a 

 v'uiknt Itrmentaiion in a dunghill, which contains 

 a large [lortion of horse -dung, is lo prevent it be- 

 ing what is technically called ^'fyrefaiigit^^ — a state 

 in which duniris nearly useless. 



'We thus see that science now agrees with that 

 practice which has been pursued for years with 

 unexampled success. It is consolatory to practi- 

 tioners to think that I heir experience, though un- 

 knowingly to them, has guided them to success on 

 really scientific principles. This agreement of 

 experience and science should teach every one 

 tluit science and experience, and not science alone, 

 ought to be made the tests to try the accuracy ot' 

 o|)inions; but, unfortunately for the cretht of sci- 

 ences, the test of accuracy hitherto, in (lie ap- 

 plication of putrescent manures, has not been sub- 

 mitted lo practice.' 



We now not only be<x to impress upon every 

 fiirmer the absolute necessitj' of guarding against 

 the waste of" any portion of the fiirm dung but 

 also to take care that nothing in the shape of 

 refuse animal or vegetalile substance be sutl'ered 

 to be thrown away by his ser\ ants. Let a bed of 

 sand, or any earth except clay, be laid in some 

 spot adjacent to the offices, and u[)on it let every 

 particle of" ofhil collected from the premises l)e re- 

 iiularly thrown; to which atkl the sweepings 

 of the roads and lanes about the house, izrass, 

 turf or rubbish, dui;: out of drains and ditches; 

 every thing, in short, which, by decinipo- 

 siiion, can be converted into manure, and all 

 of which may be got tojfether with very little 

 trouble. Let the whole of this be every now and 

 then covered with ihe earth, lieiween two layer* 

 of which a small quantity of quick-lime maybe 

 placed, or sprinkled upon any vegetable substance, 

 such as leaves, toiigli, haulm fern, or any ihing 

 which cannot be easily dissolved, and thus funn- 

 ed into a compost. Care, however, must be taken 

 I hat tlie ve'jet alive powers of the roots and plants 

 be completely destroyed before '.he compost is 

 spread upon the land; fiir, if unskilliilly prepared, 

 thev will shoot up in the course oi' the ensuing 

 season, tmd overrun the land with weeds. Com- 

 posts thus formed, whatever may be the ingre- 

 dients which they contain, will ever be found 

 a most valuable species of manure. The whole 

 substance becomes one uniform mass of nutriiive 

 matter, which may be either mixed with tiie soil, 

 or applied as atop-dressing, and, with proper at- 

 tention, may be got ready for application at any 

 period ol'the year. There are numberless receipts 

 scattered throughout the vvriiings of various theo- 

 rists, in which the quantity and the quality oi'each 

 ingredient in these various mixtures are as accu- 

 rately stated as if they were the medical prescrip- 

 tions of physicians; but these are mere quackeries 

 which do not merit the attention of practical men. 

 Weeds, also, by the sides of fences, should ne- 

 v^,r be permitted to perfect their seeds, but should 

 be invariably cut while in a state of succulence, 



