1838] 



K A U M i: US' li 10 (; I S T 10 R . 



549 



Lord JMendowbank, will be of utility to mnny of 

 your readers, I havo pent you a 1ranpcni)1 ol'n pari 

 of that paniplilei. I liavo jiiily to adil, that I have 

 seen n conipopt duiiirliill, niailo accordiiif^ to his 

 lordship's diroctions, wiiicli coiripleieiy answered 

 the jiurpose, hy lermeutiiijr the pisat-lurf, and 

 thereby redncinir it into a situation proper to be 

 applied as manure; which ajipears to me lo be a 

 far prelerabie method to that ofreducintr the peat- 

 turr(or moss, as it is called in Scotland) lo ashes. 

 1 am, &c. A. S. 



Let the peat-mosp, of which compost is to he 

 fbrmea, be thrown out of the pit lor some weeks 

 or months, in order to lose its redundant moisture. 

 By this means, it is rendered the lighter to carrj', 

 and less con)pact and weighty, when made up 

 with fresh dung for fermentation ; and, according- 

 ly, less dung is required lor the purpose, than if 

 the preparation is made wiih peal taken recently 

 from the pit. The peat taken from near the sur- 

 face, or at a considerable depth, answers equally 

 well. 



Take the peat-moss to a dry spot, convenient 

 for constructing a dunghill to serve the field to be 

 manured. Lay the cart-loads of it in two rows, 

 and of the dung, in a row betwixt them. The 

 dung thus lies nearly on an area of the fiiture 

 compost dunghill, and the rows of peat should be 

 near enough each other, that workmen, in mak- 

 ing up the compost, may be able to throw them 

 together by the spade. In makmg up, let the 

 workmen begin at one end ; and at the extremity 

 of the row of dung, (which should not extend 

 quite so far at that end as the rows of peats on 

 each side of it do,) let them lay a bottom of peat, 

 six inches deep and fifteen leet wide, if the grounds 

 admit of it; then throw forward, and lay on, about 

 ten inches of dung above the bottomof peat ; then 

 add from the side-rows about six inches of peat; 

 then lour or five of dung, and then six more of 

 peat ; then another thin layer of dung ; and then 

 cover it over with peat at the end where it was 

 begun, at the two sides, and above. The compost 

 should not be raised above four feet, or four leet 

 and a half high ; otherwise, it is apt to press too 

 heavily on the under parts, and check the fermen- 

 tation. When a beginning is thus made, the 

 workmen Avill proceed working backwards, and 

 adding to the column of compost, as they are fur- 

 nished with the three rows of materials directed 

 to be laid down for them. They must take care 

 not to tread on the compost, or render it too com- 

 pact ; and, of consequence, in proportion as the 

 peat is wet, it should be made up in lumps, and 

 not much broken. 



In mild weather, seven cart-loads of common 

 farm-dung, tolerably fresh made, is sufTicient (or 

 twenty-one cart-loads of peat-moss ; but in cold 

 weather, a larger proportion of dung is desirable. 

 To every twenty-eight carts of the compost, when 

 made up, it is of use to throw on, above it, a cart- 

 load of ashes, either made from coal, peat, or 

 wood ; or, if these cannot be had, half the quanti- 

 ty of slacked lime may be used; the more finely 

 powdered the better. But these addition^ a-e no- 

 wise essential to the general success of the com- 

 post. 



The dung to be used should either have been 

 recently made, or kept fresh by compression ; as, 

 by the treading of cattle or swine, or b}' carts 

 passing over it. And if there is little or no litler 



in it, a smaller quantity will serve, provided any 



spongy vegetable matter is added at making up 

 the compost, as fresh weeds, the rubbish of a 

 stack-yard, potato-shaws, sawings of timljcr, &c. 

 And as some sorts of dung, even when li-esh, are 

 much more advanced in decomposition than others, 

 it is maierial to attend to this; for a much less 

 proportion of such dung as is lees advanced, will 

 serve (()r the compost, provided care is taken to 

 keep the nuiss sulliciently open, either by a mix- 

 ture' of the above-mentioned substances, or, if 

 these are wanting, by adding the peal piece-meal ; 

 that is, first making it up in the usual proportion 

 of three to one of dung ; and then, after a time, 

 adding an equal quantity, more or less, of moss. 

 The dung of this chiiracter, of greatest quantity, 

 is shamble dung, with which, under the above 

 precautions, six times the quantity of peat, or 

 more, may be prepared. The same holds as to 

 pigeon dung, and other fowl dung ; and, to a cer- 

 tain extent also, as to that whicii is collected from 

 towns, and made by animals that- feed on grains, 

 refu.se of distilleries, &c. 



The compost, after it is made up, gets into a 

 general heat, sooner or Ifiter, according to the 

 weather, and the condition of the dung: in sum- 

 mer, in ten days or sooner; in winter, not perhaps 

 Itir many weeks, if the cold is severe. It always, 

 however, has been found to come on at last ;* and, 

 in summer, it sometimes rises so high as lo be mis- 

 chievous, by consuming the materials, (fire-fang- 

 ing.) In that season, a stick should be kept in it 

 in different parts, to pull out and feel now and 

 then ; for, if it approaches to blood-heat, it should 

 either be watered, or. turned over ; and, on such 

 an occasion, advantage may be taken to mix it 

 with a little li-esh moss, f The heat subsides, al^ 

 ter a time, and with great variety, according to 

 the weather, the dung, and the perfection of the 

 making up of the compost ; which then should be 

 allowed to remain untouched, till within three 

 weeks of using, when it should be turned over, 

 upside down, and outside in, and all lumps broken : 

 Then it comes into a second heat ; but soon cools, 

 and should be taken out for use In this state, the 

 whole, except bits of the old decayed wood, ap- 

 pears a black free mass, and spreads like garden 

 mould. Use it, weight for weight, as liirm-yard 

 dung ; and it will be found, in a course of crop- 

 ping, fully to stand the comparison. 



Let it be observed, that the object in making up 

 the compost, is to form as large a hot-bed as the 

 quantiiy of dung employed admits of, and then to 

 surround it on all sides, so as to have the whole 

 benefit of the heat and effluvia. Peat, nearly as 

 dry as garden-mould in seed time, may be mixed 

 with the dung, so as to double the volume and 

 more of it. Workmen must begin with using 

 layers ; but, when accustomed to the just propor- 



* In order to bring on the heat more expeditiously 

 in a compost made up in frost, a narrow addition of 

 dung and peat has, sometimes, after the frost iiad gone 

 off, been laid along the sides of the compost, scraping 

 down a little the coating of peat upon it. 



t In .Tune 179(>, a coinpost was formed, only 2| peat 

 of 1 dung: it heated in July beyond the measure of a 

 thermometer graduated to 110°. Part was allowed to 

 stand, part turned with a half more moss. Three 

 weeksafter, (18th August,) the heat of the former had 

 descended to 81°, while that of the latter had got up 

 again to above 110°. 



