MANURES THE DUNG-HEAP. 257 



yaried to infinity, but they oiip^ht all to combine the following condi- 

 tions : 1st. That the drippings from the heap should not run away^ 

 but should be collected in a tank or cistern under ground ; 2d. That 

 no water, except the rain which falls on the dung-heap, or any wa- 

 ter that may be thrown upon it on purpose, should be allowed to 

 drain into this reservoir ; 3d. That the place for the dunghill be of 

 size enough to avoid the necessity of heaping the manure to too 

 great a height. The ground upon which the dung is piled ought to 

 slope gently one way or another — from each side towards the centre 

 is best — so that the dri))pings may be collected in the tank or cis- 

 tern. It is also desirable that the soil underneath should be clayey 

 and impermeable ; where it is not so, it becomes necessary to pud- 

 dle, to cement, or to pave the bottom of the dunghill stance as well 

 as the bottom and sides of the tank or cistern. The water which 

 runs from the heap should be thrown back upon it occasionally, by 

 means of a pump and hose, so as to preserve it in a state of constant 

 moistness. The opening into the tank, which is best placed imme- 

 diately under the centre of the dung-heap, is closed by means of a 

 strong grating in wood or iron, the bars being sufficiently close to 

 prevent the solid matters from passing through. One very impor- 

 tant arrangement, one which, in fact, must on no account be over- 

 looked, is that the drains from the stables and cow-houses be so 

 contrived, that they all run to the dunghill. The litter, however 

 abundant, never absorbs the whole of the urine, especially at the 

 time when the cattle are upon green food ; and it would be quite 

 unpardonable in the husbandman did he not take measures to se- 

 cure this, the most valuable portion of the manure at his disposal. 



The litter mixed with the droppings of the animals, and soaked 

 with their urine, ought to be carried from the stables to the dunghill 

 upon a light barrow. The practice of dragging out the manure with 

 dung-hooks, which is often permitted when the field upon which it 

 is to be spread is at no great distance, ought on no account to be al- 

 lowed ; the loss from the practice is always considerable. 



Materials ought not to be thrown on the dunghill at random or 

 hap-hazard ; they should be evenly spread and divided ; an uneven 

 heap gives rise to vacancies, which by and by become mouldy, to 

 the great detriment of the manure. It is of much importance that 

 the heap be pretty solid, in order to prevent too great a rise of tem- 

 perature, and too rapid a fermentation, which are always injurious. 

 Particular care must also be taken that the heap preserves a sufTi- 

 cient degree of moistness, not only of its surface but of its entire 

 mass, which is effected by watering it frequently. At Bechelbronn, 

 our dung-heap is so firmly trodden down, in the course of its accu- 

 mulation, by the feet of the workmen, that a loaded wagon drawn 

 by four horses can be taken across it without very great difficulty. 

 The thickness of the heap is not a matter of indifference : besides 

 the convenience of loading, which must not be forgotten, any great 

 thickness may become injurious by causing the temperature to rise 

 too high ; circumstances occurring which should compel us to keep 

 a mass in this state for any length of time, the decomposition would 



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