38 OF MANURES. Parti. 



the vapours arifing from the putrid dung, mufl prove hurtful to the 

 health of horfes or other cattle expofed to it in a confined place. 

 Mr. Evelyn dilapproves of laying dung in heaps in the field, expofed 

 to the fun, rain, and drying winds, whereby all its fpirit and ftrength 

 is carried away ; and advifes the following, as a better method of 



managing our dung-hills, or ftercoraries. Let the bottom or fides 



of a pit, fays he, be about four feet deep, paved with fmall chalk 

 or clay at the bottom, that it may hold water like a ciftern : dired; 

 your channels and gutters about your houfe and flables to it. The 

 pit mufi: be under covert, fo that the down-right rains may not fall 

 into it. Lay a bed of dung in it a foot thick, on that a bed of fine 

 mould, on that another bed of cyder-mere, rotten fruit, and garden 

 offal, on this a couch of pigeons and poultry dung, with more litter, 

 and beds of all variety of foil, and upon all this caft v/ater plentifully 

 from time to time. 



The diredlions of the author of the New Syjieni' of Agriculture ^ 



■ for making a Jlercorary, and which we much approve of, barring 

 its being fo near the ftable as he feems to intend it, are as fol- 

 low. 



" Along the back of your ftable caufe a pit to be dug, to the 

 - depth .of the foundation, or a pretty deal below it : let it be as long 



■ as the ftable, but its breadth fhould be according to the quantity of 

 dung you have conveniencies for making : let this pit be arch'd with 

 brick, but very flightly, and an entrance left at one end, which may 

 be fliut up, or open'd, by a wooden door : let the fides and bottom 

 be firmly lin'd with ftone, and clofely plaifter'd over with a cement, 

 which will by no means admit moiifure. 



Through the wall of this ftable, and about a foot or more from 

 the ground, let there be made fquare holes, which, opening into the 

 ftercorary, from within the ftable, muft be of fufficient largenefs for 

 the pafTage of the dung, that is from time to time to be ihovellM 

 through them. 



The ftable floor fhould be made as fmooth and hard as poflible, ." 

 that the urine of the horfes may not foak into it, but defcending 

 from them to a little gutter, clofe along the wall, thence I'Un 

 through paflages, which are purpofely to be made, into 'the -fter- 

 corary. 



Pipes of earth, which coft but little, fhould be laid, from •tki<5 



5 place, to the cow-houfe, hog-fties, and privies, that all ■ urine '•t)f 



man or beaft, of any kind whatfoever, may immediately be Gdnvey'd 



to 



