( 43 ) 

 pernatant portion is drawn off into a third cis- 

 tern below; this third basin being filled, its 

 contents, after repose, deposits, as in one of 

 the first two, a part of its suspended solid mat- 

 ter. The more fluid portion of this third ba- 

 sin is led into a fourth. The last waters are 

 conveyed through a sewer into the Seine. 

 The completion of this process leaves only 

 the pasty matters of the faeces, which are 

 then to be removed with drags or shovels 

 and spread upon the hill-sides and stirred 

 and turned until perfectly dry. After five 

 or six days the matter becomes pulverulent, 

 and forms poudrette, which must be piled 

 into heaps and beaten on their surface to 

 prevent the infiltration of rain through the 

 mass. 



In its normal state this manure contains 41.4 

 per cent, water, and 1.56 per cent, nitrogen; in 

 its dry state, the nitrogen, equals 2.67 per cent. 

 Poudrette weighs 55 pounds per bushel, and 

 sells at ^1.50 cts. per 225 pounds. It is used 

 in the proportion of 20 to 30 bushels per acre, 

 and should be applied at the time of ploughing. 



The effects of the poudrette are unfortu- 

 nately not very lasting; sometimes not ex- 

 tending even to the fructification of the cereals. 



