343 



land in its green state and ploughed in, must t^ liable to more or 

 less waste — whereas if made into compost, especially if lime be 

 mixed in, it is subject to little or no loss. From two hundred 

 sheep and a dozen young cattle, well bedded with loam and 

 vegetable mould during the last winter, I have now a compost 

 heap of 300 cart-loads, and an equal quantity made from the 

 manure of my horse and cow stables, mixed with peat-mud 

 drawn out last winter. The first, being made principally of 

 loam and vegetable mould, is intended for top-dressing the grass 

 upon my reclaimed meadows ; the other pile, being a mixture 

 of peat and stable manure, is intended for uplands. These 

 piles will be in fine condition for my crops the next spring, and 

 will contribute more to the improvement of my grounds than if 

 my last winter's stock of manure had been taken green from 

 the stables unmixed and unfermented, and spread upon the land 

 last spring. The bulk is quadrupled ; and no farmer, I believe, 

 Avill pretend that four loads of this compost will not enrich the 

 ground more than one load of green manure, especially that 

 composed of peat-mud — which has been ascertained, on chem- 

 ical analysis by a very distinguished agricultural chemist, to 

 contain as much vegetable nutriment as an equal quantity of 

 cow-dung.* The peat-mud, however, should be combined 



* The following is the analysis of C T. Jackson, M. D. the accomplished 

 geologist of Maine, Rhode Island and New Hampshire, of some of the peat 

 from Mr Phinney's farm. 



"It was sent to me in as dry a state as is required when it is used for fu- 

 el, but it still contained water in considerable proportions. One hundred 

 grains of the peat dried at 300«> Fah. weighed 74 grains, loss 26 grains wa- 

 ter. The dry peat was burned in a platina (;rucible and left 5.0 ashes of 

 gray color. The vegetable matter by difference is 69.0. The ashes anal- 

 yzed yielded 



Silica 1.0 



Alumina, iron and manganese, 0.6 

 Phosphate of Lime, 3.0 



Potash, traces, 00 



4.6 

 100 grains of dry peat would give 7 grains of ashes and 93 grains of veg- 

 etable matter. 



