192 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Now wliat is the result ? I see a gentleman before me now 

 who called my attention, two or tliree years ago, to a field of 

 some fifteen or sixteen acres, as we were looking over his farm 

 one pleasant afternoon, and asked me if I could see any differ- 

 ence in the vegetation upon the surface. Said I, " It is distinct 

 to anybody. Any person who can see at all can see that here is 

 a line just as distinct as can be. On the right liand the herbage 

 is larger, greener, and has a different appearance from that on 

 the left hand side. What has caused it? I suppose you have 

 cultivated and manured that side more than the rest of the 

 land ? " " No," said he ; " for thirty years that whole field has 

 been manured and cultivated and cropped alike, as nearly as we 

 could do it, and with the same rotation of crops — corn, grass 

 and grain." " Well, then, what can have caused it ? " Said 

 he, " Thirty years ago I hauled peat from that meadow on to 

 the right hand side of this field." I think he said about one 

 load to the square rod. Thirty years ago that was done, and 

 there was the evidence of it two or three years ago, and I pre- 

 sume it is there to this day. That peat was used in a crude 

 state, although it was found equally excellent hauled up there, 

 spread and ploughed in. 



Then, as an adjunct to your manure heap, there is nothing 

 equal to it. There is no other material which is so valuable. 

 For instance, in the autumn, haul into your barn a quantity of 

 peat tliat was taken out of the muck hole two or three months 

 before, piled up, and the water drained from it ; haul it into 

 your barn cellar and make a large winrow of it in front of the 

 droppings of the cattle, and then cover those droppings every 

 Saturday with that peat, but do not fail to do it. What is the 

 result ? Once a week, (twice a week would be better, but once 

 a week will answer very well,) you cover these fresh droppings, 

 liquids and solids, with this black peat ; the droppings are 

 thoroughly mingled with this peat, and every spoonful of liquid 

 is absorbed as it falls, and absorbed as it is warm, too, which is 

 very important indeed, and therefore there is no odor in evapo- 

 ration, or very little indeed, and your barn is just as sweet all 

 the time as this room, although you may have a stock of twenty- 

 five or thirty head of cattle. This is a result that can be shown 

 in many instances in this town. You thus save everything. 

 I would cut all tlie fodder, and have it fine. When you como 



