36 



thrown from the manure trough behind the animals. This room 

 would then probably be long, and just wide enough to hold the 

 accumulations of the season. A better, though more expensive 

 way, is to provide a square or round room, to which the barnyard 

 manure may be carried in a wheel-barrow or cart. 



One of the litters before mentioned should be provided daily, 

 the amount to be used being calculated according to the amount 

 of liquid present. With horses, allowing 6-| pounds of dry dung 

 and 22f pounds (about three gallons) of urine per day and 

 per animal, the proper amount of straw would be from 4 to 6 

 pounds daily. This would give from 5|- to 5^ tons per horse, 

 annually. With cows, the Germans calculate the dry substance 

 in the food, and take litter equal to one-third of that weight. A 

 somewhat extended practice is to shake out the clean straw from 

 the horse manure in the morning, allow it to dry in the open air 

 and then use it over again. This allows of making a more com- 

 fortable bed for the animals without admixing an excess of litter. 

 If properly done the method is not a bad one, but if it increases 

 the evaporation of fermented urine, it should not be followed. 



The floor should be sprinkled daily with a very thin coat of one 

 of the fixers, land plaster being one of the best. If it is desired 

 to hinder fermentation, a preservative may be sprinkled on the 

 manure pile daily. 



As has been seen, the manures from different animals differ con- 

 siderably in their qualities. For special purposes it is often 

 advisable to keep these apart. If a " hot" manure for forcing is 

 desired, then horse manure should be made alone, or at the most 

 mixed only with sheep manure. Poultry manure acts quickly, its 

 constituents, especially the nitrogen, being in a very assimilable 

 form. Fixers should be spread in the poultry yard and the mate- 

 rial mixed with peat or muck. This gives a very valuable product 

 for truck. Manure for general purposes is best when made of an 

 intimate mixture of the dung and the urine from all the animals. 

 Careful mixing when the manure is thrown on to the pile is of 

 great importance. It aids in preventing "fire-fang" in the hot 

 horse dung, and promotes fermentation in the cold varieties. 

 Leaching should be prevented as much as possible. If it occurs, 

 and it generally does, the leached liquor should be thrown on to the 

 heap as evenly as possible, by means of a scoop or a pump with a 

 long adjustable spout. This precaution is not merely to save the 

 liquor, but also to promote proper fermentation. 



In case of a large proportion of hot horse manure, this liquor 

 may not be sufficient to maintain a regular fermentation. The 

 manure may "fire-fang" and smoke. In that case it will be 



