120 



Du:s 



DUN 



1 should think it better to mix 

 the dung of poultry and pigeons 

 with other substances, to allay 

 their heat,. before they are applied 

 to the soil. And thus qualitied, 

 they would be an excellent top 

 dressing for corn, especially in 

 cold and wet lands. On old mow- 

 ing grounds, I have found the grass 

 abundantly increased, by a spriuk- 

 hng of earth taken out of an apart- 

 ment used as a hen house, though 

 there was little or none of their 

 dung visible amongst it. 



" Human ordure is a very fat 

 and hot manure, full of fertilizing 

 salts and oils ; and, therefore, ex- 

 tremely proper for all cold, sour 

 soils ; especially if it be mixed 

 with other dung, straw, or earth, 

 to give it a fermentation, and ren- 

 der it convenient for carriage. 

 Some do not like the use of it, on 

 account of its bad smell ; and 

 others imagine, that it gives a fetid 

 taste to plants. But in this they 

 seem to carry their delicacy too 

 far. Mr. Bradley says, it is kept 

 in pits made on purpose, in for- 

 eign countries, till it be one, two, 

 three or four years old : That of 

 four years old is accounted the 

 best, that of three years tolerable. 

 Perhaps it may owe great part of 

 its richness to the urine with which 

 it is mixed; for though the human 

 urine be destructive to vegetables, 

 whilst it is new, by reason of its 

 burning sal ammoniaca! spirit, as 

 Glauber terms it, yet time will di- 

 gest the urine, and render it an 

 extraordinary fertilizer of every 

 kind of soil." Complete Farmer. 



This kind of manure should be 

 compounded with a large quantity 



of earth, and lie one or two sum- 

 mers at least, that it may be thor- 

 oughly mixed. The contents of 

 an old vault would thus make a 

 surprising quantity of excellent 

 manure. 



As dung in general is so impor- 

 tant a manure, every possible 

 method should be taken to pre- 

 vent its being wasted, a? indeed a 

 great proportion of it is, by the 

 common management of our farm- 

 ers. In no wa} is it more wasted, 

 than by its being too much expos- 

 ed to the sun, air, and rains. 

 Mixing of dry earth, or other ab- 

 sorbent substances, with heaps of 

 dung, will do much towards pre- 

 venting this loss. Or slight sheds 

 may be made over them to pre- 

 vent their strength being too much 

 wasted by heavy rams ; and at the 

 same time, to prevent a too great 

 exhalation from them. Som'^ cov- 

 er them with turfs, when they 

 choose to keep dung till it be old. 

 This is not a bad practice ; for 

 the turfs in that situation will be- 

 come good manure. I would 

 hope farmers need not be told, 

 that the grassy side should be laid 

 on the dung. Otherwise, instead 

 of consuming, it will produce a 

 crop of grass. 



If the heaps lie at the sides of 

 barns or under the eaves, the least 

 that should be done to prevent the 

 wasting of the dung, is to put up 

 gutters, that the heaps may not be 

 washed with the streams from the 

 eaves. And besides, some loose 

 boards should be set against the 

 sides of the barn, in such a manner 

 as to prevent the greatest part of 

 the rain from falling on the heaps 

 of dung. 



