MAN 



MAN 



259 



easily pulverised, and in this state 

 may be used. 



" The Chinese, who have more 

 practical knowledge of the use and 

 application of manures than any 

 other people existing, mix their 

 night soil with one third of its 

 weight of a fat marie, make it into 

 thin cakes, and dry it in the sun. 

 These cakes, we are informed by 

 the French missionaries, have no 

 disagreeable smell, and form a com- 

 mon article of commerce of the em- 

 pire. 



" The earth by its absorbent pow- 

 ers probably prevents to a certain 

 extent, the action of moisture upon 

 the dung, and likewise defends it 

 from the effects of air. 



"After night soil pigeon dung 

 comes next in order, as to fertiliz- 

 ing power. It is evident that this 

 manure should be applied as new 

 as po>-sible, and when dry it may be 

 employed in the same manner as 

 the other manures capable of being 

 pulverized. 



" ThedungofcZomes/ic/ow/^ ap- 

 proaches very nearly in its nature 

 to pigeons' dung. 



" The dung of cattle, oxen and 

 cows has been chemically examined 

 by M. M. Einhotr aiid Thaer. 

 They found that it contained mat- 

 ter soluble in water, and that it 

 gave in fermentation nearly the 

 same products as vegetable sub- 

 stances, absorbing oxygene and 

 producing carbonic acid gas. 



" If the pure dung of cattle is to 

 be used as manure like the other I 

 species of dung which have been 

 mentioned, there seems no reason, j 

 why it should be made to ferment 

 except in the soil ; or if suffered to i 



ferment it should be only in a very 

 slight degree. The grass in the 

 neighbourhood of recently voided 

 dung is always coarse and daik 

 green. Some persons have attri- 

 buted this to a noxious quality in 

 unfermented durg; but it seems to 

 be rather the result of an excess of 

 food furnished to the plarits. 



" The question of the proper 

 mode of application of the dung of 

 horses and cattle, however, proper- 

 ly belongs to the subject oi compo- 

 site manures, for it is usually mix- 

 ed in the farm yard wifh straw, 

 olFdl, chaff, and various kinds of 

 litter; and itself confaii\s d large 

 proportion of fibrous vegetable 

 matter. 



" A slight incipient fermentation 

 is undoiibtedly of use in the dimg- 

 hi!l ; for b) means of it a disposi- 

 tiotj is brought on in the woody fi- 

 bre to decay and dissolve when it 

 is carried to the land, or ploughed 

 into the soil; and woody fibre is 

 always in great excess in the refuse 

 of the farm. 



"■ Too great a degree of fermen- 

 tation is however, very prejudicial 

 to the composite manure in the 

 dung-hill ; it is better that there 

 should be no fermention at all be- 

 fore the manure is used, than that 

 t should be carried too far. The 

 ■xcess offermentation tends to the 

 destruction and dissipation of the 

 most useful part of the manure ; 

 and the ultimate results of this pro- 

 cess are like those of combustion. 

 It is a common practice among far- 

 mers to suffer the farm yard dung 

 to ferment till the fibrous texture of 

 the vegetable matter is completely 

 broken down ; and till the manure 



