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A good proportion of lime will 

 be proper in these, composts, to as- 

 sist in dissolving the vegetiible sub- 

 stances. It is best that the layers 

 of each substance should be thin, 

 as the heaps will need the less turn- 

 ing and mixing afterwards. 



It ma) be very convenient for 

 the farmer to build a stercorary ad- 

 joining to the side of his barn, 

 wliere the cattle are housed, cov- 

 ering it with a continuation of the 

 roof. In this case, the dung may 

 be thrown directly through the win- 

 dows into the heap ; from whence, 

 through doors, it will not be diffi 

 cult to shovel it into carts. 



But, instead of this method, some 

 gentlemen farmers in this country 

 have begun to set the example of 

 making cellars under (heir barns, 

 into apartments of which, the dung 

 is easily passed through scuttles in 

 the tioors. Other substances may 

 be easily mixed with dung from 

 time to time as there may be occa- 

 sion. Or it may be kept to im- 

 prove by itself. A cart way must 

 be prepared to go through the cel- 

 lar, or one entrance at least, not so 

 steep but that a common team may 

 draw out a cart full. The floor 

 should be well paved, and the wall 

 made tight with mortar, to prevent 

 the escaping of the fluid parts of 

 the manure. But the floor over- 

 head needs not to be very tight ; be- 

 cause the stale will not be lost, if 

 it should pass through the seams. 



This method, in our cold coun- 

 try may be allowed to be prefera- 

 ble to building any other stercora- 

 ry ; especially as part of the cellar 

 may be employed in storing roots, 

 &c. for the cattle. For it is no 



small advantage, to have the dung 

 deposited, during the winter, in a 

 place where no stop is put to its 

 fermentation by frost. Besides, it 

 is to be remembered, that the freez- 

 ing causes a plentiful evaporation 

 of the strength of the manure, 

 which in this way is prevented. 



It would be well to divide the 

 parts of the-cellar under the scut- 

 tles into pens, that the heaps may 

 lie the more compact, and be less 

 liable to too much drying. And as 

 the heaps will need mixing with 

 the shovel, it will be convenient 

 to shovel the manure from pen to 

 pen. 



But instead of making stercora- 

 ries, or dunghills, in the usual 

 modes, the Society of Improvers, in 

 Scotland, prefer middens, or mid- 

 dings as they are there called, as 

 it saves labour and expense in the 

 management of manures. "Take, 

 say they, in the field intended to be 

 manured, a head ridge that is con- 

 veniently situated. Plough it two 

 or three times, as deep as can be 

 in the cleaving way, if the ridge 

 be high gathered, and harrow it 

 well : Then lay thereon your slimy 

 clay, about a foot thick, a part of 

 the earth uncovered. Next lay a 

 thin layer of dung, another of clay, 

 and after that a layer of unslacked 

 lime, at least a foot thick : Then 

 throw up the earth left uncovered 

 on each side. After this repeat 

 another layer of clay, then lime 

 and finish with clay or sea wreck, 

 covered with earth. The more of 

 the slimy clay the better; for 

 though it may be cold, yet it will 

 not be the worse for a sandy hot 

 ground. If you examine the clay» 



