XII.] THE MANAGEMENT OF MANURE lyj 



render them watertight. Yards, in particular, should 

 be so constructed that the accumulated manure is not 

 above the general ground line outside, in which case 

 there will always be a gradual soaking away of the 

 liquid. On the other hand, yards made thus below the 

 general ground level are apt to flood in heavy rain, so 

 that the excess of liquid containing the soluble part of 

 the manure has to be run off to waste by means of a 

 drain ; this can, however, be avoided by cutting drains 

 outside to keep land water from running into the yard, 

 and by seeing that all the surrounding sheds are 

 properly provided with guttering. For real economy of 

 litter, part at least of the yard should be covered ; if the 

 whole yard is covered, a certain amount of care is 

 necessary to prevent the dung from getting at times too 

 dry. Only just enough litter should be used to soak up 

 the urine, and in order to prevent the liquid working up 

 to the surface with the trampling, the floor of the yard 

 should run down to a slight hollow, filled at first with 

 something stiff like bean haulm or coarse peat moss, in 

 which the excess of liquid may collect. Above all, the 

 manure should be kept tightly trampled ; the greatest 

 amount of loss takes place when the urine falls on a thin 

 layer of loose strawy litter. The yards and boxes should 

 be deep enough to carry the animals through the whole 

 winter, so that they need not be cleaned out except 

 when dung is wanted to go straight on the land. A box, 

 for example, 8 feet by lo feet in area, with an available 

 depth of 3 feet, would hold about 9 cubic yards, or 8 

 tons of dung when well trodden down. This would 

 accommodate two beasts, each receiving 10 lb. of straw 

 in food and 12 lb. in litter per diem, for four months. 

 As far as possible, manure in the spring should be left 

 undisturbed until the autumn, it may then be carted out 

 on to the stubbles and ploughed in where potatoes or 



