farmers' miscellany. '317 



heap to keep it from becoming too dry. All the substances which 

 would be added to the mass of the manure in the farm-yard may be 

 in the same way added to the compost heap to increase the quantity 

 IS well as improve the value of it. 



We had proposed to defer the consideration of the application 

 3f manures to the soil, to a future article. We will, however, 

 venture one or two remarks on that subject here. Are not ma- 

 lures too generally buried too deep for obtaining their full influence 

 ipon growing plants ? There are two sources of loss to be avoid- 

 ■d— one is the tendency of the gases to escape into the air, and 

 he other the tendency of the soluble portions to be washed down- 

 •ards into the earth ; and these in practice stand directly opposite 

 ) each other. But, w^e believe, the downward tendency is the 

 lost to be avoided. A very slight covering of earth, from its po- 

 )us nature, is capable of confining all the gases. But the rain 

 lling upon the earth and passing directly through the soil, must 

 evitably, in its passage, carry down too low for the roots of 

 ants, all the soluble portions of manure. Allowance must be 

 ade for difference in soils; we refer to the general principle, 

 hich will be examined more at large hereafter. 



