farmer's miscellany. 313 



valuable manure is every year lost to the farmer, who is careless as 

 to the preservation of them. 



A number of methods have been recommended for preserving 

 their active properties, where the substances themselves are not 

 wasted. They are disposed to undergo a change in a few hours ; 

 and any one will be aware of this fact, who reflects upon the power- 

 ful odor of ammonia which is constantly rising in his stables. This 

 is the result of the decomposition of the urine of all animals, which 

 contains substances rich in nitrogen ; and being very volaiile, it 

 escapes into the air and is lost, unless it is fixed by the application 

 of some substance which will unite with it or absorb it. Gypsum 

 has been recommended, to be sprinkled freely every day upon the 

 floor of the stables. Others have advised that the floor should be 

 sprinkled with a strong solution of common salt in water, which will 

 act in a similar way. Saw-dust or chaff, or such substances, which 

 will absorb the liquids, answer a very good purpose, as thus they 

 may be carried out and mixed with the contents of the yard. 



It does not answer, as was said before, to collect it in a mass by 

 itself, but it should always be largely diluted with water, or absorbed 

 by some substance which will fix it, either by forming a chemical 

 compound, or by holding it in its pores, or should be mixed with 

 substances which will absorb the gases as they are formed. Where 

 charcoal can be procured in sufficient quantity, it will be found 

 valuable for this purpose. This has the power of preventing its 

 decay, and of holding a large quantity in its pores, till it can be 

 spread upon the land to be washed out by the showers ; or if it 

 should undergo decomposition, still the charcoal may absorb a vast 

 amount of the gases, and preserve them until they are required for 

 use. When this can not be used, peat will be found an excellent 

 substitute. But in any case these liquids should always be mixed 

 with the solid manures, before applied, especially if they are col- 

 lected in large quantities. They are too powerful to be used alone, 

 unless very much diluted. 



A preparation of urine, under the name of urate, has been made 

 by mixing with it one-seventh of its weight of powdered gypsum, 

 and, after it has stood for a few days, pouring off the liquid ; but in 

 this way, much of the useful matter is lost. 



What immense quantities of this kind of manure are yearly suf- 

 fered to waste ! How few the farmers who make any effort to save 



