1846.] Orange County Manures. 37 



when fresh dug in a very improper state to apply to the land. It 

 has not undergone those changes which fit it for being food for 

 plants. It requires a considerable preparation to make it good 

 manure. And this takes us back to the barn-yard and the com- 

 post heap. 



No better and easier use can be made of peat than as a cover- 

 ing to the floor of the yard, before other manure is put there. 

 The yard should be prepared as directed before, and then the bot- 

 tom of it should have a thick covering of peat. Over this the 

 manure of the stables and the droppings of the cattle should be 

 evenly spread, in order to be trodden down and well mixed with 

 the peat beneath. The liquids will all be absorbed and retained 

 by the peat, so that whilst it is being prepared itself to become a 

 manure, it is also aiding in preserving other manure which would 

 otherwise be lost. Dr. Dana, of Lowell, says that two loads of 

 peat mixed with one load of stable manure will soon be converted 

 into a mass of manure equal to three loads from the stable. Such 

 being the case, it will readily appear, that when properly used in 

 the farm-yard, an immense amount of manure may be manu- 

 factured. 



Where the manure is heaped up as directed above, the peat can 

 be employed with equal advantage. After each layer of manure 

 is put on and packed down, let a layer of peat be added of twice 

 the thickness. Let the heap be frequently well wet with the 

 liquids from the yards, and when completed be covered with a 

 thick coat of the peat, and when wanted for use it will be found 

 of the very best quality. 



A very important use of peat remains to be mentioned, and that 

 is as an absorbent of the urine from the stables. Too little value 

 is commonly set upon this kind of manure, and it is therefore suf- 

 fered to waste. Yet, of all the excrements of our domestic ani- 

 mals, it is the most powerful when properly preserved. If col- 

 lected in large quantities, it would soon undergo a change, by 

 which a large portion of valuable material would be lost. It is 

 necessary therefore to use great precaution against loss. It is 



