Manure Saving. 145 



Right here I may as well tell how I manage my horse stalls. 

 They are not cleaned every day and are not filthy either ; in fact, 

 they are nearly as sweet and clean as our house. I do not quite 

 mean that, but I do mean they are so free from foul odors, even 

 in hot weather, that coming in from out doors you would seldom 

 notice any difference in the purity of the air. This is good for 

 man and beast. We have box-stalls, but can tie up two horses in 

 each, if need be. Taking one of these box-stalls when cleaned 

 out we will put in a lot of dry straw, say a foot deep. The straw 

 is right overhead^ kept there when we thresh, so it is dry and 

 handy. The next morning-, and every morning afterwards 

 until it is full, we spread the manure, which maybe mostly in one 

 place, around evenly with a fork, level the surface up well, sprinkle 

 it with land plaster, a pint or so to a stall, and then get down 

 fresh straw and spread all over. We do about the same at night. 

 Thus treated, the top is always dry and clean, foul gases do not 

 rise, to speak of; it is a soft floor for horses to stand on, the 

 manure is all saved in a perfect way and can be wheeled out all 

 at once some rainy day. It saves so much choring. No harm 

 has ever come to horses' feet. Of course, the abuse of this plan 

 might make a filthy mess of it. This is no sudden whim, but 

 the way we have done practically for many years the very best 

 way I know of, for myself. I assure any reader without ex- 

 perience in saving all the manure from his horses, and a very 

 few do, that we make about twice as many loads per horse in a 

 year, by weight, and each load is worth nearly .twice as much. 

 This is just about the truth of the matter. After taking out to 

 one side the top straw, which is dry, we wheel out heavy, solid 

 manure, entirely saturated with urine, never fire-fanged in the 

 least, all from having an absolutely water-tight floor beneath. 

 When horses run loose in a box-stall they tramp it so that in 

 connection with the wetting from urine, it heats scarcely at all in 

 midsummer. If they were tied it would not do as well. Ours 

 are always loose nights, if tied day times. We do not wheel out 

 until the manure begins to be in the way or raises the horse too 

 much for him to eat comfortably out of the manger. The man- 

 gers were built with the bottom up a foot from floor. I have not 

 found a single objection to this plan in practice and much in its 

 favor. It would be impossible to keep a stable with cracks in 

 floors as sweet if cleaned every hour. Few tight floors cleaned 

 daily are as free from foul odors. I once was on jury a week in a 

 city hall that was built over a fire engine house. Great care was 

 taken to keep the stables clean, but the stench in the hall above 

 was worse than you will often find in my barn. I can hardry 

 speak too highly of the use of land plaster as an absorbent of 

 gases. If you have not tried it you are missing something 

 valuable. It costs here about $i per barrel of 250 pounds and 

 I always keep it on hand. It not only absorbs the gases, but 



