ENGLISH AGRICULTURE. 149 



the effete tissues of the body. All the effete matters of the 

 blood and bone find their way into farmyard dung. It 

 also receives all the waste and surplus matter which passes 

 through the alimentary canal, the faeces or dung, and urine 

 of animals, which of course clearly point it out to be highly 

 complicated, and to contain all those substances which go to 

 the nutrition of the body and the formation of blood. It is 

 produced not only from straw, but from grain, and all the 

 numerous cakes such as linseed-cakes, cotton-cakes, and 

 rape-cakes. It may be regarded very properly as the 

 remnants of grain, or at all events of seed. Farmyard manure, 

 therefore, is a substance which contains everything which is 

 likely to be removed from the soil, or which is likely to 

 be required by the plant. There are not many substances 

 which can compare with farmyard manure in this particular, 

 but among them I would name the following : Town sewage 

 has much to recommend it, and yet it has much which 

 detracts from its value, especially the vast amount of water 

 which is associated with it ; but inasmuch as town sewage is 

 the excreted matter of a human population feeding upon 

 highly complex foods, so far does town sewage resemble in 

 general composition farmyard dung. 



To name a few more examples. Take guano, or the 

 droppings of sea-birds. Peruvian guano has the advantage of 

 being accumulated in a dry climate, where rain seldom falls, 

 and consequently we have all the soluble materials retained 

 which belong to the faecal matter deposited by the birds. In 

 many respects guano may be likened to farmyard manure. 

 It is short of one element, potash ; but with that exception 

 guano may be considered as belonging to the type of general 

 manures. Refuse cakes, which may be applied directly to 

 the land, instead of being passed through the digestive system 

 of farm stock, may be considered as general in character. 

 The refuse of slaughter-houses, giving the basis of that well- 



