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THE GENESEE FAEMEE. 865 



The first is perhaps the most difficult ; and tanks for the reception of the liquid are 

 often vecommeded and adopted by first rate farmers, and we wish there was a good tank 

 in every barn-yard in the land ; yet we think that much may be done by covering the 

 bottom of the yard with dry peat, muck, saw dust, waste straw, potato vines, and num- 

 berless other absorbent substances which can be found on most farms, and which, valueless 

 in themselves, can, thus be made into enriching fertilizers. If this be done and the yard 

 be kept constantly supplied with waste straw, the heap will absorb all the liquid of the 

 animals and what may fall in rain on its surface. If it will not, a tank, or water tight 

 pond, should be placed in a convenient place in the yard and the superabundant water 

 of the rainy season be preserved for pumping back on the heap in a dry period. If this 

 liquid be kept saturated with sulphate of lime, or refuse common salt, it will be of great 

 value to the manure, inasmuch as plaster will, in its liquid state, change the volatile 

 carbonate of ammonia into the fixed salt, sulphate of ammonia. 



The second object, or keeping up a gradual and not too rapid decomposition, is very 

 easily attained. If horse or sheep manure be thrown up loosely, so that there is a free 

 admission of air and moisture, rapid and most injurious decomposition takes place with 

 the evolition of ammonia, carbonic acid, and water. This burning process (for it is 

 nothing less than a slow process of actual combustion) may be allowed to go on till the 

 heap is greatly reduced in size, and what is left be comparatively worthless. On the 

 other- hand, if the hog and cow manure be thrown in a solid heap, little or no decom- 

 position takes place, and the manure remains in a raw and unsuitable state for direct 

 application to rapidly growing plants. The object of the farmer, therefore, should be 

 to mix these several manures together, so tha^ the horse manure, &c., shall act as a 

 ferment, and induce the desired decomposition of the hog manure, &c. In this way they 

 will counteract each other, and the heap by spring will be in first rate order for direct 

 application to the corn, potato, or other crops. Sheep do not like tt> lie on a fermenting 

 manure heap. They should, if possible, have a separate yard to run in at night, and 

 the manure they make be hauled to the heap as often as practicable, fresh straw being 

 suppplied in its place. It is generally necessary that sheep and cattle should run on 

 the manure heap so as to compress it and prevent too rapid fermentation. 



The third condition necessary to preserve the valuable elements of manure is to 

 prevent leaching. This can be accomplished by having all the buildings round the 

 yard spouted, and the water conducted away without falling on the manure. If this is 

 done, the water falling on the ijatural sarface of the heap will not usually be more than 

 the manure can absorb ; if it is, as we have before said, it should be preserved — satu- 

 rated with plaster and conveyed back to the heap in dry weather. 



We believe if these three conditions were attended to in the manner we have 

 mentioned, or in some other way better suited to individual situations, the value of the 

 manure on most farms would be at least doubled. 



In conveying the litter from the stable, cow-house, and pig-pens, a good large farm 

 yard wheelbaiTOW is absolutely necessary. Indeed, we think a wheelbarrow is one o^ 

 the most essential vehicles to the proper management of a well-conducted farm estab- 

 lishment — a one horse lifting cart standing next in our estimation. Both tire needtil 

 to perform much necessary work in the most economical manner. 



We liave said nothing about the condition in which it is best to apply manure, whether 

 in a fermented or unfennented state, about which there is much difierence of opinion, 

 not only among chemists, but among farmers themselves. There is necessarily a loss 

 during tlie fermenting process ; but if it is confined to water and carbonic acid, the loss 

 to the farmer is of little or no consequence. And if the heap is managed as we have 

 directed, and especially if saturated solutions of plaster are frequently pumped and 

 re-pumped on the heap, little of the ammonia need escape. In such a case the more 

 the heap is reduced by fermentation, the less labor will be required to haul and spread 





