FARM-YARD MANURE. 



urine. (Annals ofAgric.\o\. ix. p. 652. Ibid. 

 vcl. iii. p. 67 69.) Lord Meadowbank, Mr. 

 Dixon, and others have successfully employed 

 peat in a similar way (English JJgric. Soc. Journ. 

 vol. i. p. 138), and the latter agriculturist often 

 makes his excellent compost heaps of merely 

 peat and urine. The liquid or soluble portion 

 of farm-yard manure constitutes, in fact, its 

 richest portion. Of the powerful effect pro- 

 duced by the urine of cattle, and other liquid 

 fertilizers, I shall have hereafter occasion to 

 speak, when treating on liquid manure. 



It is usual for the farmer, although not so 

 common a practice as is desirable, to increase 

 the bulk, if not the quality, of his dung-heaps, 

 by adding to them various other substances ; 

 thus, as to enlarging them, by adding to that 

 of the farm-yard, peat-moss, the late Lord Mea- 

 dowbank made many experiments with suc- 

 cess ; and his directions are of a very simple 

 and easily followed description. "Let the peat- 

 moss," he says, "be thrown out of the pit for 

 some weeks or months, in order to lose its re- 

 dundant moisture. By this means it is render- 

 ed the lighter to carry, and less compact and 

 heavy when made up with fresh dung for fer- 

 mentation ; and, accordingly, less dung is re- 

 quired for this purpose than if the preparation 

 is made with peat taken recently from the pit; 

 the peat taken from near the surface or at a 

 considerable depth answers equally well. Take 

 the peat-moss to a dry spot convenient for con- 

 structing a dunghill, to serve the field to be 

 manured; lay the cart-loads of it in two rows, 

 and of the dung in a row between them. The 

 dung thus lies nearly on an area of the future 

 compost dunghill, and the rows of peat should 

 be near enough each other that workmen, in 

 making up the compost, may be able to throw 

 them together by the spade. In making up, let 

 the workmen begin at one end, and at the ex- 

 tremity of the row of dung (which should not 

 extend quite so far at that end as the rows of 

 peat on each side of it do), let them lay a bottom 

 of peat six inches deep and fifteen feet wide, 

 if the ground admits of it; then throw forward 

 and lay on about ten inches of dung abo^e the 

 bottom of peat, then add from the side rows 

 about six inches of peat, then four or five of 

 dung, and then six more of peat; then another 

 thin layer of dung, and then cover it over with 

 peat at the end where it was begun, and at the 

 two sides. The compost should not be raised 

 above four feet or four feet and a half high, 

 otherwise it is apt to press too heavily on the 

 under parts, and check the fermentation ; when 

 a beginning is thus made, the workmen will 

 proceed working backwards, and adding to the 

 column of compost, as they are furnished with 

 the three rows of materials directed to be laid 

 down for them. They must take care not to 

 tread on the compost,"or render it too compact; 

 and, of consequence, in proportion as the peat 

 is wet, it should be made up in lumps, and not 

 much broken. In mild weather, 7 cart-loads 

 ?f common farm dung, tolerably fresh made, is 

 sufficient for 21 cart-loads of peat-moss; but, 

 in cold weather, a larger proportion of dung is 

 desirable. To every 28 cart-loads of the com- 

 post when made up, it is of use to throw on 

 above it a cart-load of ashes, either made from 

 460 



FARM-YARD MANURE. 



coal, peat, or wood ; or, if these cannot be had, 

 half the quantity of slaked lime may be used, 

 the more finely powdered the better:" but these 

 additions are nowise essential to the general 

 success of the compost. The dung to be used 

 should either have been recently made or kept 

 fresh by compression, as by the treading of 

 cattle or swine, or by carts passing over it; 

 and if there is little or no litter in it, a smaller 

 quantity will serve, provided any spongy vege- 

 table matter is added at making up the com- 

 post, as fresh weeds, the rubbish of a stack- 

 yard, potato-shaves, sawings of timber, &c.; 

 and as some sorts of dung, even when fresh, 

 are much more advanced in decomposition 

 than others, it is material to attend to this ; for 

 a much less proportion of such dung as is less 

 advanced will serve for the compost, provided 

 care is taken to keep the mass sufficiently open, 

 either by a mixture of the above-mentioned sub- 

 stances, or, if these are wanting, by adding the 

 peat piecemeal; that is, first making it up in 

 the usual proportion of three to one of dung, 

 and then adding, after a time, an equal quantity 

 more or less of moss. The dung of this quality 

 of greatest quantity is shamble dung, with 

 which, under the above precautions, six times 

 the quantity of peat, or more, may be prepared. 

 The same holds as to pigeons' dung and other 

 fowl dung, and, to a certain extent, also, as to 

 that which is collected from towns, and made 

 by animals that feed on grains, refuse of dis- 

 tilleries, &c. 



" The compost, after it is made up, gets into 

 a general heat sooner or later, according to the 

 weather and the condition of the dung : in sum- 

 mer, in ten days or sooner; in winter, not per- 

 haps for many weeks, if the cold is severe. It 

 always, however, has been found to come on 

 at last; and in summer it sometimes rises so 

 high as to be mischievous, by consuming the 

 materials (Fire-Fanging). In that season a 

 stick "should be kept in it in different parts, to 

 pull out and feel now and then ; for, if it ap- 

 proaches to blood heat, it should either be 

 watered or turned over, and, on such an occa- 

 sion, advantage may be taken to mix it with a 

 little fresh moss. The heat subsides after a 

 time, and with great variety, according to the 

 weather, the dung, and the perfection of the 

 making up of the compost, which then should 

 be allowed to remain untouched till within 

 three weeks of using, when it should be turned 

 over upside down, and outside in, and all lumps 

 broken ; then it comes into a second heat, but 

 soon cools, and should be taken out for use. 

 In this state the whole, except bits of the old 

 decayed wood, appears a black, free mass, and 

 spreads like garden mould. Use it weight for 

 weight as farm-yard dung, and it will be found 

 in a course of cropping fully equal to stand the 

 comparison." After a long-continued observa- 

 tion and successful use of peat, Mr. H. Davis 

 is of opinion that peat, in common with most 

 organic manures, has a strong tendency to rise 

 to the surface of all cultivated soils, thus fol- 

 lowing a rule directly opposite to those of 

 earthy fertilizers, which certainly descend into 

 the land. ( Young's Jlnnals, vol. xli. p. 547.) 



Compost, if made up before January, has 

 hitherto been in good order for the spring- 



