186 AMERICAN MANURES. 



the whole length of it; so that by the time the 

 farmer has collected all his material and finished 

 the heap, that part of it which was first com- 

 pleted, will probably be ready to turn over. The 

 heap, when finished, should be covered with a 

 temporary roof, to keep out the rain. 



When the farmer is collecting material for his 

 compost, nothing should be overlooked. In 

 addition to his stable manure, his hog pens 

 should be thoroughly cleared, and all the night 

 soil, chicken dung, wood and coal ashes, saw- 

 dust, leaves, corn-stalks, straw, soap suds, fish or 

 meat brine, and even old mortar, should be 

 thoroughly mixed together in the heap ; and to 

 every load of material, 20 to 25 Ibs. of plaster 

 or gypsum should be added, for reasons that will 

 be presently shown. When the farmer has 

 brought all together, he will astonish even him- 

 self by the amount he has procured ; and if he 

 attends to our directions, he will be far more 

 astonished at the results, as shown in greatly 

 increased crops. 



The most valuable substances contained in 

 the material of the compost heap are Silicate of 

 Potash, Phosphate of Lime, and Nitrogen as 

 Potential Ammonia. The chemical changes 

 effected on these substances by fermentation 

 may be briefly stated, as follows : Fermentation 

 and putrefaction are generally considered dis- 



