MANURE ON DAIRY-FARMS. 103 



" Do you not wet it and let it ferment before putting it in the 

 pile?" 



" No, Deacon," said I, "I feed tlie bran, malt-combs and corn- 

 meal to the cows, pigs, and sheep, and let them do the mixing. 

 They work it up fine, moisten it, break up the particles, take out 

 the carbonaceous matter, which we do not need for manure, and 

 the cows and sheep and horses mix it up thoroughly with the hay, 

 straw, and corn-stalks, leaving the whole in just the right con- 

 dition to put into a pile to ferment or to apply directly to the land." 



" Oh ! I see," said the Deacon, " I did not think you used bran 

 for manure." 



" Yes, I do, Deacon," said I, " but I use it for food first, and this 

 is precisely what I would urge you and all others to do. I feel 

 sure that our dairymen can well afford to buy more mill-feed, 

 corn-meal, oil-cake, etc., and mix it with their cow-dung or 

 rather, let the cows do the mixing." 



LETTER FROM THE HON. HARRIS LEWIS. 



I wrote to the Hon. Harris Lewis, the well known dairyman of 

 Herkiiner Co., N. Y., asking him some questions in regard to mak- 

 ing and managing manure on dairy farms. The questions will be 

 understood from the answers. He Avrites as follows: 



" My Friend Harris. This being the first leisure time I have had 

 since the receipt of your last letter, I devote it to answering your 

 questions : 



" 1st. I have no manure cellar. 



" I bed my cows with dry basswood sawdust , saving all the 

 liquid manure, keeping the cows clean, and the stable odors down 

 to a tolerable degree. This bedding breaks up the tenacity of the 

 cow-manure, rendering it as easy to pulverize and manage as clear 

 horse-manure. I would say it is just lovely to bed cows with dry 

 basswood sawdust. This manure, if left in a large pile, will ferment 

 and burn like horse-manure in about 10 days. Hence I draw it 

 out as made where I desire to use it, leaving it in small heaps, con- 

 venient to spread. 



" My pigs and calves aro bedded with straw, and this is piled 

 and rotted before using. 



" I use most of my manure on grass land,. and mangels, some on 

 corn and potatoes ; but it pays me best, when in proper condition, 

 to apply all I do not need for mangels, on meadow and pasture. 



"Forty loads, or about 18 to 20 cords is a homoeopathic dose for 

 an acre, and this quantity, or more, applied once in three years to 

 grass land, agrees with it first rate. 



