SECRETARY'S REPORT. 199 



Another advantage secured in their combination is, a more 

 equal and proper decomposition. The urine, containing about 

 twice as much ammonia as the sohd, causes rapid fermentation, 

 and consequent decomposition. When the two are united, the 

 whole mass is more readily brought into the proper state to 

 furnish nutriment for the growing crop. 



The question, then, of practical importance to every farmer, 

 is, How shall I make upon my farm the largest amount of valua- 

 ble manure, and how shall it be treated, to attain to the fullest 

 extent, its value as food for plants ? If it wore practicable, I 

 would say, let it be applied to the soil while in its recent state. 

 As this cannot always be done, we must adopt some method of 

 retaining a portion of it for future use. 



The plan I have adopted, and recommend as most effective 

 and economical, is, to provide a cellar below the stable, into 

 which the cattle droppings and litter shall be deposited daily, 

 with the frequent addition of muck, loam, or sand, sufficient to 

 absorb all the surplus moisture. This, with keeping swine upon 

 it, will prevent its too rapid fermentation, and preserve it most 

 nearly from loss. 



When a cellar cannot conveniently be had, let a water-tight 

 trench be constructed immediately behind the cattle, in which 

 some absorbent, sufficient to retain all the urine, should be 

 placed, and with the cattle droppings, be removed daily to a 

 covered shed. The principal objection to this latter course is 

 the additional labor of removing the earth, or other absorbent. 



When cattle are allowed to stand upon a ground floor, and 

 the manure is removed only occasionally, the floor should be 

 covered with a thick coating of earth, to be removed, from time 

 to time, and its place be supplied with fresh earth. 



Manure should never be exposed to the influence of sun or 

 rain (particularly the latter,) until it is distributed upon the 

 land. By suffering such exposure, its most valuable salts, being 

 soluble in water, are dissolved, and either carried away with 

 the surface water, or descend into the soil. In proof of this, we 

 need only to notice the effect where a heap of manure has lain 

 during several rains. The visible portion of the manure may 

 be entirely removed from that spot, yet the succeeding crops will 

 indicate most clearly that a larger portion of its value was 



