34 On Liquid Manure. 



result of a morning's ramble over the whole of the farm, and 

 an animated discussion afterwards between us, was, that I 

 thought with my friend that the most practical mode of dis- 

 posing of the liquid manure in this case, was to let it run away 

 "as fast as it would." I trust I may not be understood as 

 advocating this novel, and I believe by no means uncommon, 

 method of dealing with the contents of liquid-manure tanks on 

 heavy clay farms. We cannot avoid recognising in this practice 

 a waste which, no doubt, may be avoided, but which, under 

 peculiar circumstances, is an evil that is more economically 

 endured than cured. 



Disclaiming, therefore, the intention of laying down fixed 

 rules for the management of liquid manure, and avoiding the 

 consideration of many practical matters, I propose to point out, 

 by way of example, one circumstance which I believe more than 

 any other must affect the arrangements on a farm for disposing of 

 the liquid excrements of animals. 



There are three modes of disposing of the liquid excrements of 

 animals on soils on which irrigation witn liquid manure cannot 

 be carried out with advantage : 



1. Where the urine of animals is completely absorbed by litter 

 in feeding-boxes. 



2. Where the urine and drainings of stables, cowhouses, and 

 pigsties, are collected in a small tank in close proximity to a 

 covered manure-pit. 



3. Where the liquid excrements of domestic animals, the 

 sewage of dwelling-houses, drainage-water, and every kind of 

 animal refuse matter are collected together in a water-tight 

 tank of larger capacity, situated, as in No. 2, close to the manure- 

 pit. 



I assume that the manure-tank in Nos. 2 and 3 is provided 

 with a forcing-pump, by means of which the tank liquid can be 

 spread over the solid manure, as occasion requires. 



In no instance would 1 recommend that the liquid collected in 

 the tank should be applied by itself. Manure I believe ought 

 either all to be used in a liquid form or all in a solid state. I 

 consider it decidedly a bad practice to employ separately the 

 solid and the liquid excrements of animals. 



The adoption of one or the other of these three modes of dealing 

 with liquid manure must depend chiefly on the supply of straw. 



On farms where no young stock is kept, and just enough straw 

 is produced to provide fattening cattle and horses with the requi- 

 site quantity of chaff and a sufficient amount of bedding material, 

 I believe the best mode of disposing the liquid and solid excre- 

 ments is to make the manure in boxes. 



In well-managed box-feeding there is no waste by drainage of 

 the most valuable portion of manure, nor waste by evaporation of 



