FARMYARD MANURE 188 



Seeing that farmyard manure can seldom 

 be carted direct to the land, it is necessary to 

 provide suitable conditions for storage during 

 a period of three months or more. The 

 objects during this period should be to 

 secure the preservation of the valuable 

 ingredients, to produce equality through- 

 out the mass, and to prevent excessive 

 reduction in weight. To secure these desir- 

 able results the following points should be 

 attended to. The floor of the dung heap 

 should, as far as possible, be impervious to 

 the passage of liquids, nor should liquids 

 be allowed to flow away from the mass, 

 unless they can be led into a suitable tank. 

 These liquids contain most of the potash, 

 and also the larger percentage of the nitrogen, 

 and especially of the nitrogen that is more 

 immediately available for the use of crops. 

 One should also see that fermentation pro- 

 ceeds slowly and uniformly, an object that 

 is best secured by keeping the mass as com- 

 pact as possible, and by maintaining it in a 

 thoroughly moist condition. Compactness 

 can be best secured by making the heap as 

 deep as possible, and by running the barrow, 

 that brings the manure from the various 

 houses, over the heap, so as to assist consoli- 

 dation. As regards moisture, there will be 



