FALLOWING. 59 



this country, and commence with dung of neat-cattle. 

 This is a cool, mild and oily substance ; and is, there- 

 fore, most suitable for warm, sandy, and gravelly soils. 

 It tends to prevent the soil's becoming- too dry, and the 

 plants on it from being parched for want of moisture. It 

 is considered less valuable than the dung of swine and 

 sheep, but more so than that of horses. Where animals 

 chew the cud, the dung is so thoroughly putrified, that it 

 may be incorporated with the soil without any previous 

 fermentation in a dunghill, better than any other kind 

 of dung ; but on many accounts, a mixture of hot and 

 cold, of dry and moist putrescent substances in the same 

 heap is very advantageous. Cow dung alone, is more ea- 

 sily dissolved by rain than any other dung. The quality 

 of the dung of animals, will in a great measure be pro- 

 portioned to the richness or poverty of its food. It is 

 also supposed that the dung of fat animals will be more 

 serviceable than that of lean ones. The dung of lean 

 hard-working cattle,-^nd young creatures when poorly 

 fed is quite inferior. 



Horse dimg^ is the poorest animal manure, the hottest 

 of any, and the most apt to excite a sudden fermenta- 

 tion. If suffered to lie in a heap till it becomes tho- 

 roughly heated, it assumes a whitish, or mouldy colour, 

 and is then of but little value. It is difficult to give it 

 age, without mixing it with other substances. If applied 

 without mixture it should be done as soon as possible. 

 It is most saitable for cold, wet, and stiff soils. For 

 raising potatoes, from its heating quality, for some soils 

 it may be used alone, nearly fresh from the stables, as 

 it will ferment in the ground and be of benetit to the 

 potatoe crop. The richest is that of stable kept horses, 

 well fed with hay and grain, and this is greatly increas- 

 ed in richness and utility, if urine and straw mix with it. 

 A mixture of horse an cow dung is very proper for 

 land that is neither too light nor too stiff. Horse dung 

 is a much stronger manure than it is supposed to be by 

 those whose constant })ractice is to suffer it to be spoil- 

 ed by over-heating in the heaps; by which it looses 

 from 50 to 75 per cent, of its value. The diligent and 

 attentive farmer should giiard against such proHigate 

 waste of property. The remedy is easy, viz. by never 

 allowing the dung to accumulate in any considerable 



