FALLOWING. 61 



now g-enerally supposed to do the sheep as much injury as it 

 will benefit the land. When folded in a large field, they 

 choose a fresh place to lie dovvn every night, and receive no 

 injury from the breath and smell of the excrements of each' 

 other. It is said, that in this way 100 sheep will, in 

 one season, sufficiently manure a fallow of 8 acres for a 

 good crop of wheat. The manure thus made should be 

 frequently ploughed or harrowed under, to prevent 

 much of its evaporation. It is reckoned by some that 

 a sheep will manure one rod square in about a fortnight. 

 Let a slight shed be made in a sheep pasture, and under 

 this cart a layer of sand or other earth about 4 or 5 

 inches thick : The sheep will resort to this for shade if 

 it be the only one in the field. As they saturate the 

 earth thus carted in, bring in more and spread it over 

 the other, and keep repeating this, until the mass is 

 raised so high as to render it necessary to cart it off. A 

 similar practice might be followed with horses and neat 

 cattle. In winter, the buildinaf appr- updated to sheep, 

 should have the floor covered a foot and a half deep 

 with sand, loam, or other earth ; for the sheep to feed 

 and lie on. Every week or two, if the weather will 

 permit, a fresh quantity of earth to the depth of 3 or 4 

 inches should be added. 



Poultry dung, tends much to facilitate vegetation, and 

 is abundantly quicker in its operation than the dung of 

 animals which feed on the leaves of plants. Liquid ma- 

 nure, made of this dung, may be applied as a top dress- 

 ing with great advantage, to promote the early vegeta- 

 tion of the seeds of onions, carrots, cabbages, &,c. It 

 must not touch the leaves of the plants. Goose dung is 

 of great service in the improvement of meadows. Sheep 

 thrive best on pastures which have been manured with 

 it. The false notion that the dung of geese occasions 

 barrenness, has probably arisen from its laying too thick, 

 for it is of a very hot and fiery nature : but if spread 

 thin it will prove a valuable manure, especially if mix- 

 ed with cooling earth, and left in a heap awhile. The 

 same may be said of any other water-fowl. In general 

 it is best to mix the dung of poultry with other substan- 

 ces before appUed to the soil. 



Urine, next to dung, is perhaps the rao«t vaJuable 

 and important of all manures. It should be used as 



