186 THE COMPLETE FARMER 



periments as above detailed,) and that by our common modes 

 of husbandry this stale is nearly or qui+e squandered away, 

 the discovery is of very great importance indeed to agricul- 

 ture. It is nothing less than a method by which farmers may, 

 with a small expense, somewhat more than double their usual 

 quantity of stable manure. And if farmers should ' value 

 manure as a miser does his strong box, should grasp after 

 and hoard it as eagerly and anxiously as a covetous man 

 accumulates treasure,"* surely the wise cultivator will not 

 grudge oome labor and expense to acquire more than double 

 the usual quantity of so valuable an article. It is very true 

 there are many things to be taken into consideration in all 

 these economical processes. A principal inquiry should ever 

 be, whether the saving will cost more than the benefit arising 

 from it will be worth. Many improvements which are high- 

 ly valuable in old and populous countries, w^iere labor is 

 cheap and land dear, cannot be advantageously adopted in 

 this country, v/here the object, in general, is rather to make 

 the most of our labor than of our land. It is to be recollect- 

 ed, likewise, that in New England, during a considerable 

 part of the time in which cattle are usually housed, the liquid 

 manure is soon converted into ice, and in that state must be 

 transferred to the dung-heap, or inconvenient accumulations 

 will take place before a thaw would render it practicable to 

 separate the liquid from the solid parts of the manure. Still, 

 with all these disadvantages, we believe, in most cases, it is 

 highly advisable to preserve the liquid portion of stable ma- 

 nure separate from the solid part ; especially where cattle 

 are soiled or horses stabled during all or the greater part of 

 the year. 



Manure for Grass Grounds, Top-dressings, <^c. An in- 

 telligent and scientific cultivator has given the following 

 directions on this subject. 



There is scarcely any question on which farmers are 

 more divided than as to the policy of applying manure as a 

 top-dressing to grass lands, in the spring or fall. The rea- 

 soning seems to be in favor of spring dressing, and it is sup- 

 ported by many excellent names. But it ought to be known, 

 that intelligent farmers near the metropolis most generally 

 dress their lands in autumn. Besides the reason stated 

 above, that grass lands are less injured by carting over them 



* These expressions, we believe, belong to the Hon. Mr. Peters, of 

 Pennsylvania, but we do not recollect where we found them. 



