ON MANURES. 29 



summer, but even gains. The evaporation may, indeed, be 

 not so great as it is generally supposed ; for, although it is true, 

 that when the dung is carted out and spread, it then effects 

 the air with a strong musky smell, yet there is no mode of 

 avoiding that ; and even if there were, the vapour which is 

 thus diffused is so tenuous, light, and expansive, that doubts 

 may be entertained whether the quantity of sap which is tlius 

 evaporated can be very considerable, as, after a short period, 

 tlie dung does not exhale any odour. According to the expe- 

 rience of M. Thaer, it does not lose in weight; and he 

 remarks, that, if laid during a few weeks upon a sammer fal- 

 low, a number of young plants of a very vivid green will be 

 seen to spring up, even upon spots which have not come into 

 contact with the dung ; which proves that its fertilizing pro- 

 perties were spread around, even before it had been buried in 

 the soil* 



We have thus entered at large into this discussion, because 

 we consider it important to throw every light upon the subject 

 of which it may be susceptible ; and it besides contains some 

 strong reasons for the application of long dung. 



There are, however, many farmers who persist in the use 

 of over-year muck, or that which has been kept perhaps a 

 twelve-month, or more, until it is completely reduced to a 

 pulp, in which state it is very commonly applied to turnips. 

 It thus loses perhaps half its bulk ; but it is considered pecu- 

 liarly favourable, and even necessary to the growth of that 

 crop, as its power upon vegetation advances it so rapidly as to 

 put it promptly out of the reach of the fly.f When, however, 



* Princypes Raisonnes d'Agriculture, torn. ii. p. 315, $ 600. It is difficult 

 to ascertain the precise degree of evaporation arising from fresh dung; but, 

 by an experiment made by the Rev. St. John Priest, Secretary to the Nor- 

 folk Agricultural Society, in the presence of Mr. Ciirwen, of Workington, it 

 was found that steam was evaporated by a piece of moist ground hekl under 

 a large glass during a quarter of an liour, in the month of October, at the 

 «ate of about \k cwt. per acre. Survey of Buckinghamshire, p. 274. 



This, indeed, appears a large amount within that space of time; but, had 

 tho experiment been longer continued, it would have been much diminished, 

 and would, no doubt, in a short time, have entirely ceased. 



tMr. Youns, indeed, says, 'that Ions stable-muck has been carried out 

 for turnips in March, without any stirring, and that the crops were as good 

 as from short muck, though the growth of the plants was not so quick ; but 

 then 15 loads of the former were laid on instead of 12 of the latter. Long 

 and short dung have also been mixed together, and laid upon strong land, 

 with good effect. It was carted from the yard late in the spring, forming 

 heaps, which in three weeks were turned over, and, within a fortnight 

 more, were laid upon turnips ; but the practice is not common, nor very 

 likely to be generally followed.— Norfolk Report, chap. xi. sect. iii. ; Essex 

 do., pp. 229, 240. 



