ON MANURES. 177 



lime sprinkled sparing-ly over the surface, after the peat is 

 spread, has been known to correct its bad effects. 



During many years it has been the practice of farmers re- 

 siding- in the vicinity of fens, to bed their cattle upon dried 

 peat, as they find that the dung and urine occasion it to fer- 

 ment and become decomposed. This is so common in Ireland, 

 that every peasant who has a few acres of ground, bottoms his 

 dung-stead with stuff drawn from the bogs, that he may thus 

 preserve the seep or gooding, as he terms it, of his stable- 

 manure. They also mix the peat with dung in various pro- 

 portions — sometimes one-third of the latter, at other times one- 

 half; and in the latter case have in most instances found that 

 the mixture has produced an equal crop with a similar quantity 

 of stable-dung. In countries where peat-moss cannot be readily 

 obtained, a proportion of moory soil may be substituted ; but it 

 is not advisable that either of these should form the principal 

 part of the compost heap, for neither of them contains fer- 

 tilizing properties of sufficient power to act in any other way 

 than as alteratives, until effectually decomposed by being 

 judiciously blended with stimulating substances. The diffi- 

 culty of effecting this decomposition led to frequent disappoint- 

 ment in the application of the manure, and consequently to 

 much difference of opinion regarding its value, until ffie late 

 Lord Meadowbank happily overcame the objections to its use, 

 by a scientific investigation of its properties, and directions for 

 its preparation in composts with dung, of which the following 

 is a summary. 



Composts. — The peat of which the compost is to be partly 

 formed should be thrown out of the pit some weeks, or even 

 months, previously, in order to deprive it of its redundant 

 moisture. By this means it is rendered the lighter and less 

 compact when made up with fresh dung for fermentation ; and 

 accordingly, less dung is required for the purpose than if the 

 preparation be m.ade with peat recently dug from the pit. It 

 should be taken to a dry spot, convenient to the field which is 

 to be manured, and placed in a row of the length intended for 

 the midden. When ready to be made up into compost, half 

 the quantity of dung must be carted out, and laid in a parallel 

 row at such a distance as wull allow the workmen to throw 

 the rows together by the spade : the compost may thus be laid 

 in the centre, and will form the area of the future heap, which 

 is to be thus formed. 



Let the workmen make a layer or bottom of peat about six 



