64 ON THE CULTIVATION OF CROPS, 



bushels each, of compost. Sixty-two of these loads were 

 from heaps made by putting to them a clayey wash 

 from the road side, common loamy soil from the sides of 

 stone walls, and meadow mud, in about equal portions. 

 VVi;h these 1 mixed, mostly in December, but partly in 

 April, 21 loads of manure from my barn cellar. But 

 this manure was probably, more than two thirds of it, 

 meadow mud and the hay used for littering the stock. 

 For I obtained 60 loads from the cellar between the first 

 of November and the first of July, though my stock 

 consisted of only one horse, six horned cattle and five 

 swine. Into this compound, I put 12 bushels of crushed 

 bone; also, a sugar box full of bone-black, scum, and 

 sediment, obtained from the sugar refinery at East Bos- 

 ton. These were put in in December. Shortly after, I 

 run in three loads of soapers' waste or salt ley, in all, 

 from seventeen to eighteen hundred gallons. These 

 heaps were twice thrown over in the spring. 



Also, 1 prepared, April 12, a compost which 1 then 

 designed to put in the hills. It was made as follows. 

 A layer of common soil and meadow mud mixed about 

 six inches deep. Then one load of ox dung ; then a 

 layer of soil; then 110 pounds of soap boilers' scraps- 

 meat; then soil ; then 7 bushels of crushed bone ; then 

 soil; then a cask of unslacked lime and two bushels of 

 salt; then soil; then 110 pounds of fish, tainted salt 

 halibut ; then half bushel of plaster ; then covered the 

 whole heap with meadow mud and soil two or three 

 inches thick, in about ten days this was well forked 

 over. Then I changed my purpose about the mode of 

 its application. Instead of putting it in the hill, I spread 

 it evenly upon the other compost heaps, and thus let it 

 mix with the other as the whole was thrown into the 

 cart and spread out upon the land. What I have now 

 described made 62 loads. For two more, that were need- 

 ed to finish out the field, I went to the barn yard, and 

 took the meadow mud, which the cattle had run over for 

 the winter. 



After this dressing had been spread out upon the fur- 

 rows, I harrowed, both ways, loading the harrow heavily. 



