ON COMPOST .MANURE. 97 



barn collar irotii the first of December to the middle of 

 May, iVotn my cattle, horses, and a few shoats, about 

 100 loads. Also, from the middle of May to the last of 

 October, from the droppings of nine cows, which were 

 kept up in nights during the summer; and two horses 

 most of the time ; with six shoats to work over the mud, 

 about 80 loads. This has been hauled out into heaps 

 and covered with mud. I have now in the barn cellar, 

 about 25 loads, making in all, including the mud that 

 has been mixed with the manure in the field, i think, 

 something over 400 loads for manure. By load, I mean 

 a cart load of 36 bushels. 



I use mostly mud for compost, and that I have to 

 haul from one to one and a halt miles ; to purchase 

 straw or meadow hay, is too expensive, excepting what 

 is necessary to litter hogs, horses, &c., with. 



If common meadow mud is of little or no value, with- 

 out some preparation (and I think it is of but little value 

 on my land) then the question naturally arises (with cer- 

 tain means) how much manure can be profitably made, 

 taking into consideration the expense of labor. And 

 this can be done in no other way, than by carefully 

 trying experiments to ascertain its comparative value. 



JOSEPH HOW. 



Methuen, Nov. 1842. 



JUSTIN CARTER'S STATEMENT. 



To the Committee on Compost Manure. 



Gentlemen — I submit to you the following statement, 

 with regard to the quantity of compost manure which I 

 have collected the past season, and the quality of the 

 same. The first heap is composed as follows : Last 

 fall I put four loads of loam at the end of my barn 

 where I throw out the green manure, and let it remain 

 there during the winter, and receive the liquid from the 

 manure heap. When I got out my manure in the spring, 

 I left two loads of the same which I spread over the 

 loam, and then added two loads of manure from the hog- 

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