ESSAY. 



19 



soluble, we believe it to be of no advantage to place it 

 in an open barnyard, for the reason that the humus of 

 the muck, when made soluble by uniting with the 

 ammonia of the manure, is itself leached out, instead of 

 retaining that from the manure. 



There are, it is believed, three ways in either of 

 which nearly all the valuable constituents of the 

 manure may be saved and made available. 



First. It may be kept under cover from the time it 

 is dropped until delivered upon the land. The only 

 source of loss under this plan is by heating and conse- 

 quent " fire fanging." If this takes place the substance 

 is just as completely burned up as if fire had consumed 

 it. This can be avoided by having sufficient space that 

 the manure may be spread out in a thin layer and not 

 allowed to remain in a heap, or by keeping swine upon 

 it, or by keeping it sufficiently moist, without water in 

 excess. If the humus becomes soluble under this treat- 

 ment, there can "be no great loss because there is no 

 surplus water present to dissolve it out, and it will 

 therefore be preserved until carried upon the land. The 

 liquid manure in this case should be preserved separate, 

 inasmuch as the solid manure cannot retain it all. 

 Some dry substance such as muck may be used to 

 absorb it, or it can be retained in a water tight recep- 

 tacle until needed for use. 



Second. A water tight cellar may be provided to 

 contain both the liquid and so]id portions of the manure 

 together. There should be enough liquid present to 

 keep the solid manure always saturated. This can be 

 done by adding water if the urine is insufficient. In 

 this condition there can be no fermentation of a destrue- 



