282 BEDDING. 



the stable. Mr. Porch, F.R.C.V.S., who is in charge of 

 the London Road Car Company's horses, tells me that the 

 weekly quantity of manure produced by each of these 

 animals, averages from 2 J^ to 3 cwt. a week. They have a 

 daily ration of 31 Ib. of corn and hay, a weekly allowance 

 of 38 Ib. of peat moss bedding (costing 7j^d. a week), and 

 are absent from their stables about three hours out of 

 the twenty-four. When horses are away from their stables 

 for seven or eight hours each day, they will, as a rule, deposit 

 more dung outside, than in the stable ; although the opposite 

 of this will be the case with the urine. A friend of mine 

 who has had a large experience among cart horses, puts 

 the average quantity of manure for each horse at about 



Miintz and Lavalard have shown that manure resulting 

 from the use of peat moss is of from 15 to 30 per cent, higher 

 agricultural value than that of straw, a fact which is 

 principally due to the great absorbent power for fluids (urine) 

 and gases (ammonia) possessed by peat moss. The manure 

 from peat moss is specially applicable to the cultivation of 

 potatoes and roots, and as a manure for heavy clay land. 

 Straw stable manure suits light (sandy) land. Sawdust and 

 shavings have, as manure, the great disadvantage of taking 

 a long time to rot. 



As straw has but little power of retaining ammonia, which 

 is a very valuable constituent of manure, we should try, for 

 purposes of economy, to prevent this loss as far as possible. 

 " The addition of earth (not sand or chalk) to straw consider- 

 ably increases its power of retaining ammonia. Sprinkling 

 powdered gypsum, superphosphate, or kainite also diminishes 

 the loss of ammonia. . . . Farmyard manure rapidly 

 undergoes fermentation. If placed in a heap, the mass gets 

 very hot, and a large quantity of carbonic acid and some 

 marsh gas are given off. Fermentation is most active when 



