LIQUID MANURE. 295 



substance, which they have absorbed undecomposed, 

 from the manure. 



781. The greatest attention should be paid to the 

 modes of collecting, preserving, and economizing 

 animal manure. There can be no doubt that a very 

 large quantity of manure is constantly wasted under 

 the old systems of using it, and the least considera- 

 tion will convince any one of this. 



782. The food of plants consists principally of 

 certain volatile or gaseous substances, produced, 

 amongst other ways, by the decomposition of organic 

 matter; we add organic matters to the soil, to supply 

 plants with more food than they could otherwise 

 obtain. If, then, previous to using these substances 

 as manure, they are exposed for some time to the air, 

 sun, and rain, a considerable portion of the volatile 

 products of putrefaction must be lost ; and yet this is 

 constantly done. 



783. Manure should be carefully collected — none 

 should be neglected or suffered to go to waste ; it 

 should be preserved in proper receptacles, sheltered 

 from the sun and rain, so that the volatile products 

 of its decay may neither be lost by the heat of the 

 former, nor washed away by the latter; and lastly, 

 by the action of water it should be softened, and as 

 much as possible reduced to a fluid state, so that it 

 may be easily and uniformly applied to the land. 

 The formation of liquid manure-tanks deserves the 

 most serious attention of the farmer. 



784. In the application of these kinds of manure, 



