304 TALKS ON MANURES. 



MANURE FROM SWINE. 



The dry matter of hog-manure, especially the urine, is rich in 

 nitrogen, but it is mixed with such a large quantity of water that 

 a ton of hog-inaiiure, as it is usually found in the pen, is less valu- 

 able than a ton of horse or sheep-manure, and only a little more 

 valuable than a ton of cow-manure. 



As I have before said, my own plan is to let the store-hogs sleep 

 in a basement-cellar, and bed tjiem with horse and sheep-manure. 

 I have this winter over 50 sows under the horse-stable, and the 

 manure from 8 horses keeps them dry and comfortable, and we 

 are not specially lavish with straw in bedding the horses. 



During Ihe summer we aim to keep the hogs out in the pastures 

 and orchards as much as possible. This is not only good for the 

 health of the pigs, but saves labor and straw in the management 

 of the manure. It goes directly to the land. The pigs are good 

 grazers and distribute the manure as evenly over the land as sheep 

 in fact, during hot weather, sheep are even more inclined to hud- 

 dle together under the trees, and by the side of the fence, than 

 pigs. This is particularly the case with the larger breeds of sheep. 



In the winter it is not a difficult matter to save all the liquid 

 and solid excrements from pigs, provided the pens are dry and no 

 water comes in from the rain and snow. As pigs are often man- 

 aged, this is the real difficulty. Pigs void an enormous quantity 

 of water, especially when fed on slops from the house, whey, etc. If 

 they are kept in a pen with a separate feeding and sleeping apart- 

 ment, both should be under cover, and the feeding apartment may 

 be kept covered a foot or so thick with the soiled bedding from 

 the sleeping apartment. When the pigs get up in a morning, they 

 will go into the feeding apartment, and the liquid will be dis- 

 charged on the mass of manure, straw, etc. 



"Dried muck," said the Deacon, "comes in very handy about a 

 pig-pen, for absorbing the liquid." 



" Yes," said I, " and even dry earth can be used to great advan- 

 tage, not merely to absorb the liquid, but to keep the pens sweet 

 and healthy. The three chief points in saving manure from pigs 

 are : 1, To have the pens under cover ; 2, to keep the feeding 

 apartment or yard covered with a thick mass of strawy manure 

 and refuse of any kind, and 3, to scatter plenty of dry earth or 

 dry muck on the floor of the sleeping apartment, and on top of 

 the manure in the feeding apartment." 



"You feed most of your pigs," said the Deacon, " out of doors 

 in the yard, and they sleep in the pens or basement cellars, and it 



