164 MANURES. 



mucli more, to lie in the yard over winter ; and even 

 then, it would be better to lay the new on the top of 

 the old. The great thickness of the mass would pro- 

 tect it from bein^ leached by winter storms : various 

 kinds of litter would have been trodden into it during 

 the winter ; and early in the spring it would all be 

 ready for use, unless the top might be so strawy that 

 it would require to be thrown into heaps a few days 

 to undergo a partial fermentation. Here would be, 

 according to the number of cattle you had kept, and 

 the amount of straw and coarse fodder you had thrown 

 out, from 150 to 200 loads of excellent manure. It 

 would have cost a great deal of labor to get in the 

 materials ; and it would be a heavy job to get it out ; 

 but in comparison with its real value, it would be at 

 least 'a hundred per cent, cheaper than any manure 

 you could buy. 



870. There is an important consideration with 

 regard to this manure, which must not be over- 

 looked. Its value is not to be measured by its 

 influence on the first crop. In addition to its imme- 

 diate effect, it acts as a permanent o.mender of the 

 soil. It should not be put upon peaty land. A few 

 bushels of ashes would there do more good than a ton 

 of it. But on almost any other soil, whether sandy, 

 clayey, or gravelly, it essentially amends the soil for 

 long years to come. 



BARN CELLAR MANURE. 



808. Every barn should have a cellar for vege- 



