MANURES. 175 



hard. Let it be so managed as to be kept moist till 

 nearly time to use it. If then composted with one 

 bushel of plaster to the load, a peck of salt, and some 

 additional peat, making two or more loads-of compost 

 for one of the animal excrements, it is an excellent 

 manure for corn. If the land is in good heart, or, in 

 case of its not being so, if 6 or 8 loads of barn-yard 

 manure be firsl harrowed in, nine loads of this com- 

 post to the acre, (implying not more than four loads 

 before composting) put into the hill while in a state of 

 moderate fermentation, the corn to be planted imme- 

 diately upon it, will secure a good crop of corn, from 

 60 to 90 bushels, according to the quality of land, to 

 the acre, if the season be not peculiarly unfavorable. 

 The peat used in composting for this purpose, should 

 be rich, old peat, sweetened by the sun, and air, and 

 rains, not newly dug, and of course cold and sour. If 

 a little lime had been added to the peat, the previous 

 autumn, it would be a valuable addition ; only, care 

 should in this case be taken not to allow the fermenta- 

 tion after composting to proceed too far. Let the pile 

 be forked over promptly, if it 'become hot, and more 

 peat added ; for it is an important rule never to al- 

 low animal manures to ferment violently in any cir- 

 cumstances, but more especially not in the presence of 

 lime, as it tends strongly to separate the ammonia, and 

 will do so, to the great injury of the manure, if cau- 

 tion is not used. 



330. In another place I have spoken doubtfully, per- 

 haps unfavorably, of manuring in the hill. There 

 seems to me to be nd good reason why the manure 



