92 TALKS ON MAX IKES. 



" I practised it lierc," suid I, " f<ir some years. I plowed and 

 scraped a lari^ebole or basin in tlie yanl four or five feet deep, with 

 a gradual slope at one end for convenience in drawing out the 

 loads — tlie other sides being much steeper. I also made a tank at 

 the bottom to hold tlie drainage, and ha<l a pump in it to pump 

 the liquid back on to the heap in dry weather. We threw or 

 wheeled tiic manure from the ^tables and pig-pens into this l)asin, 

 but I did not like the plan, for two rea.sons : (1,) the manure being 

 sprerul over so large a surface froze during winter, and (2.) during 

 the spring there was so much water in the basin that it checked 

 fermentation." 



Is'ow, instead (»f spreading it all over the basin, we commenced a 

 small iieap on one of the sloping sides of the basin; with a horse 

 and cart we drew to this heap, just as winter set in, every bit of 

 maiuire that eoidd be found on the premises, and everything that 

 woidd make manure. When got all together, it made a heap seven 

 or eiglit feet wide, twenty feet l<>nu', and three or ftmr feet high. 

 We then laid planks on the heip, and every day, as the jtig-jH-ns, 

 cow and horse stables were eleaneil out, the manure was wheeled 

 on to the heap and shaken out and spread about. The heaji .soon 

 commenced to ferment, and when thccold weather set in, altliough 

 the sides and some parts of the top froze u little, the inside ke|)t 

 quite warm. Little chimneys were formed in the heap, where the 

 heat and steam escaped. Other parts of the heap would be covered 

 with a thin crust of frozen manure. B}' taking a few forkfuls of 

 the latter, and jilaeing them on the top of the "chimneys," they 

 checked the escape of steam, and ha<l a tendency to distribute the 

 heat to other parts of the heap. In this way the fermentation be- 

 came more general throughout all the nia.ss, and not so violent at 

 any one spot. 



" But why be at all this trouble ?" — For several reasons. First. 

 It saves labor in the end. Two hours' work, in winter, will save 

 three hours' work in the spring. And three hours' work in the 

 spring is worth more than four hours' work in the winter. So 

 that we .save half the expense of handling the manure. 2d. When 

 manure is allowed to lie scattered about over a large surface, it is 

 liable to have much of its value washed out by the rain. In a com- 

 pact heap of this kind, the rain or snow that falls on it is not more 

 than the manure needs to kee]> it moist enough for feriuentation. 

 '3d. There is as much fascination in this fermenting heap of 

 manure as tliere is in having money in a savings bank. One is 

 continually trying to add to it. Many a cart-load or Avheel-barrow- 

 ful of material will be deposited that woidd otherwise be allowed 



