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cessary on account of nutritious qualities, which I do not think it 

 possesses, but as a sharpener of the desire for food, and an exciter 

 of thirst, which in milch animals is particularly desirable, as water 

 supplies to them oxygen and hydrogen, besides several mineral sub- 

 stances, necessary to replace the daily waste caused by the continual 

 consumption carried on by the operations of life in the foimation of 

 their fluid and solid elements, and by the constant process of respir- 

 ation and exhalation. Bear in mind that if laboring oxen, calf- 

 bearing cows, or young cattle, do not receive the supply of proper 

 food their economy demands, they immediately become reduced ; 

 your ox is incapable of labor, your cow produces a lean, half-fam- 

 ished calf, to which she is unable to give milk, and your young cat- 

 tle remain young cattle, as far as size is concerned. Every animal 

 has a natural capacity for improvement, proportioned to his power 

 of digestion, and must be fed accordingly, if he is kept below this 

 power by insufficient food, he makes little or no improvement, but 

 merely sustains life, and if he is kept above it by luxurious fodder, 

 repletion is the consequence, and further improvement stops. As 

 manure is the chief requisite, indispensably necessary on all farms, 

 that have been any length of time under cultivation, I would recom- 

 mend farmers to devote much more time and attention to it than 

 they now do, and let it consist of vegetable, animal and mineral. 

 Let them add to their barn-yards marl, muck, leaves, corn stalks, 

 straw, refuse of all kinds, weeds, sand, coal ashes, soot, wood ashes, 

 excrementitious matters from dwelling houses, hen and pigeon ma- 

 nure, rotten wood, soap suds, saw dust, bones burnt, refuse from re- 

 fineries, coarse hay, and almost any other matter that can be found. 

 Sow the whole over once a week with corn, and turn in your hogs, 

 after they have thoroughly turned it over and incorporated it, cover 

 the whole with a coat of charcoal dust, which will take up and re- 

 tain the valuable volatile substances, until rain comes in contact 

 with them, when they will be carried down into the heap and in- 

 crease its value, the manure from the swine will add to the mass 

 highly nitrogenized substances, very valuable in the growth of vege- 

 tables, grain, &,c. Abroad the manure of hogs is not considered 

 valuable, and the reason is they live mainly in the fields upon grass, 

 and are rarely fed cereal grain ; whereas our American porkers are 

 fed upon the slops of the kitchen, consisting of bread, meat, vegeta- 

 bles, milk, &c., together with corn, etc. The manure from animals 

 so fed is exceedingly valuable, and a great acquisition to fa:m yard 

 manure. The dung of sheep is much and justly esteemed, and 

 should always form a part of the barn-yard composition ; one hun- 

 dred loads of sheep manure, is of more value than one hundrtd and 



