332 [Assembly 



at any time to be over fed, and supplied at all times with an abun- 

 dance of water, have doubled their milk; that is to say, the same 

 cows that were one year depastured gave, when confined, twice the 

 quantity of milk, and of a much richer quality. When depastured, 

 I did not obtain a particle of manure; it was dropped upon the soil, 

 certainly, but with very little advantage to it,^ nearly all the volatile 

 gases were immediately given to the atmosphere, and many of its 

 other valuable properties were withdrawn from it by flies; so that 

 the soil received but little benefit. One of the principal and most 

 valuable ingredients in manure is ammonia, which is converted to a 

 volatile substance in farm-yard manure, called nitrogen, and is, of 

 all others, the fertilizer, that must, if possible, be saved, as neither 

 seeds nor plants can be obtained without it. The manure dropped 

 in the fields is deprived immediately of this indispensable gas. The 

 potash and soda also being easily dissolved by water, and likewise 

 lost, practically lost, by being deposited in excess. In the barn- 

 yard these valuable substances may be preserved by means of char- 

 coal dust, which absorbs the ammonia as it rises to escape, and the 

 potash as it dissolves, by absorption, and holds them until saturated 

 with rain, when the gases are again disseminated in the heap, and 

 the charcoal takes in moisture. This manure may then be placed 

 on fields in large or small quantities, as required, and in such a 

 manner as to produce the most advantage. An opportunity is af- 

 forded, likewise, of making any description of manure needed. If 

 highly nitrogenized substances are required for crops, allow the hogs 

 to run in the barn-yardj and feed them corn; it contains valuable 

 nutricious elements, suitable not only to the growth of plants, but 

 the animals themselves, being composed of nitrogen, potash, carbon, 

 soda, lime, and other necessary chemicals, all of which, after having 

 formed the bones, flesh, fat, skin, hair and muscles of the animal, 

 are again returned to the manure heap in lesser quantities. The 

 value of the manure may be farther increased by feeding oats, rye, 

 peas, buckwheat, cut straw, &c. 



One reason that the excrement of the horse is so much richer and 

 more valuable than that of the cow is, that the horse is fed on fari- 

 naceous matter, corn, oats, &c., which the cow is not; and so like- 

 wise is that of man, because he partakes of a great variety of food, 

 both animal and vegetable. My barn-yard has yielded me a large 

 amount of manure per annum, since I commenced soiling my stock; 

 whereas, before, T did not obtain a single load, except in winter. 

 The plan I adopt is, to cast daily all the refuse of the farm into the 

 yard; such as weeds, muck, leaves, refuse straw, sods from the 



