29—1846.] 
THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 
493 
on the system of agriculture prevalent ; that where good 
farming prevailed, the labourer was well-off, and vice 
versd ; and that as good or bad farming depended 
Mainly on the connection between landlord and tenant, 
it was to this point that we must come, as the true 
Source of the difficulty in the way of the improvement 
so desirable. Tenancy at will was incompatible with a 
comfortable state of the labourer. Mr. Grey enlarged 
on this most eloquently, and with great force of argu- 
ment. We were delighted to hear go much truth so 
forcibly set forth on this important subject, in the pre- 
sence of men by whom, if it should have the influence on 
them which belongs to the arguments used, and to the 
high standing of the gentleman urging them, it will be 
made so influentially and so extensively useful. We 
shall endeavour to find room for Mr. Grey's remarks 
next week. 
We think the members of the English Agrieultural 
Society may tulate tl lves on the 
of one of the most successful meetings it has yet had. 
Farmers’ Clubs. 
EccrEsrFIELD.— Economy of Making Farm-yard Ma- 
nure.—An essay on this subject was rea Mr, Jeff- 
€ock, at a late meeting of the Eeclesfield Farmers' Club. 
e said, in considering the expenses incurred by the 
agriculturist, I find manures comprise a serious item, 
Land cannot be cultivated to advantage unless it be sup- 
plied with manure of proper quality and in sufficient 
quantity. Good farm-yard manure contains nearly all 
the ingredients required by the plant in the process of 
its growth, from almost the first stage of vegetation, 
until it arrives at maturity. In the process of vegeta- 
tion, the grain committed to the ground contains within 
itself sufficient nutriment, in the form of starch and 
gluten, to enable it, in the first stage, to push a small 
Stem upwards, and to thrust a root downwards, which 
root throws out small fibrous shoots in every direction 
into the soil. This root, immediately on leaving the 
stem, gradually tapers away into fine tendrils, the ex- 
tremities of which consist of a colourless spongy mass, 
full of pores, and it is by means of these spongy fibres 
that the plant is enabled to take in, and send forward, 
the liquid food, with the sap, to the upper parts of the 
$ 1 T 
| 
mises, how often do we witness the very essence of it, 
in the form of liquid manure, allowed to escape either 
into an adjoining ditch, or purposely drained away into 
his pond, where it remains unapplied to any useful pur- 
pose, and where his cattle are daily compelled to wash 
down their food with;a strong solution of it. ere 
exists at the present time in our own village of Eccles- 
field, similar instances of mismanagement ; where the 
drainage from several farmyards is purposely allowed— 
first, to run for a considerable distance along the side of 
the publie street, entirely exposed to the l 
the stables) into a manure heap, by itself on a separate 
part of the premises ; it was thrown up in the usual 
manner, and turned over once, and in the beginning of 
May following i& was used for the growing of Swede 
Turnips, being then in that state which farmers would 
pronounce to be excellent rotten manure. In this state 
it was again put over the weighing machine, and found 
to weigh only 584 cwt., having lost 213 cwt., or more 
than one-fourth of its original weight. Had there been 
40 or 50 tons together in the heap, instead of only 4, 
the f. tion would have been carried on much more 
p ; 
and afterwards to empty itself into the two ponds in the 
centre of the village, and which are two public watering 
places for cattle, there to undergo putrefaction, and by 
that means to'become injurious in the highest degree to 
the health of the inhabitants. Individuals of the highest 
scientific attainments, as well as the most intelligent 
practical men, all agree that the liquid animal excretions 
are much superior to the dung of cattle. Liebig says, 
* Liquid animal excretions, if suffered to undergo the 
process of putrefaction, contain the greatest quantity of 
ammonia ; and in that form which has lost its volatility, 
and when presented in this condition they are the most 
valuable of all manures, and not the smallest portion is 
lost to the plants. It is all dissolved by water, and im- 
bibed by the roots.” The loss of manure in a liquid 
state in the sewerage drainage of the large towns in 
England is enormous, and appears to be almost entirely 
overlooked ; whilst in Paris and the principal towns on 
the Continent, the drainage from the sewers is applied to 
the land, and considered of the greatest importance in 
furnishing a large supply of the best tillages for agricul- 
tural purposes. Hannam, in his treatise on waste 
manures, informs us that * by applying a portion of the 
sewerage of Edinburgh to 300 acres of Grass-land be- 
longing to Earls Moray and Haddington and others, 
which was formerly let at 40s. to 50s. per acre, now lets 
at 202. to 307. per acre; and they produce crops of the 
richest Grass, not to be equalled, and are cut from four 
to six times a year, and the Grass given to milch cows.” 
—Dr. Granville, in his report to the Thames Committee 
says—* that the sewerage waste of Strasburgh produces 
12,000/. sterling annually,” “and could the sewerage 
plant, and to supply it with that 
which it requires. The leaves have also an important 
function to perform, by extracting from the I 
a large supply of carbon. The food of plants is supplied 
in a liquid or gaseous form. Professor Johnstone in- 
forms us that the organic (or living) part of plants con- 
Stitutes 85 to 99 per cent, of their whole weight, the re- 
mainder being inorganic, This organic part consists of 
Carbon, nearly one-half ; oxygen rather more than one- 
third ; hydrogen, a little more than 5 per cent.; and 
nitrogen, 2 to 4 per cent. The whole of the carbon and 
y drogen, and the greater part of the oxygen and nitro- 
gen, enter into plants in a state of chemical combinatioe 
With other substances—the carbon chiefly in the statn 
of carbonic acid, and of certain other soluble compounds 
whieh exist in the soil ; the hydrogen and oxygen in the 
form of water, and the nitrogen chiefly, it is supposed, 
in that of ammonia and nitrie acid. The inorganic 
matters are obtained by the roots directly from the soil. 
The quality of dung depends, in a great measure, on 
that of the food consumed by the animal, and also on the 
Peculiar construction of the digestive organs of that 
animal, The same kind of food given to animals of a 
different genus will produce exerements of very different 
quality. Thus the horse, the hog, the ox, or cow, al- 
though they may be fed nearly on the samejkind of food, 
the excrementitious matter will vary very much in com- 
Position and quality. The dung of the horse affords 
ammonia in much greater quantity than that of oxen. 
The dung of swine is of a colder nature, and of a soapy 
mass, and forms a manure of great power and dura‘ 
tion, The dung of oxen contains matter soluble in 
Water, and produces, in fermentation, nearly the same 
Products as vegetables. The principal substances found 
in the animal secretions are gelatine, fibrin, mucus, 
fatty or oily matter, albumen, urea, and different saline, 
acid, and earthy matters. Most of these substances 
Will easily undergo decomposition, liberating in the 
orm of gaseous fluids, carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and 
Nitrogen, which, as we have noticed before, constitute 
the organic part of plants. . Horse's dung is of a hot 
ature, fermenting much more rapidly than that of cattle 
or hogs; and when allowed to remain ix large heaps, neax 
the entrance to the stable or sheds in the farmyard, and 
the violent fermentation allowed to go on unchecked, 
Sreat loss by evaporation takes place, and the fertilizing 
Properties are greatly impaired; and this loss arises 
Wholly from neglig or mi t; for if it 
Were spread regularly and evenly over the farmyard, 
and properly mixed with the fæces of the cattle and 
Swine, which are of a much colder nature, no such in- 
Jury would take place, and the one would correct the 
other, and the general quality of the manure be im- 
Proved. Straw from Wheat, Oats, Barley, Peas, Beans, 
a or any other vegetable matter, being mixed with 
€ animal fæces, very much augment and materially 
affect the quality of farmyard manure, the constituent 
Parts of these substances being principally earth and 
Sarthy soluble salts, and in different proportions, whieh 
Y entering into combination with the animal and more 
foluble matters in the dung, retard the too rapid putre- 
action of them, and when in a proper state of pre- 
foU and amalgamation form the most efficacious 
th durable manures that we have. Notwithstanding 
h e. great advantage that accrues to the farmer in 
AYing a large stock of good manure upon his pre- 
B 
drainage of Leeds be applied to agrieultural purposes, it 
is calculated that it would amount in value to 50,0007. 
per annum, and that of London to the immense sum of 
900,0007. per annum.— We next proceed to consider the 
method of preparing the manure in the farmyard. Let 
all the buildings and sheds around it be spouted ; and 
the delivering-spouts so arranged that the water may be 
made to flow into the yard, or not, at the option of the 
owner. In situations where it is praeticable, let the 
floor or bottom of the yard be a little concave, in order 
‘that the straw, &e., may be well saturated with the 
liquid. Make drains from all the stables, cowsheds, pig- 
geries, the dairy, and the kitchens, into the manure- 
yard. Make a spacious tank, in the most convenient 
part of the yard, to receive all the surplus liquid which 
is not required for absorption by the litter in the yard. 
Having thus prepared the yard, proceed to cover the 
bottom with any vegetable refuse that requires the 
longest time to decompose, such as stubble, tops of Po- 
tatoes, &e., and cover these with the litter from the 
stables and cow-houses, and in so doing take care that 
the dung of the different animals be spread in equal 
layers and well mixed. | When cattle are fed in the 
yard, occasionally remove the eribs that the dung may 
be more equally spread and trodden. In order to keep 
itin an equal stat of moisture, occasionally return to 
it the surplus liquid manure from the tank, or apply 
water the first opportunity that may occur from the 
delivering spouts around the yard. When the ma- 
nure has accumulated in the yard as high as is conve- 
nient, it may then be removed and formed into a manure 
heap in the field where it is intended to be applied. 
'The site may be covered with a layer of earth or 
road-serapings, if they can be obtained, which will 
imbibe the moisture at the bottom. The heap may 
be square or oblong, with sloping sides, and should not 
exceed six feet in height; and care should be taken that 
the litter be of an equal moisture, and spread regularly, 
thinly, and lightly over the heap, that an equal putre- 
faction may ensue ; and care must be used that no lumps 
remain unbroken, but be well shaken out and mixed, A 
manure heap, treated in this manner, will be ready to 
apply to the land in about two months, without turning. 
Should it be desirable to postpone the decomposition of 
the manure for a longer period, it may be done hy mak- 
ing the heap as hard as possible by treading and carting 
over it, and adding a layer or two of earth five or six 
inches in thickness, at equal distances, in forming the 
heap, and covering the whole over again with earth on 
the outside so as to exclude the air, and in this state it 
may be kept uninjured for nearly 12 months, but requir- 
ing to be turned over and lightened up a month or so 
before it is applied to the land. When a manure heap 
is thrown up, regularly and lightly, as observed above, 
it is then that the violent fermentation takes place, 
which causes the decomposition of the; animal and ve- 
getable matter which it contains, by which process 
the ingredients so necessary to vegetation are liberated, 
and enter into a chemical combination with each other, 
and will pass off (if not prevented) in large quantities, 
in the form of carbonic acid and ammonia; and if ne- 
glected, and thus allowed to escape, the farmer sustains 
great loss both in tlie quantity and the quality of his 
manure, This will appear pretty clearly, by the fol. 
‘owing statement of an experiment that I made some 
time ago—proving the loss in quantity. In November 
I placed 4 tons of long fresh litter (lately thrown from 
| 
i 
violently, and the evaporation more rapidly ; conse- 
quently, I think it reasonable to suppose, the proportion- 
ate loss would have been greater, and probably nearer 
one-third, instead of one-fourth, would have been ab- 
stracted from the original weight of the fresh litter, as 
no means were applied to prevent evaporation. The 
loss in weight is attended also by the loss of a very valu- 
able portion of the manure by evaporation. In order to 
prevent the loss of gaseous fluids during the process of 
fermentation, the manure heap should be lightly covered 
over with a coating of ashes, peat, charcoal, or saw-dust, 
or other absorbents ; and this coating should be well 
saturated with a mixture of sulphuric acid and 
water ; about ten gallons of water to one of the 
acid. When enough of this acid mixture has been 
applied, there will be little smell, a great part of the 
ammonia being absorbed by the acid and the charcoal, 
and the charcoal absorbing also a considerable quantity 
of the earbonie acid from the heap. I do not approve 
of the decomposition of the manure being earried on to 
too great an extent: a certain state of fermentation is 
necessary to liberate its various properties more rapidly; 
but itis in the soil to which the manure is to be applied 
that its strength should be developed, and not in the 
heap ; a medium state of decomposition is, therefore, to 
be preferred. During the dressing and cleaning of 
fallows, I would abolish the custom of burning the 
twitch, stubble, &e., as being an extravagant practice ; 
for although the ashes and inorganic matter which re- 
main after burning contain valuable properties, yet these 
are obtained by too great a sacrifice of vegetable matter. 
Let every farmer consider how he can, by every possible 
means, accumulate the largest mass of vegetable and 
animal matter from around his farm and about his 
premises during the year; let him collect the stubble 
and twitch of the fields, the refuse of his garden, or- 
chards, and stack-yards, the scourings of his ditches, 
ponds, and watercourses, and weeds of every description 
before their seeds are ripe, and form the mass into a 
heap, well mixed together, and saturate this occasion- 
ally with liquid manure from the tank, or should that 
not be at hand, with some diluted acid: turn the heap 
once or twice, and this will form an additional quantity 
of excellent compost for his Grass land. 
endeavoured to show that the profits of the agriculturist 
ina great measure depend upon the proper manage- 
ment of his manures. He ought therefore to display 
the same care and anxiety to procure large heaps of 
manure in his fields, that he does to obtain large stacks 
of hay and corn, in and around the buildings upon his 
premises ; for unless he possess the former, he will fail 
in producing the latter. Manure manufactured on the 
farmer’s own premises, if well managed, possesses this 
Y d it is genui nd (perhaps with the 
exception of bones) stands pre-eminent above all the 
rest for efficacy and durability. If the energies which 
England possesses were put forth vigorously and 
effectively in the thorough draining of the wet lands of 
this country, and only one-half of the waste manures of 
our large towns and villages were applied usefully to the 
soil, an important source of additional employment to 
our labouring population would be opened, and instead 
of having to pay 500,0007. to foreigners annually for 
bones and rape-dust alone, I think it is reasonable to 
suppose, that in a short time she would be able not only 
to furnish her own tillages, but also to produce corn 
sufficient for her population, independent of a foreign 
supply.” On the conclusion of the paper, Mr. T. Turner, 
of Eastwood, observed that he had listened to the ex- 
cellent paper that had just been read with pleasure, 
and was sure it was calculated to do a deal of good, if 
his plans were carried out. He had pursued the Same 
plan with regard to the spouting of his buildings and 
creating tanks last autumn, and was well repaid for the 
outlay. He had made many experiments with artificial 
manures, but he found that the advantages of the appli- 
cation ofliquid manure were fully borne out, and even. 
exceeded ; and that if farmers would only attend 
properly to the making of. good farm-yard manure, and 
prevent the liquid manure and drainings from the farm- 
yard from running away in the manner described in 
Mr. Jeffeock’s paper, they would have better crops, 
and less need of artificial manure, for, in his opinion, 
no artificial manure was equal to home-made manure. 
Miscellaneous. 
Hoddesden Agricultural Training School.—At the 
late public distribution of prizes at the half-yearly 
closing of this flourishing seminary, Sir Charles Napier, 
N., in the course of a characteristic speech, urging 
the importance of Education to the Farmers, made the 
following statement of his agricultural experience -—~ 
* The land which he farmed had formerly produced only 
4 or 5 quarters of Oats to the acre, an amount of pro- 
duce with which the farmers of the district were con- 
tented; but by means of a proper system of cultiva- 
tion he had last year got 11 quarters to the acre, No 
other land in the neighbourhood had produced so much ; 
have- 
ji 
D. 
ia 
| 
1 
