and Cottage Economy. \ 73 



to catch every particle of manure, liquid as well as otherwise * ; and 

 though this simple provision may at first appear trifling, it will soon be 

 found of great importance to the garden ; for it is chiefly on his pig that he 

 must depend for a supply of manure, without which his garden will soon 

 become unproductive. Let any person try the experiment of watering with 

 liquid manure but for one season, and he will soon find out the truth of the 

 observation, if he diligently water his cabbage bed, by alternately emptying 

 the cesspools. I say alternately, for, even in this case, the liquid manure is 

 improved by time ; though, whether this improvement is the effect of an 

 imperceptible fermentation, by which the greater portion, by further decom- 

 position, is more readily absorbed by the roots, or whether this property is 

 superinduced through the stagnancy and partial exposure to heat, by which 

 myriads of animalcules are generated, and which may possibly operate ulti- 

 mately as an animal manure, I do not know. But such is the fact : and, if 

 any person wishes to have a few early cabbages, let him apply liquid manure 

 in abundance, and he will seldom fail of having a dish of cabbages a month 

 before the usual time, if the plants are managed as will be hereinafter 

 directed. 



Having now got his sty in order, let him look round among the neigh- 

 bouring farmers, and try if he can purchase a young spayed sow, that has 

 had but a litter or two of pigs. * Such an animal will grow faster, and fat- 

 ten quicker, than a younger pig, however good the breed. At last, having 



ated adjoining the pigsty, in order that the drainage from thence, and the 

 spillings of the food, may not be wasted. — Practical. 



Manure is the moving power, and according to its richness and quantity 

 the abundance of crops will in a great measure depend. It will be abso- 

 lutely necessary to have a small cesspool, or cask, perfectly water-tight, 

 placed in the dung-yard, into which the drainings from the pigsty, &c, may 

 have free access ; and all water from the house must be emptied into the 

 reservoir, such as soapsuds, urine, &c. If there is not a sufficiency of these 

 ingredients to fill the cesspool quite full, let it be filled with water ; and, on 

 the following day, let it be taken up with a scoop, and thrown over the heap 

 of dung : let this be done at least two or three times a week. No opportu- 

 nity should be allowed to pass which can be given to enlarge, or in any way 

 contribute to, the stimulating or enriching qualities of the compost heap. In 

 forming which, grass from the sides of ditches or hedges, ferns from com- 

 mons, all weeds from the garden free from seeds, mould, or, what is prefer- 

 able, thin turf from commons or the sides of roads, and, failing that, mould 

 from the quarters of the garden, the [wood or peat] ashes from the house, 

 the sweepings of the premises, &c, must be carefully collected, and carried 

 to the heap of dung. The pigsty must be cleaned every week, and fresh 

 litter given, the manure being carried to the general heap, which must be 

 frequently turned over, in order to accelerate its decomposition, and to more 

 regularly mix the animal with the vegetable substances. At the end of every 

 month or six weeks, the dung-yard is to be thoroughly cleaned : or, what 

 will be better, put the prepared manure into one corner ; cover it over with 

 sods, which will prevent the fermentative heat from evaporating, and the ram 

 from penetrating into the heap, which would check fermentation. Then bring 

 a fresh quantity of compost, and prepare it in the same way, and for the same 

 length of time, when it will take place of the other, which, most likely, will 

 have been used in the interim. — A Friend to the Cottager. 



* He is only to keep one pig at a time, when he has no cow ; but when 

 he has a cow (as every country labourer ought to have), he can keep two. 

 In either case, he can kill one for pork, say on the 1st of August ; one for 

 bacon, about November ; and the other at Christmas or Candlemas. One 

 of these he can sell, to help to defray the expenses of purchasing. — B. R. 



