318 
Flemish Manure. 
Flemish manure, employed alone, tends to jjivo to the soil a 
aoliditj which repeated ploughinj^s would fail to remove. 
On a farm in the neij^hbourhood of Lille it was thought 
possible to manure the crops entirely with night-soil, two cows 
only being kept to 100 acres of land. During a few years 
things went on tolerably well, but it soon became evident that 
the corn ra/i to leaf; the stems did not attain their proper 
development, and the yield of corn was extremely deficient. 
The system was changed, and stock introduced on the farm ; 
from that time farmyard-manure was applied to the land, and 
soon the corn-crops became equal to those which are generally 
seen in the Lille district. 
The Committee is, then, unanimous in concluding that liquid- 
manure should not be exclusively used, especially on clay-soils. 
Manag-ement so short-sighted would be liable to bring into dis- 
credit this most useful manure, which brings fertility and abun- 
dance wherever it is applied with discretion. Nevertheless, on 
light soils, it may occasionally be used alone, without harm, for 
a few years, and especially in the cultivation of kitchen-gardens. 
2n(l Question. — Is Flemish manure suitable to some sorts of 
land r.-ithcr than to others ? 
From what has been just stated it may be concluded that it 
suits all soils, provided tliat those which are most heavy receive 
at proper intervals other indispensable dressings. It Avill l)e 
understood that it is necessary to carry it out into the fields in 
dry, rather than wet, weather, that the carts may not do injury 
to the land. The farmer well knows that the porosity of the 
soil is the first essential to all productive agriculture. 
Those of our farmers who make use of Flemish manure 
always construct near to their fields and on the edges of their 
roads stone cisterns to serve as reservoirs. These cisterns 
measure from 1000 to 7000 cubic feet, according to the im- 
portance of the farm, and would consequently contain from 30 to 
200 tons of water. The manure is brought from the towns when 
horses are not otherwise occupied, and in rainy weather, when 
carts cannot be employed in the fields. It is then stored up, 
and when circumstances are favourable, and the land dry or 
hardened by frost, it is applied to the soil Avhere required. By 
thus mixing materials collected in different places, a uniform 
licjuid is obtained of a moderate density, the effect of Avhich can 
be easily calculated. 
We have ascertained by numerous experiments made upon 
the contents of these cisterns that the specific gravity of Flemish 
manure, such as is employed in the neighbourhood of Lille, is 
from 2^ to 3' on Beaume's gauge. 
