THE 
AGRICULTURAL fflAGAZlOG, 
COLOMBO. 
Added as a Sup/dement Monthly to the " TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST." 
The Hollowing pages include the Coiitents of the Agricultural Magazine 
for September : — 
Vol. VI.] SEPTEMBER, 1894. [No. 3. 
THIS CAKE AND MANAGEMENT OE 
FARMYARD MANURE. 
II E Agricultural Department of 
Madras has issued a bulletin on 
this subject, with special refer- 
ence to South India, which has 
been written by Mr. Benson, the 
Deputy Director. In the early part of the paper 
the author mentions Miat " with sufficient 
manure and abundance of water there is scarcely 
any limit to the productiveness of the land in 
India," and the same may be said to be true in 
all cases where the ordinary rules of tillage have 
been well observed. The author then endeavours 
to impress upon his readers the important fact 
that the more valuable part of cattle manure 
is the liquid excrement, and that this should be 
preserved together with the solid excrement in 
order to obtain the full benefit of the fertilizing- 
properties of what is generally spoken of as 
" farmyard manure.'' There are, of course, many 
difficulties iu the way of preserving the liquid 
part of farmyard manure, and the important 
part of the bulletin under review consists of 
practical suggestions in order to secure this end. 
Mr. Benson gives two methods for managing 
farmyard manure. The first he describes as 
follows : — 
" The floor of the cattle-shed should be made i 
or 8 feet lower than the surrounding ground, and 
the side-; and the bottom of the pit plastered with 
clay. On the floor a layer of ashes should then 
be spread once for all, and every day a layer of 
vegetable rubbish should be spread over the 
surface as litter, that is, for bedding. For this 
purpose, leaves, coarse grass and other vegetable 
rubbish may be collected and stored during those 
parts of the year when they can be easily procured 
and when the ryot and his cattle have plenty of 
leisure. Waste fodder and various refuse por- 
tions of crops, such as the ear-heads from which 
corn has been threshed, &c, may be used as 
bedding. The shed may be 10 feet long and 6 
feet broad for a pair of cattle. It is best that 
the cattle should be left loose in the shed, so that 
they may tread on every part of the manure and 
press it down. If the manure is not pressed, it 
will rot too fast and become much heated and 
give off bad smells and the health of the cattle 
will be injured. Every morning the dung drop- 
ped by the cattle iu the previous night should be 
evenly distributed and a thin layer of litter 
spread over it. In this manner the manure may 
be collected until the pit is filled, which may 
take about three months. 
"Too much bedding should not be supplied ; 
otherwise the manure will be too dry and not 
decompose with sufficient slowness, and thus lose 
in value. The manure in the pit should always 
be thoroughly moist throughout its bulk. If the 
manure has an ash-colored appearance anywhere 
when it is being removed that is a sign that it has 
not decayed properly ; this appearance being due 
to the great heat caused by the manure being too 
dry. If the straw, &c, supplied as bedding be 
long and hard, the manure will not rot properly • 
such litter should be cut up into short pieces. 
Unless the manure is well rotted, it will not be of 
much use to crops, as it will not act quickly. 
It will also make the soil too open, so that the 
crops thereon may suffer much from drought. 
The manure, if properly managed, will be of a 
black colour and of mellow substance, thoroughly 
rotted throughout so that it may almost be cut 
with a knife. In removing manure from the pit 
the unrotted portion near the surface should be 
placed on one side, and after the well-rotted 
portion has been taken out, should be put back 
again at the bottom of the pit, and manure may 
be collected again as before. 
