206 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. t March 9, im. 
ring again to the bowstring roofing it is a moot point as to the 
best material to be used as the covering, for the iron sheets, espe¬ 
cially when used without boarding, may be very much lighter 
than anything else, excepting that of canvas or felt dressed with 
tar. We have, however, lately had introduced to our notice an 
article called the Patent Roofing Danish Asphalt, which is also 
said to be fireproof. The latter point, however, we must pass, 
because, like all such materials, it must be laid on boarding, and, 
therefore, in case of fire it must give way from the effect of fire 
inside when the boards are burned. But it is said that it will 
resist the action of fire successfully from the outside surface 
when properly laid on the roof. It certainly is extremely hard 
and tough when the stoutest material was examined by us a few 
weeks ago. As we have never tried it we can offer no experience 
except that of farmers who have done so, and have furnished 
testimonials relating to its advantages. It appears that this 
material has been in general use throughout northern Europe 
for twenty years for roofing Government and railway buildings, 
penitentiaries, dwelling houses, mills and factories, farm and 
other buildings which proves that this roofing material suc¬ 
cessfully resists all variations of climate or temperature. It 
appears also to have been used to a considerable extent in 
Ireland. The exact expense of this roofing we have not ascer¬ 
tained, but consider it cheaper than iron, slates, or tiles, and 
being so much lighter may be used on a building less substantial 
than is usual. It being, however, completely air-tight, any build¬ 
ings for cattle accommodation would require careful ventilation. 
The practical adaptation of the covered yards to various pur¬ 
poses as regards the internal divisions, if any, and the height of 
the eaves at the entrance, must now be referred to, for it would 
be very desirable if at haytime or harvest it could be made so as 
to admit waggons loaded with corn or hay, in the event of a sudden 
change of weather whilst stacking may be going on. At the 
entrance we should advise wide sliding doors placed with the 
threshold high enough to avoid impediments by accumulations of 
litter and manure. We should also prefer that the inside may be 
made with a moveable partition, so that it may be used as one 
or more yards as required •, it may also 1 e used for swine, for as 
accommodation for breeding sows nothing can equal it, especially 
when the dung from the cart-horse stables can be conveniently 
used for littering the yard. Swine, however, should be properly 
rung so that they cannot dig or root up the dung, because this 
injures the manure and injuriously affects the atmosphere of the 
yard, also inducing the animals to bury themselves in the heated 
dung, which is extremely unhealthy for them, either for stores or 
sows in breeding condition. We have frequently in designing new 
covered yards found that feeding racks may be fixed and used on 
both sides of the yards with advantage, so that they may not 
interfere with littering or removal of the accumulating dung, for 
it must be admitted that the accumulation ot manure must of 
necessity be provided for. 
Drainage also is an important point whether the accumulations 
are little or much, but according to our practice there would 
be no drainage from the yard unless by an accidental entrance of 
rain water or snow. We should treat the covered yard precisely 
the same as a well-managed cattle box, with an earth floor for 
absorption of the urine, and the use of straw as litter in small 
quantities only as cleanliness dictates. But to prevent its lying 
hollow and heating, the straw should be cut into such lengths 
as would occur when an ordinary truss was cut in the middle 
with a hay knife or thatcher’s knife, and then, by the occasional 
application of fine dry screened earth in small quantities, the 
dung may be kept in a close and solid condition. In the grazing 
districts of certain counties we often find a portion of peaty soil, 
aDd this soil when dried furnishes the best substitute for straw 
that we have ever used ; and the fact of its being composed of 
inert vegetable substances, and containing no seeds of weeds, 
makes peat a valuable agent in the absorption of liquid manure. 
With these advantages accruing to the use of covered yards, 
the comparison with open yards will not bear the test, for in open 
yards we have not only the discomfort of the cattle to contend 
with, but the enormous loss and waste by drainage consequent 
upon the variations of the weather, and in many cases deterio¬ 
rating the water of ponds used by cattle and horses. In most 
cases of open yards the whole area is seldom littered with straw, 
a space being occupied by roadways, &c., where the cattle or 
swine drop their excrement, when it is sure to be lost during 
alternate dry and rainy weather. It is, however, important that 
the home farmer should understand the difference between manure 
made under covered yards and that in the open air. Nothing has 
appeared since the experiments of Lord Kinnaird in the year"l850 
so convincing as the practical details and results related in the 
Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society of England in 1853, 
rol. xiv., part ii. The experiments were carried out as follows— 
In October, 1850, the yards were stocked with fourteen feeding 
bullocks receiving the same quality of food as another lot of 
eighteen tied up in the tyre; in the open court were young 
animals having a full allowance of Turnips. The feeding beasts 
were all of the same age—viz, two off and rising three years old, 
fed twice a day on Turnips, of which each had about 1 cwt., and 
once a day on steamed Swedes mixed with cut chaff, and 2 lbs. 
of barleymeal mixed with a little linseed, or 3 to 4 lbs. of oilcake. 
Of this mess each got 22 lbs. Both byres and courts were littered 
twice a day, and, as near as we could judge, each animal had 
about the same allowance of straw, and all had a constant supply 
of oat straw in their racks as fodder. A field of twenty acres of 
very equal quality, being a rich loam, naturally dry, and in good 
heart, exposed to the south at an elevation of from SO to 100 feet 
above the sea, was selected for the experiment and divided into 
two equal portions. The manure applied was at the rate of 
twenty cartloads per acre. The whole field was planted with 
Potatoes (Regents) the first fortnight in April. One half of the 
field was manured with dung from the covered yards, and the 
other half from the open courts. The crops were lifted on the 
first week in October. The land manured with the uncovered 
dung produced an average weight of tubers of 7 tons, 7 cwt., 
53^ lbs. per acre. The covered dung produced an average of 
11 tons, 18 cwt., 100 lbs. per acre. As soon as possible after the 
Potatoes were lifted the land was clean ploughed, and on the 22nd 
and 25th of October Wheat (Zenton variety) was drilled in at 
the rate of 3 bushels per acre. In the spring the whole field got 
a dressing of 3 cwt. Peruvian guano per acre. The whole crop 
was cut on the 26th of August. On the 4th of September the pro¬ 
duce of each portion of the field was thrashed, the grain measured, 
and ihe straw carefully weighed. The Wheat produced on the 
land after the uncovered dung was forty-two bushels per acre, 
weight 61^ lbs. per bushel, weight of straw 1 ton, 1 cwt., 2 qrs., 
24 lbs. per acre. The Wheat produced on the land after the 
manure made under cover was fifty-four bushels and 26 lbs. per 
acre, the weight per bushel 61 lbs., weight of straw 2 tons, 2 cwt., 
26 lbs. per acre ; showiug the great superiority of manure made 
under cover, which entirely agrees with our own experience for 
many years. This added to the benefit derived by the animals, 
whether kept as store stock or fattening, from the advantage of 
protection in bad weather, and the fact that warmth and regu¬ 
larity of the temperature is equivalent to a certain portion of 
food as well as improved health of the stock, proves that covered 
yards are a great economy when properly designed and carried 
out. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour .—When the weather proves favourable, and the land 
is white and dry on the surface, the horses should be daily engaged 
in preparing the land and sowing Lent corn ; but this is not enough 
to insure a good tilth for other land in preparation for Mangolds, 
Carrots, and other root crops. Although the land may have been 
partially tilled in the autumn either during harvest and fallow-ploughed 
to lie during the winter months, yet it should now be immediately 
stirred by the steam cultivator with the points in use (not shares), for 
this will lift the couch and weeds out effectually. Before this work 
is commenced by steam power it should be carefully looked over to 
ascertain whether the couch or twitch in the land is plentiful or not, 
for in the event of there being only a bunch or lump here and there 
the cultivating by steam power may often be saved. If but little 
couch is to be seen this may be foi ked out by hand labour by the 
women, which work may cost a few shillings per acre, and save the 
horse labour. In all cases where the land has been autumn-tilled 
and fallow-ploughed for winter the actual work which the land 
requires is but very little, either for planting with Potatoes or early 
root crops ; in fact, the spring labour is frequently injurious if the 
season proves dry, because of the loss of moisture which may be 
required to insure the seeds germinating and forward their growth. 
All Barley should now be sown, and in case of roots being fed off the 
seeding should be carried on close up to the fold where the sheep are 
feeding. 
We must call the attention of the home farmer to the necessity of 
employing steam power, either by hiring or for use as part of the 
cultivating power of the farm. We have frequently heard objections 
to the expense of steam cultivating on farms where horse labour is 
emploj'ed; but it cannot be made a matter of choice, for both are 
necessary when the season is dry and fit for tilling the land ; there¬ 
fore, steam power supplemented by horse labour is always advisable, 
whether it occurs in the Lent corn seed time or during the preparation, 
<I T c., for roots. It is also advisable frequently even in haying time 
and harvest, for if the weather is favourable for tillage it must be 
done ; for although it may incur a present expense it avoids a future 
perhaps heavier outlay, besides the loss of season or seed time. In 
this way we recommend that the autumn tillage of all land not in 
crop should be effected, notwithstanding the preparation and sowing 
of the land for Wheat may be going on ; and if the tillage power on 
