IMPORTATION OF PURE-BRED STOCK, ETC. 
251 
be built as cheaply after this manner, as they are 
at present with wood, being, at the same time, ex¬ 
ceedingly neat, beautiful, and convenient, and 
finished agreeably to the taste and means of the oc¬ 
cupant. The design and patterns for casting the 
materials of one farm house might serve for those 
of another. 
The advantages of such a house are almost an 
unending durability ; comfort, both as regards heat 
and cold; facility of being kept neat and clean; and 
proof against fire, rats, and mice. 
Woollen and cotton mills, railroad depots, and 
ware houses of all kinds should be constructed 
after the manner suggested above, and my word 
for it, all parties interested, never would regret it. 
H. Cooke. 
Tivoli , Dutchess Co., N. Y. 
MODE OF MANUFACTURING POUDRETTE 
AT PARIS. 
The most common and well-known manufactur¬ 
ed manure is doubtless the poudrette, which is pre¬ 
pared from the contents of privies, and contains 
the earthy phosphates in connexion with fecun- 
dant and animal matters. An extensive factory, 
established at Montfaucon, at the very gates of 
Paris, gives great value to fecal matters by reduc¬ 
ing them to a suitable ’ audition for transportation 
to a distance. Thus a large amount of material, 
which in other large cities is useless, becomes 
transformed, by some skill, into a source of profit¬ 
able revenue. 
But it must be remarked, that this mode of pre¬ 
paring the poudrette is very imperfect, as it not 
only incommodes the vicinity, but occasions a loss 
of a great part of the gases most useful to the ve¬ 
getation. As the method is still in prevalent use, 
we deem it necessary to give a more correct pro¬ 
cess. It is briefly as follows:— 
The operation is conducted in six or seven per¬ 
fectly tight large reservoirs, placed in an elevated 
position and above the neighboring dwellings. 
These cisterns are arranged with coupling connex¬ 
ions so that they may be united together, or dis¬ 
connected, at will. One of them, much more ele¬ 
vated than the rest, is also of a proportionally 
greater capacity. This is the recipient for all 
the collected feces of the city of Paris, which is 
emptied in from casks specially appropriated for its 
first reception. The reservoir is of irregular shape, 
being 330 feet long, 150 to 175 wide, and 30 deep ; 
and it is in this vessel that the liquid is separated, 
merely by decantation from the solid portion. It is 
drawn off through a conduit, and, passing through 
a wicker sieve, falls into one of the vessels be¬ 
neath. There should be five or six of these re¬ 
ceiving vessels, and each of 50 to 80 square yards’ 
capacity ; but having to contain less solid matter, 
they are not necessarily so deep as the upper cis¬ 
tern. As has been remarked, these vats communi¬ 
cate with each other, so that there may be a syste¬ 
matic deposition of the matters suspended in the 
liquid running from the upper cistern. The thin 
juices then pass consecutively through all the vats, 
and are again filtered through a fine wicker which 
catches the solid particles, and allows the free 
egress of the liquid into a conduit which connects 
with a sewer emptying into the Seine. 
From this, it will readily be seen that the lower cis¬ 
terns are a long time in being filled with solid matter; 
a year or more frequently elapses before one is full. 
When it is so, after several days’ repose, it is freed 
of its liquid with a pump, syphon, or by drawing 
off. Each vat is emptied in its turn, and again set 
for the reception of the thin juices which are con¬ 
stantly flowing from the large upper cistern. This 
latter, when sufficiently full of solid matter, must, 
after the excess of liquid has been drawn off, be 
worked in the same manner as the lower vessels. 
The vats of Montfaucon are so badly arranged 
as to render it necessary, while working the upper 
vat, to continue adding the nightsoil. Care, how¬ 
ever, is taken immediately to separate the more li¬ 
quid portion and run it into the lower vessel. The 
process will be more readily and uniformly con¬ 
ducted if there are two reception reservoirs, so that 
while one is being worked the other can be filled. 
The mode of operating and managing the vats is 
very simple. When the matters have been suffi¬ 
ciently drained, open the gangways leading to 
the bottom of the reservoirs, and then gradually 
lift out all the matter. The dung carts empty their 
contents upon a contiguous field, where it is dried 
in manner as follows :—The fecal matter is first 
spread uniformly over the whole extent of the lot, 
and, after some hours, must be harrowed so as to 
present new surfaces for evaporation, and thus 
hasten its desiccation. The harrowing is repeated 
several times, and until the drying is complete; 
then the matter must be thrown into piles, and 
after a proper repose, it is again spread out into thin 
layers and crushed to powder. The gravel and 
other coarse impurities with which it may be con¬ 
taminated are separated by a riddle, or sieve. Thus 
prepared, the poudrette is ready for use or expor¬ 
tation. In the mean time it is stacked in piles of 
two or three cubic yards’ bulk.— Dumas. 
IMPORTATION OF PURE-BRED SHEEP. 
We had the gratification of examining a superb 
lot of nineteen Merino sheep, which arrived at this 
port on the 28th of June, in the ship Argo, from 
Havre. They were the property of Mr. John A. 
Taintor, of Hartford, Connecticut, and are the third 
importation he has made of this breed—the first 
p being in 1846, and the second in 1847. These 
sheep will probably be followed by a few others 
equally choice next year. Mr. Taintor’s object in 
these annual importations is, to keep up a succes¬ 
sion of fresh crosses in his flock, and thus enable 
him at all times to supply sheep masters with bucks 
of different families, in order to prevent the deterio¬ 
rating influence of in-and-in breeding. 
These sheep possess the same characteristics as 
the first of Mr. Taintor’s importation, which we so 
particularly described at page 266 of our fifth vol¬ 
ume. The ewes varied in height (measuring with 
the wool off, on the bare skin), from 25 k to 29 in¬ 
ches over the withers; and in weight, in moderate 
condition, from 124 to 153 lbs. The bucks were 
proportionably large. They not unfrequently 
weigh over 200 lbs. The fleeces are enormous, of 
good quality, and very even. In addition to all of 
the above-named excellencies, these sheep possess 
fine forms, and have uncommonly good constitu¬ 
tions. Indeed, they have wool enough over them, 
