MANAGEMENT OF MANURE OR COMPOST HEAPS. 
127 
of managing which, will presently be given,) as 
much manure as will cover this mould all over 
equally, to the depth of one foot, except the 
sides and ends, which should invariably be 
mould only, for at least, six inches from the 
rails, by which means it will be perceived that 
the rich and enriching material will be so cased 
up as to prevent an escape of the gases. Then 
cover this layer of manure, as soon as may be, 
in order to prevent loss by evaporation, with 
mould from the woods, to the depth of six inches, 
and cover the whole with any kind of straw, as 
wheat, oat, barley, rye, or buckwheat, one foot 
deep. This will do much to enrich the surface, 
at the same time that it prevents injury from 
the sun and wind. Leaves will do, but straw is 
much better. [?] Let it stand in this state until 
your stalls again require cleaning. You will 
then remove the straw, and spread another 
layer of manure, except the sides and ends, to 
the depth of one foot, and over that, a new layer 
of mould six inches deep, as before, finally re¬ 
placing the straw as in the first instance. Go 
on repeating the process till you have got the 
heap to the top of the stakes; then replace the 
straw and let the whole stand till required for 
use, commencing a new heap anywhere else 
most convenient. 
As it may be thought the layers of manure 
would be too thick, 1 will now give some direc¬ 
tions for the management of the horse stable, 
cattle stalls, hog pens, &c., from which it is to 
be taken. Before entering upon this, however, 
I would pause one moment to remind the read¬ 
er of what he has been again and again told in 
this valuable journal, namely, that any animal 
that is worth keeping at all is, on all accounts, 
worth keeping well. Probably there is noth¬ 
ing in which the farmer errs so fatally to him¬ 
self, as in the system of starvation so often pur¬ 
sued, with regard to his poor, suffering brutes. 
One animal well fed is of more profit in the 
end, than three half fed ; and for the same rea¬ 
sons, the manure from one well fed, is worth all 
the poverty-stricken droppings of three times 
its number, half starved. Few things are more 
evident to reason than these; and yet, there are 
very few things which some men of intelligence 
are so slow to receive and act upon. It is with 
us, respecting animals, very much as with re¬ 
gard to acres; every one is crying “ more, 
more;” when, in nine cases out of ten, every in¬ 
dividual acquisition is a positive and material 
loss. It would be difficult to lay down a rule 
on this subject, of universal applicability. This 
much, however, may safely be said; if you 
want good animals, and good rich manure, 
(which, if properly managed, will alway be a 
fair compensation for the food consumed in 
making it,) you must not stint your animals; 
you must feed as nearly to ike full , in quantity 
and quality, as you can without waste. 
Another rule highly necessary to success in 
manufacturing manure is, that every animal on 
a plantation should be housed at night, the 
year round; and in winter, by day, except so 
much time as is necessary for them to get water, 
and take sufficient exercise. In very cold 
weather, they should be let out only to get wa¬ 
ter, and then immediately be put up again. This 
is the writer’s own rule, and he finds it works 
well in ever case, except in regard to hogs, 
which, for some reason, do not appear to bear 
confinement in the day time, in this climate. 
This practice is rare at the south. If there is 
another instance of it in North Carolina, he is 
not aware of it. The advantages of it, however, 
are obvious, and sooner or later it will be adopt¬ 
ed by all. 
Into the stalls of these animals, before they 
are allowed to enter, mould should be throwm 
to the depth of one foot. As soon as this 
has become saturated, a mixture of virgin 
soil, leaves, and old logs, sufficiently decayed 
to break up finely, together with the scrapings 
from beneath and around them, should from 
time to time be added in sufficient quantities to 
keep all dry and comfortable. A little shelled 
corn thrown into the stalls and pens, will induce 
the hogs to root, and mix up the whole together, 
in the best manner, at no cost. When the ac¬ 
cumulation has become too great for conve¬ 
nience, let it be taken out and put upon the pile, 
as above directed. Before the animals are 
again put in, throw mould, as at first, or any 
material fitted to absorb and retain the urine 
and juices, to the depth of one foot. From this, 
it will be seen that no manure goes into the 
pile in a state tending to waste. When re¬ 
quired for use, the pile is cut down perpendic¬ 
ularly, and as evenly as possible, in order to 
pulverise it well, and make the whole mixture 
equal. 
The writer has now pursued this plan to a 
greater or less extent for several years. Its ad¬ 
vantages are, that it saves the expense of all 
tedious preparations to prevent the escape of 
fertilising matter. It is adapted to every man’s 
capacity, and every man’s means. Nothing is 
ever seen escaping from one of these piles—no 
ammonia on a damp or frosty morning ascend¬ 
ing like smoke from a furnace—a case so com- 
