314 
THOMAS WALLET. 
salts form concretions round the hairs at the end of the sheath 
which often imprison the urine and cause death by mortification 
of the sheath and surrounding tissues, or by blood-poisoning. 
Professor Johnstone analysed turnips grown with guano and farm¬ 
yard manure respectfully, and found that the ash of the former 
contained 19.39 per cent, of phosphoric acid, as against 7.73 per 
cent, in that of the latter. 
Now, as excess of manure is injurious so its judicious appli¬ 
cation may be highly beneficial. Thus I have known diseases, 
such as “ red-water, ” “ braxy ” and u anthrax” entirely disappear 
from pastures in which they had become, as it were, indigenous, 
by the application of lime, phosphates, or salt. 
For all practical purposes, the best manures for the farmer 
are organic manures, if they can be got in sufficient quantity and 
if put on the land before undergoing decomposition. A man may 
delight in watching his laborers cut through the manure heap as 
they would through a mass of butter, but it must be remembered 
that such material has lost much of its most valuable constituents; its 
gases have been dissipated in the form of stench and its salts 
washed out by rain. 
I will give one practical illustration of the difference between 
natural and artificial manures on sheep. During his lifetime my 
father never purchased, to my knowledge, an ounce of artificial 
manure other than Peruvian guano and occasionally lime and salt, 
and no man ever profited more by his sheep ; but after his death 
the modern bailiff went in largely for artificials in the proper 
acceptation of the term and, figuratively speaking, the land became 
covered with the carcasses of sheep which had been “ struck,” i.e., 
that died from black leg or similar affections. 
In reference to supplementary foods, putting aside hay, I 
think there is nothing better than oats—crushed in preference— 
bran, crushed linseed and ground malt; and in reference to the 
latter it must be borne in mind that, independently of its nutrient 
properties, it assists very largely the digestive processes and its 
dust contains a fair percentage of potash. Of late half-malted 
barley has grown in the favor of some feeders, and particular 
attention has recently been directed to its value by Mr. J. Shaw, 
