582 
HUSBANDRY. 
By adopting fuch means, the more perfectly-formed 
manures of the farm may be referved for fuch crops of 
luxuriant vegetables as demand more fpeedy and abun¬ 
dant fupplies of nutrient matters. 
In refpefl to the advantage of tiling one fort of manure 
in preference to another, it may be obferved, that as ani¬ 
mal matters are found in general to undergo more fpeedily 
the procefs of putrefaction or decompofition, than thole 
of the vegetable kind, and as in molt inftances they afford 
thofe mucilaginous and elaltic principles that contribute 
fo largely to the fupport of vegetable life in greater pro- 
■ portions} fuch manures as are either wholly or in a great 
meafure compofed of them mult be the molt beneficially 
employed where quick and abundant fupplies of nourilh- 
ment are required, as in the growth of all the more grofs 
and luxuriant crops, whether of grain, plants, or graffes; 
and that, as thofe vegetable fubltances which contain fac- 
charine, farinaceous; oily, faline, or mucilaginous, princi¬ 
ples in the largeft quantities, are ascertained from experi¬ 
ence to proceed the molt readily into the Itate of dilfolu- 
tion or decay, and confequently to afford more fully and 
more expeditioufiy the nutrient food of new' plants, where 
manures are principally formed from them, they fliould 
be preferred to fuch as have been made from the harder 
and more ligneous vegetable fubltances, that contain fuch 
properties in fcarcely any, or much fmaller degrees, for 
all the purpofes of agriculture. 
And laftly, fuch fubltances as are found to contain thofe 
elementary materials, of which vegetables are principally 
conltituted in their more foluble or loofely combined 
Hates, as carbonaceous matter in the black earths or 
moulds, and oxygen, azot, and hydrogen, in burnt clay, 
raddle, manganeie, and calarny, fubltances which have hi¬ 
therto been little employed, as w'ell as in water and air, 
fliould be made ufe of in preference to thofe which pollefs 
them in flight proportions or fcarcely at all. 
Thus much on the application of manures : we 111 all now 
conclude with a few hints on the modes of preferving, in- 
creafing, and improving, them ; for, upon this in a great 
meafure depends the general fertility of farms, and the 
luxuriance or goodnefs of the crops that are grown upon 
them. It is therefore a matter of great intereft and im¬ 
portance for the farmer to fee that nothing is waited or 
thrown away that can pofTLbly be converted to fuch a pur- 
pofe. That there are many fubltances that may be ren¬ 
dered ufeful in this way, which have hitherto been little 
regarded by the cultivators of land, there can be little 
doubt, when the daily walte of animal, vegetable, ‘ and 
other, matters, that takes place in every country, from their 
being carried away by rivers, or confumed by fires, is fully 
confidered. 
Another great caufe of lofs in the production of ma¬ 
nures is from the want of adopting or putting in practice 
fuch modes of management, in refpeft to different fub- 
ftances, as are capable of rendering them fit for the pur- 
pofe of application, in the moft quick and expeditious 
manner} for it is obvious, that if by properly attending 
to fuch means the fame quantity of manure can be pre¬ 
pared in a lhort fpace of time, which under other circum- 
ftances muff have required a long one, much increafe of 
manure may be effected, and confequently great advan¬ 
tages be gained by the cultivators of the ground. What 
is necelfary to be done in Order to facilitate and haften 
the decompofition and reduftion of different materials 
into the proper ffates for being applied to the foil, we 
have already l’een to be, in fome meafure, the free admil- 
fion of atmofpheric air, a quantity of moiffure fuited to 
the condition of the matters made ufe of, and a due de- 
. gree of heat. And alio by the proper blending of ani¬ 
mal with vegetable fubftances, in the incipient Itages, and 
the addition of lime, according to circumffances, and in 
proportions fuited to the ftate and nature of the ingre¬ 
dients. 
As the principal recourfe on moff farms for the pro- 
du&ion of manure is the farm-yard, it fltould be con- 
ftrufted in fuch a manner as that every thing may with eafe 
and facility be converted to the purpofe. In general one 
dungftead may be fufficient; but, where the iize of the 
farm is large, two or more may be necelfary, as the pu- 
trefa&ion of fuch heaps proceeds with greater regukarity 
and expedition, from the accefs of air and moiffure being 
more free, when they are hot made too large; and befides, 
they can be more conveniently turned over or removed. 
The parts of the yard on which they are fituated fliould, 
while they are convenient for depoliting the dung, and 
other matters from the Iheds and other offices, be nei¬ 
ther too much elevated, fo as to caufe the dung to be¬ 
come dry, nor fo greatly deprefled as to favour the ftagna- 
tion of water upon it, and thereby deprive it of the pro¬ 
perties moft effential to the promotion of vegetation. Be¬ 
fore each of the dungfteads a refervoir or bafin ought to 
be made, into which not only the drainings from all the 
different ffieds and places where animals are fed or kept 
may empty themfelves, but likewife the urine from the 
neceffaries, the fuds from the waflihoufes, and the walh- 
ings of the various utenfils employed in the family. 
Without thefe advantages in the conftruftion of farm¬ 
yards, much lofs of manure muff daily occur from the li¬ 
quid matters of fuch places continually running away, 
and being otherways wafted, as well as from their not be¬ 
ing made ufe of to forward the converfion of other fub¬ 
ftances into the condition of manures. 
Where thefe and fuch other fuitable accommodations 
as have been already defcribed are provided, the farmer 
will have little more to do than, to be careful in faving or 
providing fuch matters as are fuitable for the purpofe,. 
and caufe them to be properly placed and removed, in 
order to have them fpeedily reduced into the ftate of ma¬ 
nure, and the quantity of his dung-heaps thereby greatly 
increafed. 
In this view various vegetable matters, fuch as hay, 
ftraw, fern, leaves, ruflies, coarle graffes, flags, and many- 
other aquatic plants, lhould be preferved and collected in 
as large quantities as poffible; by allowing nothing of the 
kind to be fold or carried from farms, except in foine par¬ 
ticular inftances, as where they are fituated near large 
cities or towns, where fuch articles can be advantageoufly 
difpofed of for the purpofe of feeding and littering horfes 
or other animals, and at the fame time an equivalent in 
good manure be brought back to the farm ; by mowing 
and raking together the wheat or other ftubbles, the fern 
from the commons, and leaves where they can be obtain¬ 
ed, as in the vicinity of parks and other woodlands, and 
by cutting the coarfe graffes and aquatic vegetables at 
fuch periods as they are in the moff juicy and lucculent 
ftates. The whole, after being fufficiently dried, fhouLd 
be carried to the farm-yards, and ftacked-up in conve¬ 
nient fituations, either in or near them, for the purpofe 
of being made ufe of as litter. 
Befides thefe means, there are others that equally de¬ 
mand attention: every leifure opportunity fliould be 
taken, before the commencement of the foddering leafon, 
to bring into the farm-yards Inch quantities of peat or 
boggy earth, rich furface-mould, marl, dry mud from 
ponds or ditches, fcrapings of roads, loam, and other 
fubftances of the fame kind, as can be conveniently ob¬ 
tained. 
Such materials as are necelfary being by thefe methods 
procured, the belt mode of proceeding leans to be that of 
covering the whole of the yards, where the cattle Hand 
and tread, and even the pigfties in fome cafes, with lay¬ 
ers of thefe earthy matters, eight, ten, or more, inches 
thick, according to the number of cattle, and other cir- 
cumftances; and alfo to depolit in the relervoirs before 
the dungfteads, proper quantities of the fame fubftances, 
for the liquid matters which come into them to act upon. 
Upon thefe earthy bottoms, at the time the cattle are con¬ 
fined, pretty thick litterings of one or more of the mate¬ 
rials that have been collected and ftacked-up may be 
placed, and the ftables, cow and ox-ltalls, pigfties, &c. 
cleaned 
