The usual moues of converting straw into dung, hard ly require to be mentioned. A good deal is consumed in the house by draught horses and milch-cows ; much is applied to the littering of turnip-cattle ; and the re mainder is used by lean cattle, kept in the fold-yard. Though these are the general methods of consumption, it will be necessary to divide the subject into two parts, viz. The management of dung upon light lands, and heavy lands; because manure on each is prepared in different ways, used in different seasons, and applied to different crops. For light soils, manure requires to be much more highly prepared than is necessary for clay soils ; and every step or the previous preparatiofi, in or der to be perfect, ought to be executed in a quite dif ferent manner.
For soils of the first description, where turnips are taken as a first crop, dung can hardly be too well pre pared; because the nature of the crop to which it is ap plied, renders a complete incorporation with the ground absolutely necessary ; without which the young plants might be starved at their very entrance into life. In the best farmed English counties, which have come un der our observation, dung is often kept more than a in order that it may be perfectly rotted : and the late Mr Bakewell was in the habit of not applying it till reduced to a state something like black snuff. Manage ment of this kind, however, cannot be approved of, for if the preparatory steps are conducted with judgment, there is rarely any necessity for keeping dung over the year upon turnip farms ; besides, such a delay causes a waste of the article, and serves to dissipate its strength; at all events, a year's interest of the value of the in creased produce must be lost. In general cases there is not much difficulty in preparing dung upon turnip farms ; because, in the driest season, from the nature of the food used, such a quantity of liquid passes from the animals, as to prevent burning, provincially fire fagging, the greatest obstacle to the rotting of dung that can be expel ienced. If turnip dung is regularly removed ; if it is properly mixed with the horse litter, and other ex crementitious matter accumulated upon the farm, it will be found an easy task to prepare all that is made by the middle of April; at which time the fold-yard should be cleared. What is produced after that time should be stored up separately ; receive waterings, if the weather is dry; and be reserved fur closer-stubbles, or other fields that are to he (lunged in autumn.
The middle of April is mentioned as a good time for clearing the fold-yard; but this does not prevent the work from going partially forward through the winter, when suitable opportunities occur. When driven out of the fold-yard, the dun; should be laid up in a regular heap or pile, not exceeding six quarters, or lour feet and a half in height ; and care should be taken not to put either horse or cart upon it, which is easily avoided, by backing thy cart to the pie, and laying the dung com pactly together with a grape or lb k. It is also useful to lace up the extremities with earth, which keeps in the moisture, and prevents the sun and wind from doing injury. Perhaps a small quantity of earth strewed upon the top might also prove useful. Dung, when managed in this manner, generally ferments very rapidly ; but if it is discovered to be in a backward state, a complete turn over, about the first of May, when the weather be comes warm, will quicken the process ; and the better it is shaken asunder, the sooner will the object in view be accomplished.
A secluded spot of ground, not much exposed to wind, and perfectly secure front being floated with wa ter, ought always to be chosen for the site of such piles or heaps. If the field, to which it is to be applied, is
at hand, a little after-trouble may be saved, by deposit ing it there in the first instance : But it is found most convenient to reserve a piece of ground adjacent to the homestead for this purpose. There it is always under the farmer's eye, and a greater quantity can be moved in a shorter time than when the situation is more distant. Besides, in wet weather, and this is generally the time chosen such an operation, the roads are not only cut up, by driving to a distance, but the field, on which the heap is made, may be poached and injured consider ably.
The above is the most approved method of preparing dung upon turnip or light land farms; and a few words shall now be said respecting the management necessary upon those of a different description.
Upon clay soils, where wheat forms a principal part of the crop ; where great quantities of beans are cultiva ted, and few turnips sown, unless for the use of milch cows, the rotting of dung is not only a troublesome, but an expensive affair. Independent of what is consumed by the ordinary farm-stock, the overplus of the straw must somehow or other be rotted, by lean cattle kept in the fold-yard, who either receive the straw in racks, or have it thrown across the yard, to be eaten and trodden down by them. According to this mode of consumption, it is evident that a still greater necessity arises for a frequent removal of this unmade dung, otherwise, from the trampling of beasts, and the usual want of moisture, it would compress so much as altogether to prevent putrefaction. To prepare dung sufficiently upon farms of this description, is at all times an arduous task, but scarcely practicable in dry seasons; for if it once gets burnt, (fire fanged), it is almost physically impossible to bring it into a suitable state of preparation afterwards; and, at all events, its virtues are thereby considerably diminished. The year 1803 furnished strong proofs in support of what is here maintained ; for, owing to the goodness of the weather during the winter and spring months, less dung was driven out than usual ; and the consequence was, that on few clay farms was the dung half rotted, even where the most anxious efforts were bestowed upon watering and turning it, when the season advanced. The continued dryness of the weather was, no doubt, an exception to that of common seasons, and increased the difficulties which, at all times, are under gone in such situations ; but, had it been equally wet, as it was dry, the propriety of frequent removals would not have been less urgent. Straw flung out in considerable portions to the fold-yard, after being compressed by the trampling of cattle, becomes rather like a well-packed stack, than a mass of dung in a preparatory state. The small quantity of water and dung made by the animals, is barely sufficient to cause a slight fermentation; and this slight fermentation, when the heap gets into a com pressed state, is sure to bring on as already said ; after which its original powers can rarely be re stored. To prevent such an injury, no measure can be so successfully used, as a frequent removal of this un made dung, especially if the weather is wet at the time. If people can stand out to work, there cannot he too much wetness when executing this operation : for there is always such a quantity of the straw that has not passed through the entrails of the cattle, as renders it almost impossible to do injury, in the first instance, by an ex cess of moisture.