We may now notice some instance., of slovenly ma nagement in our sister kingdom, respecting the manage ment of manure, pal ticuiarly in the midland counties, where grass husbandry is extensively practised. In these districts, it is very common to Use a considerable proportion of their hay in the fields, during the winter months, instead of consuming it in the house or fold yard, where the manure produced could readily he col lected, and properly managed. Sloth and waste are the pare MS of this custom; a custom which ought to be in terdicted by every proprietor who is disposed to regard either his own interest or that of the country ; much of the article being absolutely rendered useless by the feet of the beasts so maintained, w hile the ground is most unequally and partially (lunged; that is to say, the rich est and driest parts are sure to receive the greatest store.
Some thoughts relative to the application of dung, a subject of as much importance as the collecting and preparing of it shall now be offered. According to the plan suggested, the subject may be considered in two points of view, viz. as connected with light and clay ;soils; or, more particularly, as relative to soils on which turnips constitute the first or leading crop; and those where naked summer fallow is the preparatory step of the subsequent rotation.
Some previous remarks, connected with the right management of dung in all soils, and in every situation, arc however necessary, so as repetition may be after wards avoided; these are, that no greater quantity ought to be given at one time than is sufficient to fructify the ground ; in other words, to render it capable of produc ing- good crops, before the time .1n:rives when a fresh 'lose can be administered. In a rotation of fur, one &lunging is surposed to be necessary, it be Mg understood that two culmilerous crops arc only taken ; but in rota tions of sixes and the common ones followed by good farmers on heavy or wet soils, two (longings are necessary ; otherwise the crops raised will prove pro portionally defective,before the expiration of the courses. It is evident that, under the common resources of ara ble land, such repetitions are impracticable, unless the utmost frugality is studied in the distribution; but where this is neglected, a regular system can seldom be ad hered to. The errors of former times consisted in giv ing too great a quantity at once, thereby depriving the ground of its regular nourishment; in other words, the soil rioted in the midst of plenty for two or three years, and fasted and starved for several succeeding ones. Pence the generality of fields were either too rich, or too poor; either saturated with manure, or completely barren from the want of it; whereas, had supplies been furnished in an economical manner; had the quantity of manure on hand been distributed with judgment, a more uniforia produce would have been the consequence. The new system of applying manure, corrects all these errors, in so far as local circumstances will permit. Ac cordingly, a small quantity is now bestowed at once, and the dose frequently repeated. The ground is regularly ; but never surfeited w ith a prolusion ol victuals 1 lence the crops constituting a regular rotation are more uniformly good, and a greater proportion of the valuable grains are raised, than could be accomplished in forme! times.
Though land can rarely be rendered too rich for car •ying green crops, yet it is well known that the same observation will nut hold good when applied to wheat, barley, and oats ; brit that such may lie, and (Alen hare been, materially injured in consequence oh heavy ma nuring. Look at the site of a dunghill, and it will rarely he found that a crop of good grail is produced upon it. There is a great [lush of straw, often of bad quality, and a small quantity of inferior grain, little bet ter than if the labours of nature had ended in an abor tion. The like consequences, though certainly in a less degree, generally took place with the first crops of for mer times, after summer hallow and dung, especially if the weather proved wet when the grain was tilling; and to at oid such evils, many farmers, at this clay, in the neighbourhood of great towns, decline lay ing manure upon their fallows, knowing that the vegetable food con tained in these lands, if reinforced with an additional supply, would, in nine cases out of ten, prove destructive to the ensuing wheat crop. It is also often observed, that where a heavy coat of dung has been given to a well wrought fallow, ouch a degree of fermentation takes place in the succeeding spring, as altogether to free the roots of young wheat from their natural hold ; thus occasioning them to starve for want of nourishment, though surrounded with abundance of lood.
But, passing over these evils, and even upon the sup position that they never existed, still the practice of ad ministering, manure in an economical manner may be supported by arguments of a different nature. If a quan tity is bestowed sufficient to impregnate the ground, all above that quantity deserves to be considered as pro fusely throw n ;,war ; at least the benefit of it is in a great measure sacrificed. Manure, upon many soils, is soon deprived of its enriching powers; upon all, its strength is dissipated and carried c,ff by heat, wind, and rain; therefore the oftener it is repeated, the greater will be the benefit derived from the application. Let us not be mistaken here. We are not arguing on the supposition, that the farmer has it in his power to dung land at his plea sure, as may be the casein the vicinity of great towns. Our arguments merely relate to the situation of the or dinary farmer, who must act upon his own supplies; who possesses but a limited portion of manure, and whose care should be directed to manage that portion in such a way as to derive from it the greatest possible advan tage. To make our meaning clear:—If one hundred cans of dung, each conta;ning, one ton, or thereby, are laid upon four acres of land, and the same quantity, and of similar quality, is laid upon eight acres, we maintain that a very considerable advantage will be derived in the latter way, more than in the former: independent of the stress that might be laid upon the circumstance of keeping a great part of every farm in a penurious, con sequently in an unproductive state, when a profuse sys tem is adopted.