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his (hovel in his hand, or bending his back to colleft and preferveit. Should we call this difregard to his intereft, or (hotild we callit lazinefs ? His keen avidity, and his ardent activity in other cafeswill rife in evidence againft us. To what then are we to attri-bntc this (hocking negledt ? Tell him, that by every little clotwhich is diffipated, he lofes a handful of corn, he will alfent, andwill add, that he has not time to attend minutely to that article.But there are few things on which a farmer’s time could be moreprofitably employed : and the moll affiduous fpend much time tolefs purpofe. The general idea of the defpicablenefs of the fubjefthas probably prevented method and attention from being applied toit. The obvious intereft which every farmer has in making themod of his dung, it may be hoped, will foon overcome this bad ba-bit ; and thus the general fertility of the country will be fenfiblyincreafed.
In the bell cultivated diftrifts, the farm-yard, where cattle arefoddered, is cleaned once in three or four weeks ; and its contentsmixed with the dung and urine from (tables and cow-houfes, whichare daily cleaned ; to which are added the call thatch of thatchedhoufes and all other putrefcible offals, the fcrapings of paffages,allies and wafte water from the dwelling-houfe. This heap fome-times lies untouched till it be applied to the land, fometimes is turn-ed in the place where it lies, fometimes carried out, and laid in aheap in a corner of the field where it is meant to be applied, turnedrepeatedly and watered when too dry, till it be completely rotten.Thofe who dread the effects of the condenfation of dung by thetrampling of cattle in the ftraw-yard, remove it frequently to aplace where no cattle have accefs, turn the heap and water it as be-fore, till completely rotten. * Thofe cultivators never ufe recentdung : for turnips, efpecially, it mull have undergone the laft ftageof putrefaftion, and become crumbling : for wheat, it muft be near-ly in the fame date; and when it is not in this date of preparation,it is allowed to lie and rot over year. Yet thefe people who turntheir dung heaps frequently, think expofure to the fun and air high-ly injurious to dung. Some however ufe the dung before it be en-tirely rotten, while it is clammy and adhefive, and the organizationof the draw litter is not deltroyed. j- The dung which is carriedto the field is fometimes mixed and covered with mould, with a viewperhaps both to facilitate the rotting, and to add to the bulk. Ci-thers again make an excavation for the reception of the dung, eitherin a denfe foil through which no juice can percolate, or artificiallyfecured againft that wafte, and furrounded with a wall to retainmoifture. j; Here a thick layer of peat mofs or other putrefciblematter is recommended to be laid in the bottom, over which the
* East Lothian Report.
f Berwickshire Report.
( Fifc-shire Report,