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ject for this mixing; as the weeds quickly excite a fermentationin it. The weeds are sometimes laid in the dung-stead, and imme-diately covered with a thick layer of straw-yard dung. But it italso reported, that they have a good effect when spread on grass-ground, and allowed to lie on the surface, the herbage of the fieldreceiving and absorbing the gluten of the weed. It has a bettereffect on friable than on cohesive soils, and should be ploughedin with an ebb furrow, to keep it near the surface. The effectdoes not last more than two years. Pond and river weeds seldomoccur in abundance; where they do, they are sometimes mixedwith other substances, and used as manure.
Folding or teathing, is a mode of manuring, by which the ex-crements of domestic animals are applied at once to the soil. Inthe early stages of rural improvement, this was the only modeby which manure was conveyed to the out-fields. But as im-provement advanced, the husbandman became more solicitousto have the manure at command, to be applied at his own dis-cretion : cattle were more confined to houses and sheds, and notsuffered to lie without doors, except those which fed on enclosedpasture. But folding is still practised in some districts. Wallsof sods are made to surround a fold, or range of folds, contain-ing as much ground as it is deemed the stock to be confined init might manure. Moveable flakes, formed of slender spars of•wood, are now frequently used instead of sod walls, and areeasily shifted from spot to spot, as each gets enough of manure.Where small flocks of sheep are kept, which have not far totravel for their pasture, they are sometimes confined in the samemanner. The usual time of folding is 16 weeks, when the stockrest in the fold during the night, and two hours in the middle ofthe day, about the summer solstice, and a month thereafter. Du-ring the time of folding, 10 cattle, or 30 sheep, are allowed tomanure an acre ; and land, thus manured, is found to yield twoor three plentiful crops. It has been objected to this practice,that the cattle are injured by being too long confined in themorning, and the folding being too long continued for the sakeof the dunging. Some have also suffered loss, in the ensuingcorn crop, from the great number of slugs, bred from the eggswhich the dung lying on the surface in summer, had inducedthe parents to deposit, especially on clayey soils. Others thinkit a very economical practice in certain situations. Sheep are fedon turnips in winter, enclosed in similar flakes, or in nets of whip-cord suspended on stakes. This has proved very beneficial on dryporous soils, which are enriched with the excrements of the sheep,and consolidated by the trampling of their feet; but is not sosuitable on soils in any degree cohesive or retentive of water.The soil, by winter poaching, is disqualified for the ensuing crop». and. the animals have a comfortless lodging.