ure can be more easily spread,
and mixed more thoroughly with the soil--a point of great importance.

"Another reason for fermenting manure," said the Squire, "is the
destruction of weed-seeds."

"That is true," said I, "and a very important reason; but I try not to
think about this method of killing weed-seeds. It is a great deal better
to kill the weeds. There can be no doubt that a fermenting manure-heap
will kill many of the weed-seeds, but enough will usually escape to
re-seed the land."

It is fortunate, however, that the best means to kill weed-seeds in the
manure, are also the best for rendering the manure most efficient. I was
talking to John Johnston on this subject a few days ago. He told me how
he piled manure in his yards.

"I commence," he said, "where the heap is intended to be, and throw the
manure on one side, until the bare ground is reached."

"What is the use of that?" I asked.

"If you do not do so," he replied, "there will be some portion of the
manure under the heap that will be so compact that it will not ferment,
and the weed-seeds will not be killed."

"You think," said I, "that weed-seeds can be killed in this way?"

"I know they can," he replied, "but the heap must be carefully made, so
that it will ferment evenly, and when the pile is turned, the bottom and
sides should be thrown into the center of the heap."

LOSS OF AMMONIA BY FERMENTING MANURE.

If you throw a quantity of fresh horse-manure into a loose heap,
fermentation proceeds with great rapidity. Much heat is produced, and if
the manure is under cover, or there is not rain enough to keep the heap
moist, the manure will "fire-fang" and a large proportion of the
carbonate of ammonia produced by the fermentation will escape into the
atmosphere and be lost.

As I have said before, we use our horse-manure for bedding the store and
fattening pigs. We throw the manure every morning and evening, when the
stable is cleaned out, into an empty stall near the door of the stable,
and there it remains until wanted to bed the pigs. We find it is
necessary to remove it frequently, especially in the summer, as
fermentation soon sets in, and the escape of the ammonia is detected by
its well known pungent smell. Throw this manure into the pig-cellar and
let the pigs trample it down, and there is no longer any escape of
ammonia. At any rate, I have never perceived any. Litmus paper will
detect ammonia in an atmosphere containing only on