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quire, first of all, a change in their mechanical texture; and
here fresh stable manure affords the best means on hand to
meet the deficiencies in this respect The humus which it
contains in considerable quantity, will render the clay soil
more voluminous, loose and porous, and thereby fit to com-
municate freely with the atmosphere; also, by generating a
slow and regular evolution of carbonic acid in the very body
of the soil itself, it will, to some extent, compensate the ina-
bility of these soils of appropriating carbonic acid from with-
out. Light sandy soils, on the other side, which suffer most-
ly by an excess of dryness and heat, the necessary conse-
quence of the predominance of quartz-sand in their body, ob-
tain, likewise, in humus, a most valuable fundamental con-
stituent which will impart to them the power of retaining
moisture and soluble nutriments; and as it envelops and
joins the quartz-sand particles, materially aid in tempering
their excessive power of absorbing heat. The immense ben-
efit which is derived from the practice of manuring with
green crops, is most apparent on these latter kinds of soils;
they, very properly, are usually turned in with the stiff clay
soils, whilst their application in the form of a top dressing
is generally adopted for the improvement of the light sandy
varieties. This is an indirect proof for the correctness of the
views, as laid down in the foregoing; the application of a
green clover ley being, indeed, in every respect, a substitute
for a dressing with fresh stable manure.

Coarse stable manure should always be applied as a top
dressing to young clover in its second spring, we then obtain
its advantage with compound interest, it greatly increases the
clover growth, which in turn greatly increases the growth of
wheat, or any other crop which may succeed it. As to the
propriety of this plan, there can be no two opinions.

The last, and in a practical point of view, the most import-
ant matter to be discussed, is the manner in which stable
manure should be preserved so as to secure the most benefi-
cial results from its use. The conclusions which we have
drawn above, in relation to the composition of both putrefied
and fresh stable manure, are only correct when the proper
precautions have been taken to preserve it and to regulate
the process of its putrefaction. When this is attended to,
practice and scientific investigation have shown that there
occurs little or no loss in its valuable fertilizing constituents.
Every man of common sense must admit that the rules to be
adopted for a rational system of saving manure, must be
based on the knowledge of changes that occur in the course
of its putrefaction, and it is in accordance with our present