ling to share heavily in a loss from this source, but will either
spread manure fast as made or provide a roof for the stored manure. An
absolutely tight floor is not so great a necessity as it is in the
stable, because the amount of moisture is under control, but many
farmers prefer to make concrete floors for the manure-shed and thus to
guard against any loss from leaching. The chief cost may be confined to
the roof.

A better plan is to inclose three sides, making them so tight that all
drafts will be prevented, and to use the shed as a place of exercise
for cows or other livestock. We have learned within recent years that
such an inclosure is more healthful and comfortable for cattle than
stalls in an inclosed building, no matter how cold the weather may be.
The fresh air without any drafts, and the liberty of movement, are
needed. This shed should be connected with the stable, and on its floor
the manure from the stables may be spread daily. It should be scattered
evenly over the surface, and the mass can be kept firm by the tramping
of the animals. It may be necessary to add some water at intervals to
keep the mass sufficiently moist. The water excludes air and assists in
holding harmful fermentation in check.

Harmless Fermentation.--There is a kind of fermentation in manure that
goes on in the absence of air. It is due to bacteria that break up the
organic matter, producing rotted manure. This is not attended by much
loss, and proceeds beneath the surface of the moist and packed mass.
Manure properly controlled under a roof goes into prime condition for
spreading later in the season. The only danger is neglect, and
especially when the livestock is removed to the pasture fields in the
spring. If no water is added from time to time, hot fermentation
replaces the harmless kind because air can penetrate through the bed of
manure. Compactness and moisture can save the plant-food with small
loss throughout the summer, and a body of good manure is available when
needed for top-dressing land in the summer.

Rotted Manure.--Mixed stable manure contains in a ton as many pounds of
potash as it does of nitrogen, and yet we speak of it as a highly
nitrogenous fertilizer. When fresh manure has suffered no loss of the
liquid part, much of its nitrogen is almost immediately available. The
nitrogen in the urine is in soluble forms, and fermentation quickly
occurs. When manure is used on grass, it cannot be too fresh, as the
i