clod together in lumps.—The dung of poultry, is of a heating nature, abounds with salts, and greatly tends to promote vegetation; it is more speedy in its operations, than that of animals, feeding on the leaves of plants.
Goose-dung is a very valuable and useful manure to the husbandman. Beside its fertilizing properties, when laid on land, the dung of these birds contributes to the fattening of sheep; and it is a circumstance deserving notice, that cattle, and sheep in particular, are most partial to, and fatten best on, those pastures on which the largest quantity of goose-dung has been dropped.
However excellent dung is from its own nature, it acquires additional vigour, if mixed with lime, in the proportion of one fourth of the latter to three-fourths of the former. By this means, a smaller quantity of manure is consumed; the seeds of weeds, where this composition is laid on, are effectually destroyed; and the fermentation of the dung promoted, which consequently heightens its fertilizing properties.—See Manure.
Dung-hills, or Dung-meers, in husbandry, are places where soil or dung is collected, mixed with other putrefactive ingredients, and left to digest together. For this purpose, the usual practice is, to dig a pit of sufficient depth to contain the stock of soil which the husbandman may be able to collect. Into this pit are thrown the refuse of fodder, litter, dung, weeds, &c. which lie there, and rot, till the farmer may have occasion to make use of the compost.—Dr. Darwin, however, proposes to place the heap of manure or dung on a gently-rising eminence, witu a bason beneath; in order that the superluous water, which would otherwise prevent the fermentation of the straw, may drain off, and be collected. He adds, that some earth, weeds, leaves, saw-dust, or other vegetable or animal recrement, should be thrown into the bason, which will thus promote the fermentation and putrefaction of the substances it contains, while the draining from the dung-heap will not be dissipated.
This, doubtless, is a more rational plan of constructing dung-hills, as the alkaline liquor thus collected, may father be advantageously employed for steeping wheat, or other seed-corn; which, in consequence of such saturation, will vegetate more luxuriantly, and yield a more abundant harvest.
Dwale: See Deadly Nightshade.
DWARF-TREES, a kind of diminutive fruit-trees, frequently planted in the borders of gardens, and so denominated from their low stature.
Dwarf-trees were formerly in great request, but have been much neglected since the introduction of espaliers. The method of propagating dwarf-pears, which have been found to succeed better than any other dwarfs, is as follows: They are to be grafted on a quince-stock, about six inches above the ground; and, as soon as the bud has sprouted so far as to have four eyes, it is to be stopped, in order that lateral branches may shoot forth. Two years after budding, the trees will be ready to be transplanted to the spot where they are to remain. They should be set at the distance of 25 or 30 feet square, and the intermediate space may be sown or planted with cu-
