MAN 



they are confined to the pots. I have frequently ob- 

 fervedmanvkindsof plants,which\vere rooted through 

 the pot into the tan, and have fent forth roots up- 

 ward of twelve feet each way, in lefs than three 

 nionths, and the plants have advanced in pr 

 vMch is a plain indication, that plants a 



oportion ; 

 which is a plain inaication, laat plants are greatly 

 nourilhed by the rotten tan. After the tan hatli been 

 ufed for a hot-bed, I have fpread it on the ground for 

 Manure, and found it has greatly enriched the ground; 

 but It is much better for cold ftrong land, than for 

 '■ i\g\ii hot ground, becaufe it is of a warm nature, and 



• will loofen and leparate the earth •, fo that where this 

 Manure hath been ufed three or four times, it hath 

 jriade the land very loofe which before was ftrong, 



.'"and not eafy to be wrought. When this Manure is 



'■ i^id upon Grafs, it fhould be done foon after Mi- 

 chaelmas, that the winter rains may wafh it into the 



''* around •, for if it is laid on in the fpring, it will burn 

 tilt Grafs, and inftead of improving it, will greatly 



' iniure it for that fealbn. Where it is ufed in Corn 



"land it fhould be fpread on the furface before the 

 Kft ploughing, that it may be turne'd ^down for the 



'' fibres of the Corn to reach it in the fpring ; for if it 

 lies too near the furface, it will forward the growth 

 of the Corn in winter : but in the fpring, when the 



■ nourifhment is chiefly wanted to encourage the ttems, 

 It will be nearly confumed, and the Corn will receive 

 little advantage from it. Nor will it be propei'to 



* have this Manure lie too near the roots of any plants, 

 for when this has happened, I have frequently obfcrv- 



■ ed it prejudici?!, to moft plants, buteTpecially to bul- 

 bous and tuberofe 'rooted flowers," which are vefy fub- 



' jeft to rot where it lies Sear their roots V yet when it 

 ' IS buried juft ^etp enough for the fibres of their 

 ^'ri-oots to reach itjn the fpring, the flowers have been 

 *' cxceedin<yly improved by itr- And in fonie places, 



* -where tfiisManure'hath Been ufed in kitchen-gar- 



' 5ens, it hath greatly improved the vegetables; fo 



• '^^tlfet it is to be wondered, that this Ihould not be 

 . ;? employed on the land in every country where it can 



be obtained. 



.<«* A -. J 



' iRotteh vegetables of moft forts alfo w;ll enrich Jand, 



Manure 



^' tifed with fuccefs. The weeds of ponds, lakes, or 

 '^ ditches, being dragged out before they feed, and laid 



^ ^ Man 



; ' dtherTortl of weeds ; but wherever any of ^thefe are 

 , employee!,' they fhould be. cut down as foon as they 

 ',■ begin to flower, for if they are fuffere'd to ftahd until 



\ .'': their feeds are ripe, the land will be ftored with 

 „j weeds, which cannot be eafily deftroyed i' nay, fpme 

 -^ kinds"'brweeds, if they are permittedto ftand fo long 



' '"/as to form their feed, will perfeft them after they are 

 /cut down, which maybe equally prejudicial to the 

 ;" landr'therefore'tlie'furell method is, to cut them 

 .down juft as they begin to flower i at which time 



• [-"moft forts of vegetables are in their greateft vigour, 

 ' : being then ftrongcr and fuller of juice,' thin when 

 ■ ' their feeds are farther advanced -, fo that at thai time 





> • 



^ * - 



*1 



J aTjound moft with falts, and therefore are more 



■''^ proper for the intended purpofe.'^^ In rotting^of thefe 



■ vegetables, it will be proper to mix fome earth, mud, ' 



. "; or any other fuch like fubftance with tneiii," to pre- 



^'. vent their taking fire in their fermentation ; which 



• they are very fubjea to, where they are laid in large 



" heaps' without any other mixture to prevent it j and 



J • it will be alfo proper to cover the litaps over with 



.dearth, mud, or dung, to detain the ililts, otherwife 



" many of the finer particles will evaporate in fer- 



. ' menting. When thefe vegetables are thoroughly 



' rotted, they will form a folid mafs, which will cut 



, ;" '. jke butter, and be very full of oil, which will greatly 



' improve land. "■■ ■ '^ ■ : •: 



lii.fuch places where there are neither ponds, lakes, 

 orditches, to fupply' thefe weeds, and the fituation 



' [ being far from the fea (from whence alfo may be ob- 



: 'tained many forts of weeds for this purpofe) there 



may be many forts of vegetables fown, in order to 



plough them into the grounds when they are full 



. ,'groVn,'to'ehrIch the landi'it'-prefent thofe chiefly 



■ * * , - ■ -. V 



M A N 



ufed for this purpofe'arc Buck Wheat, Votchc*, and 

 Spurry, And in fome countries abroad they com- 

 monly fow Lupines upon fuch land as. tlicy wMz'to 

 improve, and when they are full grown they mow 

 them down, and plough them into the ground, which 

 they efteem to be good Manure; This is chiefly uft J 

 in the fouth of France and in Italy, where fome of 

 the forts of Lupines grow naturally ; but thcTc are 

 not proper for this climate, becaufe, if the fcafon 

 ihould prove cold or wet after the Lupines are fown, 

 they will rot in the ground, fo that it is very hazard- 

 ous to fow them in this country i and there bein-^ 

 many other forts of plants which are hardy, and grov/ 

 to a much larger fize with us than Lupines, they 

 Ihould be preferred to them for this purpofe. I have 

 known fome land fown pretty thick with Horfe-beans 

 which have been mowed down when they were in 

 bloflTom, and ploughed' in for a crop of Wheat, and 

 it hath largely repaid the owner. Almoft any of 

 the pulfe kind, which grow large, are very proper 

 to be fown for this purpofe-, and next to thefe 

 may be fown Mufl-ard, Cole-feed, or any of thefe 

 ■ l^rg^ growing plants ; which, if cut before they form 

 their feeds, and ploughed in, will greatly enrich 

 the ground." 



The refufe of kitchen-gardens, when laid in heaps and 

 i fottecT,' will alfo afford a good fort of Manure for Corn 

 i land ; but as this is not to be obtained in any quanti- 

 i}. ty, excepting near great cities, fo, in fuch places, 



dung being to be had pretty reafonable, the,, other 



> 



tf ' 



y^j 



rf^-" 



will not be much fought after* 



£. . I 1 



f 



I have lately been informed of another improvement, 

 which may be of great ufe in feveral parts of the kinp-- 

 dom; which is, the mowing down of Ferp,j^|yje^ it 

 is green arid tender, and laying'-'it in heaps to rot^ 

 which will rriaTce a tolerable Manure for land : and a?* 



this is a moft troublefome plant in many parts *of 

 England, fo by frequently mowing, it may be db- 

 ftroyed ; and when rotted, a good quantity of this 

 Manure may be obtained, which will more than de- 

 fray the charges of cutting it down. In fome places, 

 where no tan or horfe-dung can be obtained, they 

 Have cut down Fern and chopped it pretty fmall, and 

 . laid it in "a heap to ferment, then have ufed it for hot- 

 bedsj for which purpofe it has anfv/ered pretty well. 

 The firft perfon who informed me of this, was Mr. 

 Samuel Brewer, a very curious gentleman jn garden- 

 ing, who made feveral hot-beds of Feriij which, he 

 .- fays, continued their heat for fome months v fo that 

 r he prefers it to dung," where a moderate lafting Keac 



*.,-,- ^1- ' -^Jr 



At 



IS required. 

 ^ There are many kinds of weeds which mfi^ft the lahds 

 . in many parts of England, which, if cut down at a 



■ ' proper time and laid to rot, might be ufed to great 



advantage for manuring of land ; and hereby the . 



weeds may in time be deftroyed, and the Manure 



"^^^ould more than pay the expence of doing it r^but 



. few perfons who' are employed in huft^andry care to 



. go out of their old beaten road to try experiments, 



" even where they are attended with littlc,.expence and 



nothing hazarded i otherwife there is great roorn to 



: make improvements of this kind, eipecially in coun- 



'.. ti^ies'where dung, or other common Manure Is very 



fcarce ;' in which places, if fome experiments were 



Toperly made, of rotting whatever vegetables pould 



e procured in the neighbourhood, it might turn to 



goodaccount. .■ :. ^ '• : ' 





•i.' -4- 



- 1. , t 



, Theafhes of all kinds of Vegetables are an excellent 

 Mahure for. land, fo that where' the 



t3 



run with bulhcs, brambles, &c. which are become 

 woody, if they are grubbed up in fummer, and fpread 

 ■ abroad to dry for a little time, then gently confumed 

 to afhes, and thefe fpread on the land, it will greatly 

 improve it. .The method for doing this is already 

 explained under the article of Land. « 



■ Rotten wood^ and faw-duft when rotted, is a very gocdl 

 .Manure for ftrong land, becaufe it loofens the parts 

 of the earth and renders it light. 



-■/.Bones,^ horns, and' other parts of animals, alfo. en- 



.rich land greatly, as do decayed filh j. fo that ijj.ibme 





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