4«2 On Manures. 0«St. 



to the cokductors of the farmrr's magazine. 



Gentlemen, 



Wi-OEVER has been In the habits of converdng with prac- 

 tical farmers, mu ft h^ve obfcrved the univerfal complaint, that 

 few farms can produce a fuihciency of manure to go over the 

 •whole of their fallow -lands. This opinion is fo generally ad- 

 opted, that it is probable, nine tenths of the farmers of this 

 Jcingdom are perfuaded that the evil is without a remedy. I 

 therefore beg leave to offer the following hints to their con- 

 fideration ; being convinced, from experience, that, wherever 

 they are adopted, and properly purfued, the moll beneficial 

 efFefts will enfue. 



A farmer may obtain an extra fupply of manure, by being 

 lituated near the fea-coaft, and procuring fea-ware, &c. ; or, 

 by being within a moderate diftance of a large town, where 

 he may purchafe manure of different kinds — as flable dung, 

 nightfoil, fcrapir.gs of ftreets, foot, bones, tanners bark, &c. j 

 but a cultivator, not bleffed with fuch local advantages, mult 

 look out for other refources. 



The firfl: that occurs, is, watered meadows ; which not on- 

 ly produce hay, without requiring any return of manure, but 

 add greatly to the fertility of the adjoining fields, by the Hock 

 being carried into them every night, that are employed to 

 confume the Spring grafb and aftermaths. And it is not one 

 of the leaft advantages that the manure obtained in this man- 

 ner; for laying upon the arable grounds, accumulates, fome- 

 what like money put out to compound intereft ; for, what- 

 ever increafe there is in the quantity of llraw, hay, or green 

 crops, upon the uplands, by the increafcd nfanure from the 

 watered meadows, will alfo increafe the quantity of dung iu 

 the fame proportion. 



But it unfortunately happens, that this mofc advantageous 

 fpecies of improvement can only be adopted in particular fx- 

 tuations where water can be had, and that of a proper quality; 

 for there are fome waters fo much injured by mineral parti- 

 cles, as to be highly inimical to vegetation: this will be more 

 particularly the cafe, in the vicinity of many fpecies of coal- 

 mines, where the waters are ilrongly impregnated with 

 vitriolic acid : But fuch waters are confined to particular 

 ^ didrifts, and arc fmall, in comparifon with thofe of a more 



fertilizing 



