l8oo^ On Manures. 403 



fertilizing quality. Water from calcareous foils is probably 

 the molt proper for vegetation ; but this is not abfolutely 

 neceflary ; for the Cheviot mountains, and hills towards the 

 heads' of Tweed and Teviot, are deftitute of chalk or lime- 

 Hone, yet the waters ilTuing from them are highly fertilizing ; 

 and there is no doubt, that innumerable ftreams are now 

 running wafte, in many parts of the ifland, which might be 

 applied with the greateft advantage, and be a never-failing 

 fource for iacreafing the quantity of manure for the arable 

 lands. 



The quantity of manure might alfo be very much aug- 

 mented, by fubftituting drilled leguminous crops- inftead of 

 naked fallows, upon lands adapted to the growth of thofc 

 fpecies of grain. Every one allows, that the quancity of ftraMr 

 from a good crop of beans, will make a much greater accu- 

 mulation of manure, than they would have had, if the fame 

 land had been naked fallow ; but then they will contend, that 

 the fucceeding crop of wheat will not be lo good nor the 

 land fo clean, nor fo well prepared, as if it had been naked 

 fallow. — ^This objection is a very natural one from people 

 who have been accuftomed to fallov/ every third year, and 

 have got, from habit, a prejuiiice in its favour : with fuch 

 people, nothing but experiment, or ocular proof, can be ex- ' 

 pe£ted to make any change of fentiment. I would therefore 

 beg leave to recommend, that fair experiments be made ; 

 and, if properly conduced, I believe they will find their 

 crops of wheat equally good as after naked fallow, and their 

 lands equally clean. 



^ But I mull particularly obferve, that when I fpeak of drill- 

 ed beans, it- is not fuch as are drilled at twelve or eighteen 

 niches intervals, and hand hoed, but at thirty inches intervals, 

 and horfe-hotd; being fully convinced, that upon ilrong lands, 

 and in dry Summers, hand-hoeing would be little more than 

 ikimming along the furface, while a proper formed horfe-hoe 

 would penetrate, and completely remove the foil, from four 

 to live inches deep, and much more eilciSlually eradicate weeds, 

 than it is in the power of hand-hoes alone to accomplilb. 



Another fource of raifing manure, v/hich may be pradlifed 

 upon every farm, and in all fituations, is that of giving cut 

 clover, vetches, or tares, to horfes, in the houfe, or Iheds, 

 through the Summer-months ; by this means, a confiderable 

 quantity of excellent manure is made, which would be in a 

 great meafure, if not totally, loft, were the horfes fullered to 



depafturc 



