io serve as Manure. 83 
. ¢ 
much wood falls there, ’tis often discovered in nearly the same 
state. It is also possible by this means to find the woods cut 
down by the Romans, when they wished to drive the great Carac- 
tacus and the Britons hack, and not leave them the shelter they 
sought there. It is certain a very great expense would be spared 
the farmer, and he would soon find his fields by degrees grow 
clean, when he had three or four times taken out all his weeds 
without returning them to the earth, to burn them alone (not 
paring and burning); though they will make but a very few ashes, 
still that little quantity may be of use: and they would soon find 
what an expense would be spared. The greater part of pernicious 
weeds are only to be killed by manuring ; drawing them from the 
earth by plowghing often only increases the number. A gentle- 
man in this county had alawn so overgrown with Colt’s-foot, that 
he ploughed four or five times, and each ploughing increased the 
quantity; at last he was persuaded to give ita thorough dressing of 
dung, of short muck, but turned in hot from the cart. It com- 
pletely killed the weeds, and he had as fine a field of Red Clover 
as I should ever wish to see. Sonchws palustris, which had over- 
run a lawn adjoining the Ex, was entirely destroyed so as not to 
appear again, by manuring a few times with rather hot lime. 
I never found any manure that would kill Dock without taking 
it out first with the extractor and filling the holes with quick- 
lime ; then waiting to put in the erep, till this had been done 
several times, that the hot lime might not injure. 
Sir H. Davy has informed us of lime, ‘¢ that itis in its passage 
from quick-lime to carbonate of lime it is capable of decompos- 
ing vegetables ;”’ but he expresses himself as if not quite certain 
of the fact. It was however on this opinion I have acted, and 
founded my various trials. I first placed different sorts of meat in 
a small trough on mild lime, and covered it with the same matter. 
Its effects were most curious: the Jime formed a cake near two 
inches in thickness around the meat, which appeared to shut ont 
all air, as it was perfectly dry and hard. ‘The manner in which 
animals and vegetables decay is very different; the first undoubt- 
edly forms a vacuum, and thus preserves it. In the case of vegetables 
the Jime is always perfectly loose, and not in any manner coagu- 
lated; but to my great astonishment they were so much decayed 
even in their wood and muscle (the hardest part) as to promise 
total decomposition, if lime had been once more applied. 
_ Next to banishing weeds, the most important subject to com- 
mon agriculture, is to ascertain most positively how soon and 
in what state lime will decay the woody plauts or trees ; and 
enable them to return (if they ever do so) to that si/wation 
which will fit them to be of service as manure to other plants. 
This is certainly only to be effected by their becoming earth 
again, 
