FERTILIZING PINE PLAIN LAND. 189 



^rnished by the burning, serving as a stimulant to raise up their 

 dormant powers, thereby rendering them fertile and productive 

 ma superior degree, than could otherwise be accomplished. 



The practice of paring and burning such lands should not be 

 resorted to, wJien a green crop may be produced by other means, 

 but only in extreme cases. 



It appears that the improvement of barren lands by burning, 

 was known to the Romans, who were excellent farmers. Vir- 

 gil mentions it in the iirst book of the Georgics, and it is much 

 practiced still in Great-Britain, and other places. "Sape etiam 

 stenles incendore profuit agros." * It would seem, however, 

 that other barren lands where sand is not the principal constit- 

 uent of the soil, might generally be burnt with more efficacy ; 

 because as the sand itself, it is said, is not improved, but rather 

 impaired by the process, it cannot alwavs be determined, with- 

 out an experiment, whether the destruction of the inert vege- 

 table matter and the ashes produced from it, will compensate 

 tor the possible injury it may be to the quality of the sand. 



feir Humphrey Davy observes, that many obscure causes 

 have been referred to for the purpose of explaining the effects of 

 paring and burning ; and believes they may be referred entire- 

 ly to the dimmution of the coherence and tenacity of cl a vs, and 

 to the destruction of inert and useless vegetable matter, and it* 

 conversion into a manure. + 



Gypsum has perhaps been used with as much success, as anr 

 other means, m first producing a green crop of clover, or sum 

 mer or winter rye, on such soils. But the great difficulty and 

 expense mcurred to obtain this manure, in many sections of 

 our country, renders the use of it impracticable 

 . It should be remarked respecting the barren pine-plain land, 

 as well as other barren soils, that when once a green crop of any 

 description has been first made to grow upon them, the surest 

 and perhaps least expensive method of continuing and increas- 

 ing their fertility, is to turn such crop under, as'is directed fn 

 the essay on the culture of wheat. Such g^een croD mav bp 

 that of buckwheat, rye red clover, and somf other oTtheIrd! 

 ficial grasses, or perhaps other plants not valuable for anv 

 other purpose but manure. The efficacy of turning under 

 green crops as a manure, has been so u ell attested both bv 

 experiment as well as by the principles which go4rn\heger^ 



! l^ ""l' °JJe° profitable also, to burn barren lands. 



f bee Sir Humphrey Davj's Agricultural Chemisfry, No. 45, 



