Cult It v? lion of Arable Land Potatoes Preparation of Land for Manures. 93 



of loamy foils, on the principle of keeping the earth light and open by their 

 very gradual decay, in order. that the roots may have room to extend them- 

 felvcs, many other fubftances beficles littery dung have been employed. Wheat 

 It raw, furz, broom, heath, and other iimilar matters, after having been in fome 

 meafure reduced by chopping, are depofited in the drills, and, from their gra 

 dual decay, good crops are frequently produced. 



Clover, tares, vetches, and other fucculent vegetable productions, when .en-* 

 clofcd in the foil in their green ftate, at the time of planting, have alfo been, 

 found ufeful as manure in the growing of crops of this kind.* 



Peaty or turfy materials have likewife been made ufe of for the fame pur- 

 pofe on different- forts of land. On the light, thin, and open foils, they are 

 aflertcd to have good effects, in contributing to the nourimment and flipper t 

 of the crop, in rendering them more capable of retaining moifture, and by in- 

 creafing their flaple. And in the heavier foils they become of much ufe, by 

 keeping them in a more open condition, and thereby allowing the moifture.to 

 pafis off more readily, and the roots of the plants to fwell out in a proper manner. 

 It is probable likewife that frcm vegetable earth, and decayed leaves collected, 

 from woods or other places, may be of fervice in this way, as well as in the. 

 manner that has been mentioned above* 



The trials that have been made with lime render it probable that it may be: 

 tifefully employed in the cultivation of the potatoe on the ftiffer forts of foils, 

 when combined in a fmall proportion with rich earth and dung; but, in its fim- 

 ple ftate, according to the experiments of Mr. Somerville, it has a tendency to 



Manures^ Produce. 



No. 10. Coal aflies and lime - - - produced 19, tolerable 



11. Stable dung and foaper s waile - - 298, very good. 



12. Soot, foil, and coal afhes - 27.1, Ib. very good, 



13. Salt and foil - - 200, ditto. 



14. Saw-dull and coal aflies - 190, fmaller. 



15. Stable dung and faw dull &quot; - - 307, very fine.. 



16. Dung of poultry and coal afhes - 236 , pretty fine. 



17. Dung of poultry and land - - #ir - 156 , rather fmall. 

 18- Saw-dull and lime - 197, ditto. 



19... Decayed rufhes and lirneu . f ^ r 20.8, very goodi 



20. Tanner s bark and lime - ^ ,. 76, very poor. 



21. Bark and liable dung - 141, rather larger. 



22. Bark alone 35, very poor. 



23. Stable dung and lime fpread over the IkniT- ; - - * *; 230, pretty fine. 



24. Chopped whins, with a covering of lime over .them ? , &amp;gt; ; 256, very fine* 



In thef trials the manure was placed in furrows of five-feet lands, 



* Billingfly, in Bath Papers, vol. Vlt: 



