CLASSIFICATION OF MANURES. 91 



plants get at once the full benefit of all the fertilizing 

 matter that has been deposited. 



In many parts of this country, irrigated meadows 

 and pastures might be formed, which would produce 

 heavy grass for hay early in the season, and then by 

 occasional flowing furnish rich and abundant pasture 

 during the hot and dry weather of summer. In the 

 neighborhood of cities and large towns, it is sometimes 

 practicable to irrigate with water from the sewers and 

 drains; this is one of the richest of manures. In the 

 vicinity of Edinburgh, Scotland, a poor sandy tract 

 has by such means been converted into a perfect 

 garden, which rents at an enormous sum, and furnishes 

 successive crops of grass from early spring to late 

 autumn. 



SECTION III. CLASSIFICATION OF MANURES. OF VEGETABLE 

 MANURES. 



We will now return to the classification of manures. 

 They may be divided into three great classes, vege 

 table, animal arid mineral. These we will consider in 

 the order above given. After all that has been said 

 as to its effects, it is scarcely necessary now to give 

 any elaborate definition as to the precise meaning of 

 the word manure; anything is a manure that gives 

 food to plants, either directly or indirectly. 



Vegetable manures are numerous and important; 

 some of them have been already mentioned, when 

 treating of the ploughing in of green crops. They 

 are not so energetic in their action as other manures 

 yet to be noticed, but are invaluable as a cheap means 

 of renovating, bringing up, and sustaining the land. 

 Clover is one of the principal crops employed for this 

 purpose, more largely on this continent than any other, 

 buckwheat, rye, rape, wild mustard, sainfoin, spurry, 

 turnips sown thick, indian corn sown thick, and cow 



