On'Calcarious and Gypjfious Earths. 51 ' 



in the plants from which it was made, and from the following 

 faft which I have feeii in fome writer on hufbandry : — 

 A gentleman whofe court-yard w^as overgrown with w^eeds, 

 was advifed to fprinkle them with vitriolic acid, but to 

 his great furprize he found that inftead of killing them they 

 grew with additional vigor. Thdl fojfd alkali is unfriendly 

 to vegetation, I infer from its not being found in any plant, 

 fome marine plants excepted. Perhaps in the vicinity of the 

 fea, if pulverized limeftone could be afforded fufficiently cheap, 

 and was ufed in large quantities, it might be found beneficial, 

 becaufe its acid or fixed air is not fufficiently powerful to detach 

 the marine acid from its foffil alkaline bafe. This idea feems 

 to be juftified by the general ufe of chalk in England, and 

 limeftone gravel in Ireland, and the beneficial effe6ls that are 

 known to arife from the ufe of fea fiiells applied in large quan- 

 tities on Long-Ifland and elfewhere. 



There is a remarkable faQ which may perhaps be adduced 

 to ftrengthen my theory, and to fiiew that either the air or earth 

 is lefs impregnated with alkalies near the fea, than at a diftance 

 from it. The Long-Ifland farmers fend annually a number 

 of boats to colleft the afhes from the pot-afli works along the 

 banks of the Hudfon, and at the diftance of two or three miles 

 from it. Thefe they purchafe at 2d. per buftiel ; pay the 

 expence of a cartage to the river; of a water tranfportation of 

 120 or 130 miles, and then cart it again tv/o or three miles to 

 their farms, while a North River farmer, if the afties were ^iven 



