34 - O F M A N U R E. 9-> Part I. 



Michaelmas, that the winter rains may walli it into the' ground : 

 for if it is laid on in the fpring, it Will burn the grafs, ' and, inftead' 

 of improving it, will greatly injure it for that feafon. Where it is 

 uied for corn land, it ihould be fpread on the furface before thelaft 

 plo#in'g, that it may be turned down for the fibres of the corn to 

 reach it in the fpring ; for if it lies too near the furface, it will for- 

 ward the growth of corn in winter j but in the fpring, when the 

 nourifliment is chiefly wanted to encourage the ftems, it will be nearly 

 confumed, and the corn will receive little advantage from it. 



^Jhcs of all green vegetables contain an alkaline fait, of great ufe 

 as a manure, but eafily diflblved in water, and carried off. Greater 

 care fliould therefore be taken to keep fuch allies covered from the 

 air, till ufed. 



'Pcat-ajhes are likewife of great fervice. We fliall here give Mr, 

 Ellis's account of this manure in his own words, vol. II. p. 68. " If 

 barley, fays he, is fown fo late as the beginning of May, lean peat- 

 afhes in particular may be applied over it, or harrowed in with the 

 grain : but aflies burnt from fat black peat, fuch as they dig at 

 Newbury, are of fuch a fulphurous nature, that they are afraid to lay 

 them oh their barley ; and they do not drefs their wheat with them 



till the fpring is advanced, and then they are fown over it. The 



great ufe of thefe aflies was found out about thirty (now fifty) years 

 ago: but in a little time after they were brought into difreputation, 

 by their imprudently laying on too many at a time, which burnt up 

 the corn. Afterwards they found that fix or ten bufhels were fufii- 

 cient to'be fown over an acre of wheat, peafe, turneps, clover, rape- 

 feed, or faintfoine, as early as they conveniently could. But, as I 

 faid before, they are afraid to few it over barley, lell a dry time 

 fliould enfue, and burn it up ; for thefe allies are reckoned to con- 

 tain three times as much fulphur in them, as there is in coal-alhes ; 

 and this they reafonably imagine from their great brimftone fmeli, 

 Iparkling and jumping, when they are ftirred as they are burning, 

 and drying up the com by their too great heat. Thefe peat-alhes, 

 and likewife thofe from wood or coal, will help to keep off the 

 flug from peafe and other grains, by the fait and fulphur contained 

 in them, and very much conduce to their prefervation in cold wet 

 feafons. But there is no fuch danger to be feared from the afhes 

 of that peat, which grows as a turf over fandy bottoms, as great 

 quantities do on Leighton-heath in Bedfordlliire ; for thefe are as 

 much too lean, as the others are too rank." 



2 Soot, 



