Chap. VIII. O F M A N U R E S. ^jtS 



Soot, either of vegetables or of coal, is reckoned a good improver 

 of cold and moift grounds. Many find their account in flrewing it 

 early over their green wheat and barley : but Mr. Ellis fays, neither 

 of them ought by any means to be footed after the 25th of April, 

 becaufe the wheat, and generally the barley, have then done gather- 

 ing and branching, and are upon the fpindle. He thinks it like- 

 wife proper to be fown over young turneps, that have all jufl ap- 

 peared. Care (liould be taken not to flrew it too thick; for other- 

 wife its hot nature might hurt the plants. 



Malt-dujl is a good manure for poor clayey lands; and will often- 

 times go farther than dung. It is mod beneficial when, rain falls 

 upon it foon after its being ftrewed, and wafliesit into the earth 

 before it has loft its ftrength. In fome parts of Berkfhire, they lay 

 the malt-duft on at the fame time that they few their wheat, and 

 harrow them both in together. This they find turn to good account. 

 Some hufbandmen hold it to be better for fummer corn, .than for 

 wheat, and the realba they afiign is, that the winter corn lies a whole 

 year in the ground, and the malt dull will have fpent its ftrength 

 by the time the winter is over, and not hold up the corn in heart 

 all the fummer. They low with the wheat two quarters of malt- 

 duft to an acre, which makes four quarters of corn meafure. 



This manure is likewife a great improvement to cold grafs-grounds. 



All forts of fern, ftraw, brake, ftubble, ruihes, thiftles, leaves 

 of trees, or any manner of vegetable trafli whatever, fays Mr. Wor- 

 lidge, either caft into the yards amongft the cattle or fwine, or caft 

 into pools or places to rot in, or mixed with other foils, help very 

 • much, and make very good compoft. The lees of wine, and the 

 grounds and fettlings of beer, ale, &c. have the fame efted:. 



Cbalk is a lafting manure for lands that it agrees with. Pliny tells 

 us it was the cuftom of the Britons to chalk their lands, by which, 

 fays he,, they received a great improvement, which lafted their lives. 



It is a general faying, that chalking is better for the father thr.n 

 the fon ; but experience often iliews it to be as good an im.prove- 

 -ment as dung, for twenty years together : and that clay land lias 

 •been always the better for it. 



There -are feveral forts,of chalk: fo;ne of lb hard, and indiiTolubk- 



a nature, that it is not fit to lay on lands fimply as. it is ; bijt aft^r it 



'is burnt into lime, it becomes. an excellent improver. • Otlier foi'ts of 



chalk, more un£hious and foluble, being laid on lands crud^ ?s ti\ey 



are, and let lie till the frofts and rain fliatter and dillblve themj prove 



F 2 a verv 



