Chap. VIII. OFMANURES. 37 



is laid, [o as to make lb ilrivS: an union and texture with it as the 

 land doth with itfelf, and is therefore liable to be borne downwards 

 with rains, till no fign of it be left. 



Chalk, laid upon meadows, will enable them to give a great crop 

 for three or four years, but it is thought afterwards to impoverifh 



them. Mr. Liile is of opinion, that the contrary is the cafe 



with refped; to pafture lands : becaufe the grafs being thereby greatly 

 fv/eetened and increafcd, keeps conftantly fo much the more liock, 

 by which it is maintained always in the fame vigour. ;: 



The fame gentleman affigns the follo\ving reafons, why chalk is 

 good for fandy and clayey Ibils. " I do fuppofe, fays he, that chalk, 

 " laid on fandy or wood-feary ground laid up for pallure, may wafh 

 " and link in, and fill up the interfaces, and thereby confolidate and 

 " mend the texture of fuch ground, and fweeten it, as it is a great 

 " alkali : and tho' by time molt of the chalk may be waihed down- 

 *' wards, fo that the ground may lofe the virtue, yet I do fup- 

 " pofe the flrength of the ground may flill continue much the 

 " better, by reafon that fuch manure having made the fword of 

 " the grafs come thicker and fweeter, the good paflurage on both 

 *' accounts enlarges the quantity, and betters the quality of the dung 

 " the cattle leave on it, which in return maintains a better coat and 

 '* furface to the ground : and as chalk fills up the vacuities of fandy 

 " or wood-feary ground, fo on the contrary, it infmuates its particles 

 " into obftinate clayey and flrong land, and divides it, by making 

 " in a manner a fciffure, thereby hollowing and mellowing it ; fo 

 '* that the two contrary extreams are cured by chalk." 



As ioam may be inclined either to clay or Jan^I, the hufbandman 

 mav colled: his manure accordingly, either of dry opening ingre- 

 dients, fuch as afhes, lime, dung of flieep and horfes, rubbifh of 

 old houfes, &c. for the former ; or of things which give cohelion 

 and fatnefs, fuch as dung of cows and hogs, putrid animal and ve- 

 getable fubftances, marie, &c. for the latter. 



Our farmers, collecting the manures they find neceffary from 

 time to time, as they come to hand, generally heap them together in 

 what they call dung-hills. Thefe dung-hills Ihould be placed where 

 there are no running v/aters or fprings, that their rich juices may 

 not be waihed away. They are greatly negligent in this cafe. Mr. 

 Evelyn, and the author oi die Ne-ic' SJif'^ oj Agriculture, call thefe 

 aggregate'" of coiVL-^oik.?, Jiercoraries. Such fhould by no mea.ns have 

 a communication with any of the offices, as advifedby the latter } for 



the 



