Chap. VIII. OFMANURES. 41 



worth fifteen groats per acre. The like experience, adds he, I have 

 had in burn-beaking ground. 



We lliall now give our author, Mr. Duhamel's account of Hming, 

 as pradlifed in the Lower Normandy. 



Lime is ufed there chiefly on frelh broke up lands. After having 

 plowed them, not very deep, they, lay on the lime in the following 

 manner : 



They carry on the lime as it comes from the kiln, and lay about 

 one hundred pound weight in a heap on every fquare perch, fo that 

 the heaps lie at a perch diflance from one another. Then they raife 

 the earth all round the heaps, like fo many bafons : the earth that 

 forms the fides of thefe bafons, fhould be a foot thick : and lafi:ly, 

 they cover the heaps, half a foot thick, with earth, in form of a 

 dome. The lime flacks under this covering of earth, and is reduced 

 to powder : but then it increafes in bulk, and cracks the covering of 

 earth. If you do not carefully flop thefe cracks, the rain will get 

 through them, and reduce the lime into a pafl:e, which will not 

 mix with the earth, or make a fort of mortar which will not anfwer 

 the end propofed. The farmers are therefore very careful to exa- 

 mine the heaps from time to time, and fl;op the cracks. Some only 

 prefs the top of the heaps with the back of a fliovel : but this prac- 

 tice is fubjedt to an inconvenience, for if the lime is in a paflev/ith- 

 in the heap, by this means you beat it fo together that it. will not 

 eafily mix with the earth ; for which reafon it is better to flop the 

 chinks by throwing fome frei'h earth over the heap. 

 ' When the lime is thoroughly flack'd, and reduced to powder, 

 they cut the heaps with a fliovel, and mix the lime as well as pofii- 

 ble with the earth that covered it, and then, throwing it up in heaps 

 again, leave it expofed to the air for fix weeks or two months ; for 

 then the rain will do it no harm. 



About the month of June, they fpread this mixture of lime and 

 earth upon the land ; hut not by throwing it about unequally, and 

 at random : on the contrary, they take it up by fhovelfuls, and di- 

 ftribute it in little heaps, at equal diftances,. on each perch of land : 

 they obferve that thefe little heaps promote vegetation, more than if 

 it was fpread uniformly all over the fields and they don't mind 

 leaving fmall intervals unlimed between eath fliovelful. They after- 

 wards plow the field, for the laft.time, very deep : then, towards 

 the end of June, they fow buck-wheat, and cover it with the har- 

 row; and if any clods remain, they break- them with a. hoe. 



G Buck- 



