344 



with a small portion of alkali or fermented with animal man- 

 ure. In addition to the foregoing 1 shall take over two hun- 

 dred cart-loads of manure from my hog-stye." 



To these accounts I subjoin the experiments of the Superin- 

 tendent of the Glass Manufactory, at Sandwich, Plymouth Co., 

 Deming Jarves, in the use of a material not much known as a 

 manure. I am much indebted to his kindness for this account. 

 As there are some extensive glass manufactories in Middlesex 

 county, this substance may be equally procurable there. 



" Agreeably to your request, I herewith give you a statement 

 of the mode of using, and of the effects as a manure, of the mate- 

 rial obtained by the glass manufacturers in refining their pearl or 

 pot ashes — usually called neutral salts, being that part of the 

 ash not soluble in water. After many experiments I found a 

 barrel of this material well mixed with 10 horse cart-loads of 

 soil or loam, was the best proportion. Too much care cannot 

 be taken in mixing the material well with the earth — as from 

 its unctuous nature it is apt to lie in lumps, and do more injury 

 than good. When well prepared, I have found it the most 

 powerful manure I have ever seen used. 1 have successfully 

 applied it — and in all cases as a top-dressing — on cold grass 

 land, meadow, and high grass ground ; also on ploughed fields 

 for rye, corn, oats, &/C. Wherever used it has been marked 

 by powerful effects. In the various experiments I made, no 

 other manure was applied the same year. On one field in 



The analysis of peat made by the same geutleman from Mr Cushing's 

 farm at Watertown, presents similar results. 



One hundred grains of the thoroughly dried peat yielded 4.5 grains of 

 ashes, wiiich do not effervesce with acids, hence do not contain any 

 carbonate. The composition of the ashes is 



Silex, 1.3 



Alumina, ox.iron, and manganese, 1.5 

 Phosphate of Lime, 1.7 



4.5 

 The vegetable matter in this peat amounts to 95.5 per cent., and consists 

 of vegetable fibre and of the apocrenic and crenic acids combined with the 

 bases obtained from its ashes." 



