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247 



It receives water readily, and re- 

 tains it long; oil wliich accounts it 

 is preferable to clay or sand. It 

 h better adapted by nature to 

 nourish vegetables than either the 

 one or tlie other. But its needs 

 manure, and will connmonly pay 

 well for it by the increase of its 

 crops. 



Loams are of various kinds. 

 Some is stiff, approaching to the 

 nature of clay, and is apt to be ad- 

 hesive in wet weather. This is 

 not tit for the nourishing of thoae 

 vegetables which require mu<h 

 heat. It needs to be dressed «ith 

 hot and opening manures for any 

 kind of crop. OUier loam is more 

 light, soft and mellow, and does 

 not so much need (he most heal 

 ing ina!iuie>. Some loam is of a 

 dark red, hazely, or brown colour. 

 Tins is commonly a most excel- 

 lent soil. Other loam is of a light 

 yellow, or whitish colour, and re- 

 quires abundance of manuring to 

 render it fruitful. 



Ail kinds of loam are apt to be 

 too wet, and to be covered with a 

 short green moss, if they lie flat. 

 In this case, ridge ploughing is 

 best, and hollow drains often ne- 

 cessary. Loam that has a mixture 

 of gravel, or sand, is warmer, and 

 titter for tillage ; but all loams are 

 good for the growing of grasses. 



LOCUST TREE, Robinia, a 

 well known tree, which grows in 

 great plenty in the vicinity of Bos- 

 ton, and is a native of this country,* 

 but does not flourish so well in the 

 state of Maine, as the frost of 

 winter is apt to kill the extremities 

 of the limbs. There are particu- 

 lar placas, however, in this state, 



where the growth of this tree is 

 considerably rapid. 



This tiee would be more prized 

 for its beauty, were not its limbs 

 often broken by high winds. Its 

 leaves put out late in the spring, 

 and fall otf early in the autumn. 

 It blossoms about the beginning of 

 Juiie^ at which time it makes a 

 beautiful appearance, and per- 

 fumes the circumambient air with 

 an agreeable odour. The branch- 

 es are armed with hooked spines ; 

 and the leaves composed of ten 

 pair of oval lobes, terminated with 

 an odd one. 



The wood is not only good fuel, 

 but excellent timber, very durable 

 in any situation, and particularly 

 when used as posts in fences. 



This tree grows best in a sandy 

 soil, and will propagate itself in 

 the most barren places, where the 

 soil is so light as to be blown away 

 by winds. By sheltering such 

 places, and dropping its leaves on 

 them, it causes a sward to grow 

 over them, and grass to grow upon 

 them. It is not advisable to plant 

 groves of the locust tree on the 

 borders of fields, on account of 

 Iheir spreading too much by scat- 

 tering their seeds, unless on those 

 which are most barren. But those' 

 who possess hills of barren sand, 

 and in a climate that suits them, 

 should not delay to make forests 

 of these trees on such spots. It 

 may be easily done by sowing the 

 seeds in a nursery, and transplant- 

 ing them. A plenty of wood may 

 be thus speedily produced, without 

 the least injury to the land, yea, 

 with advantage to it. 



For "some notice of the In- 



