MAN 



MAN 



255 



It has been too much practised 

 in this countr}', to apply scanty 

 dressings to lands in tillage, hardly 

 siirticient to have a perceptible 

 effect, and to repeat it year after 

 year. But this. 1 think, is a wrong 

 practice. A sufficient dressing 

 once in two years, 1 have always 

 found to do better than a half 

 dressing each year. This last me- 

 thod does not so well agree with a 

 succession of crops ; because some 

 crops require a much greatef 

 degree of strength in the soil, 

 than others do. Let us then ra- 

 ther follow tlie example, of the 

 European farmers, whorommonl^ 

 manure very plentifully once in a 

 course of crops, and no more ; and 

 the year the manure is laid on, 

 take a crop that requires the great- 

 est assistance from manure, or 

 that bears high manuring best, or 

 Hiakes the best returns tor manure : 

 Afterwards, crops that need less 

 manure, till the end of the course. 

 Perhaps the year of manuring in 

 this country should be chit fly for 

 Indian corn. This crop is not 

 easily overdone with manure, and 

 it pays well for high manuring. 

 And this happens well for us, as a 

 hoed crop, when the dung is used, 

 will prevent the increase of weeds, 

 which a plentiful dunging will 

 greatly promote in every kind of 

 soil. 



The following observations on 

 this important subject are extracted 

 from Sir H. Davy's " Elements of 

 Agricultural Chemistry." 



"All green succulent plants con- 

 tain sacchaiine or mucilaginous mat- 

 ter, with woody fibre, and rpadiiy 

 ferments. They caimot therefore 



if intended for manure, be used too 

 soon after their death. 



" V\ hen green crops are to be em- 

 plo}ed for enrichitig a soil, they 

 should be ploughed in, if it be pos- 

 sible, when in flower, or at the time 

 the flower is bcginnirg to appear ; 

 for it is at this period lliat the) con- 

 tain the largest quantity of easily 

 soluble ntatter.and that their leaves 

 are most acli\e in forming nutritive 

 iiiatter. Green crops, pond weeds, 

 the paring of hedges or ditches, or 

 an} kind of fres-h vegetable matter, 

 require no preparation to fit them 

 for manure. The decomposition 

 slowly proceeds beneath the soil ; 

 the soluble matters are gradually 

 dissolved, and the slight fermenta- 

 tion that goes on, checked by the 

 want of a free communication of 

 air, tends to render the woody fibre 

 soluble, without occasioning the ra- 

 pid dissipation of elastic matters. 



"• When old pastures are broken 

 up and made arable, not only has 

 the soil been enriched by the death 

 and slow decay of the plants which 

 have left soluble matters in the 

 soil ; but the leaves and roots of 

 the grasses living at the time and 

 occupying so large a part of the 

 surface, afford saccharine, mucila- 

 ginous and extractive matters, which 

 become the food of the crop, and 

 the gradual decomposition affords a 

 supply for successive years. 



" Sea weeds^ consisting of differ- 

 ent species of fuci, aigae and confer- 

 vie are much used as manure on 

 the coasts of Britain and lieland. 

 By digesting the common foci, 

 which is tfie sea weed usually most 

 abundant on the sea coast, in boil- 

 ins; water, i obtained from it one 



