SAJ^f 



SAN 



373 



and moisture : But then they are 

 liable to these inconveniences, that 

 they let them pass too soon, and 

 so contract no ligature, or else re- 

 tain it too long, especially where 

 there is a clay bottom : And by 

 that means it cither parches or 

 chills too much, and produces no- 

 thing but moss and cankerous in- 

 firmities. But if the sand happens 

 to have a surface of good mould, 

 and a bottom of gravel, or loose 

 stone, though it do not hold water, 

 it may produce a forward sweet 

 grass ; and though it may be sub- 

 ject to burn, yet it quickly reco- 

 vers with the least rain. 



" Sea sand is accounted a very 

 good compost for stift ground : For 

 it eflfect? these two things ; it makes 

 way for the tree or seed to root in 

 stifT grounds, and makes a fume to 

 feed it. 



" Sand indeed is apt to push the 

 plants that grow upon it, early in 

 the spring, and make them germi- 

 nate near a month sooner than 

 those that grow upon clay, because 

 the salts in the sand are at full 

 liberty to be raised, and put into 

 motion, upon the least approach 

 of the warmth of the sun. But 

 then, as they are hasty, they are 

 soon exhaled and lost. 



" The best sand, for the farmer's 

 use, is that which is washed by rain 

 from roads, or hills, ot that taken 

 from the beds of rivers. The com- 

 mon sand, that is dug in pits, never 

 answers nearly so well. Sand 

 mixed with dung, is much better 

 than laid on alone : And a very 

 fine manure is made, by covering 

 the bottom of sheep folds with se- 

 veral loads of sand every week, 



which are to be taken away, and 

 laid on cold stiff lands, impregnat- 

 ed as they are, with the dung and 

 urine of sheep. 



" Besides clay land, there is ano- 

 ther sort of ground very improvea- 

 ble by sand. This is that sort of 

 black foggy land, on which bushes 

 and sedge grow naturally, and 

 which they cut into turf in some 

 places. Six hundred loads of sand, 

 being laid on an acre of this land, 

 meliorate it so much, that it will 

 yield good crops of oats, &:c. though 

 before, it would have produced 

 scarce any thing. If after this crop 

 is taken off, the land be well dung- 

 ed, and laid down for grass, it 

 will yield a large crop of sweet 

 hay. 



" Sea sand, which is thrown up 

 in creeks and other places, is by- 

 much the richest of all sand for 

 manuring the earth : Partly its salt- 

 ness, and partly the fat and unctu- 

 ous filth that is mixed among it, 

 give it this great virtue. In the 

 western parts of England, that lie 

 upon the sea coast, they make great 

 advantage of it. The fragments of 

 sea shells also, which always abound 

 in this sand, add to its virtues : 

 And it is always the more esteem- 

 ed by the farmers, the more of 

 these fragments are among it. 



" Sea sand is best, which is taken 

 up from under the water, or from 

 sand banks which are covered by 

 every tide. The smallest grained 

 sand, is the most sudden in its ope- 

 ration, and is therefore best tor the 

 tenant, who is only to take three 

 or four crops : But the coarse, 

 or large grained sand, is much bet- 

 ter for the landlord, as the good it 



