AGRICUI^TUHAL TJUSZ^fX 37& 



Gf the six families of this species,! shall describe on'i- 

 one ; rxiimely, that which has been most advantafjconsly 

 ci'n}3!oyed as a manure. Descri})tions of the other fivfi 

 sUojLikl be found in treatises of mineralogy It is cailcd 

 f^-oiis g'/psum. Its colours are grey, yellowish or red- 

 dish or siivery wliite, or light red, or brownish yellow, or 

 striped with one or more of these dark colours. It tS; 

 comj:>osed of fibres or strico. either straight or curved, 

 parallel or convtnginj^ to a comumn centre, sometimes 

 thick, sometimes fine and snbHle, adliering to each other^ 

 and vei'y bi-ittle : its hardness such as to admit beir.p 

 scraped with the nail: coinmonly semi transparent; in 

 some, often in a high degree. 



Ashes Sifted coal ashes, those of peat and white turf 

 ashes, have been found useful ; red turf ashes useless 

 and general}}' hurtfuL Wood ashes have also been em- 

 plojed advantageously, in many cases ; they contain 

 either the four pj-imitive earths, as Mr. Bergman asserts; 

 ot calcareous earth chiefly, according to Achard ; or 

 calcareous and magnesia, according to D' Arret. The^ 

 also contain some proportioji of phosphorated selenite,, 

 i. e. calcareK)us earih united to the phosplioric acid. Al- 

 most all contain also a small and variable proportion of 

 common salt, glauber salt, and terrene salts, which, 

 v,'hcn in a small dose, accelerates p.utrcfaction ; also 

 sna.all bits of charcoal. 



Charcoa.1 is a substance well known. It has frequent- 

 ly and suece.ssfuliy been used as a manure. 1st. Youugs* 

 Annals, 152, &c. 



Soapboilers waste forms an excellent manure for some 

 soils; it contains by Mr. Ruckert's Analysis, 57 per 

 cwt. of mild calx, 11 of magnesia, 6 of argil, and 2i 

 of silex 



Stable Dw7g. This is; used either fresh or putrefied ; 

 ihc first is called long, the other short dnng. Twenty 

 waggon loads of long dung will after being thrown into 

 a heap and snlicred to jiutrefy for one year, make Jess 



