FEBRUARY. 101 



which circumstance will prove the vast importance 

 of reserved grass as a succedaneum. 



COMPOSTS. 



" The farmer mny use composts to advantage, 

 when they consist of proper materials, and are skil- 

 fully mixed. Where a variety of materials can be 

 had, they may be laid as follows : first, clay or 

 stropg earth; next, soap-ashes, dung, loamy-earth, 

 lime, tanners -bark, green vegetables before they 

 run to seed, earth, soap ashes, dung, tanners-bark 

 again, earth, or as many of these as can be got : 

 also fat-chalk, sea-weeds, sea-sand, and several 

 others ; which may be so mixed, as not only to 

 raise a general fermentation throughout the whole 

 compost, but likewise to suit the nature of the 

 land on which it is intended to be laid. The com- 

 mon way is to lay the several materials in layers, 

 one over the other, till a large heap is raised ; and 

 it is advised by some authors, and the practice of 

 many farmers is, to make these layers from six 

 -inches to a foot in thickness ; but this I have 

 found by experience is wrong. For the fermenta- 

 tion raised in the compost is not strong enough to 

 penetrate these thick layers, especially those of clay, 

 or strong earth ; for after the rest have sufficiently 

 fermented, and the compost is turned, these layers 

 rise almost as whole as when first laid, and mtfst be 

 broken by hand, te mix them with the rest; of the 

 compost ; whence arise two inconveniences ; one f 

 an extraordinary ex pence of labour; and the other, 

 that twice or thrice turning is sometimes necessary 

 H 3 to 



