74 IMPROVEMENT OF THE SOIL BY 



the air can be kept out, and the smoke kept in, the more 

 abundant and fertilizing will be the ashes. 



10. Wood ashes are beneficial to most soils, on account 

 of the potash and other salts which they afford. Leached 

 ashes are in many cases beneficial, particularly within the 

 influence of the marine atmosphere ; and it has been 

 show^n by a writer in the Cultivator, that their unvarying 

 efficacy upon the borders of the sea, is owing principally 

 to their combining these with the muriate of soda, or 

 common salt. An admixture of a small portion of salt, 

 or salt water, with leached ashes, in the interior, gave to 

 them highly-enriching qualities ; whereas, applied without 

 the salt, they imparted little or no benefit. On many 

 lands in the interior, however, the application of leached 

 ashes has induced an increase of fertility. 



In short, there is no animal or vegetable matter, upon 

 the farm or elsewhere, but is convertible into farm-crops, 

 when properly managed. 



As the grain, roots, and forage destined to feed the 

 family and the farm-stock, require the best care of the 

 husbandman, to prevent waste and injury, so does the 

 manure which is destined to feed his crops. Fermenta- 

 tion, if suffered to exhaust its powers upon yard-dung, 

 materially lessens its value ; the wind and the sun dissi- 

 pate its virtues, and rains leach it and waste its fertilizing 

 powers. The same care given to the food of vegetables', 

 which should be given to the food of animals, will be 

 richly recompensed in the increased product of the har- 

 vest. 



If we contrast the common with the improved practice, 

 in regard to the management of dung, we shall readily 

 see, that the difference, in enriching the soil, is incalcula- 

 bly great — enough to induce poverty in one case, and to 

 enrich the proprietor in the other. Even the best class 

 of our farmers, who are deemed judicious managers, sel- 

 dom avail themselves of half the resources of fertility 

 w^hich their farms or neighborhoods afford — not half that are 

 put in successful requisition by the farmers of Great Brit- 

 ain and Flanders. Besides, what manure they do make, 

 is badly husbanded : they suffer the gaseous portions to 



