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and are intimately blended together. On this account, in 

 improving soils by artificial methods, the husbandman or the 

 arboriculturist cannot steer in so safe a course, as by study- 

 ing the eflects of intermixture, and imitating the chemistry 

 of nature. 



In preparing soils on these principles, for the removal of 

 trees, the materials cannot often lie at a distance. In this 

 quarter of the island, there is no man, possessing grounds of 

 any extent, who has not the command of more, than one 

 sort of soil, especially in the mineral districts. In the Park 

 here, three different species are found, namely, tenacious clay, 

 strong loam, and light sand ; and fortunately also, peat-moss 

 in abundance near at hand. My practice, therefore, has 

 been diligently to collect and make up masses or heaps of 

 compost, in different parts of the grounds, adjacent to where 

 the trees might be wanted, and to have them always ready 

 for use, of not less than six months old. These masses are 

 compounded usually in the following manner : First, quick- 

 lime recently burnt (called in Scotland " lime shells") with 

 clayey matter, for the light land ; Secondly, mild lime with 

 sandy soil, for the aluminous ; and Thirdly, quicklime with 

 peat-moss, for the loamy. To each of the two soils first men- 

 tioned, I usually give an addition of about a third part of 

 the peat compost ; and by procuring the peat in rather an 

 advanced state of decomposition, its speedy preparation is 

 more easily brought about. 



In this way, I conceive, I have succeeded, with the least 

 possible expense of manure and labour, in preparing mate- 

 rials for improving the different soils, for the reception of the 

 fibrous roots of trees. The clay compost, by means of the 

 lime, being brought into a state of decomposition, surpris- 

 ingly improves the silicious soil, by giving it greater consis- 

 tency, in the same way that the same soil is benefited by 

 marl, or calcareous matter. The sand compost, in hke 

 manner, still more powerfully acts on the aluminous soil. 



