, FALLO'iVING. 69 



nure, and should be carefully preserved from wet and 

 air. One load of dry well preserved ashes, will go 

 as far as two or three that have been carelessly kept. 

 They are good for almost all crops, and are to be used 

 as a top-dressing, because they soon tind their vray into 

 the soil. By their tendency downwards, if put under 

 the surface they will siak too low. They are consider- 

 ed rather more useful near the sea than in the interior. 

 They are most beneficial to cold and damp lands, 

 but of great service to ail. A few bushels on an acre 

 are a good dressing for grass lands that are low, and in- 

 clining to be mossy. Besides their fertilizing qualities, 

 they check the ravages of worms and insects, andshould 

 therefore be applied to cabbages, turnips, cucumbers, 

 melons, peas and other pulse. Ashes should be spread 

 evenly, not in too great quantities, just before ruin is the 

 best time. They are an excellent nourishment for the 

 roots of trees. Ashes do well in composts if kept un- 

 der cover, making a fine mixture with cow, fowls, and 

 short horse dung; and mixed with mud have been tho't 

 by Arthur Youngs superior to ashes alone, and four times 

 better than mud alone. 



Perhaps ashes may be most profitably applied to In- 

 dian corn, particularly where the soil is not suitable to 

 the plant. On sward land about a gill of dry ashes, (the 

 effect from a greater or less quantity about the same,) 

 or half a shovel full of leached ashes, should be spread 

 circularly round the top of the hill at the first hoeing, 

 not touching the plants. A re-application at the time 

 the ears are forming will be profitable. 



Soot, as a top-dressing, is much more valuable than 

 ashes, and is proper for almost all arable lands. 



Jl/f/r/, is a substance scarcely known in this part of 

 the world, 3^et it is not improbable that it abounds in 

 many places amongst us. It is therefore of importance 

 that -its distinguishing qualities should be briefly pointed 

 out, that every parcel of earth, which bears any resem- 

 blance to it, should be examined with care, as the dis- 

 covery would be invalulable. Marls are various in their 

 qualities and colors, some hard, some earthy, and some 

 shelly, &ic. Beds of it are sometimes found under light 

 sandy soils, sometimes in bog swamps, in clayey lands, 

 ?iad along the banks of rivers. Boring may discover 

 7* 



