118 



necessary, for such soils do not require that their tex- 

 ture should be improved. (Ibid.* 1846, 147.) 



It is most probable, that the other salts contained 

 in sea water, such as the sulphate of magnesia, chlo- 

 ride of calcium, and chloride of magnesium, are also 

 very beneficial to the Asparagus. Hence manuring 

 with fresh sea weed, and even watering with sea 

 water, have been found more beneficial to Asparagus 

 than the application of crystallized salt. 



Thus a very good authority says, for many years I 

 have known sea weed, and strong sea sand, taken wet 

 from the receding tide, used as a dressing for Aspa- 

 gus beds, and I never knew those beds to fail. Now 

 the secret of this application is in the saline qualities 

 of the weed and of the sand, and not in any sub- 

 stantial quality of the sea weed, for when that is dis- 

 solved there is nothing left for the earth of the beds 



* With all deference to so high an authority we are of opinion 

 that if size, amount of produce in the aggregate, and tender- 

 ness, be the points to aim at, farm-yard manure, especially if 

 blended with ordinary vegetable matter or leaf soil, will exceed 

 all other applications, either on clays or sands. "We much 

 doubt too the correctness of the opinion, that loose, friable 

 soils do not require their texture to be improved. With regard 

 to sandy soils, we are aware that they do not require any con- 

 solidation ; they, however, require, mechanically speaking, 

 something both to absorb moisture, and to transmit or equalise 

 it afterwards, and this we would submit is one part of the oflSce 

 of rotten manures in sandy soils. 



