On Salt as a Manure. 175 



salt, or an handful of the mixture. He is a friend to mo- 

 derate steeping of grain in weak salt and water, for 

 seed ; but not to brines, strong, or long continued, as 

 steeps. He has applied the salt, or mixture, to cotton^ 

 with great success ; and says, '' The same mixture will 

 answer equally well for wheat, rye, corn and tobacco." 

 Also hemp and and flax are benefitted by either the salt 

 alone, or the mixture. It does not succeed on clay soils, 

 not well pulverized. He gives instances of great im- 

 provement by sowing a bushel of salt per acre, or that 

 quantity in his compound, on grass lands. He told me 

 that Lord Fairfax in Firginia practised this many years 

 ago on timothy grass, and doubled its product ; as he 

 was informed by an old servant of that nobleman. I 

 give you this account from his pamphlet, and conversa- 

 tion. He reprobates all applications of salt in large 

 quantities; as being as injurious, as are the smaller por- 

 tions beneficial. He top dresses with salt, or the com- 

 pound, at the rate mentioned, all crops of either spring 

 or winter grain ; and prefers strewing it in moist wea- 

 ther. He says that others in his neighbourhood are in 

 the practice, which is gaining much credit among those 

 who adopt it. I think it best to make trial of his sug- 

 gestions, though his panacea seems good for too many 

 things *, and have no reason, fi^om his appearance^ to 

 doubt the verity of his facts. Be they ever so apparent- 

 ly improbable, the experiment will cost litde, of either 

 labour or expence. The gantelope I ran, in early life, 

 under the lash of prejudice, when, almost alone, I began 

 to disseminate the uses and efficacy of small quantities 

 qS. plaister of Paris ; has taught me never to treat with 

 neglect or contempt, relations of experiments in hus- 



