And Improvement of Soils, 189 



then carted, and spread regularly over the field, and in 

 every instance it gave a return of clover, equal to ten 

 load of stable manure to the acre. The idea of mixing 

 the lime and earth, was suggested from spreading the re- 

 fuse mortar of lime and sand gathered from about build- 

 ings and laid upon the field, the eftect of which I observed 

 was more immediate than any equal quantity of lime : 

 though mixtures of lime and earth, were equally so, — in 

 both cases, the lime was completely pulverized, and 

 the sand and earth, broke up the communication of 

 lime with lime, and the succeeding rains carried the 

 fertilizing principle of the lime, as from a sieve, into 

 the soil where it was spread, — it completely divided 

 the soil, rendering that open and w^arm, which before 

 was compact, and too cold for the roots of the grain to 

 live in. 



The whole soil which before felt dead under foot, 

 became so elastic that persons of observation by walk- 

 ing over the field in the night, distinctly told how far 

 the lime and earth compost extended. The colour of 

 the soil was likewise changed into that of chocolate. 



These effects presented several ideas, which had not 

 occurred to me before: viz. That any thing which would 

 separate the particles of the soil, and admit the air, would 

 render these cold and heavy clays, warm and fertile ; 

 — that the free intercourse of air, would carry off the 

 acid ; to meet this, ploughing in the fall was adopted, 

 and found successful ; one half of a field six years ago 

 was ploughed in the winter, the other half ploughed in 

 the spring, that part w^hich was ploughed in the spring, 

 has never brought grain, or grass, equal to the other. 

 It should have been observed, that the field had not 



