20. YORKSHIRE. 313 



I will not contend for the increafe, nor will 

 I, at prefent, admit that the foil is lejfened by 

 the operation. Different foils are adted upon 

 in different ways by fire : clay burns to hard 

 cinders^ of the nature of brick, remaining in 

 the foil unaltered by time ; while the cinders of 

 lighter foils are more perifhable. 



Thefe effects of fod-burning do not appear 

 to have been attended to. Its ufe in reducing 

 tough fward ftrikes every one •, and its effedl 

 as a manure, in the cafes in which it is ufu- 

 ally applied, is here clearly underflood by 

 thofe who are beft acquainted with its man- 

 ner of afting. 



But its effe<ft in improving the contex- 

 ture OF STRONG COHESIVE SOILS has cfcapcd 

 general notice. Yet how could art devife an 

 ingredient more likely to give opennefs and 

 freedom to a clofe-textured foil than rough, 

 porous, unperifhable afhes ? a material of 

 improvement which the foil itfelf fupplies, 

 free of cofl. The immediate acquifition of 

 MANURE repays the expence of the opera- 

 tion. The more permanent improvement 

 of the contexture of the soil is of courfe 

 obtained without expence. 



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