11 



fliells are often burnt for lime. It has feemed to have 

 been the popular idea, in this country, that marie 

 was merely a very fine, rich earth : but without cal- 

 careous matter mingled with it, there can be no 

 marie. 



But however correal and economical may be the 

 manner of faving and applying manure, the quanti- 

 ty ftill falls vaftly fliort of the farmer's wants. How 

 to fupply the deficiency merits the deepeft attention 

 of the Society. Dr. Elliot, a highly refpe(^able cler- 

 gyman of Connedicut, who feventy years ago wrote 

 ElTays on Field Hufbandry, tried this method : In 

 the road he made a pen long in proportion to its 

 width, in which he confined his cows every night 

 during the fummer ; and once a month, taking down 

 the end fences, ploughed up the pen. By this pro- 

 cefs, he remarks, " the furrow depth of earth was 

 become dung," and when applied to grafs and corn 

 appeared to equal other dung in its effeds. 



A gentleman of Virginia, one of the greateft and 

 moft Scientific farmers in the United States,* recom- 

 mends, from his own experience of its benefits, the 

 nightly penning of cattle during the fummer. But 

 to prevent lofs by evaporation, he, at the end of eve- 

 ry two weeks at fartheft, fhifts his fence, and forms 

 a new pen ; and immediately fecures the riches of 

 the former, by a fingle ploughing. One hundred 

 head of ordinary cattle, of the ages common when 

 raifed on the farm, and as many fheep, he fays, will 

 in this way manure eighteen acres annually, fuiE- 

 ciently to produce fine crops of Indian Corn and 

 Wheat, followed by clover. This plan, however, is 

 impradicable on the fmall farms of Eflex. Nor is 

 Dr» Elliot's mode, of forming pens by the fides of 



* Col. John Taylor, of Caroline county. 



