BY SALINE MANURES. 321 



15. Acetate of lime exercises but little action on plants in 

 quantities below 300 lbs. to the acre, and above this amount 

 is injurious. 



16. Ammoniacal salts exert a very marked action on vege- 

 tation, and may be employed in the quantities of 150 lbs. of 

 the sulphate, or 100 lbs. of the carbonate, per acre. 



17. Sea salt, in certain cases, may replace gypsum in 

 artificial meadows ; 150 lbs. of salt being equal to 5000 of 

 gypsum. 



18. Nitrate of potash increases considerably the crop, when 

 used in quantities of 150 to 200 lbs. per acre. 



19. The best time for spreading the salts is when the 

 young plants begin to put forth their leaves. At the epoch 

 of germination they are more injurious than useful. 



20. Salts do not favor the production of seed, unless asso- 

 ciated with organic manures. 



21. They retard the maturity of plants, and give more de- 

 velopment to the foliage, thus opposing evaporation of the 

 liquids which they contain. 



22. Burning the soil may be regarded as belonging to the 

 class of saline manures, since salts are formed with the or- 

 ganic matters that the soil contains, and exert a very marked 

 influence on vegetation." 



This last means of obtaining salts may be practised upon 

 peat meadows, where there is a large quantity of peat. The 

 surface may be pared with a plough made for the purpose, 

 and the turf collected in heaps and burned. Then by spread- 

 ing the ashes, the peat will be rapidly converted into vegeta- 

 ble food. This practice, however, should not be resorted to, 

 unless there are acids in the peat, or a large quantity of land 

 containing peat. The vegetable matter is more profitably 

 employed for composts. Salts may be obtained generally at 

 a cheaper rate, than to burn manure in order to obtain them. 



In conclusion, we would impress it upon the mind of the 

 New England farmer, that the preparation and proper appli- 

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