No. 149.] 195 



The free use of plaster of Paris will also assist to supply No. 

 11, (sulphuric acid) of which the soil has 7ione, and without 

 which many plants cannot fully succeed. 



Much lime will also find its way to the soil from the decom- 

 posing powders of which it forms a part. When your soil shall 

 have received a sufficiency of decomposed muck you may add 

 lime with an unsparing hand ; but when added in great excess 

 to soils deficient in vegetable matter it causes great loss of the 

 more volatile constituents. 



JVo. 5. This need not be artificially added unless yon can pur- 

 chase a quantity of soiled or damaged Epsom salts, in which 

 case it may be added, as the sulphuric acid contained in the salts 

 would probably be worth to you what the w^hole would cost ; 

 100 lbs. of this material, at a cost of 1| cents per lb. would be 

 a judicious application ; but it should reach the soil through the 

 manure heap. Those who use stone lime find it to contain 

 enough magnesia for the necessary supply but its presence in 

 large quantity is deleterious, and in moderate quantities is read- 

 ily obtainable. 



JVo. 6. Of oxide of iron, you have enough as it pervades both 

 the alumina No. 3, and No. 6. 



JVo. 7. Oxide of manganese. This is not a necessary ingredi- 

 ent of the soil and by the use of muck you can add the small 

 portion required by plants. 



JVo. 8. Potash. Of this material your soil is sadly deficient and 

 it should be added to your compact heaps in liberal quantities. 

 The cheapest sources for you to obtain it from are, floor scra- 

 pings of the New- York potash w^arehouses, wood ashes, spent 

 lye ot the soap boilers, (which contains both potash and soda 

 as carbonate) waste potash water from calico print works, &c. 



JVo. 9. a?id 10. Both soda and chloride will be supplied by 

 the use of the decomposing powders, as they are both contained 

 in common salt, and it is probably due to this fact, that your soil 

 is not so deficient of soda as of potash ; the spray from the salt 

 water adjacent to yoiu' grounds having kept up the supply of 



