On Salt as a Manure. 163 



Art. XII. Remarks and cautionary Hints respecting Experi- 

 ments with Salt as a Manure. By Agronome. 



Dear Sir, 



I can no longer resist the temptation under which I have 

 been labouring for some time, viz. to commence author, and 

 endeavour to make myself immortal, like yourself, and a great 

 many more of my old acquaintances. I cannot see why I 

 should not succeed as well as another ; I have had as much 

 experience in farming and gardening as most men, and have 

 read almost all the useful, and even the useless or silly books, 

 on these subjects. But I shall commence my authorship by 

 paying a compliment to the Gardener's Magazine, which, in a 

 short time, will prove to be worth all your other works. It is 

 just such a thing as was wanted among gardeners, who, if they 

 do not now become enlightened, the fault must be entirely their 

 own ; and if the Magazine be not an useful, instructive, and 

 entertaining work, tae, your correspondents, will be as much in 

 fault as yourself: for should you get dull or insipid at any time, 

 there will always be some one or other among us to rouse you 

 up. I myself will not be without giving you a little of my mind 

 occasionally, on various subjects ; for though I may not have 

 time or patience to write a folio volume, I can write a folio 

 letter any winter's evening, and so may any gardener, (there lies 

 the beauty of the Magazine !) and I shall likely be asking as 

 many questions as I give answers to the questions of others ; 

 for though I am so old, and have had so much experience, I 

 still find that I am very ignorant in a great many things : and 

 yet I do not think I am one of those who are " always learn- 

 ing, yet never come to the knowledge of the truth." 



It is considerably more than twenty years ago since I thought 

 myself as good a gardener and farmer as any nobleman or 

 gentleman could possibly desire to have. I had fulfilled the 

 office of cow-boy, shepherd-boy, and plough-man in farmers' 

 service, for six years, and had spent six years more in the 

 gardens of three first-rate noblemen, in five different counties, 

 and was, at the time alluded to, in the forcing department of 

 a very celebrated gentleman, famous for many things besides 

 a gallery of pictures in Pall Mall, and under a no less cele- 

 brated gardener, famous for many things besides patent hot- 

 houses, not a hundred miles from Blackheath, and in the habit 

 of visiting all the royal, and most of the noble or celebrated 

 estates, gardens, and nurseries for many miles round the 

 metropolis. Since that time I have practised farming and 



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