AS A MANURE. 213 



and other organs of digeftion and afiimulation. I have no 

 doubt of the truth of the propofition, that no living thing, 

 neither plant nor animal, can grow and live in a ftate of vifi- 

 b!e action without conftant fupplies of matter which has been 

 alive ; in other words, living animals and vegetables can only 

 live on dead animals and dead vegetables. No plant, nor ani- 

 mal has ever been known by experience, nor in the nature of 

 things does it feem reafonable, that they can be nourifhed by 

 mere water and pure air, as fome perfons have aflerted. 



I fhall make a few remarks on the other tivo fubftanccs which 

 are the fubjeft of Mr. Willaume's letter. 



2. The Peat. 



The peat is a denfe mafs of vegetable matter for a certain Chemical re- 

 depth, partly in a dead and partly in a living ftate, with which m * rk on P eafe 

 is mixed more or lefs earth, and in burning it affords (o much 

 empyreumatic oil, as to give a difagreeable tafte to roafted 

 provifions; hence, as we are told, it has been rejected from 

 the kitchen. This fuel affords a vaft quantity of what the 

 chemifts call lignic acid: hence it is rejected alfo from the 

 parlour, as very deftruclive to the grates. I beg to fuggeft 

 that this lignic acid might be faved in burning the peat as fuel, 

 and be ufed for various purpofes in manufactures; and the 

 charred peat may be ufed in place of charcoal of wood. Pro- 

 bably too other ufeful products will be found, on examining 

 the matters more accurately which are afforded by diftillation. 



3. Ajhes. 



If the peat were mere vegetable matter, the afhes afforded The aflie 

 by it would be as trifling as thofe of wood; but fome parts of peat 

 the moor contain fo much earth and oxide of iron, as to leave 

 behind, on burning, a confiderable quantity of incombuflibie 

 matter; and fuch kind of peat, we are told, is not ufed as 

 fuel ; but, after burning, the refiduary matter is an efficacious 

 manure, much more fo than is commonly afforded by paring 

 and burning. The afhes are more red and more fertilizing 

 than afhes of common turf, becaufe they contain more iron. 



The fpontaneous fpringing up of white clover, in land ma- produce 

 tiured with thefe afhes, is fimilar to the fpontaneous growth of clovcr « 

 this plant on heath land, which has been covered with lime to 

 deftroy all its prefent vegetation ; and this facl fliews that pro- 

 bably 



