ECONOMICAL GEOLOGY. 101 



other vegetable substance, whether occurring naturally or 

 cultivated for the purpose of being employed for the im- 

 provement of land. 



"When used by itself in a fresh state, it is advisable to 

 plow it in at once. The decomposition then proceeds in 

 the soil; and this acts as an excellent absorber for the 

 ammonia which is gradually given off during decay. There 

 can be no objection to its application in the form of a com- 

 post ; and when there is a command of vegetable refuse 

 matters, peat mould, and similar substances, which cannot 

 be economically applied in any other form than that of a 

 compost, the addition of sea-weed will be found a most 

 valuable means to hasten the decomposition, and materially 

 to improve the fertilizing qualities of the compost. 



" Sea-weed produces very powerful fertilizing effects 

 when applied in a fresh state upon grass land ; and mixed 

 with lime or shell sand, it has also been used with advan- 

 ' tage as a top-dressing for young wheat and potatoes. The 

 addition of sea-weed to barn-yard manure hastens its de- 

 composition in a remarkable manner, and considerably 

 improves its quality." — Gyc. Agr. 



" The saline and other inorganic matters which are con- 

 tained in the sea-weed we lay upon our fields, is a positive- 

 addition to the land. If we plow in a green crop where it 

 grew, we restore to the soil the same saline matter only 

 which the plants have already taken from it during their 

 growth, while the addition of sea-weed imparts to it an 

 entirely new supply. It brings back from the sea a 

 portion of that which the rivers are constantly carrying 

 into it ; and is thus valuable in restoring, in some mea- 



