SEA 



nih of that or tlie like colour, being broken and mixed with 

 it in great quantity. Weftward, near the Land's-End, the 

 fea-fand is very white ; and about the ifles of Scilly it is 

 very ghftening, with fmall particles of talc. On the coads 

 of the North fea the fand is yellowifh, brown, or rcddifh, 

 and contains fo great a quantity of fragments cf cockle-fliells, 

 that it feems to be chiefly coinpufed of them. That fort 

 of fea-fand is accounted bell, wliich is of a reddifh colour: 

 the next in value to this is the bhicifh, and the white is the 

 worft. This kind of fand is the bell when taken up from 

 under the water, or from fand-banks, which are covered by 

 every tide. And it is remarked, that the fmall-grained 

 fand is the mod fudden in its operation, and it is therefore 

 bed for the tenant who is only to take three or four crops ; 

 but that the coarfe, or large-grained fand, is much better 

 for the landlord, as the good it does lads many years. 

 Where fand is dredged out of the fea, it is ufually much 

 dearer than where it is taken from fand-banks. 



In the northern parts of Lancadiire, and in Cornwall, the 

 more light forts of land in the vicinity of the fea-fhores, are 

 in many cafes much improved by the application of fea-fand 

 upon them. The praAice is to lay it on in a pretty thick 

 manner, in order that it may be well incorporated with the 

 foil, by the different ploughings before the wheat is fown. 

 In this way large crops are often afforded, and the effefts 

 of the dreffing lad feveral years. It ia likewife found very 

 beneficial when applied thinly over the furface of grafs-lands 

 in rendering the herbage more fine and fweet. It i» a fub- 

 dance that might in many fituations be much more exten- 

 fively made uie of than has hitherto been the cafe. See 

 Sand, Shelly. 



This fort of fand is confidered as a vafl treafure by the 

 farmers in fome parts of the county of Cornwall, at has 

 been already hinted at, efpiecially where the fea-coaft is 

 extenfive. It is fuppofed to be a fubdance that feeds the 

 com, as well as pulfe-crops and roots, well, and which is 

 highly ufeful on padure-land ; it being material to the value 

 of farms whetiier they are near to or remote from it. It 

 is, however, procured from great didances in fome cafes. 

 Its goodnefs greatly depends, however, upon the quantity 

 of calcareous and animal matter which it contains, in addition 

 to the mechanical effefts which it affords ; with fome kinds 

 of it, flimy, earthy, ligneous vegetable, and animal matter, 

 are combined, in which cafe it is denominated lig or liggan, 

 and thought of great value for potatoe crops. The large- 

 fized coral fand is fuppofed the mod lading in its effefts ; 

 but the fmaller grained and fhelly forts are extenfively ufed 

 in fome places. 



When this fort of fand is applied alone, either on tillage 

 or grafs-land, it is called clean fanding ; but it is more 

 ufually laid on in mixture with earth and dung in the way of 

 a compod. It is employed in all the proportions of from 

 three hundred to thirty lacks of fixteen gallons each, to the 

 cudomary acre of that didrift. Its utility depends much 

 on the nature of the lands, being more beneficial on the 

 moory and the thinner forts of foil, than on the deep loamy 

 kinds. 



It is computed that more than 54.,ooo cart-loads of it arc 

 taken from the harbour of Paddow alone, and that the ex- 

 pence of land-carriage for this article only, for the whole 

 didrift, is more than 30,000/. a-year. 



In fome of the northern parts of the county of Lancadcr, 

 fea-fand was formerly much had rccourfe to on tillage and 

 other land, as has been fecn above, but it has lately been Icfs 

 employed. They apply it from 80 to 300 or 400 fingle 

 horfe cart-loads to the cudomary acre, every ten or twelve 

 years, moftly for the wheat crop. The dry fea-fand was 



Vol. XXXII. 



SEA 



formerly made ufe of, but very feldom at prefent, as the 

 muddy, or that dug from fome depth, and intermixed with 

 mud, IS now found much better. It is of a blackifh ap- 

 pearance, and faid to lad longer in the foil, and produce 

 better crops than the common fand. In one trial, the 

 muddy fort had vadly the advantage, both in the immediate 

 and future crops. It is fometimes, hkewife, laid upon the 

 grafs, it is faid, with good and lading effeds. In three 

 fmall trials made with it by the Rev. Mr. Stainbank, it 

 feemed however to be of little utility. He applied it on 

 two ridges, on common padure, on meadow and on 

 ploughed land, in the quantity of 200 fingle horfe cart-loads 

 to the cudomary acre of each, and found not the lead alter- 

 ation or improvement in the crops of any of them. It is, 

 however, remarked, in tlie Agricultural Survey of the 

 North Riding of York, that in man/ cafes in the vicinity of 

 the fea, ufe has been made of fea-fand as a manure with con- 

 ftant fuccefs, and that for the didnfts of Clcaveland, and 

 the coad where the wet adheCve clays want draining and 

 breaking, and in mod parts of which it might be eafily pro- 

 cured. It would be equally ufeful. It is fuppofed to be 

 there difregarded in confequence of its great plenty, and 

 being capable of being provided without expcnce. See 

 Sand. 



SzA-Sccrfion. See ScORPIO. 



S£A.-Serpcnt. See Sea-SsAm. 



SBA-She/ls, in Agriculture, fuch as arc formed and dug 

 from the creeks and bays on the fea-coad. They are con- 

 Itantly very beneficial in improving land in all fituations 

 where they are met with in fufHcient quantity. But the 

 great ufe of marine Ihells is more Ihewn in the following 

 paffage in the datidical account of the parifh of Kirkma- 

 breck, in Galloway. The principal manure ufed there 

 for improving land is fea-fhells, of which there is an almoll 

 inexhaudible quantity, not only within the high- water mark 

 on this fide of^ Wigtnn bay, but alfo in the dry land, feveral 

 hundred yards from the fhore. Thefe fliells are fold at five- 

 pence per ton, twenty-five of which are fufficicnt for an acre ; 

 and prove a cheap and excellent manure, preferable to cither 

 lime or marie. Many thoufand tons of thefe diells are an- 

 nually carried (by veifcls condantly employed in the bufinefs) 

 all round the coad, and fometimes even to the Ifle of Man. 

 Thefe (hells have been ufed with great advantage for the im- 

 provement of barren heathy land, infomuch, that many hun- 

 dreds of acres in this parifh, originally not worth more than 

 is. per acre, have been made worth from lor. to i^s.fer acre. 

 Yet this, like every other advantage that is eafily attained, 

 is not duly prized ; for upwards of one thoufand acres in 

 this parifli, though capable of cultivation, lie in a date of 

 nature, covered with heath, and alniolt good for nothing. 

 A little calculation might fcrvc to fhew landlords, that oa 

 nothing could they lay out their money to fo much advantage. 

 As for a tenant, where he has only a leafe for nineteen years, 

 and perhaps his encouragement not great othcrwife, it cannot 

 be cxpeftcd he (honld do much in the cultivation of barren 

 land. The tenant, however, might well lay thefe fea-fhclls 

 on land already cultivated. This hint fliould be duly at- 

 tended to by the cultivators of Inch lands, iu fituations where 

 fuch manvires can be readily provided. It is obfcrvcd, that 

 in Loch Tarbet there is an immcnfe number of oydcr-fhcUs, 

 almod unmixed with any fand, when the thin flratum above 

 them is removed : the extent of this adonifhing mafs of (hells 

 is unknown, iiut it is probable it can never be cxli.iud«d. 

 A vad traft of improvcablc moorifii land in the neighbour- 

 hood, may, ton\c time or other, (hew that I'rovidonee did not 

 place this fund of in:iiune m v.iin fo mar it. Tor fuch 

 mooridi hoathy ground, thefe fra-fhcll» arc the fitted ma. 

 S uure, 



