SOIL. 



fire might be fuppofed to have been the caufe j but as the 

 confumption of vegetables by that element, however great 

 the waiie may be of a part of their ufeful principles, is always 

 produftive of more or lefs fertility, the appearances above- 

 mentioned muft be owiHg to caufes of which no correft 

 opinion feems to be at prefent entertained. This defcription 

 of muir is the mall barren, and its improvement the molt 

 hopelefs, of any foil known there, and no attempts hitherto 

 made have cither rewarded the enterprize of the undertakers, 

 or held out inducements to others to follow their example. 

 But there is another fpeciesof muir foil, which confilts, like 

 that already defcribed, of a ftratum of vegetable fubllances 

 upon the top, not of a black or burnt appearance, but re- 

 fembling the plants in a dry Hate intermixed with earth, 

 without having been adled upon by any thing but the wea- 

 ther. Thefe, when examined, are found to contain a con- 

 liderable proportion of the properties common to all vege- 

 tables, and when properly treated, are capable of being con- 

 verted into a foil friendly to vegetation. The Hones upon this 

 kind of muir are of the fame colour with thofe met with 

 upon the belt foils. There are confiderable trafts of this 

 foil, which, by good management, might be confiderably 

 improved : indeed a great part has been much ameliorated 

 of late years, in many diftritls, and is in a progreiTive ftate 

 of improvement. 



And in the analyfis of the fame writer of the turf of thefe 

 foils in the dillrift noticed above, he dilcovered nearly the 

 fame principles as are found in thofe of the moify kind. 



No gyplum was obtamed from this turf, nor did the 

 trial by the magnet difcover any iron. Many other trials 

 were made with different kinds of turf, taken principally from 

 muiri(h foils, the refult of which ieems to ellablifh the con- 

 ftituent parts of the turf to be, i, an acid ; 2, an alkali ; 

 7,, oil ; and 4, vegetable earth, in a confiderable quantity. 

 In cafes where the turf is pared very thin, it is found to con- 

 tain lefs acid and more alkaline falts and vegetable earth 

 than where it is deep cut, and much of the foil taken along 

 with it. 



In the improvement of thefe kinds of foils different me- 

 thods mull be purfned, according as they poflefs more or 

 lefs of the vegetable principle, and as they are of the deeper 

 or thinner kinds. Where there is much heath, the great 

 objeft will however be that of dcftroying it as quickly as 

 pofliblc, in which view paring and burning may be had re- 

 courfe to with valt advantage and fuccefs. The application 

 of caullic lime has likewife been found highly beneficial in 

 the fame intention. 



The ufe of different fubllances of the animal and ve- 

 getable kinds, as dung and the mud of ponds, in the form of 

 earthy compoils, may likewife be found advantageous on 

 foils of this nature, with judicious modes of cropping with 

 plants of the grain and green kind ; the latter being fed off 

 as much as poifible upon the land by (heep. 



Some think the bell means of improving all forts of foil of 

 this nature, is, after the heath has been, in fome meafure, re- 

 moved, where it is long, by the application of lime or marie 

 over the furface, allowing it to continue in tliat Hate for the 

 fpace of two or three years, when tliefe foils are to be broken 

 up and fown with proper forts of crops in alternation with 

 turnips and potatoes, the ground being laid down again to 

 grafs when it has been brought into proper condition for it. 

 The turnips, where it is pratlicable, fiiould always be eaten 

 off upon the ground. Where the heath is of the long llrong 

 kind, it may be dellroyed either by burning, pulling it up 

 by the roots, or by fuffering the grafs to rife and choak it 

 up. See WASTE-LanJ. 



All thefe and fome other modes may be pradifcd in 



improving heathy foils with much fuccefs in different 

 cafes. 



It therefore appears, from the whole of what has been 

 faid upon foils, that great care and attention are always requi- 

 fite in improving the nature and qualities of them, and that 

 the firmer fliould conffantly be properly on his guard in 

 undertaking fuch forts of work. 



Soil, in Gardening, the fine furface-mould or earthy ma- 

 terials, in which plants and trees grow and afford their pro- 

 duce. Different forts or qualities of foils are neceiiary, in 

 this point of view, for different ufes and applications ; but 

 for the more general purpofes of culinary gardening, thofe 

 of the more light and dry loamy kinds, which are readily 

 broken down and reduced in their particles, are probably 

 the moft extenfively ufeful and beneficial, particularly when 

 they have been well impregnated and enriched with proper 

 forts of manure, or other fimilar matters. See Co.mpost 

 and Manure. 



Some, however, think that the bell general foil in this in- 

 tention, is that middling kind of loam, which, in fome parts, 

 is capable of being made of very different degrees of light- 

 iiefs and friability, fo as to fuit and be proper for different 

 forts of vegetable crops, by the fimple addition of fand or 

 fandy matters, in due proportions ; and in other parts, of 

 different degrees of ftiffnefs, tenacity, and cohcfion, by the 

 fuitable addition of clays or clayey materials, in the necef- 

 fary quantities. There are others who prefer foils of very 

 different natures and qualities, or which are very differently 

 conllituted, for the ule of raifing the many different forts 

 of garden vegetables, and think it incapable of being ac- 

 compliffied in the beil and mott perfeft manner, wliere this 

 is not the cafe. It is therefore probable, that confiderably 

 more latitude in refpeft to the nature of foils is neccffary 

 in the garden cultivation of plants, than in that of the field. 



In general, the depth of a garden-foil, where the bottom 

 or fub-foil is perfeftly open and dry, fhould be confiderable, 

 as not lefs than three feet, or more, in any cafe where fuch 

 a depth is to be procured ; but where there is a bottom or 

 fub-foil of rather moid clay, or any other impervious ma- 

 terial of that nature, a lefs depth may fometimes be more 

 fuitable and proper, and particularly where fuch bottom or 

 fub-foil has been well drained and freed from too much wet- 

 ncfs : however, in all or moft inftances where this is inca- 

 pable of being properly eftefted, or the trouble and ex- 

 pence of getting and providing a ftratum or layer of gravel, 

 or other fimilar fubftance, to be placed over it, are too great 

 to be incurred, the depth of the foil (hould not by any 

 means be lefs than four feet, as when it is of lefs thicknefs, 

 there may be danger of the roots of herbaceous vegetables, 

 and of fruit and other trees, reaching and ftriking into it, and 

 being thereby greatly injured or dellroyed. And for fome 

 purpofes, as thofe of growing particular kinds of truit- 

 trces, fuch a foil would be quite ruinous and wholly im- 

 proper, unlefs fome fort of impediment was given to the 

 roots linking downwards, by forming a kind of pavement 

 with Hones, bricks, or tiles, about two and a half or three 

 feet under the furface of the ground, jull .ibove tlie clayey 

 bed. The depth of good garden foils fhould, of courfe, in 

 common, be from two to three feet, and in particular cafes 

 four feet or more. The nature of the particular foils, and 

 the fub-foils or bottoms on which they rell, mutt, however, 

 in a great meafure, regulate their depths. 



In cales where the natural foils of gardens are to be re- 

 moved, and thofe of new and better kinds formed and pro- 

 vided, much regard is iieceffary to be had, in the introduc- 

 tion of the different kinds of earthy materials of which they 

 are to be compofed. The foili of'^all the different parts are 

 4 t» 



