^60 SUMMARY. 



liKiy'U' supposed ; t'ui example, all manufacturing establishments bave various k mils of 

 wastes, such as hair, wool, bones and animal mailer, wood and horn shavings, coal dust 

 and cinders, ashes, waste lime, coal ashes, apple pumice, in which, during decomposition, 

 much ammonia and the phosphates exist ; carcases of dead animals, weeds of the yards 

 of houses and barns, all of which ought to go into the compost heap ; turf by the road- 

 side, and the wash of roads, which ought always to he turned upon meadows or pastures. 



12. It is evident from the composition of the numerous beds of slate and shale which 

 exist in all the sedimentary formations, that heaps of the fragments of these rocks might 

 be turned to good account as fertilizers, provided a disintegration could be effected. In 

 many instances, there is not the slightest difficulty in bringing them to a pulverulent mass. 

 Where they resist decomposition, piles of the debris, if heated, would crumble more 

 speedily to powder. If they were coarsely pulverized, the mechanical effects in many cases 

 would be important, especially on the argillaceous soils ; and they would slowly yield up 

 their potash and phosphates, magnesia and lime, to supply the annual wasie to which the 

 soil is subjected by cropping. Rocks w : hich contain sulphurct of iron undergo a rapid 

 disintegration, and afterwards a thorough decomposition. In these rocks are contained, 

 in all cases, valuable fertilizers, which are available bj T the aid of quicklime. From them 

 a large amount of gypsum may lie obtained by means of the lime, in addition to the other 

 soluble matters which the rock may contain. 



13. In conclusion, I feel justified in saying that the available means within the reach of 

 the farmers of New-York are much greater than has been supposed. The gypsum, marls, 

 limestones, peat, and broken down shales, either gypseous or calcareous, and magnesian 

 or pyritous, may all be turned to account, and may be employed at a reasonable expense, 

 not only to sustain the soil in its present state of fertility, but to increase considerably its 

 productiveness. 



