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MISCELLANEOUS COMMUNICATIONS AND NOTICES. 



IX. — On the Application of a Marine Peat in Carnarvonshire 

 as Manure. By the Rev. J. V. Vincent. 



To the President. 



Sir, — 'As the subject of manures so properly engrosses much of the 

 attention of the Society, I have thought that an account of the following 

 experiments might possibly not be deemed entirely devoid of interest. 



On the sea-coast of Carnarvonshire in several places, about 2 feet 

 beneath the surface of the sand and below high-water mark, there is a 

 decayed vegetable deposit, or turbary, of the thickness of from 4 to 5 

 feet, strongly impregnated with sea-salt. Of this I have been for several 

 years in the habit of making a compost, such as was recommended by 

 I^rd Meadowbank, by mixing it v*'ith fresh dung. In a few days after 

 incorporation a very strong heat is produced ; and as soon as the fer- 

 mentation began to diminish I have had it carried on the turnip-land, 

 and it has proved invariably as effective as an equal quantity of rotten 

 dung. 



Last year, having seen an account of the advantage derived from the 

 admixture of lime and salt as a manure, I thought this saline turbary if 

 mixed with lime might be equally beneficial ; I accordingly caused seven 

 cart-loads to be carried from the shore into a shed, and when well pul- 

 verized it was thrown into a heap and mixed with a cart-load of coal- 

 ashes ; during the operation of mixing about a barrel of soapsuds was 

 poured upon the heap. I then procured a cart-load of quicklime, and, 

 having reduced it to powder with water, it was thrown into another part 

 of the shed. The two heaps having remained separate for a month, and 

 each being quite cold, they were then well mixed together. In three or 

 four days the compost became as hot as a dunghill, a strong fermentation 

 taking place: it was allowed to remain in this state for a few days 

 longer, when, the heat beginning to decrease, it was carried into a field 

 preparing for turnips, and spread in the drills in the same manner as 

 bone-dust. The crop proved a very good one, from 30 to 35 tons per 

 acre, and was considerably superior to those manured with bone-dust the 

 year before on land of better quality. Although there may not be many 

 localities which afford this submarine turbary, there are several in which 

 turbary abounds, and which, with the addition of lime and salt, may be 

 turned to good account. Common mountain-turbary does not heat with 

 lime in the same manner as that saturated with sea-salt. 



I am, Sir, your obedient servant, 



James V. Vincent. 



Gorddinog^ Bangor, Oct. 13, 1841. 



The land on which the compost has been used is rather light, — the sub- 

 soil in one instance gravelly, in another a mixture of clay and gravel, 

 with a considerable portion of oxide of iron. 



VOL. II. 



