5fl2 HUSBj 
The fubftances of the vegetable kind that may be ad- 
vantageoufly converted into manure* are fo extremely 
numerous, that it is impoflible to defcribe the whole of 
them. All kinds of green vegetable produftions may be 
employed in this way ; fuch as the luxuriant weeds of 
river?, lakes, ponds, and ditches; fern; and the refule of 
different kinds of garden-vegetables. Where green ma¬ 
terials of this nature are made ufe of, they fliould always 
be cut down while in their juicy ftate, juft before their 
flowers begin to appear, in order that they may be in the 
molt fuitable condition for becoming quickly putrid, and 
to prevent the injury that might othervvife be fuftained 
from the vegetation of their feeds. They are afterwards 
to be collected into heaps of a moderate fize, and their 
putrefaftion promoted by their being thrown together as 
lightly as poflible, and the occalional fprinkling of them 
■with water, if the feafon be hot and dry ; and as lime is 
found, when applied to vegetables in their green moilt 
itate, to difengage from them both hydrogen and azot, 
by the combination of which volatile alkali is produced, 
it may be advantageous to blend a portion of lime at firft 
■with the heaps, and afterwards add a fuitable quantity of 
peat-earth, or good vegetable mould, for the alkali thus 
formed to aft upon. By this method, the quantity of 
manure from fuch fubftances may be greatly augmented, 
and rendered more valuable. But with dry materials, 
fuch as hay, draw of different kinds, fern, and ruflies, 
fuch additions cannot be had recourfe to with equal fuc- 
cel's, unlefs where much of the dung and urine of ani¬ 
mals have been incorporated with them ; but their refo- 
lution and decay may be greatly promoted by their being 
kept in a ftate of moifture, without the water being buf¬ 
fered to lfagnate upon them, and by their not being per¬ 
mitted to be trodden down too much by cattle, or other 
means, in the farm-yards. 
Another beneficial means of vegetable manure, which 
is yet far from being fufficiently praftifed, is that of pro¬ 
viding full crops of iucculent green vegetables, fuch as 
clover, buck-wheat, tares, vetches, fpurry, peafe, beans, 
turnips, and many other fimilar plants, to be turned 
down by the plough, in order that they may undergo the 
putrefaftive procefs under the ground, and by that means 
be converted into manure, and fupply the nutrition of 
plants. In this praftice it is probable that great advan¬ 
tages might be obtained, on the principles which we have 
juft dated, by the fpreading of a fmall portion of lime 
and peat, or rich vegetable earth, over fuch crops, and 
then rolling them down, that they may be completely 
turned in and buried by the plough ; an operation which 
fliould be performed as quickly as poflible afterwards, 
and, where the crops will admit of it, in the fummer or 
the early part of autumn, while the fun has the power of 
promoting the decay of luch vegetable matters. By this 
means, it feems probable, that the putrefaftion of fuch 
crops would not only be much expedited, but the prin¬ 
ciples thereby fet at liberty be capable of exerting their 
influence much more extenfively than where the plants 
themfelves are only employed'; and little additional ex¬ 
pence be incurred by the farmer. 
Where crops of green plants can .be turned down, 
when the feafon is fufficiently hot to enfure their fpeedily 
running into the putrid ftate, there cannot be any doubt 
but that it is a better and more advantageous praftice, 
efpecially where manures of other kinds are fcarce, than 
that of procuring it by the confuming of fuch crops by 
the feeding or foiling of cattle. 
Sea-weed, is another vegetable production which is ca¬ 
pable of being employed as a manure with great advan¬ 
tage, and fliould never be neglefted where it is within 
the reach of the farmer. In fome places it is the praftice 
to fpread it upon the lands as foon as poflible after being 
cut from the verges of the rocks on the different fea- 
coafts, or collefted after being left by the tides, and to 
plough it in; where this method is adopted, as little time 
as poflible fliould be fuffered to elaple after cutting, or 
L N D U Y. 
collefting, of the weed, before it is ploughed down ; for, 
as the plant in its green or fucculent ftate readily decays 
and becomes putrid, if there be any confiderable delay in 
the performance of the bufinefs, efpecially when the wea¬ 
ther is hot, much of its valuable properties as a manure 
is diflipated and carried away by means of evaporation, 
as is fufficiently evinced by the pungent and difagreeable 
fmell that iffues from it, on its being thrown upon the 
land while undergoing the procefs of putrefaftion ; and, 
befides, when it is fuffered to become dry and hard before 
it is turned into the ground, the parts of it that remain 
are conflderably longer before they become decompofed 
and reduced into the ftate fuitable for affording the nou- 
rilhment and fupport of vegetable-crops. It is moil pro¬ 
bably on thefe accounts, as well as that of the weed af¬ 
fording but little earthy matter in proportion to its bulk, 
on its decompofition, that it is found, in general, to be lefs 
permanent in its effefts as a manure, than fome otlier 
vegetable matters. Something may likewife depend on 
the goodnefs and luxuriance of the weed itfelf, and the 
ftate which it is in when gathered from the (bores, or cut 
from the fidesof the rocks. This, like moft other plants, 
will undoubtedly be in the moft proper condition for the 
purpofes of being converted into manure, when cut or 
collefted in the moft fucculent ftate of its growth. Ano¬ 
ther praftice, which prevails in fome diftrifts where this 
weed is employed for the purpole of manure, is that'of 
collefting it into large heaps, and letting it remain ex- 
pofed in that ftate to the influence of the weather until it 
be completely rotten, and in a condition to be put upon 
the land ; but, as the plant contains in its compofition a 
large proportion of faline matters, which during the ftate 
of its decompofition or decay are brought into aftivity, 
it is obvious that by fuch a method of proceeding much 
loft muft be fuftained, not only from the diffipation of 
the volatile and more fluid parts by the aftion of the fun 
and wind, but by the rains diffolving and carrying away 
the faline materials that may have been formed. When 
this weed is, therefore, not to be immediately applied as 
a manure, it would feem to be the moft economical and 
advantageous plan, efpecially where the weed is frefli, to 
firft blend a portion of quicklime with the heaps, and 
then have a fufficient quantity of frelh good earth, mould, 
or other fimilar matters, placed beneath them, as well as 
mixed with and covered over them, in order that the 
fubftances afforded by the diffolution of the weed may 
not only have fomething to mix with and aft upon, but 
likewile be prevented from being waflied away by rains. 
By this means the quantity of manure may be very much 
increafed, and its effefts rendered conflderably more per¬ 
manent. In the iflands of Jerl'ey and Guernfey, where 
this weed is extenfively employed as a manure, it is cut 
in the early part of the fpring, and about the month of 
July: the firft cutting is, in moft cafes, immediately 
made ufe of as a manure for barley and pafture lands ; 
but the latter principally converted to the purpofe of 
fuel, the allies only being employed as manure. By this 
praftice of confuming the plant in its dry ftate, however 
neceffary it may be in thefe iflands, from the great fcar- 
city of fuel, the loft in refpeft to manure is extremely 
great, as the quantity of allies that are thus produced 
bear but a very fmall proportion to that of the weed 
which is cOnfumed. The weed which is collefted after 
having been thrown upon the fliore by the tides, is found 
to be much inferior as a manure to that which is cut 
from the rocks and made ufe of in its juicy ftate ; which 
fully confirms the opinion which has been advanced above. 
River-weed. In fummer great quantities might be ga¬ 
thered in lakes, in rivers where the water is deep and 
has no current, and in all wet ditches. Its effefts upon 
wheat and other grain, as well as upon turnips, cabbages, 
and other green-crops, are well ascertained. It may be 
laid on the land green, and ploughed in, or it may be 
mixed with earth and dung. The beft way of preparing 
it for manure is to let it lie in fmall heaps for a day or 
two. 
