HUSB 
land at prefent, and what its value was prior to thofe im¬ 
provements.” 
The following method of making arompoft, is from Mar- 
tyn’s improved edition of Miller’s Gardener’s Dictionary : 
•In a field conveniently fituated, plough and harrow a head¬ 
land, till the foil is well divided and in fine tilth ; then 
take a cart-load or forty bulhels of lime frelh from the 
kiln, and place it in little heaps, about a bulhel in each, 
.along the middle of the headland, a: four feet diftance 
from 0 each other. Cover the heaps with four or five times 
their quantity of pulverized earth, and pat it down dole 
with the back of a Ihovel, l'o as to exclude both rain and 
air. In a few days the moifture of the earth will have dif- 
iolved the lime, and reduced it to a powder. If the heaps 
have any -fi flu res in them, they lhould from time to time 
be filled up, by having more earth thrown upon them, 
and patted down dole. When the lime is perfeflly re¬ 
duced to a powder, that and the earth mull be chopped 
down with a fpade, and intimately blended together. 
This is moll conveniently done in form of a'long bank or 
ridge, in the middle of which a large furrow or opening 
mull be made fuflicient to receive five cart-loads (forty 
bulhels each) of good fpit-dung ; then the earth and lime 
mud be thrown over the dung io as to cover the whole. 
In this manner it mult lie fome months, or till.the dung 
is in a Hate of dilfolution. When arrived at this llate, it 
mull be turned over again, well mixed, and formed into a 
heap or clamp to be kept for ufe. Earth, lime, and dung, 
thus managed, conftitute an unftuous mafs of great fer¬ 
tility. 
In Effex they are particularly indullrious in this prac¬ 
tice; where, as the Ikirts of inclofures feldom produce 
any corn on account of the fliade and dripping of the 
hedges, and what it does produce is of little value, be¬ 
cause the birds prey upon it, they generally fink thel'e 
borders at lealt a foot deep, and mix them into compoft, 
for the benefit of the reft of the land, which is more ex- 
pofed to the fun, and lefs liable to be preyed upon by 
birds. 
Next to thefe borders of inclofures or banks of roads, 
the fcouring of old ditches, the mud of ponds, and fedi- 
ments of ftagnant waters, are valuable, efpecially on grafs- 
land ; and a fvn.all mixture of lime is well bellowed upon 
it. Any maiden-earth, with one feventh part of lime, 
and another feventh of rotten dung, is good manure for 
moft kinds of paflure. 
It has been noticed before that true marl confillsof cal¬ 
careous earth, clay, and (and, in different proportions in 
the feveral varieties. The calcareous earth is involved as 
it were in coatings of the clay. This fuggefted to Dr. 
Hunter an idea that, where natural marl could not be,ob¬ 
tained, an artificial compoft might be made, that fhould 
anfwer nearly the lame purpofes in agriculture. Many 
countries which contain no marl have plenty of clay, 
where lime or chalk-may be procured at an eafiy expence ; 
and fand, which is of lefs importance, and not always 
found in marls, is to be met with in molt diltrifts. Clay, 
by the addition of water, becomes foft and dudtile; in 
this Hate it may eafilyb<- mixed with any portion of chalk 
or flaked lime,’ and a due quantity of fand. The pro¬ 
portions may be different, according to the nature of the 
land to which the marl is to be applied. P'or light lands 
a °Teater quantity of clay will be proper; for Itiff ftrong 
land more calcareous earth and fand ; and for very Itrong 
day it may be fuflicient to apply a mixture of calcareous 
earth and fand, with little or no clay. The lime lhould 
not only be flaked, but expofed to the air, and often turn-- 
ed, for feveral months. The quantity of clay and fand to¬ 
gether in good marls is not great y in fome one-third, in 
jbme one-fifth, in others not above one-fixth, or one- 
feventh, of the whole mafs. This artificial marl may be 
made, either by incorporating the chalk or lime with the 
moiftened.clay by treading or beating ; or elfe by throw¬ 
ing layers of lime or chalk and clay alternately, and then' 
expofing the heap during the winter to the weather, by 
A N D R Y. 579 
which means it will moulder down, and become a fulfi- 
ciently uniform mafs. When we confider the folvent 
power of quicklime, this mode of producing an union 
between the calcareous and argillaceous earths will appear 
very feafible. 
There are many circumllances, fuch as the nature and 
Hate or condition of the land, the goodnefs of the ma¬ 
nures, the diftance they are to be carried, and the ex¬ 
pence of procuring them, which render a difference in the 
quantity of fuch compound manures neceflary, and which 
can only be properly judged of by the perfons who have, 
the application of them. On the heavier kinds of land, 
Inch as thofe of a clayey or deep loamy nature, fuch corn- 
polls as are conllitruted of the lighter forts of earthy ma¬ 
terials, lhould always be employed ; while, on the thinner 
and more light forts of foil, thofe which are formed of 
clayey, loamy, or the more tenacious earthy matters, will 
be found the moll fuitable. And, from the whole of what 
has been advanced, it will appear, that, by proper atten¬ 
tion to the mixing together of fuch fubllances as are 
adapted to aft upon each other, and fuited to the Hate of 
the foil, manures may be increaled and rendered much 
more ferviceable in promoting the growth of crops, and 
augmenting the fertility of land, than they have hitherto 
generally been. 
Of the Application of Manures, with Hints for improving and. 
increafing them. 
Manure is ufually applied in three different ways. The 
firlt and moft common is that of ploughing it in, and thus 
mixing it with the whole foil. This is the belt fyftem 
where it is neceflary to enrich a field for a fucceflion of 
exhaulting crops; and alfo in Itrong heavy lands, which 
require to have their parts feparated as much as poflible; 
which effect is produced by nothing better than by plough¬ 
ing in long dung or green crops. It may perhaps be 
queftioned whether this be the bell means to make the 
moll of the manure, as fome valuable parts of it may be 
ploughed in too deep, and even entirely loll. The fecond 
is, fpreading or fcattering the manure upon young crops, 
which is called top-drefling or hand-drelfing. This mode 
is confined to particular fubllances, as foot, rape-cake, pi- 
geons’-dung, alhes, &c. and has been found to anfwer, eff 
pecially with crops which tiller, as wheat and barley. 
Even dung, well-rotted and made into a compolt with 
earth, lime, or other aftive fubllances, may be thus em¬ 
ployed, and being applied on the furface, and at a feafon 
when the crop Hands moll in need of it, a much lefs quan¬ 
tity of manure will be fuflicient, but then it will be of 
little or no ufe to fucceeding crops, and the expence of 
preparing it will be greater. When crops are fickly or 
backward in the fpring, top-dreffings are certainly of great 
ufe, except the feafon lhould provfe uncommonly dry. 
The third way of applying the manure, is laying it into 
drills, and lowing the crop upon it. This is uled only 
for particular crops, as potatoes, turnips, &c. which thus 
receive the whole benefit of the manure, in all ftages of 
their growth. 
But, in the application of manure to land, feveral cir¬ 
cumllances are neceflary to be confidered, fuch as the 
Hate or condition of the fubllances which are to be 
made ufe of, the nature of the foils on which they are to 
be laid, the kind of crop that is to be promoted by them, 
and the feafon in which they are put into or upon the 
ground. 
For clayey foils, the bell manure is marl, and that which 
is moll calcareous is bell. Thefe foils are defective both 
in conftitution and texture; they want the calcareous in¬ 
gredient and coarfe fand. Calcareous marl fupplies the 
firlt chiefly; limellone-gravel will fupply both. A mix¬ 
ture of marl and dung is dill more advantageous, becaule 
the dung fupplies the carbonaceous ingredient. But the 
fame quantity of marl mull be ufed as if no dung had been 
applied; or elfe the operation mull be more frequently 
repeated. If marl cannot be had, a mixture of coarfe land 
and 
