of EARTH, &c.

& a g s ; also ferine, Tickle, AJhes, Soot ; and of things promiscuous,iVajhing of Hijhes, Bucks, Barrels, Soap-suds , Slime, and Scour-m g of Bonds and Highways , Dust, Sweepings ; in sum, whatlo-evcr is apt to rot and consume in any competent time, and is either/w, unctuous, or fatty: To which let me add, impregnating Rainsand 'Hews, cold and dry Winters, with store of Snow, which I rec-kon equal to the richest Manures, impregnated as they are with Celesti*al Nitre. But with all these Auxiliaries we are not yet to imagine,that any of them are therefore profitable and good, because they retaina n heady Scent , are hot, moist, rotten and stippery, fat or unttuous,and the like; which are all Qualities, that alone and of themselves ef-fect little, till they are corrected and prepar’d; but, for that amongstthese Materials we detect the Causes of Fertility more eminently thanm other Substances; partly from their fixed Salts, or some Virtue con-tained in them, or rather drawn from without, and imparted to the ex-hausted and defective Earth ; and that by such a ‘Process, as by con-verting them into a Chyle (as it were) it facilitates their being infum’d »assimilated, and made apt to pass into Nourishment, promoting Vege-tation. This obtain’d, the next thing is, how skilfully to apply what've have prepar’d: and this indeed is a Difficulty worthy the Heads as'veil as Hands of the proioundest Philosopher ; since it requires a morethan superficial Knowledge and Penetration into Causes.

We know indeed, that the Earth is, without any artificial Auxilia-ries, endu’d with a wonderful prolific Virtue; but this, for being possi-ble to be lost and decay, (at least for a longer time than our Necessitiescan support) and from Ionic Grounds never to be expected without suchHelps, it may be worth our while a little to consider, by what Expedi-ents of Digestion, or other ways, the desir’d Effect of perpetuating its^igor might best be accomplifh’d.

That the Secret we enquire after, and which does most apparentlyseem to evirtuate towards this end, is some vegetable Salt or Matter,I suppose is generally agreed: For Salt it is which gives Ligature,Weight, and Constitution to things, and is the most manifest Substancein all artificial Composts.

Tis the Salts, which entice Roots to affect the upper and saline Sur-face of the Earth, upon which the nitrous Rains and Dews descend ;and the Cause that some Plants , the most racy, and charg’d with Juiceof all other, (for such is the Vine') thrive so well amongst Rocks andPumices, and in whatever best maintains this vital Pickle.

’Tis Salt, which makes all cover’d and long shaded Earths to aboundin Fertility, and renders the Dung of Pigeons, Poultry, and othersalacious Corn-fed Birds, so eminently effectual, before the Soil of Hor*fes and other Beasts, in which it less abounds, as having less Virtue toattract it.

’Tis Salt, that gives such Vigor to Places sprinkled with ‘Vrine,Soot, Ashes, Ac. which have them not diluted; and t o Bones, Fle]h %Horn, Hair, Feathers, Blood, and the rest of thole animal Excre-ments And whence thole seminal Mast'es should proceed after Calct-nation of the Earth, when it comes to be expos’d again, is hard to di-vine ; whence, I lay, they should derive their Life and Energy, with-out being destroy’d by so powerful an Agent as Fire, unless they lurkm some vegetant and indissoluble Salts , ( volatile, fixed, or nitrousLarth) f rom whence they {Phœnix like) emerge, though I do not fay

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