Chap. XII. Appendix , Part I. No. 1 . 113

Lime is frequently mixed either with the mould of feme head-land, where much foil is accumulated, or the earth is taken fromfiles of ditches, or fences, or drained maHhes, on .which a thick turfof herbage is formed. Thefe laft, as containing a greater proportionof organized matter, are fuperior to the other. The lime of thefecompofls (hould be quick, but reduced to powder, and not in {hells;as the heat, generated in flacking lime, fears and hardens the fub-ftances with which it comes in contaft, inftead of mellowing them.Swarded earth fhould be laid up in thin heaps, expofed to the vicif-fitudes of the weather for forr.e time, that the parts of the fods maybegin to feparate before mixing with the lime. A turning or twowill incorporate the materials, and then the compost is ready tobe laid on the field. By this mixing, the earths of the compostseem to undergo a modification, which has produced a good ef-fect on the fields where such composts have been applied. Butthe most important purpose of mixture of lime is that by whichpeat moss is converted into a rich manure. Lord Meadowbank,from his own experience, is of a different opinion. He foundthe lime dried and hardened the peat moss. There might pro-bably be some mistake in the management: we shall, therefore,here give a receipt for that purpose, from an experienced farmer,who has practised it with success. The moss should be thrownout, and lie in long narrow heaps, exposed to the weather dur-ing the winter before it is used : the lime new from the kiln,should be quickly slacked and reduced to a mild powder: themoss should be pretty moist, its parts well divided, and carefully-mixed; five parts, with one of lime, making both ingredients comeas much as possible in contact with each other. The heap may-be accurately turned, and any clots of peat separated, in two orthree days, that new surfaces may meet, before the lime becomeeffete ; and then it should be sheltered from the drought, by aslight covering of wet litter or green weeds. Soon after, a gen-tle heat will take place, and continue for 8 or 10 days. Anytime after, the compost is fit for lifting ; and SO cart loads peracre, will be a good and lasting manure for all thin hard soils.

Dung is mixed with surface earth in a manner similar to thatin which lime is used. The dung is taken as recent as possiblefrom the lodgements of domestic animals, and mixed with agreater or a less proportion of earth as the husbandman judgesproper for his purpose. In such composts, the earth receivesboth the juices, and the gaseous products of fermenting dung ;and thus the waste of fermentation is prevented, and a large in-crease of mould, well adapted to nourish vegetables, is added to'tbe soil on which it is laid. But the compost by which the great-est addition of vegetable food is administered, is that of ferment-m g peat-moss with a mixture of new farm dung. This has longbeen practised less or more, and in various modes, by farmersresiding near peat-mosses. Some have strewed dried peat-dust-

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