60 A DISCOURSE

macerate it well rotted in the lees of wine, stale urine, and a little brim-stone beaten very fine; then mingle it with your earth, for one of therichest composts. But let this be noted, that, as the effect of this dungis sudden, so it lasts not long, and therefore must the oftener be re-newed.

The flesh of carrion and dead animals, being (as I think my Lord Ba-con tells us) prepared already by so many curious elaborations of its juices,is highly effectual; but it should be very well consumed and ventilated,till it have quite lost its intolerable smell, and therefore never applied toocrude ro .

Blood is excellent almost with any soil where fruit is planted, especiallythe mural. To improve the blood of the grape, it is of great advantage,being somewhat diluted, and poured about the roots. It has been afsuredlyreported by divers eye-witnefses, that after the battle of Bradock Down-,in Cornwall , (where Sir Ralph Hopeton obtained a signal victory) the

carnage being great, the blood of the slain did so fertilize the fields,where corn had been sown a little before, that the year following pro-duced so extraordinary a crop, as most of the wheat-stalks bare two, three,four, yea seven, and some even fourteen ears; a thing almost incredible.The owner of the land feeing his ground so miserably trodden by thehorse and soldiers after the conflict, intended to resow it, as believingall his former labour lost; but, being difsuaded from his purpofe, (per-haps to make the experiment) it happened as you have heard".

Urine, for being highly spirituous and sharp, had need be well cor-rected ; and then, being mingled with other composts to allay its acrimo-nious salt, it hardly has its equal..

m The offal of the shambles, when mixed with earth and fresh horse dung, makes a com-post of the richest quality; but this cannot be obtained in large quantities. Some yearsago, I recommended a compost, the basis of which was whales’ flesh, after the oil had beentaken from it. This, compounded with horse dung and earth, is now much used by thefarmers who live in the neighbourhood of sea-ports where ships are fitted out for theGreenland seas. The manner of preparing this rich kind of manure is described in theGeorgical Efsays, page 385.

n Blood , mixed with saw-dust, makes a very good hand-drefsing to be sown upon wheatin the spring. It equals soot, and does not come to half the price;