OF EARTH.
63
dung of pigeons and poultry does far exceed that of beasts which feedon grofs vegetables, and tells us it has been found upon experience, thatone load of any sort of seed contains as much virtue, as ten loads of ordi-nary dung; therefore it is adviseable, upon all removals of corn-ricks, hay-stacks, &c. that the husbandman reserve all he can of the bottoms, offal,and shakings, and mingling them with chimney-soot and blood, let himreduce the whole into the form of a paste. To this add as much dried
“ with a crop of corn; and, in order that the grafs-seeds might have a strong vegetation,
44 I took care to see it well drefsed. From this piece I selected three roods of equal44 quality with the rest, and drefsed them with bones broken very small, at the rate of“ sixty bushels per acre. Upon the lands thus managed, the crop of corn was infinitely“ superior to the rest. The next year the grafs was also superior, and has continued to“ preserve the same superiority ever since, insomuch that in spring it is green three weeks“ before the rest of the field.
“ This year, I propose to plough up the field, as the fesiuca Syhatica (Ptys Grafs) has“ overpowered the grals-seeds originally sown. And here it will be proper to remark that,
66 notwithstanding- this species of grafs Is tho natural produce of the soil, the three roods
“ on which the bones w-ere laid have hardly any of it, but on the contrary have all along44 produced the finest grafses.
44 Last year, I drefsed two acres with bones in two different fields prepared for turnips,44 sixty bushels to the acre, and had the pleasure to find the turnips greatly superior to the44 others managed in the common way. I have no doubt but these two acres will preserve44 their superiority for many years to come, if I may be allowed to prognosticate from“ former experiments most attentively conducted.
“ 1 also drefsed an acre of grafs ground with bones in October (1774) and rolled them in.44 The succeeding crop of hay was an exceeding good one. However, I have found from44 repeated experience that, upon grafs ground, this kind of manure exerts itself more41 powerfully the second year than the first.
44 It must be obvious to every person, that the bones should be well broken before they44 can be equally spread upon the land. No pieces should exceed the size of marbles. To44 perform this necefsary operation, I would recommend the bones to be sufficiently bruised44 by putting them under a circular stone, which being moved round upon its edge by means44 of a horse, in the manner that tanners’ grind their bark, will very expeditiously effect the44 purpose. At Sheffield it is now become a trade to grind bones for the use of the farmer.i 4 Some people break them small with hammers upon a piece of iron, but that method is41 inferior to grinding. To ascertain the comparative merit of ground and unground bones44 1 last year drefsed two acres of turnips with large, bones, in the same field where the44 ground ones were used; the result of this experiment was, that the unground materials44 did not perform the least service; while those parts of the field on which the ground44 bones were laid were greatly benefited.
44 1 find that bones of all kinds will answer the purposes of rich drefsing, but those ofu fat cattle, I apprehend, are the best. The London bones, as I am informed, undergo..