64

A DISCOURSE

neats dung, tempered with urine, and made up in cakes as big as house-hold loaves; and after all is well dried in the shade, crumble the mafs todust, to be sifted or sprinkled, on the ground for a very considerable im-provement; we say sprinkled, because it should never be sown toothick, especially for corn, which it either cloys or over heats, accordingas it is qualified r .* Thus, pigeons dung burns seeds on hot ground, butis excellent for barley, &c. sown on the colder mould.

<( the action of boiling water, for which reason they must be much inferior to such as“ retain their oily parts; and this is another of the many proofs given in these efsays rhat“ oil is the food of plants. The farmers in this neighbourhood are become so fond of this“ kind of manure, that the price is now advanced to one shilling and fourpence per“ bushel, and even at that price they send sixteen miles for it,

“ I have found it a judicious practice to mix ashes with the bones; and this winter I“ have six acres of meadow land drefsed with that compost. A cart load of ashes may be“ put to thirty or forty bushels of bones, and when they have heated for twenty-four hours

(which may be known by tbe smoaking of the heap) let the whole be turned. After“ laying ten days longer, this most excellent drersing will be fit for use.” Georgical

Efsays, page 461.

My very excellent friend, Edward M. Mundy, Esq. of Shipley, in the county of Derby,this moment informs me, that a gentleman in the neighbourhood of Matlock has lately-erected a mill for grinding bones, which he profitably applies both to pasture and arablelands. -

r These observations of Sir Hugh Platt , relative to the nutritive powers of all kinds of seeds,are .fully confirmed by the present practice of using the powder of rape-cakes upon cornlands. This species of manure is much used upon the thin limestone lands in Yorkshire .They generally use three quarters per acre for wheat, and four quarters for barley. It issown by hand and harrowed in with the grain; and costs about nineteen shillings perquarter. If rain fall within a week or ten days after sowing, the barley crop is generallygood; but if no rain fall till long after, the benefit of this expensive drefsing is in a greatmeasure lost; neither does the succeeding crop receive much advantage from it. Forwheat, rape-dust is considered as a certain drefsing, rain generally falling within a.short time after sowing that grain: The strong mechanical powers employed in drawingthe oil from the rape-seed, must, as I conceive, diminish the goodnefs of the dust used bythe farmer. However, some experienced farmers contend that it is full as good as whenit contained more oil. This deserves to be carefully investigated, and should be the objectof correct experiment. On this subject I have fully enlarged in the note upon the twenty-eighth page of the first volume of the Silva, and I think I have there proved, that oil,or mucilage, is the food of plants; if so, the violence used.in extracting the oil from theseed, must render the rape-cake of lefs value.

In all light soils, whether deep or shallow, what is called Toji-drcfsing , constitutes a systemof farming, that is highly judicious; for which reasonl do recommend the farmer to employhis ingenuity and attention in forming a body of manure that maly be put on by hand, eithe rat the time of sowing the grain, or after it has come up. The use of pigeons dung and