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Of like effect is earth blended with malt-dust, or decayed com reducedto meal; so is the dust of old furze-bushes, (in Devonshire called Drefs)but this last should not be taken in seed-time, lest it infect the groundwith a plant not easily to be extirpated.
Lastly, the mud of ponds and stagnant waters of ditches, shovelled upand well aired, is best applied to roots of trees, but especially the dust ofunstony highways, where the drift of cattle and much pafsage is 3 . Letit be carried off from March to November } for, it being already a kindof refined soil, continually stirred and ventilated, there is no compost pre-ferable to it for any use. It is prepared in the highest degree, and willneed no wintering, but may be used immediately } and so may straw,
soot, is universally known, but the application of rape-dust is only attended to in a fewcounties. The expense incurred by the farmer for the above-mentioned hand-drefsings,is so considerable, that it should induce him to invent similar ones of a lefs expensivenature. A good top-drefsing may be made by mixing a due proportion of shambles-bloodand saw-dust, both whici. Nrtiei«« n.ay be procured in every large town at a moderate
price: When the heat and putrid ferment is over, the compost is fit for use. Another top-drefsing, but of a richer quality, may be obtained by putting saw-dust, or moor-earth, at thebottom of the necefsaries, a practice that is followed in Flanders, with considerable advan-tage. No kind of manure exceeds human ordure in strength, and on that account thefarmer should be careful to let it down to a suitable standard, before he applies it. Alllarge towns may be made to supply this kind of compost, at a price considerably under whatis given for soot and pigeon-dung. A farmer would be benefited, if, at his own expense,he was to erect commodious necefsaries in places where numbers of'manufacturers afsemble.The common sewers should in no town be permitted to run to waste. Their contentsshould be directed into reservoirs, filled with the sweepings of the streets and all kinds oflight materials. Much excrementitious matter is conveyed into the ocean by rivers, whereprobably it supplies the submarine plants with food, but of that circumstance we have butan imperfect knowledge. Man, however, has this last substance returned to him by thefish taken from the sea; and in the end the balance may be in his favour. This is an har-monious rotation, which only the philosophic farmer can see and admire. Every farmerknows that the animals under his protection must be supplied with proper food, and lieexerts every nerve to procure it; but he should also know that the vegetables which growat his feet, require also their food. Let him take the same pains to procure it, and hemay rest afsured that the earth will return with plenty and gratitude all that he bestowsupon her.
» The pulverized materials of our turnpike roads are well calculated for c.old clay lands,whether in pasture, or under the plough. But the commendable practice of removing lhadung of horfes as soon as it has dropt, has diminished the value of this kind of manure.
Volume II. 3 O