The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1804-10-31


that fone modes Of applying i, more advantageous
than others.
!. OF l5is. A ccurrc foil of fand or gravel, bat
will foue clay loan n;errnixed &c generally the
cafe, profits greatly b. the platter. What renders
ths foil 70 unptodueSve in its natural Rasc is that
being very porous and letting the water through it
Ike feve, the roots perth for lsc.S of ,roHu-e
The ptasA.r by ionis means other, tho poiliay
by means that we do net ye. comprehend, certainly
collects retains water about the roots to conf
derabe degree; which may be the reafon Of its con-
vertng this kind of foil into rich clover pa!lurace,
and preparing it il few years for grain crops But
it the fand or gravel be without mixture OF clay or
loan, which io.netnes tho rarely the cafe plaster
viii do it good; will any thirg ellie which doss
instead of firnulatng aaing upon wha, is a.
ready there, form Of tielf permanent body, and
fupp,y the place OF clay or oani. The ben mode Of
treating iuch land is to carry large quantities Of
mari, clay, loam, pond river fsa mud; fa5ie
dung, Especially that Of horned CATTLE viii anfcr
The fame PrrPofe but it is expenfve; nor WI If
quit the colt, labour with us 20 apply any OF he
other artiees;n fueent quantity qnles they are near
at hand.
Common Loans, except in low wet grounds PRO-
III by the Platter; aid the poo-et Of them profit the
NOT. Thoie that hare already been long dungeSi
and are in good heart, leave but little TO he done
which the platter is adapted to perform. Nor is it
near 70 profitable land that is eyauiied by lans
Graphing, that which is naturally poor In :he
rl cafe nearly every thing in the ic which urphss
food for plants when d:holved, is deCoved and fpent
already bur in the latter cafe there are various fi-
frances remaining be dioved, and this operation
the platter admirably performs nothing except lime
will DO it 70 foon and eheGually. Hence its efe
dllinguihngiy great when MISUNDERSTANDING Coun-
try where the lands newer, and have more Fires
of roots, leaves, &c. vet dirolve.
On clay foil the platter produces little or no ef-
feet, except dcclivtes where water runs off ra-
pdly and does not enter the ground then for,ees
produces great effect. Clay bottoms or fats are
efficiently retentive of water themleves; they gene.
rally retain toomuch, and might oftcnbc benefited b.
mixture of iand render them more porous Il
IS much owing the redundancy of water :. the bo-
dy of the clay that bakes 70 hard in hot eaons that
roots cannot penetrate Il i gradually deprived offs
water by bringing nail parcels into contact with dry
air, clay will puverize like loan, and blow about in
duff, the white mullins find to their grea, annoy
anoe, which parade the cayey freets of Hartford at
mid-fummer. Burnt bricks would alto caicine tn
powder, ike burnt limefone, was it not for tie mel
ted fand which petri6es them
1t is common opinion, refutng from repeated
though partial experiments, that the platter will in
10 cafe, produce effect near the fea and the con-
lecture has been shs, the iaine particles, with which
both the earth and air mpregnated near the
lea than eliewhere, the caufe of its failure there
but this conjecture is now proved to be an erroneous
one At Stamford upon necks of land projecting
INTO the lea the platter has been applied for fevera
years pah with very obvious and great effeta Iron
with which the foil is often highly mpregnated, and
from which none perhaps is perfectly free is known
to be uriiavora5!e to the operation Of the platter
This frequently abounds upon the flores of the fea
and often 10 much that iron may be protably extra-
ed from the fand as was long ince afcertained in
this Rate, by Doctor Elliot. Iron and not Gaiine i'm,
preparations, may therefore probably have been the
reafon that the PLATTER failed of effect in number of
experiments near the ocean. The black fpecks we
often obierve lii Tea iand, and foneties in van a.
bundance, are iron, and the beit of iron.
There is one important Circumstance relative to
the plaiiler, which ought to be ftated to prevent n
calculation and DISAPPOINTMENT it alone win not do
forever 1t adds very little to the foil though, it pre-
pares for the food of plants what it finds there while
at the fame time it produces cooperation from the
AIR and water. The cofequence is, that where has
completely digetted all that can be converted into food
for plants, which viii take longer or hofter time ac
cording TO what 1t has to work upon its effect in
great meaure ceses. 1t becomes expedent therefore
IN mott cafes, once in afew years. FAY five orix to give
it new matter 10 digeh This is done in two sys one
by giving the land flight dreiing Of yard dung, a.
bout hall as much as IS ordinarily uied for dreiinp
iow the PLATTER on this and the effect will BE- great
and may be continued from year to year, till the
land wants another feeding. The other way, ard
more convenient for farmers who have not ward
dung to fpare, to turn in the turf of fward which
will turrih mater enough fcr fevera years dgeGion
and in this way tie uc OF the platter may be perpe-
tiiated withoutloofng its eea In thisrefrec itrucb
reernbes lime, which though powerful itimulant or
dlolvent, the mott 70 that is uled in hubandry adds
little to the foil And the cafe is in fome decree
the fame even with fable dung, though in much
inaller degree. Where that has been beautifully an
Piled for many years aud the fame kind of crop con-
tinued the land will decline in its produce; and If
left to itieif for few years, will appear more exha
ted aud unprodu6ive than land fde by iide that has
been more fparngly fed with dung or not fed at ali
Land is however Jun like horie, whole life
will nfalibly be ihortened by high feeding, though
he will for time perform fervice and as much
more as to render high feeding economical; land
will forrvey produce well By maturing, il the ti,age
be varied by proper rotation of crops--a courf-
| much attended TO in the agriculture of Europe and
which ON foe future occafion, may attempt to ex
plain
BY the annual account dfpayed in The circular year
ly epte of the fociey of Quakers in England, It ap-
pears that the amount of fiffering money paid ty
them during the preceding year, was l2,63ol of
which 937O. had been paid for tyties Priels'
demands, and thofe called church-rates," ard s26o
for demands OF military nature. This focietv has
general fund for the payment of the above reci;ed
taxes which their teneis forbid them to pay, other
wife than upon compuion. They farther explain
in their printed ftatenent that tyhes are not 10 re-
funded.
A knowledge Of one OF tie moi fertile countries