The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1804-10-03

ds vi wheat or Wncre knoDoy or DUBIOUS roots
are to be inherited to produce other knobs or
bulbs beneath the Toll, as potatoes it is proba-
| bly, more advantageous to bury the manure in a
LET'S decompo!ed fate, while fome of the ltraw
retains its form; as fuch parts by their flower
decomposition will longer prevent the fupern-
cumbent foil from becoming too fold and
though they will in this lituation require fome
time before they will be perfectly decompofed,
and reduced to the black carbonic earth yet
they will in the end totally decay, and give the
fame quantity of Eutriment TO the roots, though
1t may be more gradually applied.
.. In refpeet to the time of year thofe ma
nureS, which are to be ploughed or dug into the
ground, ihould be uled Immediately before iow-
| ing the feeds Or ietting the roots, which they
are dehgned to nurture; becaufe the atmoiphe-
ric air, which is buried along with the manure
IN the interitices of the earth, and which Cor
ny weeks, or even months, renders the foil looie,
and eafly impreifed by the foot on walking on
1t, gradually evolves by its union with carbon a
| genial heat very friendly to vegetation i'll this
| Climate, as well as the Immediate production of
much fluid carbonic acid, (6)& probably of a iu-
Id mixture OF nitrogen y with hydrogen, which
are believed to fupply much nutriment to
| plants.
| But thoic n,anures, which are teiigned 10 be
iPread on the irface of grassland, which is call
ed the top-drelling, are bet applied, fuipett
| IN the early fpriIg; and fhould be diiperied o.
| yer the foil almolt in a fate of powder, or in
| Jumps OF very looie coheGon; as at this time
| the vernal lhowers wafh them into the foil !; and
they are applied to the roots of the gratis, before
their elential parts are diminiihed by winter
! rams or by hummer eXhalation. There are iome
! IN Oerbyihre, who ipread manure even on the
| meadows, which are annually ovcraowed by the
Trent or Derwent, at the end of fummer, or as
loon as the grais is moved and removed which
appears to be an improvident management,
| iince the aftermath, auturnual grafs, is thus
rendered uupaatable TO the cattle; and the
winter rains, or the vernal floods, which general
| ly occur With the return of the fouth-weh winds,
after the feafon OF iroft ceales, mutt waih away
great part of it.
in refped TO the moi economical manner of
uing nanureS in agriculture Mr.. Parkinion az
terts, that great advantage Of the drill huff
bandry confffs III putting the manure into drills,
which he directs to be made at two feet difance
from each other. He flows wheat, besns, peas,
caobages, ON this manure, and afirals, that four
loads OF manure on an acre in this kind of huff
bandry is equal to fixteen loads in the ufual way
or ipreading it over the whole of the field. Ex-
penenced Farmer, Vol. /. p. 80.
S. n third quelton here prefents tfelf, fthe
recrcments OF Vegetable & animal bodies buried
few inches beneath the ioil undergo the fame
decomposition, as when laid on heaps in farm
yards. And though this is accomplished more
liowiy, yet IT Is attended with lefs lofs Of car
bonic acid, aud of volatile alkali, and of hydro
gen, and ofthe fluid matter of heat all which
are emitted in great quantity during the rapid
lamentations OF large heaps of manure, and are
waited in the atmosphere, or on unproliGc
ground would it not in general be more econo-
meal to bury iuch vegetable and animal matters
beneath the icli without previous fermenta-
tion and putreFaefion
In aniwer to this it mutt be ohferved, that in
Tome Gales the uie of recent vegetables ploughed
into the earth IS found Of advantage. as in fandy
Tolls buck-wheat, or vetches, are TOWN, and the
crop pioughed in, before it ripens lis feeds. In
tins CIRCUMSTANCE the recent crop is buried in its
isccharine and mucilaginous fate, which mutt
| undergo indeed flower fermentation without
being mixed with animal fubhances, but no cart
of the organic matter, nor of the fluid heat, is
| LOFT to the purpoieS ofnew organization.
So in the cultivation of clayey lands, Whole
tenacity is too great or where knobby roots, as
potatoes, are to be inherited for the production
of other l.uobby roots beneath the foil long
muck, as it is called, or iuch which is only 70
far decOmpofed as to diiiolve the mucilage or
more tender vefiels or membranes, but in which
The form OF the fbrous or ligneous parts of the
itraw remains, is recommended above and may
| in theie ituations perhaps be ploughed into the
ground even in their mott early fate, when re-
jected from the fable or cowhoufe, before the
| commencement of their spontaneous difolution
So alto in gardens, which are already fertile,
and Go not want the immediate afiiitance efHla-
ture manure, it may be more ceconom;cafSe.bu-
~ the weeds, as the ground is dug, than to- Con
vey them TO manure-heap, and replace flie:Ii
after 4 twelve-rnonfh' decomposition. *
| But where luxurant croD is immediately
waited, nanure-heap towards the end of the
putrefa6tive procefs by being recently inferred
in the foil, which is Immediately to be TOWN or
planted, has this great advantage that the car
bonic acid is prefently formed by the mixture
of atmospheric air with the carbon of the ma
nure which exits therefore in It's fluid, not its
gafeous fate, and is thence more readily alb
iorbed. Secondly, ammoniac (8)is produced, &
nitre, and hydrogen probably is mixed with nj
trQgen and thefe alto, fuppoie, exit at irR in
their fluid, not in their gafeous fate. And
thirdly, from thefe combinations genial degree
of heat is evolved, which 70 much aiIias the YER
nal growth Of vegetation.
And where manure is TO be ufcd as top
dreiling, it is necefary, that it fhould be in a
Gate of powder, or in FINAL Jumps Of oofe cohe-
ion. as mentioned above that il NAV be caiily
wahed by rains TO the roots of the gratis, or that
the young ftems of gratis may readily ihoot them
Ifelves through it; whence mature heaps of ma
nure are for this purpoie necelIary and ON
this account any adjective manure, as cow-dung
litfllf, Aould be weekly gathered from gralS-
ground, Where cattle are uOurifhed. and laid ON