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fant in a formef part of this work?, This- manure ia'mixed fparingly
"with a portion of ftiff loamy earth, and .fanned into cakes, dried' after-
wards In the fun. In this Rate it fomerimes becomes an objeft of commerce,
and is fold to .farmers, who never employ it in a compact Rate.
Their firft care is toconftrua large citterns for .containing, befides thofe
cakes and dung of every kind, all forts of vegetable matter, as leaves or
roots for ftems of plants, mud from the canals, and offals of animals,
èvèn to the fhavings cöHe&ed by the barbers. With all thefe- they mix
as much animal water as can bè collefted, or of common water as will
dilute the whole; and m this Rate, generally in the aft o f putrid fermentation,
they apply it to the ploughed o f broken earth. In various;
parts df a farm, and near paths and roads,, large earthen veffels are
bjiried to the edge in the ground, for the accommodation of the labourer
or paffenger, who may have occafion to ufe them. In ifmall-fe-i
tiring houfes, built alfo upon the brink of roads, and in the neighbour-*
hood of villages, refervoirs are conftrüaied of bompaft materials to prevent
the abforptignof whatever they receive, and ftraw is carefully .thrown
over the furface from time to rime, to flop the evaporation. And |ucM
a value is fet upon the principal ingredient for'manure, tbaf the ojcleft
and moft helplefs p e rfo n sa ren o t deemed wholly ufelefs to the. family
by which they are fupported.
, U The quantity' of manure colle&ed by all thefe meansmuft however
be Rill inadequate to that of the cultured ground, which bears io-vaft a
proportion to the whole furfaee o f the' country. ftusyéfer-ved therefore,
in the firft inftance,forthe purpofe o f procuring a quick Tupceffion
o f culinary Vegetables, and for forcing the production of flowers' and
fruit. Among the vegetables raffed möflrgenerally, and in the gre.ateft
quantities, is a fpecies or variety of braffica, called by the Chinefe-
pe tfai, or white herb, which is of a delicate tafte, fo me what refembling
what is called cofs-lettuce, and is much reliffied in China by foreigners ■
as well as natives. ' Whole acres of it are planted every where in the
vicinity of populous cities ; and it was fometimes difficult to pafs on a
morning-through the crowds of wheel-barrows, and hand-carts, loaded
with this plant, going into the gates of Pekin and Han-choo-foo. It feems
©D*tbnve be-ft'in-the’ n’otthern-provances, where if is fa-ltedr for winter got
cohfomptioo,. and in thafriftate isr often ^carried? to the. fouthward aods.
«xdhataged>foi: rice. That grain, and that herb, together with a rd ifo of-
garlick ohofl OES^ns^inv ibaih o f animal food,; and-followed by a. little
infufiorTof coarfetea, ferve often: as? aN meal for aUbinefe pealaint orf
BSteehanid' | The< ChOTefehnfeandman.aiwayafte©ps; fhe.fegds he: Intends
t® four ih manure, until they fwell,' and^germinatlon begins toappear;;
which,experience, heTiys,. has taught Him to; Maue;the effe£fc
©£ flattening- the growth of plants,, as. well as-of defending them again tt
the infe££s hidden in- the ground in which the feeds wer£ Town. Perhaps
this/ method hasrpreferved<the Chinefq fuitnip%^4# the 4 $ , jfchat
is . often fatal- to their growth: e&wbere. - T^'the.'fooots! o f plants and.
fruit tapes* the- Cihinefe farmer- applies liquid manure likewife, as-'^ou-j' ■ ‘
fributing much towar-ds forwarding their growth and vlgoqr^ The
Roman author,* already quoted, f a this chapter,, relates that a fitailar '
practice had pSuch imgroved-the apples and vh^es'ofi Italy—;
M The gteat objetft of Gbifiefe agriculture^ t ^ produfflo^’^ St21®11»* •
is generally obtained' with litde manure, and without; Igl^&g the land
lie'fallow. It is: true that'there- are-.-plants* &ch as a- fpecie^ ©f~tbe! epi*
dendron, that is.eapaible of vegetating in air alone.. Others,, as bulbous,
roots and fiicGulemt plahts^wbich thrive b^ft irirfendj.aftid a*greai variety:
■in water 5, but, with thofe exceptions, virgin or-vegetable earth is. the
pnaperffedof-vegetarion: and’vffiate?vermay.spefthe tljeory ofthe agricultural
arfry its pradrice’certainly requires ’thdf d^ioqld- be given-to
the foilfucba texture andrconfrfffcaey: as toajf bnfoufod,n;oft fgh^hle to?
the plants intendfe&tb be railed. Such a textus^fmayr in mod? cafes be
Obtained by the appllcation-of manures,. being geneEally; a mixture of
animal and'vegetable fubftanees,, that have undergone: the;putmfe$iv^
fermentatjoh. A mucilage is* thus, formef. whiiah? hefidfe any other,
Changes it? may produce, is found* to? give; a ttew' confifeeBde ;tor th®
forlwifK- which ft'edifiest in eonta&feforrendejs day • foot®’fraablev aadth
give-tenacity to light and? fandy-fbiteas; well as: t© mMutalftHn- both»& ,
proper degree of t^peraturn and* huajidity.”
This ingenious and well informed author proceeds to applaud- the in-
duftry'of the Ghinefe, in mingling theirfoil, and
vol. 11. - p 1 • ■ which