to communicate to the Public, with fidelity, fuch cases of this kind as occur, and to mark with a 'diftinguishing accuracy those circumftances which give room to fear that they may not be fo generally ufeful as the fanguine propofer may expect. We obferve fome attempts of this kind in the prefent volume, though they seem not to be directed by a hand fufficiently experienced to decide with that precifion which a fteady knowledge never fails to confer. We hope, in the fucceeding volumes, this circumftance will be carefully attended to.

As we think there is a probability that many more volumes may be ufhered into the world under the aufpices of this refpectable Society, and as it is ever our defire that useful knowledge may be as generally diffeminated as poffible, we hope to be pardoned for offering a few more hints, that will probably tend to render the work ftill more generally ufeful, if duly adverted to.

It cannot have escaped the obfervation of the very respectable members of the Bath Society, that certain particulars in the practice of agriculture are very well known, and have been long experienced, in one part of the country, which are not at all understood in other parts of it. Hence it muft happen, that long differtations will fometimes be made by an inhabitant of one diftrict, to lead toward a discovery of facts that have already been well known, with certainty, in another. To avoid thefe ufelefs difcuffions then, as much as poffible, it should be the ftudy of the Society to render their work as generally acceptable as they can make it among actual farmers. With this view, consifenefs of narration, and every other contrivance that can tend to moderate the price, and to raise the value of their book, should be adopted. We are the rather induced to take notice of this particular, on the prefent occafion, becaufe, in the volume before us, we obferve fome ftriking deviations from this rule, which, for the reafons above given, we should be forry to fee continued in the fucceeding parts of the work.

The prefent volume, in imitation, as it would feem, of the French memoirs, begins with an eloge (we give it the French name, because we have not, that we know of, an exact appropriated English name for the fame thing) of the late Thomas Curtis, Efq. Vice-prefident of this Society, &c. Now, although it is very natural for those who had the happiness to be acquainted with Mr. Curtis, if he was really a very amiable man, to wish to pour out fome grateful tribute to his memory, nothing, furely, can be lefs interefting than fuch effufions, to thofe who were altogether unacquainted with him, and who can have no abfolute reliance on the truth or juftice of thofe eulogiums which they find fo liberally beftowed on him. It is well known, that in France, where this practice fo peculiarly prevails, it feems to have been adopted rather with a view to display the talents of

the

the living, than to do honour to the memory of the dead, Were the Bath Society a fchool of rhetoric, were its members emulous of transmitting their names to pofterity for the powers of their oratory, like a Baffuet, a Flechier, or a Thomas, and were their memoirs intended chiefly to excite a tafte for the Belles Lettres among the youth of this country, we should have no objection to fuch exercises of genius ;-but as it was inftituted for far other purposes, we hope that, in future, if it shall be judged neceffary to make fuch eloges of members deceased, they may be only read in the Society, where those who are most likely to be interested in it may be prefent:-or if, for the gratification of friends, it shall be thought proper to publish them, let these loges be feparately printed, that those who incline may purchase them; but let them not be fent into the world connected with matter that is of a nature so very diffimilar, that the one can scarce be expected to give pleasure to those who wifh for the other.

As the letters and papers in this volume are very numerous, and as the fame fubject is refumed in different places, inftead of a general analysis of each paper, which would lead to great length, we fhall endeavour to give the Reader fome notion of the leading facts that are here noticed, under the following heads;

POTATOES.

I. We obferve, with a fenfible degree of pleafure, that the culture of the potatoe feems to engage the attention of so great a number of the members of this Society; for we are perfuaded, that when the right management of this very valuable plant fhall be as generally known as its importance requires it to be, and the ufes to which it may be applied more generally understood, it will be found of much more general importance than it ever yet has been thought.

1783. John Billingsley, Esq. after two ploughings from an oat fubble, harrowing and dunging at the rate of 30 cart loads of dung per acre, obtained from 6 acres, 550 facks of best potatoes (240 lb. per fack), 100 ditto middling, and 50 ditto fmall; in all, 700 facks: or per acre 1163 facks; or bushels, at 60 lb. per bufhel, 350.

Culture. April 27th began planting, and finished the 25th May, in beds eight feet wide, and the alley 2 feet; placed the fets at 1 foot diftance on the fallow, then fpread the dung on them, after which they were covered 3 or 4 inches with the earth from the alleys. Five facks of feed planted to the acre.. This feems to be but a moderate crop.

The fame gentleman obtained the Society's premium in the year 1784, for the produce of feventy acres of potatoes, of which fix acres, being a fair part of the above, yielded of best potatoes 600 facks, 120 middling ditto, and 50 ditto of fmall; in all

77 facks or per acre 128 facks; or bufhels, at 60 lb. each, 385.

Culture. From an oat ftubble, twice plowed, and harrowed. On the 8th May began planting, by marking out the field into ridges 8 feet wide, leaving a space 2 feet wide for an alley between every two ridges. The manure (a compoft of Rtable dung, virgin earth, and fcrapings of a turnpike road [Qu. the proportions?]), was then brought on the land, and deposited in matk heaps on the centre of each ridge, in the proportion of about zo cart loads [Qu. the contents?] to each acre. A trench wIS then opened with a fpade, breadth way of the ridge, about four inches deep; in this trench the potatoe fets were placed at the diftance of nine inches from each other; the dung was then fpread in a trench on the sets, and a fpace or plit of 14 inches in breadth dug in upon them. When the plants were about fix inches high, they were carefully hoed, and foon after the 2 feet intervals between the ridges were dug, and the contents thrown aroung the young plants. This refreshment, added to the ampla manuring, produced fuch a luxuriance of growth, that no weed could afterwards fhew its head.-N. B. Seven facks to the acro were planted.

Neither is this a large produce, though the culture be tokerably expenfive. In both thefe experiments cuttings only were planted.

The Rev. Mr. H. Clofe, of Trimley, Suffolk, plants about 18 bushels to the acre, and obtains of produce, on a good mixed loamy foil, on an average, about 300 bushels [the weight of a bufhel not specified] per acre, by the following culture:

The land being well pulverized by two or three harrowings and ploughings, is then manured with 15 or 20 cart loads of dung [Qu.?} per acre, before it receives its laft earth. Then it is thrown on to what the Suffolk farmers call the French balk,' which is narrow and deep ridge work, about 18 inches from the centre of one ridge to the centre of the other. Women and children drop the fets in the bottom of every furrow, 15 inches apart; men follow, and cover them with large hoes, a foot in width, pulling the mold down fo as to bury the fets 5 inches deep. They must be two or three times hand hoed, and be kept free from weeds; always obferving to draw the earth as much as poffible to the stems of the young plants."

The greatest crop of potatoes, mentioned in this volume, is the following, by Mr. Jofeph Hazard; and as his mode of culture appears to us in many refpecs preferable to any of the former, we fhall be excufed for copying his directions verbatim :

First, then, the earth fhould be dug 12 inches deep, if the foil will allow of it; after this a hole fhould be opened about 6 inches deep, horfe dung, or long litter fhould be put therein about 3 inches thick; this hole fhould not be more than 12 inches in diameter; upon this dung, or litter, a potatoe fhould be planted whole, upon which a little more dung fhould be shock, and then earth must be

put

put thereon. In like manner the whole plot of ground muft be planted, taking care that each potatoe be at least 16 inches apart; and when the young fhoots make their appearance, they should have fresh mold drawn round them with a hoe; and if the tender shoots are covered, it will prevent the froft from injuring them: they fhould be earthed when the fhoots make a fecond appearance, but not be covered, as in all probability the feafon will be then lefs fevere.

A plentiful fupply of mold should be given them; and the perfon who performs this bufinefs fhould never tread upon the plant or hillock that is raised round it, as, the lighter the earth is, the more room the potatoe will have to expand.

I obtained last year from a fingle root, thus planted, very near 40 pounds weight of large potatoes, and from almost every other root in the fame plot of ground from 15 to 20 pounds weight; and I will venture to affert, that unless the foil be ftony or gravelly, ten pounds, or half a peck, of potatoes may almoft always be obtained from each root by purfuing the foregoing method. But note, cuttings or fmall fets will not do for this purpoje.'

We defire the Reader to take particular notice of this laft note, which we have therefore put in Italics, as we can affure him from our own experience, that he will find it of much more importance than he is probably aware of. Mr. Hazard has unfortunately omitted to fpecify the weight of his plants, or the quantity of feed required to an acre.

An acre will contain 24,502.5 plants at 16 inches apart. Thefe, at 10 pounds each plant, would yield 245,025 pounds, which, at 60 lb. to the bufhel, is above 4083 bufhels. A moft amazing produce! above thirteen times the quantity produced by any of the former modes of culture. Is this poffible? Let those who doubt the fact, fairly try the experiment as directed *.

Sir

* One who has long practifed the following method of rearing potatoes recommends it as equally good, lefs expenfive, and more adapted to the operations of a farmer than the foregoing: Plough and harrow the ground two or three times, till it be fufficiently pul verized, &c.; at the proper feafon for planting plough it once more, and into every third furrow if plowed narrow, or every fecond if plowed wide, fake with a dung-fork a little long dung or litter till it be about three inches thick, upon that litter drop the feeds (which fhould always be large potatoes uncut) at the distance of 12 or 15 inches from each other, the whole to be covered by the plough in its ordinary courfe, and fo on till the whole field be planted. Leave it in that flate till the potatoes begin to appear, then harrow it very much with weighty harrows that ftrike deep; be not afraid of hurting the plants; if clods appear, let it be alternately rolled and harrowed till the whole is reduced to a fine tilth. After this operation the earth is left open and mellow to a great depth. In a few days, as foon as the potatoes can be diftinctly feen, go over the whole with a hand-hoe, fo as to cut up the whole of the weeds that appear. In a fortnight after hoe it again if any weeds appeat, and lofen the

earth

Sir Tho. Bever obtained of the white champion potatoes at the rate of 346 bushels per acre; of another kind, procured from a friend at Manchefter, at the rate of 648 bufhels per acre; and from another fort obtained from Mr. Rigby, from Liverpool, which had been only two or three years before raised from feed, he obtained at the rate of 1080 bushels per acre. Sir Thomas Specifies no particulars of the culture-we conclude that fome circumftances have escaped his notice, that tended to occafion the very great diverfity in the produce, different from that of the kind planted. We with to fee fome accurate experiments on this fubject, which does not seem as yet to be fufficiently underftood.

With regard to the expenditure of potatoes, in the neighbourhood of towns, they can always be fold as food for man; but in country places, at a diftance from market, they can only be reared in large quantities as food for beafts. In the firft cafe they fometimes fell, we are told, as high as 14 fhillings per fack of three bufhcls. As food for beafts, the Rev. Mr. Clofe thinks they cannot be valued at more than three fhillings ber fack. They are, fays he, excellent food for hogs; roasting pork is never fo moift and delicate as when fed with potatoes. Cows are particularly fond of them: halt a bufhel at night, and the fame proportion in the morning, with a fmall quantity of hay, is fufficient to keep three cows in full milk; they will yield as much and as fweet butter as the best grafs, In fattening cattle, I allow them all they will eat; a beaft of 35 ftone (14 pounds to the ftone) will require a bufhel per day, but will fatten one third fooner than on turnips. The potatoes fhould be clean wafhed, and not given until they are dry. They do not require boiling for any other purpofe but fattening hogs for bacon, or poultry; the latter eat them greedily. Mr. Clofe alfo obferves, that potatoes alone do not fo properly feed hogs, as when mixed with about one third the quantity of pea or barley meal. In all these particulars, Sir Thomas Bever and the other Correfpondents of the Society, in this volume, in general

concur.

We were surprised to find fo little mention in this work of the difeafe commonly called the Curl in potatoes. It is only once

earth very thoroughly about the plants. When the potatoes are about 6 or 8 inches high, which will be in a very fhort time after the laft hoeing, run a light plough, drawn by one horse, between the rows of potatoes, throwing the earth to the plants on each fide as high as it can be made to lie. The plants foon. cover the whole intervals, fo that nothing more is wanted till the crop is taken up. Both hoeings, if the ground is in tolerable order and feafon favourable, may be performed for five fhillings an acre, and the ground is Lus left as clear and loofe as can poffibly be defired.

incidentally