This is the fecond year I have made Experiments on pickling Wheat, without one inftance in its favour. It has always happened, however, that the entire Pieces on which the Experiments have been made, were wholly free from Smut (the disease intended to be guarded againft); and confequently no comparifon could be made. More Experiments are therefore neceffary to a final decifion. Mode of Sowing. Part was fown under plit. Part, over the fresh Plit, rough. By Experiment, No. 9;-21 Bushels of heat fown overplit, gave a better Crop, and a cleaner Quondal, than the fame quantity of Seed fown under-plit. It must be obferved, however, that this Experiment was made in L 1. a clayey Loam: on a light fandy Loam, the refult might have been different; perhaps the reverfe. With refpect to a stiff, cold foil, however, this is a very decifive Experiment: the part fown under-plit had not half the number of plants as had the part fown over-plit: and, generally, Perhaps ;-On cold wet Land, two Bushels of Wheat fown over the fresh Plit, is an equivalent to three Bushels plowed in. By Experiment, No. 10;-It was immaterial whether the Soil was harrowed, or left rough, after fowing under-plit. "(This Experiment, however, is not fufficiently decifive.) A comparative Experiment was made between the fresh Plit rough, and the fresh Plit fluted; but the whole was fo lodged and fo ravelled, the refult was dubious. The ftale Plit fluted was plowed when the Surface was covered two or three inches thick with the third Crop of Clover; the fresh Plit fluted was plowed when the Surface was quite bare, the Aftergrafs having been pastured off very close. By Experiment, No. 13;-It is better to flute the stale Plit plowed clovery, than the fresh Plit paftured. The Experiment on fluting the ftale Plit plowed clovery was repeated in two or three different places, and the refults were uniformly in its favour. Quantity of Seed. ⚫ Various: On a par, about 2 Bufhels an Acre; and the Crop in general too rank: but the Seed was principally fown over the fresh Plit, or fresh Flutes; and, "Perhaps ;-Two Bushels of Wheat fown over a fresh Surface, is equal to two and half Bushels fown on a ftale Plit. A tenacious Soil is here more particularly spoken of; the furface of which, when newly plowed, abounds with cells and fiffures, which readily receive the Seed; but which are fhut or filled up by the first shower of Rain, or even by the Dews and the mouldering of the Soil; and when once thefe Seed cells are clofed, and the Surface has acquired a Varnish,-a glazen Gruft, it becomes difficult to cover the Seed effectually. By 1 By Experiment, No. 16;-THIN SOWING of Wheat on a GRAVEL is fortunate, when the Summer proves wet. The Bushel (fee the Experiment) was quite a rank Crop; the 2 Buthels, a middling Crop; but the four Bushels, not more than eighteen inches high; many of the cars not an inch long, and the ftraws not thicker than the ftems of Rye grafs! But, perhaps, had the Spring and Summer proved dry, the first would have been burnt up; while the laft, by fhading the Surface, and thereby keeping the Soil cool, might have been a good Crop. It must also be obferved, that this Experiment was made over Flutes, and probably almost every Grain vegetated. From this year's experience, and from repeated obfervations in dry Years, I am convinced that the Quantity of Seed for a burning Gravel, cannot be nearly afcertained without a fore-knowledge of the Weather of the enfuing Summer. Therefore ;-Burning Gravels are hazardous Soils. Becaufe the Crop depends effentially on the Quantity of Seed; and the proper quantity of Seed depends wholly on that Weather which cannot be forefeen: therefore, Perhaps ;-Sow on a Gravel from 2 to three Bushels of IVheat an Acre; and, if the Winter prove dry, thin the plants with a Hoe in the Spring; but, if the Winter prove wet, let the whole ftand in expectation of a dry Summer *. Covering. The whole, whether Fallow or Ley, (except a part fown underplit) was harrowed as fine as a Garden. No labour was fpared until the beds were rendered (by the concave Hinge Harrows) perfealy convex, their Surfaces fine, and the Seed covered. Adjusting. Part of the Inter-furrows were opened with the double Plow; part left cloddy; and a comparative Experiment was registered; but the whole was fo rank and fo lodged, no accurate inference could be drawn. The wet Soils were carefully cross-furrowed, fufficiently deep to drain effectually the Inter-furrows, and fufficiently wide to walk in.' The Reader will, we doubt not, be well pleafed to fee fo much made out of the few Experiments that occur on this head, and will, probably, be impreffed with a very favourable idea of the industry and abilities of our Author. He will do well, however, to remark, that the obfervations are here produced merely as a fpecimen of the manner in which a farmer should arrange his Experiments, and make his remarks upon them, to ferve as a bafis for future obfervations. The Author is too judicious not to perceive that no pofitive conclufions can be drawn from fo few experiments, and we wish our Readers never *This, however, must not be taken as an infallible guide; for although the winter of 76-77 was dry, and the enfuing fummer proved wet; yet the winter of 77-78 was equally dry, and the drought continued through the fummer.' to to lofe fight of this. The following general obfervations, upon the wheat crop, like every other remark of our Author, when viewed in a proper light, deferve well to be attended to: What was the management of the fixteen Acres which this year produced at the rate of 3 Field-Jags an Acre? The Soil, a clayey Loam, was part of it a Summer-fallow;-part a Bean Quondal, Dog-days fallowed: the whole dunged with about ten fifty-foot loads (about 5co cubical feet) of prime horfe dung an Acre, fpread over the rough Plit of one deep plowing; harrowed ;-rolled; gathered into half-rod ridges very fhallow ;-harrowed ;-rolled;the ridges reverfed moderately deep-fown over the fresh Plit, in very high Tilth in September-October;-harrowed extremely fine ;-the Inter-furrows opened, and the Crofs-furrows made wide and deep.Although it is very flat, wet land, not a fpoonful of water flood on it during the Winter. The avocation of Agriculture would indeed be disheartening, if a good crop of Wheat could not be obtained from fuch management, and fuch weather as attended these fixteen Acres. And, were Autumns in general as favourable as the laft was, I fhould almost give. up the thought of Wheat on a Clover-Ley: but fuch another Wheat Seed-time may never happen. Had the division L. been caught in a wet Autumn, one-half of it at leaft could not have been cropt with Wheat, and the Seed of the other half must have been put in very badly. Fine as the weather happened, the labour, attendance, and attention bestowed on it was without end; and the anxiety for the weather equal to the disagreeable watchfulness of hay-time and harvest. • What would have been the cafe this year, had I had nothing but Fallows-even Summer-Fallows-to depend on for Wheat? The weather, from the middle of May to the middle of July, was inceffantly rainy; and the ample crops of this harveft have fully employed the teams ever fince. Part of K 4, a Summer-fallow, is now (10 September) as green as a Ley! I have not an Acre of Fallow fowable with Wheat without two or three more plowings. Had I nothing but Fallows, I could not, be the weather ever fo fine, put in fifty Acres of Wheat, tolerably, before Christmas. Very fortunately, however, I have Clover-Leys, most of them dunged, ready to be landed up for Wheat, as foon as rain comes to moisten the furface: And my Fallows being for Spring corn, they will receive the Winter and Spring ftirrings. I have no hope of getting fuch noble Crops and beautiful Quondals from Clover-Leys as from dunged Summer-Fallows; but I hope that my Spring Crops and Autumnal Comfort will over-balance even the valuable advantages of a good Crop of Wheat and a clean Quondal. The Crop next in goodnefs was from a clayey Loam, part of it a Bean, part a Tare-barley Quondal, each of which received a very good Dog-days Fallow; and were managed almoft exactly by the procefs above mentioned; excepting that this part of the division L, was fown in October-November-That in September-October. See MINUTE of 21 July, 1776.' • The The next which followed in point of goodness, was raised from a Clover Ley on a gravelly Loam, dunged for Clover; landed-up by two Oxen and a whip-rein Plow, foon after the fecond Crop of Clover was off;-lay three weeks in rough Plit ;-it was then harrowed; -fluted,―(fown,-) and harrowed, with one horse only: the whole expence of labour not five fhillings an Acre. Laft Autumn this ftruck me as a most eligible process: this Harveft has convinced me that Theory was once right. During Winter and Spring, the Crop was beautiful; and, had it not been lodged by the heavy rains of laft Summer, it would have been a very good Crop at Harvest; and, notwithstanding the wetness of the Summer, and the proneness of the foil to Seed-weeds, this Crop was almost wholly free from them; for they had vegetated abundantly while the Soil lay in rough plit, and the harrows and the flute totally eradicated them. The Quondal, it is true, is foul with Root-weeds; but this must not be charged to the disadvantage of the fucceffion of Clover-Wheat, nor to the process of fluting the ftale plit of a Clover-Ley, but to the flovenly fucceflion of Wheat, Barley, Clover. A clean Clover-Ley, properly plowed, cannot poffibly afford a foul Quondal.' IN FUTURE, • I will never depend wholly on Fallows for Wheat. A SUFFICIENCY OF clean CLOVER-LEYS FOR WHEAT SHALL BE THE PRINCIPAL OBJECT OF MY FUTURE MANAGEMENT *. If the Soil be much out of heart, I will dung one deep plowing for Spring-Corn and Clover. If the Soil be in tolerable heart, I will top-drefs for the Spring Corn and Clover, and dung for the Wheat. If Auguft be moift, I will endeavour to Alute the ftale Plit. If the Surface remain droughty until September-October, I will fow on the fresh Plit. If the Soil be poor, and Manure fcarce, I will endeavour to bury the fecond Crop of Clover. I will endeavour to BEGIN fowing on the pooreft, and FINISH with the richest, Soil. • I will not brine the feed of Wheat; except by way of Expe riment t. If the Crop be inclinable to rankness, I will hoe the INTERVALS, and pafture, or top, or verdage the BEDS. I will begin to cut while the knots are green; and endeavour to let the Sheaves have a fhower in the Field.' *It must be obferved, that thefe Refolutions are formed in the neighbourhood of London, where Clover-hay generally bears a price equal to that of the best Meadow-hay.' + If Seed Wheat be foul with light Weed-feeds, it may be convenient to immerge it in Water, in order to gain an opportunity of kimming off the Lights' In the obfervations on the Weather, we meet with many ingenious remarks, and useful hints; but here, as ufual, he mounts his hobby, and gives us a fet of meteorological inftruments, of his own invention, which we are forry to pronounce extremely imperfect, as no one of them admits of being compared with any other inftrument of the fame kind that has ever yet been used, nor can any other inftruments be fo conftructed as to correfpond with them. As all barometers have the inches of height marked upon them, it was natural, and would have been eafy, for him to have mentioned the exact height that correfponded with the bottom and top of his fcale; but this he has omitted. Of the thermometer he has only told us, that the medial point correfponds with the 54th degree of Fahrenheit's fcale-but what are the higheft or the lowest points, every one is left to guefs, at random. The hygrometer is indeed a moft ufeful inftrument for the farmer, but, unfortunately, no device has yet been fallen upon to conftruct an inftrument of that kind with any tolerable degree of accuracy, nor is that of our Author calculated to remedy this defect. The aneometer, raingage, and exhalation-gage, are lefs fimple than others that have been used before. On the whole, this fet of implements is, in a great meafure, incomplete; and we confider it as a very faulty degree of indolence in an author to publish his inventions, on any fubject, without either reflecting deeply upon it himfelf, or examining what has been accomplished by others, -neither of which, it is very evident, has been done by our Author, in the present case. Notwithstanding thefe ftricturcs, we confider this work as capable of producing great utility, if it falls into proper hands. The ardour and unremitting attention of the Author will ftimulate fome to attempt what they would not otherwife have thought We are far, however, from thinking the plan of obfervation here pointed out, will prove fo extenfively ufeful as the Author feems to apprehend. Perfons of mean talents will never be able to comprehend the fpirit or meaning of these arrangements, and fuch men always form the majority of every clafs. Others, who are capable of following the Author in his chain. of reafoning, will want that fpirit of exertion which is neceffary to put it in practice: for indolence is fo natural to man, that if not impelled by neceffity, or ftimulated by fome powerful natural propenfity, he is extremely apt to defift from all enterprize and action, although reafon points out, in the cleareft manner, the benefits that would accrue from the vigorous employment of his faculties. Indeed the attention neceffary to go through with a work of this nature is fo great, that we much doubt if any man of talents could be found who would perfevere in it with proper fpirit, unless he were urged on by that natural parREV. Oct. 1779. tiality S |