malies in the refult of experiments that feemed to be otherwife inexplicable. Several other valuable facts, though not of equal importance with the foregoing, are here afcertained by fair and accurate experiments; fuch as, That the growth of Potatoes is altogether stopped by cutting off the ftems of the plant while greenThe weight of crop that would be obtained from the fame field if the potatoes were taken up at any particular period from the firft of Auguft to the middle of Otober, and the advantages that may be derived from cultivating different kinds for particular purpofes-That an ardent fpirit, of a very fine quality, and in confiderable quantities, may be obtained from potatoes,with feveral other particulars, which we cannot pretend to enu merate. Our experimenter alfo raised potatoes from feeds, and he gives the refult of his experiments and obfervations on that fubject: He is inclined to doubt whether new varieties are to be expected from feeds. In this particular, we are convinced that he is in a miftake; but as he had made only one experiment on this head, merely to obferve the general refult, without adverting to minute particulars, and feems difpofed to repeat the experiment with particular objects in view, we fhall at prefent fay no more on this topic, hoping to have an opportunity of returning to it on a future occafion. The difeafe called the Curl, attracts alfo the Doctor's notice; but he has only been able to point out the errors in the former conjectures that have been offered, without fubftituting any thing more fatisfactory. After many hints for farther experiments, and a diversity of elucidations, he apologizes for not attempting to give any general directions for cultivating this crop; for, fays he, till the particulars above fpecified be fully afcertained, any attempt to prefcribe the best and most advantageous_mode of cultivating this valuable plant must be vain and nugatory, as contradictory facts perpetually would occur, and involve the subject in the fame doubts and obfcurity as at prefent. His aim, therefore, in this effay, has been folely to elucidate fome important previous questions; and he begs that others will concur in the fame purpose, by profecuting fuch experiments as tend to afcertain doubtful facts. But fo much attention and care is neceffary in accurately conducting experiments of this fort, that we cannot expect to hear of many who will engage in fuch arduous pursuits; yet we hope the author will not find it neceffary to abate in his own exertions. How often do we fee occafion to regret that there is no public inftitution in our country for the purpose of conducting experiments in agriculture that cannot be cafily carried on by individuals! I i 2 In a fucceeding article we have an account of the Irish me thod of cultivating potatoes in the way of Lazy * beds, by the bishop of Killaloe. It is already well enough understood in this country. Sir Thomas Beevor alfo, who continues to enrich this work with his elegant pen, ftates the result of an experiment on various forts of potatoes, that deferves to be particularly noted. The forts mentioned below were all planted in good garden mould, and the refult was as follows: Weight of Sufhels per 6 roths of a rod 13 feed. acre. 692 2. Denne's hill, ditto, 3 I 668 3. Bayley's feedling, 4. Manley white, 3 roths 6 670 5. Kentish feedling, loths 6. Champion, 708 4 10ths 1140 7. Ox Noble, This experiment will furnish matter for much speculation to the attentive reader: but we muft proceed. Several other obfervations on potatoes occur in this volume, all tending to fhew that it is a profitable crop; but no other new facts relating to this plant occur. The Jerufalem Artichoke is a plant of the fame genus with the fun-flower. It produces bulbs at the roots, in many respects resembling the potatoe, but it is of a fofter confiftence, and more watery. It has been long cultivated in gardens as an efculent, but is not, in general, fo much liked as the potatoe, nor has it come into fuch general ufe in the field. Mr. Bartley, near Bristol, having, with some difficulty, procured fets of it, has cultivated it pretty much at large, and thinks it can be done with fome degree of profit. He finds it yields about 480 bushels Winchester, per acre, without any dung, and thinks they are about equal in value to potatoes for feeding flore pigs; but for fatting hogs they are not fo valuable. Their chief recommendations are, he fays, the certainty of the crop-that they flourish almoft in any foil-do not require any manure, at least for such a crop as the above, and are proof against the fevereft frofts, &c. He therefore finds it convenient to cultivate fome acres of them annually. The culture is the fame as for potatoes. This ftrange name may not be familiar to our readers. It denotes, in Ireland, a particular mode of cultivating potatoes; the field is divided into beds, in breadth about four feet, with alleys between, about two feet broad. The fets are planted in the beds, and as they grow, are earthed up with foil taken from the alleys. It was probably the first mode of cultivating this root in Ireland, and it is still practifed in many places. + We prefume this fhould have been lbs. There There is a plant of the convolvulus tribe, which produces bulbs refembling the potatoe. It is cultivated in Spain, and It all warm countries, under the name of the sweet potatoe. would probably be excellent food for cattle, &c. as it grows to a very large fize: We have never heard that any trial has been made how far they would ripen in our climate. CABBAGE S. The only extenfive trial of cabbages, as a crop, that is recorded in this volume, was made by Mr. Henry Vagg, for which a premium from the fociety was awarded. They feem to have been cultivated in a mafterly manner. One particular that occurs in this experiment deferves notice-The field (12 acres) was divided into two parts; the plants in the firft were raised from feeds fown in the month of March, and those on the other divifion were fown in autumn. The weight of the produce of each was as under: From feeds fown in March Difference 26 tons per acre. The above crop of 12 acres, Mr. Vagg fays, will keep 45 oxen and 60 fheep [Qu. the average weight of each kind of ftock?] for three months. Turnip rooted CABBAGE. Sir Thomas Beevor continues to cultivate this plant, and thinks he finds great profit in the crop. He advises their being fown on rich and very light land, and as early as the beginning of June. The produce of five acres maintained the following ftock from the 13th of April to the 11th of May, being 28 days, viz. 12 Scotch bullocks, weight 40 ftone each. 15 Cows, full fized. 35 40 Sheep, and 18 horfes, fed in the ftables, with an allowance of hay. If the horses be fuppofed to equal the horned cattle, this would be 53 cattle and 40 fheep 28 days-in all, 1484 days for one ox, and 1120 days for one fheep. And Mr. Vagg's 12 acres of cabbages, as above, maintained one ox 4095 days, and one fheep 5460 days; at which rate, five acres fhould maintain one ox 1706 days, and one sheep 2275 days. In this cafe, if we fuppofe equal accuracy in both trials, the advantage at firft 113 fight fight would feem to be in favour of the cabbages-but when the feafon of the year at which the turnip cabbages come into afe is adverted to, the advantage is clearly on their fide; efpecially when we are told, that 40 hogs were fed by the broken pieces and offals of them for the whole four weeks. TURNIPS. Concerning this vegetable we have met with little that can be deemed new, or decifive. The only experiment with them is by Mr. Nehemiah Bartley. Four acres of ground, he fays, were divided into two equal parts; one half manured with four put-loads [Q. What is the content of a put-load?] of foapers wafte afhes, and the other remained without any manure. Turnip feed was fown upon both at the fame time. The manured part proved an excellent crop, the other was quite deftroyed by the fly. Many obfervations have convinced us, that few things contribute fo effectually to guard against the ravages of the fly on turnips, as a plentiful manuring, and early hoeing, which greatly promote the rapid vegetation of the plant at an early period of its growth: and this experiment tends to confirm the fame opinion. Mr. Wimpey, who feems to have bestowed a confiderable degree of attention on the culture of this plant, makes a fimilar remark, p. 141. Several other obfervations occur in the paper here referred to, that mark the well-informed obferver, and deferve the attentive confideration of thofe who are not well acquainted with the nature of turnips, though nothing will be new to the fkilful cultivator. Mr. Chriftopher Gullet thinks that burning weeds with a thick smoke, in turnip fields, at the feafon of the fly, will effectually prevent the ravages of that infect, but we doubt if that effect would refult from the practice propofed. No experiment is here offered to fupport his theory. The practice of dragging elder-bushes across the turnip field, on which he relies with fuch an unfufpicious confidence, has been often tried without effect. This correfpondent feems to have as yet but little experience in agriculture: time will render him more cautious in his promijes of fuccefs to those who follow his advice, CARROTS. We are forry to find that the culture of this plant seems to be fo little attended to by British farmers. Mr. Onley mentions one unsuccessful trial-owing to accidental mismanagementbut he likewise informs us that a crop of from 6 to 700 bushels of carrots per acre [Qu. How are the carrots measured? What is the average weight of a bufhel?] was raised by one of his neighbours, and was employed to fatten oxen with great profit. This is, alas! almost the only notice taken in this volume of the culture of carrots. PARSNIPS. PARSNIPS. Concerning this plant, not a fingle experiment, or observation founded on actual experience, occurs in this volume-but Mr. Hazard, and an anonymous correfpondent, from hypothetical reasoning, warmly recommend the culture of parsnips as food for cattle. About 30 years paft many attempts were made to introduce the parfnip, generally, as a field crop; but it seems never to have become a favourite with the people. Mr. Hazard advifes that the feeds fhould be fown in autumn, in preference to the fpring. Has he himself had experience of this mode of culture, even in the garden? He also advises to tranfplant them. Few tap rooted plants fucceed by this mode of culture. ROOT OF SCARCITY. This plant, fo warmly recommended to the attention of the British farmer, has not been tried by any of the correfpondents of the Bath fociety except Sir Thomas Beevor, who speaks of it, from an imperfect trial only, in very favourable terms. The feeds, he obferves, and plants, are not diftinguishable from fome kinds of beets, but to try the difference between them, he fowed fome beet feed on the fame bed at the fame time with the feeds of the scarcity plant, and found that the roots of this laft, under the fame management, were four times as big, and the leaves of it much larger than the beet. He heard of other plants of the scarcity root that were much larger than his own, which were reared from feeds fown fix weeks earlier in the feafon. We are glad to find Sir Thomas intends to continue his experiments. We are always diffident of firft trials of new plants. RHUBARB. The obfervations on rhubarb are lefs diffufe in the present volume than in the former, and relate more immediately to the bufinefs of the farmer.-Dr. Fothergill gives a fhort account of the method of managing it in Tartary.-Mr. Hayes thinks it may be more speedily propagated by means of flips taken from the root than from feeds. Two other gentlemen give an account, in few words, of the practice they had fuccefsfully followed in propagating and in curing the root for ufe. Such notices are precisely what is to be wished for in such a work as that now before us.. CORN CROPS. Under this head, we find a continuation of Sir John Anftruther's experiments of the Drill culture. The refult generally is in favour of the grain fown in narrow drills, compared Ii 4 with |