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foning, but to direct the attention towards proper 

 objects of enquiry and experiment. It is not evert 

 necelTary that thefe conjectures fhould be founded 

 on any facts already known; it is enough if they 

 point towards probabilities, that may be confirmed 

 or refuted by future obfervations. They ought not 

 even to be confidered by the perfon who hazards 

 them as probabilities, which it imports his charac- 

 ter to fupport, becaufe this would warp his judg- 

 ment, and pervert his reafoning; but as mere ran- 

 dom gropings in the dark, which, if they do not 

 clearly difcover what is the direct road to know- 

 ledge, will at lead in lbme cafes point out what is 

 not the track to be purfued, and will at any rate 

 fooner difcover it, than if we flood ftill without ex- 

 ertions or obfervations of any fort. 



With thefe views I would hazard the following 

 query; — Is the waterinefs or drynefs of a crop of 

 , potatoes in any fort affected by the degree of ripe- 

 nefs that the plants employed for feed may have 

 attained in the preceding Jeafon? That the maturity 

 they have attained in the Jeafon that the potatoes are 

 ufed, does affect the quality of the potatoes, I con- 

 ceive to be highly probable ; and therefore potatoes, 

 which, on account of the richnefs or other peculia- 

 rity of foil, continue in a flate of vegetation highly 

 luxuriant, till they are nipped by froft or checked 



in 



