[ "4 1 



In the courfe of laft fummer, (1778) a farmer 

 who lived in my neighbourhood had a field of five 

 acres under a fallow for wheat. It lay adjoining to 

 a common which produces abundance of fern, and 

 I obtained a promife from him to drefs a part of it 

 therewith. One other part of the field was drefled 

 with dung alone; and the remainder with a mix- 

 ture of lime and old mud taken out of a mill-pond 

 at the; bottom of the field. This laft-mentioned 

 drefling was well mixed, and laid on in a large 

 quantity. No exa6l account was kept of the ex- 

 pence of the fern-drefiing, nor of the quantity 

 ufed;* we can, therefo'-e, only guefs at thefe parti- 

 culars. It is, however, an undoubted fad, that 

 3s. 6d. is more than fufficient to pay for cutting, 

 drying, and carrying a waggon load in fuch a con- 

 venient fituation ; and upon due enquiry, I was in- 

 formed that about four waggon loads were laid on 

 an acre ; conlequently it muft have been as cheap 

 a drefling as could poflibly be laid on it. 



This field of wheat was reaped the 3d inftant, 

 as far as the fern was burnt, (which was two acres) 



• Thefe are fome of the omiflions which render the experiments 

 made by common farmers fo indecifive. They ought to be particu- 

 larly accurate in eftimating the quantity of manure, and the expence 

 per acre ; and in defer ibing the nature of the foil. Without this, a juft 

 conclufion cannot be formed on the liiccefs of any experimeait. 



the 



