204 Re'view cf I)r Hunter'' s Georrrical EJpiys. May- 



has been praftifed bvbufbandmcn ever fincc the Romans poffefled. 

 Britain. Dr H: is not an advocate for fteeps, nor are we, unlets 

 when adminiftered as a pickle for the prefervation of wheat from 

 fmut. If fteeplng is meant to fruftify the feed, then we are not 

 its defenders ; and if we do not miflake Dr H. this is the fum 

 and fubftance of his opinion. 



5. On the roots of wheat. Wheat has two fets of roots, femi- 

 nal and coronal; being fubjej^ed to the feveritj of winter, its 

 roots are well difpofcd to withftand the inclemency of the feafon. 

 "When the froll comes on earlj, it is evident that the coronal 

 roots muft be much injured; and, to obviate this, Dr H. recom- 

 mends early fowing, and burying the feed deeper. We have 

 found, on the contrary, that the goodnefs of our wheat crops de- 

 pends more upon the weather in fumm.er, than upon previous cir- 

 cumilances; and have repeatedly experienced, that a wheat crop, 

 fown under every diladvantagc, and hardly covered by the har- 

 rows, has turned out well, when a favourable July cnfued ; 

 whilil we have been difappointed more than once with thofe 

 crops that looked befl in the winter months. 



6- 0?i the vegetation a?id motion of fap. This is a fatisfadlorj 

 cflay, and mufl prove highly amuling to the lovers of 'natural 

 hiftory. Animal bodies, from the nature of their ftrufture, are 

 certainly more liable to difeafes than vegetables ; yet the latter 

 are expofed to various maladies. In order to afcertain thefe with 

 any degree of accuracy, a knowledge of the anatomy of plants 

 is abfolutely neceffary ; and this the author has fufficiently eluci- 

 dated. 



7 . On a new method of culti'uating iveah arable lands. The 

 Romans in general fallowed and cropped alternately, and the Tul- 

 lian fyflem was in a great meafure founded upon the principles 

 recognized by that people. Dr Hunter's method is fomething 

 iimilar to that of Mr Tull, only his intervals are more extended. 

 He propofes to lay out fuch weak foils in ridi^es nine feet wide, 

 and to crop and fallow the ridges alternately, working the fallow- 

 ridge with a fmall one-horfe plough. We apprehend, in this 

 "Way, confiderable damage might enfue, when the crop was in a 

 ripening ftate, from high winds which would operate, in fuch a 

 fituation, with double force. If our obje«Slion is jaft, the utility 

 of the practice is diminifned. 



8. On the rohinia or falfe acafa, commonly called the locufl^ 

 tree. 



9. On a nciv f pedes of grain called Siberian or Halyday barley. 

 This barley is now become unpopidar. There are falhions in 

 grain and feeds, as well as in haberdafhery wares. 



10. On potatoes. Dr H, thinks the befl way of planting this 

 root is in hillocks, as tlic; fun has thereby free accefs to the 



crown. 



