( vii ) 
ney, oppoting the will of nature’s God. Agriculture has made a won 
derful progrefs in feveral countries, fince it became the bufinefs and fa- 
vourite amufement of philofophers and men of tafte. We may reap 
great advantage from the many excellent writings on this fubject in the 
Englith, French, German, and Swedifh languages; but much improve- 
ment is yet wanting in every part of this noble -feience. Befides, our 
local circumftances require in fome cafes peculiar methods. The United 
States extend through feveral clunates; and the .general irregularity of 
the feafons mingles the diverfity of climate in every ftate: Pennfylvania 
f. e. ‘as often within two or three months the climates of Sweden, En- 
gland, and Italy. ‘This points out the propriety of adopting fome practices 
from different countries, and.eftablifhing others as our own. 
On our tillage the following remarks appear:to me very interefting.— 
The fucceflion of fevere froftsand deep thaws during winter in all the 
northern and-middle ftates makes a variety of drains neceflary in moft 
foils and fituations; yet an almoft general negle@ of this deftroys a great 
part of the feed: a judicious treatife.on the forms and courfes of fuch 
drains would be very ufeful. A large-portion of the arable lands in this 
and fome other ftates being hilly, is detrimentally wafhed by heavy rains 
in every feafon of the year: efpecially is the manure thereby totally loft. 
This would be much prevented by tranfverfe ploughing in a proper 
degree of horizontal inclination, which may be traced by computing the 
force and quantity of the water.. 
The Indian corn * isan effential article.among American grains; and 
peculiarly fuitable to an extenfive country. It might be raifed at fo mo- 
derate a price as to bear exportation to Europe; in the northern parts of 
which it would be very valuable as nourifhment for.domeftic animals du- 
ring the long winter. The mode of planting this grain by four or five 
feeds together in hills at the diftance of feveral feet, appears lefs reafona- 
ble from the vonfideration, that one part of the ground: is left vacant, 
while the other is over charged; that the contiguous ftalks muft impede 
each other; that their {pindling height, and clofe pofition fubje&ts them 
more to the high winds, which not unfrequently fweep down whole 
fields. Lam informed by natives of Italy, that in that country the corn 
is planted fo as to cover the ground equally, with convenient intervals 
for weeding. 
The culture of meadows has gained a confiderable perfe€tion in the 
middle ftates; but {till is capable of much improvement. We mutt dif- 
cover 
* Maize or zea. 
