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begin there. It is common for the feeds of the 

 above-mentioned plants to come up finely and look 

 healthy; but heat and drought coming on, the 

 juices of the young plants thicken and ftagnate, 

 circulation is Hopped, they wither, and are fud- 

 denly deftroyed by the fly. It is very common 

 to fee whole fields in this condition, excepting 

 under the fhadow of the hedges, which in fome 

 meafure retain the dews of the nights, and fcreen 

 the young plants from the fcorching fun-beams. 

 We frequently fee very flourifliing plants under 

 hedges, when the crop of the refl: of the field is 

 entirely deftroyed ; and I am clearly of opinion, 

 the fame difappointment would happen in every 

 poor foil, if the appearance of the. plants were 

 immediately followed by a few dry hot fcorching 

 days, though there fhould not be a fly to prey 

 upon them. The bell means to guard againfl: 

 fuch a difappointment, when any of thefe articles 

 are to^ftand for a crop in the place they are fowed, 

 is thoroughly to cleanfe the ground, duly break, 

 divide, and pulverize the foil, and drcfs it with a 

 well-prepared artificial compofl^, which, if the fea- 

 fon (hould not prove fingularly unfavourable, would 

 moft probably give a degree of vigour to the young 

 plants, which would totally defeat the ravages of 

 the fly; and if the land were to be fown in drills, 

 a very moderate quantity of the compoft being re- 



N 3 gularly 



