146 Letter from R. R. Livlngjlorit to Arthur Youngc, Efq. 



dry, fandy ground, flrewing It over after the buck-wheat had 

 attained the height of two inches. The efFed upon the 

 growth of the plant was aftonifliing ; it averaged about 

 four feet and a half in height, and the ftems were of an 

 extraordinary thicknefs. It was, however, too much lodged 

 to produce a proportionate quantity of grain. 



As both potatoes and buck-wheat are, as \V^11 as clover, 

 of the nature of thofe plants which draw a great proportion of 

 their nourifliment from the air, thefe experiments appeared 

 favourable to my theory ; but what confirms it, is a crop of 

 oats I this year had : by fowing the ground mentioned to be 

 under clover,, on my experiments No. 2 and 3, with oats on 

 one ploughing, which averaged fixty-four bufliels to the acre, 

 notwithflanding the natural poverty of the foil ; and for this 

 fertility it was certainly indebted to the clover and gypfum, 

 which was the only manure it had ; and what was very 

 extraordinary, the three quarters of an acre No. 2, which 

 was the poorefl part of the field, naturally yielded better oats, 

 as it had better clover, by nearly ten bufhels an acre, than 

 that which was originally in much better heart. 



Thefe confirmations of my theory make me regret that you 

 had not given it a place with the experiments, fmce the 

 principle laid down is at leafl new, and the very refutation of 

 it might throw light upon this mofl interefting fubjeft. The 

 modern fyltem of chymiflry, to which I own myfelf a convert. 



