Chap. XVI. O F S T E E P S. 103 



ceipts, which is there laid to be of fuch efficacy, that the land need 

 be plowed but once for wheat prepared with it. He did fo ; an4 

 his crop was fcarce worth reaping. 



M. Peyrol, many years fecretary to the intendant of Auvergne, 

 acquainted M. Duhamel, that he had made feveral experiments in 

 imitation of thofe mentioned in the Abbe de Valleniont's book. In 

 the month of May 1755, he planted in his garden, which is a hot 

 indifferent foil, four fmall cabbages, which had only four leaves.. 

 In September following, the fame cabbages were fix feet and a half 

 in circumference. Some plants of red wheat, tranfplanted into a bed 

 dug very fine in his garden, bore 130 ears a piece, which contained 

 each of them from 40 to 80 grains. Some plants of white wheat, 

 tranfplanted at the fame time, produced 120 ears, each of whicl^ 

 had from 30 to 40 grains. Two grains of red wheat, fowed in the 

 fame bed, and not tranfplanted, produced each of them 140 ears, 

 which contained 6000 grains. 



Five plants of red wheat, diilant from one another lix inches, 

 did not branch fo well, being too clofe together : but each of them 

 produced from 40 to ^o ears, which contained from 40 to 60 grains. 



Rye, which branches lefs than wheat, produced from 30 to ^^ 

 ears, each containing from 60 to 70 grains. r 



The barley of that country, which branches little, has however, 

 produced from 60 to 80 ftalks, though the feed was not fleeped in 

 any liquor before it was fowed. — The author of thefe experiments 

 judiciouHy obferves, that they muft be repeated and varied, to make 

 it appear that the great increafe is owing to the fleep. 



This liquor of the Abbe de Vallemont is as follows : 



Put into a tub, expofed to the fouth, one bufliel of horfe-dung, 

 the fame quantity of cow-dung, half a bufhel of pigeon's dung, a? 

 much flieep's dung, as much afhes, three gallons of linall prick'd 

 wine, two pounds of falt-petre, and as much water as will fufH- 

 -eiently dilute the whole, fo as to make it thin enough for 

 life. /^ , 



Every time that any of this liquor, i? taken out to fprinkle the 

 plants, it is filled up again with water ; and as it may be too flrong 

 at iirft, it may be weakened accordingly. 



M. Peyrol added to this in.' uiicn, frequent digging j fox the ground 

 was dug live times between the j)lants of wheat : and he ohfej-ved 



that 



