Chap. r. B Y M. R O U S S E L. 13E 



vice to my lands than to many others, becaufe the foil is naturally 

 cold and backward. The grain is by this means lowed upon a kind 

 of gentle hot-bed, the warmth of which promotes the branching 

 and vegetation of the plants. The winter rains and frofts, raife a 

 fermentation. The fidl fpring plowing, by giving it a little air, re- 

 vives that fermentation at the very time when the lap is moll adtive, 

 and the plant begins to branch. As the dung rots, a kind of mo- 

 tion is caufed in the earth, which in fome meafure anfwers the end 

 of a flight plowing, and brings frefli nourilliment to the roots. The 

 fame heat which confumes the llraw, likewife confumes the little 

 feeds that are in the dung, which might otherwife produce num- 

 bers of weeds. When this dung is brought up again to the furface 

 of the earth, by the next year's plowings, it will no longer have 

 thofe hurtful feeds. It will indeed have loll its heat ,- but it will 

 flill have retained all its fatnefs, which will mix with the earth j 

 and land thus conftantly dunged, will in time become a perfectly 

 fine mould. But if theie layers of dung fliould be fpread too thick, 

 or the dung itfelf be of too hot a nature, the roots of the corn 

 might perhaps be endangered thereby. It was to determine this, that 

 I tried the following experiments, to know the eftedls of different 

 dungs, and what quantity it is proper to employ. 



" Three beds were dunged, in the above manner, with horfe- 

 dung : the firfl:, which was 1 1 6 5 feet long, had three loads of 

 dung; the fecond, of 1171 feet, had but two and a half; and the 

 third, of 1 183 feet, had but two. Three other beds were dunged 

 with cow-dung: one of 868 feet, with two loads and a half; 

 the fecond, of the fame length, with two loads ; and the third, of 

 874 feet, with only one load and a half. The three remaining 

 beds had Iheep's dung : the firll, of 842 feet, two loads ; the 

 fecond, of 838 feet, one load and a half; and the third, which 

 was of the fame length, one load. 



" Thefe beds were dillributed in fuch manner, that each of them 

 was in the middle of two other beds which were not dunged. The 

 field, thus laid out, was fowed on the thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth, 

 and fixteenth of Odtober, with your drill-plow, which plants three 

 rows in each bed. I ufed 378 pounds of feed; and afterwards 

 10 pounds, to fill up the chafms; which is after the rate of 

 32 pounds 6 ounces to an acre, and confequently a little too 

 much. Accordingly, when the corn came up, I faw it was too thick 



S 2 * fown. 



