Chap. I. BY M. R O U S S EL. 13^ 



thofe of our own country ; and although they had not the proper 

 inftruments of agriculture for the performance, and met with as 

 ftrong oppofition from the perfons employed to execute the bulinpl's, 

 as in England; yet the gentlemen foon determined to perfift in the 

 pradtice of it, tho' as yet few of their experiments have had the 

 fuccefs they hoped for *; partly from the awkwardnels of .their la- 

 bourers, and partly from their averfenefs to praftife this hufhandry ; 

 and alfo from their being made in lands not well conditioned: but 

 yet their produce has been equal to that of the old huibandry ; and 

 thev fay, that if the produce of land in the new method of huf- 

 bandrv, does not exceed that in the old way ; yet, by faving feven. 

 parts in eight of the feed-corn, it is a great affair to a whole coun- 

 try, efpecially in times of fcarcity. 



" I fliall only mention tv/o or three late experiments which have 

 been made in the new way, whereby the utility of it will more 

 fully appear. ■• ■ 



" The firft was in a field of wheat, which was fown partly in 

 broad-call in the common method, and partly according to Mr.Tull's 

 method. The fpots thus fbwn, were not regular in lands, but in- 

 terfperfed indifferently in many diredlions. Thofe parts of the field' 

 in Tull's method were in rows at two feet diftance, and flood thia 

 in the rows. The roots of the wheat in thofe fpots had fror-. ten' 

 to thirty flalks Upon a root, and continued upright till it was '-eaped ; 

 whereas few of the roots in the common method had more ti'.an 

 two or three flalks, and thefe were moll of them lodged before 

 harvefl : fo that upon trial of the grain when threfiied, there is 

 near a third part more in weight and meaiure, than from the fame 

 extent of ground, taken in the befl part of the field fown in the 

 common way. 



" Another trial was made by fowing of the corn in rows at different 

 diflances, with fome fown in two parts of the groiuid broad-cair. 

 The event was, that all which was fown broad-cail in the uKial 

 way, was lodged, as was alfo moft of that where the rows were iix 

 or nine inches afunder : that which flood a foot diftance efc'ced 

 better, but the rows two feet alunder were the beft, and the produce 

 much greater than any of the other ; which plainly fhews the ab- 

 furdity of the pradlice of fowing a great quantity of feeds, to 



T ha\'e 



* Mr. Miller could not have faid this, if he had ever feen the three 'aft volumes of 

 M. Duhamel's work, and particularly the experiments of M. de Chateaux- vieux. 



