Chap. II. BY M. DE CHATEAU-VIEUX. 147 



" From the obfervation which I made, that the plants were in a 

 more thriving ftate this year, than in 1751; it follows, that the 

 earth, far from' having been exhaufted by the nourifliment it had 

 yielded the plants during that year, became more fruitful in this : 

 which can be imputed only to the new culture; the land having re- 

 ceived no other alfiftance, either by dung Or manure. 



" The wheat was this year, upon a very exa(fl fearch, free from 

 fmut or blight. I found but one blighted ear, though there were 

 numbers in fields contiguous to mine. I cannot however impute this 

 favourable circumflance to the new culture alone: it may have con- 

 tributed thereto, and may lelfen the quantity: but to be fure of that, 

 requires fome years experience." •■■^ "--^ ;•■,*• '•/^'■. "^ ■ 



EXPERIMENT. No. II. 



** 'TT^ HIS experiment was made on a large fields in which three 

 •*■ rows of wheat were fown in each bed, the diftance from 

 the middle of one bed to the middle of the next, being fix feet *. 

 The whole extent of the field was 1650 fquare toifes, each fquare 

 toife containing 36 feet. 



" The fmall quantity of feed which I employed in fowing it, cer- 

 tainly required that every grain fhould grow : but the intended num- 

 ber of plants fell greatly fhort, feveral of the grains not rifing at all, 

 and many of thofe which did rife, being deftroyed by infeds. The 

 greatefi: damage was done by fnails. There were great chafms in 

 the rows, without any plants. As far as I could judge, between a 

 third and a fourth part of the rows produced nothing; and yet the 

 crop was pretty plentiful, as we fhail fee. 



"Thehoeings were performed this year at proper feafons, and 

 rather the more frequently to make up for the negle(ft of the for- 

 mer year : for the ground was not in fufficiently fine tilth when the 

 wheat was fowed. 



" On the fourteenth and fifteenth of Odlober 175X5 the alleys 

 were plowed for the firft time before winter. 



" On the ninth and tenth of March 1752, they were plowed 

 again for the firft time after winter. 



" From the eighteenth to the twenty-fourth of April, the ground 

 was weeded. 



** On the twenty-ninth of April, the alleys were ftirred with the 



U 2 cul- 



» M. Du Hamel thinks, that by means of the new horfe-hoe, the alleys may 

 be made fomewhat narrower. 



