264 EXPERIMENTS-ON WHEAT, Part II. 



""nefs of the ears, which laft were every where longer and better 

 "filled. 



" Notwithflanding all this, my wheat had flill more to fufter. It 

 " was cut juil before the heavy rains in July, and fome of it fprouted, 

 '* as was the cafe elfewhere. Befides the lofs in the quality of the 

 " grain, my threihers reckoned that the quantity of it was diminiihed 

 " eight meafures. The whole produce was but 68 meafures, after 

 " deducting the tythe. 



" I have entered into this detail : in order to make the following 

 " remarks. 



*' I. This field, twelve furrows excepted, not having been dunged 

 " fo early as in the year 1749, the fuperiority of the crop of 1 755 over 

 ** that of 1754, mufl be imputed chiefly to the new huibandry. The 

 " places on which my fineil wheat grew, were not at all extraordi- 

 " nary in 1754, and yet they were not dunged for 1755: confequently 

 " the culture, far from exhaufting, meliorated the ground. 



" 2. Some foils are fitter to produce fome grains than others; 

 " and it is in vain to attempt to force nature. Notwithflanding 

 " the good culture, the bad part of my field was yet worfe than 

 "in 1754; but the fenvy in it was finer. I fowed this part with 

 " grafs, and it is ilill covered with the fame plants, very green and 

 " vigorous. I judge that rhadiflies or turnips could do very well 

 " there. 



" 3. One muft not always judge of a crop, by the appearance of 

 *' the green corn in April and May ; becaufe the dung then exerts 

 " its greateft ftrength for the produtStion of the blades, and that ap- 

 " pearance is oftentimes deceitful. 



" 4. The lafi: plowings ought, if pofiible, never to be negledled : 

 " it is to them that I afcribe the favourable change which happened 

 " to my wheat. 



" To follow your method, I have now only to compare the pro-- 

 ** duce of this field, with what it yielded when cultivated in the old 

 *' way. I have not been able to find its exadl produdl before the 

 " year 1750. All I know, is, that the crops varied extremely, ac- 

 " cording as the ground had, or had not been dunged, or the year 

 " was more or lefs kindly. 



" I fhall therefore eftimate the produdls of this, by that of the 

 " neighbouring fields, which are thought to bear a good crop, when 

 " 2ipofe of land yields 32 of our meafures, after deducing the tythe 

 ** and fted-corn. The next crop, whether it be of winter or of 



fpring 



