288 EXPERIMENTS ON Part IT 



are a confi4erable part, in comparifon of the whole ; and there- 

 fore its produce cannot be juftly compared with that of another 

 fmall fpot fowed in rows. 



CHAP. V. 



Experiments made on wheat of different countries. 



iT would be wrong, fays M. Duhamel, to fufped: us of having no 

 other view, than merely to extol the new hulbandry. The only 

 reafon that induces us to dwell fo much upon it, is, that we think 

 it may be extremely profitable in fome cafes, and very ufeful in 

 others. Whatever is capable of promoting the progrefs of agri- 

 culture, is equally intereiting to us. With this view, we applied 

 to the faiftors of our Eaft-India company, for famiples of the different 

 kinds of wheat of the countries where they refide. They were fent 

 to M. de Reaumur, who was fo kind as to deliver them to me. I fhall 

 fay, in a moment, what ufe I made of them. The late marquis de 

 la GalifToniere had before given a pretty large quantity of a wheat 

 which he had brought from Spain, and which he knew made the 

 beft bread of any in Europe. At the fame time, the marquis de 

 Gouvernet gave me a fample of a large grain'd fpring wheat, which 

 was faid to multiply exceedingly. 



I was the more plcafed with having thefe famples, as I am per- 

 fuaded that many of the different kinds of wheat which are generally 

 cultivated in mod countries, may, by reafon of the foil or other phy- 

 fical caufes, not be fo fit as fome other kinds may be, to produce 

 the mofl plentiful crops, or make the fineft bread. Few counties, 

 or indeed few countries, cultivate more than two or three kinds of 

 wheat; and the generality of farmers have fo little curiofity, that they 

 do not fo much as think of trying whether any of the forts that are 

 cultivated in other places, would not be preferable to thofe they 

 ufe. 



An attentive traveller may obferve that the wheat which grows 

 in the different countries he goes through, is not all alike : 

 but he contents himfelf with making this obfervation in ge- 

 neral, without confidering that he would do his own country, an 

 effential fervice, by bringing into it a better kind of wheat. 'Tis 

 true, this might perhaps be attended with fome little trouble : to 

 avoid which, moft people are very ready to perfuade themfelves that 

 thofe more perfect kinds of wheat would not anfwer in any other foil 

 2 than 



