292 ' EXPERIMENTS ON Parr IIL 



three inches longv elofe to the ground, every day, but alfo attacked 

 the roots and the grain in the earth, Difgufled, by this incident, he 

 gave up this Ipot, concluding it would come to nothing.. The- rye 

 and barley came up much later.. 



However, he was furprifed afterwards to find fever-al plants of 

 ^^heat, fome of which, had. upwards of 60 ftalks, with long ears. 

 The r^-e and barley were lefs damaged. The rye had, in general, 

 fronx 50 to ^^ tall well-ear'd ftalks ; and one of the plants of bariey. 

 had 101 ftalks. 



What he particularly remarked was, that in all thefe beds, the 

 middle ro.v branched leall and was much the weakefi: : whence Ke 

 concluded, that it would be beft to make the beds only four feet: 

 wide, and to fov/ but two rows in them, and thofe a foot afunder j- 

 an: alley- of three fe.et being fiithciejit to admit tlie fammer plawings 

 witli, one buHock. 



IVL Diancourt fowed eight perches of ground with oats, in double 

 rows, with alleys fix feet wide. Farmers, the moft prejudiced againll . 

 the new hufbandry, acknowledge that there was more grain in one 

 ef thofe double rows, than .on eight perches fowed in the ccmunc a 

 way. 



SECT. n. 



Experiments made at Avignac in Britany, by. M. de Brue. 



MDe Brue {owed with-winter oats, part of a field which had; 

 •■' been refted, but brought to a fine tilth, and was of a light '. 

 foil. The feverity of the cold having deftroyed the oats, he plowed - 

 it up again -in Marchj, for fpring oats; which were very fine.. MoS: 

 of the ftalks were five feet high... 



He left untouched a fmall corner, where he perceived feveral 

 plants of the winter oats, which the froft had not deftroyed'. 

 Though this fpot had been expofed to the trampling of cattle, and 

 pfomifcd but little from the beginning; M. de Brue was furprifed. 

 at the beavUy of thsfw oats, and at the quantity they yielded. The 

 .flraw was fix feet higli, and loaded v.'ith veiy fine grain. " It is . 

 "true,, fays he, I believe I was partly indebted for this fuccefs to 

 " the drj-nefs of the feaibn : for the grour.d I am fpeaking^ of, is fre- 

 " quently overdowed in wet years, notv/jthllanding ail the pains I 

 " have taken to drain it. 



« In the month of Auguft," continues this^ gentleman, " I plowed 



" up 



