PEA 



PER 



325 



standing on its base, the top as 

 sharp-pointed as possible : AVhen 

 this is done, let the whole be co- 

 vered thinly over with a coat of 

 soil, to defend the heap from the 

 weather ; The circumjacent earth, 

 provided it is not too light and 

 crumbly. 



" When thus guarded, the heap 

 may very safely be left till Janu- 

 ary or February, when it is in 

 general the season for spreading it. 

 But before it is used, it is always 

 best to sift the ashes, &;c." 



Mr. Eliot supposed it was neces- 

 sary to dry the peat before burn- 

 ing: But perhaps he never tried 

 the above method. He says, if it 

 be stifled in burning, it will be coal 

 instead of ashes ; and that the red 

 sort makes better charcoal than 

 that made of wood. 



It is happy for mankind, that 

 bountiful Providence has prepared 

 and preserved this precious trea- 

 sure, containing the essence of 

 vegetables, by which they may be 

 supplied with fuel in their houses, 

 manure for their lands, and coal 

 for smiths' forges. But in vain it 

 is provided, unless men will search 

 for it, and make use of it. There 

 is no reason to doubt of its being 

 as plenty in this country, as in any 

 other. When Mr. Eliot searched 

 for it, he tells us he soon found it 

 in seven different places. Peat is 

 now found in great abundance and 

 is much used. 



The ashes are said to have a 

 better effect upon winter, than up- 

 on summer grain ; and to be not 

 good for leguminous plants, as it 

 makes their haulm too luxuriant. 

 The good effects of a dressing are 



visible for three years ; and they 

 will not leave land in an impover- 

 ished state. 



PERRY, a liquor made from 

 pears, in the same manner as cyder 

 is from apples. The pears should, 

 in general, be ripe before they are 

 ground. They will not bear so 

 much sweating as apples. The 

 most crabbed and worst eating 

 fruit, is said to make the best 

 perry. After perry is made it 

 should be managed in all respects 

 like cyder. Boiling has a good 

 effect on perry, changing it from 

 a white to a flame-coloured and 

 fine flavoured liquor, which grows 

 better by long keeping and bot- 

 thng. 



PERSPIRATION 0/ PLANTS, 

 the passing off of the juices that 

 are superfluous, through pores pre- 

 pared by nature on their superfi- 

 cies for that purpose. 



The analogy which plants bear 

 to animals, is in no instance more 

 remarkable than in this evacuation. 

 The parts of a plant which contain 

 the excretory ducts, are chiefly 

 the leaves. For we find, that i^a 

 tree be continually deprived of its 

 leaves for two or three years, it 

 will sicken and die, as an animal 

 does when its perspiration is stop- 

 ped. But smear the bark on the 

 stems with any glutinous substance 

 sufficient to stop any pores, and no 

 great alteration will be observed 

 in the health of the tree, as has 

 been proved by experiment. And 

 as M. Bonnet has proved that 

 leaves generally imbibe the mois- 

 ture of the atmosphere on their un- 

 der surface, it is not reasonable to 

 suppose that the pores for transpi- 



