Sect. I. Agriculture and Vegetation. j 



BUT how can the farmer understand 

 the art of nourishing plants, unlefs he 

 knows the nature and qualities of each kind 

 of foil, whether it be proper or improper 

 for that office ; unlefs he can provide fuit- 

 able food for the nourishment of plants, 

 and difcovers what that food is -, unlefs he 

 affifts the plants in reaching and acquiring 

 that food, by rendering the foil loofe and 

 open ; unlefs he knows, and endeavours to 

 remove, Ib far as lies in his power, all im- 

 pediments to this nourishment ? Thefe are 

 the great outlines of agriculture. In fol- 

 lowing thefe, then, we (hall divide our fub- 

 jedl: into five parts. i. The nature and 

 qualities of different foils. 2. The nature 

 and qualities of the different compofls. 

 3. Their manner of adling. 4. The diffe- 

 rent methods of opening the foil. 5. The 

 impediments to vegetation, and their cure* 



THE operations of bodies are to be ac- 

 counted for only from their known qualities 

 afcertained by experiment. Reafoning on 

 i 84 any 



