is THE RURAL SOCRATES^ 



foilsj even the moft barren, may be rendered ferlile by 

 warmthv — Upon this principle * he infers, that an ex^ 

 iremely hot dry fummer will be fucceeded by a remarka- 

 bly fruitful one. ^' Heat," fays Kliyogg, *' putreliest 

 and enriches." In confequence of this opinion he told 

 me, about the middle of the winter I75'9, that the en- 

 fuing harvefl would yield three (heaves inflcad of two : 

 The event confirmed the prediction. He repeated the 

 lime thing inamed lately after the drought of lad year, 



• ■ which 



* It may be neceffary to obfervcthar where the foil fs irrpregnated with 

 troo, fife will, on the contrary, increafe its fterility. The fatmer cannot 

 be too careful in examining the quality of his lands by the u{yal expeii- 

 jnents, which it would be well to perfed. F. 



i We (hall be fenHble of the truth of this obfcrvation of our judiciou* 

 pcafant, if we extend our refiexions to thofe countries where the climatep 

 without being excclTively hot, h yet much warmer than our own ; and 

 ivhere we (hall find a nmch nacre vigorous- vegetation, than can be ac- 

 counted for from difTerence of foil or labor, — Herodotus allures us that 

 the lands of Babylon produced fro»ii two to three hundred ears of corn for 

 one. Piioy fays, that in Lybia, the proportion was one hundred and fifty i 

 Chili produces from fixty to eighty and a hundred. The fertility inpat- 

 ficular didric^s of Peru, is ftill greater i There are fields where the reap- 

 ers gather tour or five hundred for one, of all kinds «f giain. Mr. Ad- 

 amfonj an ingenious naturalill, attributes theextraori^inary frcitfulnefs of 

 ihefands of Senegal to the efl'efts of heat. He informs us, that he fowed 

 ieveral forts of leguminous (t<td^t which afforded twelve crops in a year. 

 The never failing harveits of Sicily, ^gypt, and part of northern Afri- 

 ca, are welikoown ; as well as the ancient fertility ofCorfica and Spain. 

 Let us recolle(5l the former teriiliiy and populatioji of the Holy Lind, 

 Let us call a look towards China, and fon^c particular provinces of India 

 and Perfia j— and we fnail be convinced at leaft, that all things confuiercdj, 

 there canr.ot be fo great a proportion of manure, or of iflclefatigablc la- 

 boring hands in thofe countries, as in our own. F. ? 



Thus far the French tranflator. — But it is not the hot furhmer in Swit- 

 sr.erland which is frniiful : it is the fucceeding or.e. hfallo'w occurs 

 during the h?!af,which favors the fucceeding crops i but it is at the cxpencfi 

 of the firft crop. 



The prolific vegetation of cerfln hot countries is ovviiig to great and 

 long heate, joined to a njoifl: foil or air. Lt^ng continued growing weather ia 

 equivalent to two or three fummers in the courfe of one and the fame 

 ^'ear ; and therefore gives room for fuccelTive crops in the farrte year. — For 

 the fame rcafon inferior foils in hot countries, if feconded by moifiurfp 

 yield more i\\ a ^ivcn crop, ibau they do in the colder clinsates o{ iha 

 r:i:'th» E, 



