THE RUR^L SOCRATES. l j 



Vfhlch is veriiied in the prefent year of plenty, 1761, 

 It will even appear that the earth has been more lavilh 

 in her produtStions this year than the preceding, if al- 

 lowances arc made for the north winds, which prevailed 

 in the beginning of ApriL 



Our indefatigable cultivator does not bound his im- 

 provements within the circle of that quantity of ma-* 

 nure which his induflry procures from a fmall num- 

 ber of cattle. — He buys every yearTeven tumbrel loads 

 of dung from hi^ neighbors, which cofl him il. los. yd- 

 Theie he mixes with fix tons of peat afhes, which come 

 to about 2S. the twenty bufhels. — He finds the eife£l of 

 thefe two kinds of manure anfwerable to the price. 



Not fatisfied with this, he turned his attention to oth- 

 er methods of enriching his land. — With this view he 

 took a journey into the bailiwick of Regenfperg, v/here 

 they ufe marie with great fuccefs ; it being found in 

 abundance below Laguerberg. Having made flriiSfc in- 

 quiry into its properties and the manner of ufing it, 

 this fpecies of improvement appeared to him fo defira- 

 ble, that at his return he made many unfuccefsful at- 

 tempts to difcover marie in his own neighborhood.-— ^ 

 What a pity that this examiner of nature ftiould be a 

 ftranger to the ufe of the boring inftriiment in thefe 

 inquiries I — x\s a fubflitute for marie, his induflry dii- 

 covered a method of improving land that anfwered very 

 near the fame purpofes, from a fmall gravel ; of which 

 I Ihall give a circumflantial detail when I defcribe Kli- 

 yogg*s manner of preparing his land for corn.— He like* 

 wife found in turf, cut from the jRirface of the paflurc 

 or fallow land where the grafs is very luxuriant, proper 

 materials, when well prepared, for rich manure. The 

 preparation confifts in expofing the turf for two years in 

 open air,to all the influence of the learons,till it is entirely 

 decayed ; when it may be fpread with fuccefs on mea- 

 dows-or corn-fields. — Kliyogg never fuffers prejudice of 

 any kind to lead him to the rejection of new experiments/ 



