30 * THE RUa\L SOCRATES. 



provements. His children are entrufled with his kitch- 

 eti garden ; an eafy tafk, adapted to their flrength, and 

 which trains them gradually to the performance of 

 more toilibme work. 



I pafs over in filence, his method for the culture of 

 turnips after rye harveft ; nor fhall i expatiate an his 

 : manner o^ pruning fruit trees ; as in theie two articles 

 there is nothing uncommon ; — but I ought not to omit 

 his rules for ihe culture of potatoes^ as he is the firfl 

 man in fhe village who has made them an effential ob- 

 jetfc r^^fafctenri )n ; the other peafants being fatisfied with 

 hav/ing f jme beds of thi^m in their gardens.** The ex- 

 cellent properties of potatoes and their great utility, 

 have given them, in the opinion of Kliyogg, a very de- 

 cifive preference over all other fruits of the earth. One 

 acre produces two hundred bufliels. The.^daily con- 

 fumption in his family is one bufhel, and his economy 

 in this article faves a ranid of wheat in the fpace of 

 three weeks. Thus he computes that twenty buHiels 

 of potatoes are equivalent to one maid of wheat. Ac- 

 cording to this calculation, an acre planted with po- 

 tatoes, is as profitable as ten muids of wheat ; whilfl an 

 acre of the beR land will fc^rcely produce four makers 

 of fpelt, which, at the highell price, and in the bell 

 jcars, is about the value of fix muids of wheat ; con- 

 fequentiy the. comparative value of an acre of potatoes 

 to an acre of wheat^ is, as ten to d)^ ; a vtry elFential 

 ifJifference ! — We may likewife add., that this root re- 

 mains in fecurity under ground, free/from thofe dangers 

 to which plants and grains are expofed from the varia- 

 tions of feafons. Neither the nipping frofts in fpring, 

 Tior fnow, nor hail, which fo frequently difappointf- and 



deftroy 



*The culture of potatoes is in a manner recent, antl this part of thej 

 Iliiral Socrates wag written Haifa century ago. What appears* therefore, 

 ;'^ther miftaken or common in the text, nnuft be cxcufed. E. 



f Yet there are inftances where a h;iIl-ftorra has injured the green flalks 

 »yove the groimtl, Ik fore the potatoes were arrived at a certain degree o^ 

 gnaturity J which, by preventing farther growth, deftroycd the •rop --^ 

 feet this i« very rare. F. 



