THE RURAL SOCRATES. 95 



snd which were deemed entirely barren, liave been 

 fertilized by help of this fort without the aid of any 

 cattle, lb as to fupport a whole fafniiy ; and with the 

 help of a little work at a maniifaiSture, fomething w^as 

 even faved. Other inflances occurred of iervices 

 equally confiderable ard" interefling. 



"I'he Society alio had recourfc to a new i^icthod of 

 advancing cipriculiure, A pcafant who with great alFi- 

 duity had cultivated a fliVall property upon the old fyf- 

 teni, was engaged to work it under tlie circ:i5lions of 

 the Society upon the new fyilem'. He was ordered 

 therefore to keep his cattle conflantly in the flabie,, 

 and put their manure on his wheat land aiid meadows y 

 giving to his vines earth drawn from a m^r (by mea- 

 dow and afterwards e^^pofed to the infiuerce of the 

 weather. The marfhy fpot of meadow was itfelf plant- 

 ed with willow ; whofe produce farther fenfibly aug- 

 mented the dung- heap. The pafture vvas converte(': 

 into fields, of which a third part w^as put into clover in 

 fuccedion for the fummcr feed of the cattle, who were 

 fhut out even from the w-ood. In the noil difl-anc 

 field, a reier voir for liquid manure was placed; intc^ 

 which v/atei* was led from a neighboring fpring. Eighty 

 beds often feet fquare each which were ranged in a 

 line along a narrow flip of land v,ere devoted to varied 

 e?<periments upon grains and. forage of different kinds. -^ 

 The proprietor who had before kept only tw^o head of 

 crattle, in the fourth year was enabled to keep three ; 

 his wheat was doubled ; his whole land became more 

 fertile and w^as more eafiiy worked ; and his vine^-^- 

 bad fuffered no detriment, though had it been otherwifi: 

 his ether advantages would h-a.ve richly compenfated 

 for it. The agricultural experiments in the mean time 

 gave knowledge to the canton as to' feveral articles of 

 culture. 



A few years flnce the Society received from the can- 

 ton a landed property, as a donation lo be applied to 

 the objecl of e:>perimcii!:s, 



A 



