NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 5! 



culture j and this he faid upon good grounds* 

 as will afterwards be (hewn. 



The above author, in feveral places^ en- 

 deavours to eftablifh an opinion, that the 

 only ufe of fallowing is to deftroy weeds; 

 that the land is thereby pulverized* but not 

 benefited by the atmofphere. This he par- 

 ticularly infifts upon, p. 294, as follows : 

 Ipeaking of fallowing, he fays j 



44 The autumnal tillage is abfolutely re- 

 " quiiite, for the mere work of killing weeds, 

 44 without recurring to the attraction of any 

 ' beneficial particles from the air. The latter 

 44 eftedt may appear very equivocal to a com- 

 " mon farmer, never ufed to confider things 

 44 deeper than firft appearances. Unhappily 

 44 this is a part of Hulbandry, on which w ; e 

 44 can only ipeak from idea, and not in the 

 41 leaft from experiment. Of all the volumes 

 *"* that have been published on Hufbandry, 

 " none gives one a clear proof, of the ac- 

 " quifition of manure from the atmofphere. 

 " The benefit of fallowing is no clear proof; 

 41 becaule it is never experienced exclusively 

 ** of killing weeds ; and unlefs fuch effecla 

 44 were known diftin&ly, one cannot with 

 " any precifion attribute a certain degree to 

 44 each. As experiment has not and probably 

 * 4 will not prove this important point, it re- 

 44 mains for the difquifition of rcafon alone, 

 44 which may adopt whatever ideas appear 

 " moft juft to individuals. There are many 



2 4t argu- 



