NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 53 



* reafon, than an experimental proof. Salt- 

 ' petre, in every application, has often been 

 " proved rather poilonous than beneficial. 

 " Why, therefore, mould we fuppofe it of 

 " fuch confequence in the air? I am by no 

 means aflerting the contrary ; but only ex- 

 * prefTing doubts of thofe maxims, which do 

 * not feem to have had experiment for their 

 " foundation. Let us, for thefe various rea- 

 " Ions, be Contented with recommending au- 

 " tumnal ploughing to the hufbandman, on 

 " principles that he can underftand, and 

 " effects which are vifible to him, pulveriza- 

 " tton, and the killing of weeds : and not 

 *' periuade them to the practice, for reafons, 

 ** which are Greek and Hebrew to them." 



Here the author has given the fum of his 

 objections to the New Huibandry, relative to 

 the effects of the atmofphere. " Of all the 

 " volumes, fays he, that have been publifhed 

 " on Hufbandry, none gives one a clear proot 

 " of the acquifition of manure from the at- 

 " mofphere." This is a very extraordinary 

 aflbrtion. It is founded upon what lie laid 

 before, * Unhappily, this is a part of Huf- 

 ' bandry, on which we can only ipeak from 

 " idea, and not intheleaft from experiment." 

 But how does this confift with what he faid in 

 the introduction, " that a celebrated Englifh- 

 '* man, Mr. Tull, ma<le many experiments^ in 

 * a new method of culture, the great delign 

 ' of which was to fet> afide the ule of 

 3 ** manure?" 



