po 



With regard to what this author advances, 

 that experiment has not, and probably will 

 not prove, the acquifition of fertility, or (as 

 he calls it) manure from the atmofphere ; the 

 above experiments have not only proved it, 

 but he might have eafily fatisfied himfelf of 

 the truth of it, by a fmall experiment of fome 

 plants, of wheat, &c. upon a few perches of 

 ground; and by well cultivating them, and 

 keeping the ground perfectly clean from weeds, 

 he might have difcovered, whether the benefit 

 of a fallow arifes merely, as he fuppofes, from 

 killing of weeds. 



But, to anfwer this objection fully, I mall 

 recite an experiment made by the very inge- 

 nious M. de Chateau vieux. " Repeated ex- 

 " perience, fays he, the effects of which have 

 '* conftantly been the fame, have taught me, 

 " and I can fafely affirm, that extremely bad 

 " lands, which could not fo much as yield a 

 " crop that would pay the expence of tilling 

 " them, have been rendered good and fertile* 

 *' merely by ploughing, and without the af- 

 " fiftance of any manure. This is a ftriking 

 " truth - t it was that firfl determined me to 

 ** practife the New Hufbandry ; and therefore 

 " it was of confequence tome to be certain of 

 " it. To this end, I was refolved to make a 

 " trial on a fmall fpot of ground, which I knew 

 " to be incapable to produce any thing. Some 

 " years before I had dug away the earth three 

 " feet deep, from a fpace of 60 fquare toifes 



" [about 



