84] 



A TOPOGRAPHICAL 



If 2 sheep in 5 years increase to - - - 18 



In 10 years, they may be - - 162 



13 y ea rs, . 1,458 



20 years, . 13)12 2 



25 years, - - 118 ; 098 



30 years, - - 1,062,882 



35 years, - - 9,565,938 



40 years, - 86,093,442 



And so on in proportion. 



Swine. This species may increase five-fold annually, at a very 

 reasonable calculation : suppose ten at one or two litters brought 

 forth by each dam annually, half males, half females, and the old 

 stock annually cut off, 



Thus two, a boar and sow, may in one year be 

 In two years, 

 Three years, 

 Four years, 

 Five years, 

 Six years, 

 Seven years, 



10 

 50 

 250 

 1,250 

 6,250 

 31,250 

 156,250 



Eight years, ... 781,150 



Nine years, ... 3,906,250 



And in Ten years, 19,531,250 



Rabbits are still more prolific, and would, if permitted, soon in- 

 crease in numbers sufficient to overrun the earth. It seems to be in 

 the system of Nature, that a large proportion of animals should be 

 prematurely cut off as food for others ; otherwise, their tendency to 

 increase would so exceed their means of subsistence, as to occasion 

 a general scarcity of food. 



Vegetable Increase is still more rapid than that of animals. It is 

 providentially ordered, that animals as the food of man, should have 

 a tendency to increase faster than man himself; and vegetables as 

 food for both, have a tendency to increase faster than either, inso- 

 much as in a very short time to cover the whole surface of the earth, 

 by their natural power of accumulation. 



We shall conchide these theoretic calculations by the often-re- 

 peated example of the increase of a grain of wheat in a ten-fold 

 proportion : 



One grain of wheat may be, in 1 year, 

 In 2 years, 



3 years, 



4 years, 



Which, suppose 1 pint in 5 years, 



6 years, 



7 years, 



