446 



PRODUCTION 



Sect. XVI 







fl 



See Sed:. XV. 3. 4. But lefs water is again required,, wh 



feed has arrived at its full fi 



before fpoken of 



III. I. To forward the ripening of feeds. A due degree of warmtl 

 and of drynefs feems to include the circumftances principally requir 

 ed. The warmth not only accelerates the various fecretions of ve^e 

 tables by increafing their irritability and confequent adivity, but, af 

 ter the mucilaginous, ftarchy, faccharine, and oily matters are fecret 

 ed into proper refervoirs, may contribute perhaps chemically to thei 



change into each oth 



or to then- greater perfedion. And the 

 drynefs of the air, whether hot or cold, is neceffary to give perfed 

 ripenefs to feeds ; as other wife the due exhalation of the aqueous parts 

 of the fecreted fluids, which form the nutritive parts of feeds, doe 



properly proceed ; and the feed gathered in this condition is liabl 



r* 



a 



to mildew in the barn or 



wrinkled 

 2. It i 



d 



ranary, or to become Ihrivelled 



d 



believed in Scotland, that 



m 



trib 



to 



r 



pen the late crop 



the frofty nights of au- 

 that inclement climate 



which fome have afcribed to the moonlight, but, which I h 

 deed fufpeded, that the frofl may in fome meafure efFed by c 



^ the mucilage of the grain fooner into flarch 



ed to imagine by having obferved 



bookbind 



boiling wheat-flour in 

 frozen : ai 



This I was induc- 

 es pafte, made by 



water 



loft its adhefion after having been 



; and alfo from a culinary obfervation, that when ice or fnow 

 is mingled with flour inftead of water in making pancakes, that it 

 much improves them ; the truth of which I have heard boldly af- 

 ferted, but never witnefled the experiment. See Sed:. VI. 3. 5. 



Th 



thelefs 



an 



the Edinburgh Tranfad 



experiment related by Dr. Roebuck i, 

 Vol. I. which feems to (hew, that th 



to become heavier even durino- 



grains of oats continue to fill and 



the autumnal frofts ; which may probably occur during the funfhir 

 of the middle part of the day, as occurs in the vernal frofts of th 

 part of the country. In 1 780 near Borrowftonefs the oats were ^ree 



even 



