S O I 



vpih be kept in better order, and afford greater improve- 

 ment and profit. 



This is a method of praftice that lias been found, by the 

 moil exaft trials, to anfvver perfectly both with horfes, neat 

 cattle, and fwine ; and with cows it has been found very 

 beneficial in the trials of Mr. Curwen and feveral others, as 

 well as in other inltances. See Swine and Team. 



The writer of the corredled account of the ftate of agri- 

 culture in the county of Middlefex has, howerer, obferved, 

 in oppofition to this fyltem of management, that though 

 " it has lately been fuggelled by feveral writers, that carry- 

 ing grafs into the yards, and giving it to cattle there, is 

 more advifeable than permitting them to coUeft their own 

 food : where the party can manure half his land annually, 

 or the whole every fecond year, it may, it is fuppofed, be 

 expedled to fupport fuch a high degree of exhauftion ; but 

 '•1 other cafes, the pallure would loon be fo much impove- 

 riihed, as to produce nothing for the owner of it to mow. 

 Meadows which can be flooded by art at any period of fum- 

 mer, would probably, too, it is thought, admit of having 

 their produce continually carried off : in all other cafes, fuch 

 a fyltem would, in the opinion of the writer, in a fhort time 

 ruin the land." 



But furely no rational or confiftent praftical agriculturalift 

 ever inculcated the neceflity or utihty of the praftice of 

 mowing and carrying the grafs of pafture or hay-lands to 

 be confumed in the farm-yards by cattle. The fyftem of 

 ufeful foiling, fo far as it is known to us, has been ufually 

 confined to luxuriant crops of the artificial grafs kind, raifed 

 by means of tillage, and provided for by the increafed quan- 

 tity of manure which is produced and preferved in the pro- 

 cefs or praftice. 



" The increafed labour and expence of fuch a praftice 

 would alfo, it is faid, render it unprofitable ; one man em- 

 ployed in that manner, with a horfe and cart, could not 

 attend tlie cattle, and bring in the produce of many acres, 

 though it would coll a grazier in this county, annually, it 

 is fuppofed, one hundi-ed and thirteen pounds ; to which 

 ought to be added, that the manure would be walled in 

 fuch a manner, as to lofe a large moiety of it ; in all which 

 ways one hundred and twenty pounds would be expended, 

 which is a greater fum than this praftice is calculated to 

 repay." 



It is evident, however, from what has been feen above, 

 that one man can not only attend to the cattle, but convey 

 the produce of many acres to the places where it is to be 

 eaten, befides doing much other work ; and as to the horfes 

 and carts which are neceffary, as thofe of the fmall kind are 

 commonly the mod fuitable, they will be found on almoll 

 all farms where fuch a method of cattle management can be 

 had rccourfe to with any benefit. Such an imaginary charge, 

 therefore, feems to be founded on no jud grounds. And 

 that there would be any great deal more wade of manure in 

 this than in other ways, is probably a mere fuppofition, as 

 under good management, evaporation in hot feafons would 

 be guarded againit, and the accumulation of it in the prac- 

 tice is univerfally allowed to be extremely great. There is 

 confcquently no well-founded reafon for concluding that 

 the praftice will not amply repay every expence attending it 

 when properly carried on. 



" The only advantage which it promifes is, it is faid, to 

 avoid the damage done by the treading of cattle : it mull 

 be admitted, that in wet feafons and deep grafs this is con- 

 fiderable: hut a /eiv Mhlitioiui/ ticrcs would, it is believed, fup- 

 ply a fimilar quantity of herbage at a lefs expence ; where 

 that cannot be obtained, reducing the number of cattle 

 would, it is laid, have the fame cffeft, and might be done 



I 



S O K 



witho-ut incurring fo great a diminution of profit as the fore- 

 going one hundred and twenty pounds would certainly be. 



" It is obvious, (the writer fays, after dating other ob- 

 jections,) that this is one of the clofet fydems of fupport- 

 ing cattle, which cannot be reduced to praftice beyond the 

 extent of a very few acres, and only then, when it can be 

 done without any additional men or horfes. If the expence 

 of the men and teams is to be brouuht into the account, it will, 

 it is faid, be altogether unprofitable. Such an expence would, 

 in this county, amount, it is fuppoled, in fifteen weeks, to 

 thirty-four pounds ten (hillings ; which, divided by the num- 

 ber of acres (ten), proves the charge to be, on each acre, 

 three pounds nine ftiillings ; or divided by the number of 

 oxen (fix), it would be, on each, five pounds fifteen fhillings : 

 add this extra expence, it is faid, to a long lid of ufual and 

 unavoidable charges, and it will fwell the account to fuch a 

 fum, as would exceed the value of the improvement of any 

 cattle whatever." 



The fydem of foiling animals can clearly be extended to 

 more than a few acres, and even where additional men and 

 horfes are required, though there will be feldom any occa- 

 fion for them in the praftice. Nor is the expence of the 

 men or teams employed about it any real objeftion, when 

 judly and fairly calculated, or even that of the cattle /^r 

 head of any account, fo as to make it more than equal to 

 their advancement in condition. Where no fufficient data 

 are given, from aftual trials, it is eafy to arrive at con- 

 clufions ; but the praftice and experience of farmers in the 

 bed cultivated didrifts, fet all fuch opinions and conclufions 

 at naught. 



SOINI, in Geography, a town of Sweden, in the govern- 

 ment of Wafa ; 70 miles E. of Wafa. 



SOINIDRO, a town of the ifland of Cuba ; 75 miles 

 E.S.E. of Havanna. 



SOJOURNERS, among the yft/jenians, were permitted 

 to dwell in the city, and follow their own bufinefs, without 

 didurbance, provided they obferved all the laws and cudoms 

 of the country ; but were allowed no diarc in the govern- 

 ment. However, they were not allowed to aft any thing, 

 or manage any bufinef? in their own names, but were 

 obliged to choofe out of the citizens one, to whofe care 

 and proteftion they would commit themfelves, whofa duty 

 it was to defend them from all violence and oppreflion. 

 He was caWeA projlates. 



SOJOWIZ, in Geography, a town of Bohemia, in the 

 circle of Boleflau ; 4 miles S. of Benatek. 



SOISSONS, a town of France, and principal place of 

 a didrift, in the department of the Ailne, feated on the 

 Aifne. Before the revolution it was the fee of a bilhop, 

 luffragan of Rheims, and the capital of a didrift, called 

 " Soillonnois." In the time of Cxfar this town was con- 

 fiderable, and called " Noviodnnum." It afterwards took 

 its name from the Sueflloncs, who were among the lad that 

 remained fubjeft to the Romans. At the death of Clovis I. 

 his fon Clothairc made it the place of his rcfidcnce, 65 

 pods N.W. of Rheims. The place contains 8i8y, and the 

 canton 14,839 inhabitants, on a territory of 125 kilio- 

 mctres, in 20 communes. N. lat. 49° 23'. E. long. 3° 20'. 



ROVr fait il comme ilrfire, be it done as it is defircd ; a 

 form ufed when the king gives the royal affent to a private 

 bill preferred in parliament. 



SOITA, in /Incitut Giogniphy, a town of Afia, in the 

 Greater Armenia. Ptolemy. 



SOITO i/e Rchonluiiu, in Geography, a town of Portugal, 

 in the province of Entre Duero e Minho ; 6 miles N. of 

 Barcelos. 



SOK, Soke, Soc, in the /indent Cujlomi, Sec Soc. 



The 



