376 Scientijic Intelligence—A stronomy. 
17. A New Invention forincreasing the Produce of Autumn Wheat. 
By M. D Urcle.—The inventor grounds his discovery upon the fact 
positively ascertained ‘by study and repeated experiments”—that 
autumn wheat is not an annual, but biennial, like the beet-root and 
carrot class; and he therefore proceeds to develop the alleged bien- 
nial properties by a novel plan of planting and treatment, for the 
increase of the produce. ‘The ground is to be well manured, either 
before winter or at the beginning of spring, to receive the seed 
between the 20th of April and the 10th of May, this time being 
chosen to prevent the chance of blossoming during the year. But 
the time of sowing may be advanced from year to year; for, if it 
were not for the present degeneracy of the plant, it might occur now 
in March. Lach grain is sown separately, allowing it a large area 
of ground, if the soil is rich, but diminishing according to its steri- 
lity. It is deposited in rows, in holes, at regular distances, from 95 
to 234 inches asunder, in each direction, the holes in one row op- 
posite the spaces in the next. Each hole is to contain four or five 
grains 24 inches asunder. When the plants have attained a height 
of 4 inches, all but the finest one in each group are pulled up, 
and this single one is then left in till the harvest of the succeeding 
year. This curious process is stated to increase the produce very 
greatly. 
18. The Preservation of the Properties of Soil. 
63 Northumberland Street, September 4, 1854. 
Sir,—In the July number of the Edinburgh New Philosophical 
Journal, at page 170, it is observed that Schleiden considers plough- 
ing as “a necessary evil, and one only to be employed so far as ne- 
cessity requires.”” Permit me to observe, that in some of the 
western states of America (Indiana, for instance) I found this opi- 
nion prevalent, the farmers insisting that to expose the soil to the 
free action of weather is about as rational as to act in the same man- 
ner with a heap of manure, the valuable salts being in each case, to 
a greater or less extent, removed.—I remain, your obedient servant, 
A. Oswatp Bropie. 
ASTRONOMY. 
19. The Present State of Astronomy.—Since the meeting of the 
British Association last year, four planets and four comets have been 
discovered. Three of the new planets were found at Mr Bishop’s 
observatory, two by Mr Hind, and one by Mr Maith. This last 
was also discovered the following night at the Oxford observatory, 
—another of the many instances presented by astronomy of inde- 
pendent discoveries made nearly simultaneously. The fourth planet 
was found at the observatory of Bilk, near Dusseldorf, by Mr R. 
Luther, an astronomer distinguished by having already discovered 
