By William Lngledew, Esq. 519 



insects. They are of opinion that the other materials of the 

 compost are equally requisite, being of a more heating nature 

 than other manures ; and that the assafcetida is beneficial in 

 this respect, and gives additional force to the preparation. 



It is not known how or in what manner this process ori- 

 ginated, or how long it has been in use at Seringapatam, 

 where it has been employed from time immemorial ; it is 

 called the Hydrabad practice, which would induce the belief 

 that it may have been introduced from that city ; but whether 

 it be of Hindoo or Mahomedan origin cannot now, perhaps, 

 be credibly ascertained. I should be inclined to favour the 

 latter opinion. 



In the years 1812 and 1813, 1 tried several experiments to 

 ascertain the supposed superior power of buffalo's dung in 

 the above compost ; three separate trials were made at inter- 

 vals within this period, with two composts exactly similar, 

 except that one contained its proportion of buffalo's, the other 

 a like quantity of cow-dung ; the vegetables to which the 

 former was applied germinated somewhat more speedily, and 

 for a time had a more rapid growth, and some of these plants 

 blossomed earlier than the others, but the size and strength 

 of the full grown plants, the size of the blossoms and seed, 

 and the quantity of the latter, appeared to be similar in every 

 respect, and the vegetables which this seed afterwards afforded, 

 were of equal quality. 



Crops of vegetable seeds produced by the above process, 

 will not always be of similar worth; the seed collected from 

 plants that have not, during the early period of their increase, 

 and when in blossom, been exposed to heavy or long con- 



