216 
Mr. Baker the celebrated. Erith cultivator, 
fent over very favourable accounts of it. 
Fhe culture of rape, or coleled, flood 
in the fame unaccountable predicament. 
Miller had given a very flattering account 
of the zapus filvefiris, or rape; aflerting, 
that it would refit the fevereit frofts of 
this country, that it would ftand for 
{pring-feed, after turnips were either de- 
itroyed by froft, or feeded ; would pro- 
duce nearly double the quantity of tur- 
nips, and if kept for feed, would returna 
profit of five pounds per acre, clear of 
charges. The actual practice of. Irith 
hufbandry was itill more in favour of 
Fape, as winter food, than Miller’s theory. 
It was there, two feet high at Chriitmas ; 
im March, four ; a middling plant weighed 
eight or ten pounds; ftock of all kinds 
throve upon it, and the burden upon the 
ground, computing the number and 
weight of the plants (even from the fmall- 
eft), amounted to the aftonifhing total, ot 
feventy-three ton, fix hundred weight, 
per Englifh acre! Stimulated by this 
magnificent account, Mr. Ycung him- 
felf fate about a colefeed experiment, un- 
der circumitances of foil, expofure and 
culture, perfectly and ftudioufly fimilar. 
Turnips and Batterfea Cabbages alfo, 
were .affociated in this trial. All the 
crops flourifhed exceedingly, and the re- 
fult was-(in OStober), the cabbages were 
fuperior to all; the weight of the rape 
being barely one fitth of either of the 
ethers. Thus he gained a lofs- of two 
pounds three fhiliings and nine-pence per 
acre, by an attempt to rival Irith practice ; 
the colefeed, by the ftritteft-computation, 
appearing to be worth no more than fif- 
teen fhillings per acre: it was obvioufly 
ufelefs to continue the experiment through 
winter, the bulk being fo fmall. I have 
yet no doubt of the authenticity of the 
frifh account of colefeed, nor of the 
French account of coleworts.. G. A. and 
myfelf even, can ealily reconcile the dif- 
ference in refpe€ to rape particularly: he 
has doubtlefs, as well as I, feen the large 
crops of rape produced upon proper foils, 
and has had the experience of lait year, of 
the very indifferent ones to be expected 
‘upon his own. Although rape undoubt- 
ediy affects a deep and ftrong foil, yet it 
muft be found, dry and of confiderable 
natural fertility ; on fuch, it will not only 
produce great bulk, but endure the froff,- 
at Jeaft of ordinary years. ‘The foil of 
G. A. appears to have been teo poachy, 
probably of infufficient warmth-and fe. 
cundity for the due nourriture of the 
plant. The trial however was unfavour- 
Agricultural Obfervations. 
“i “e 
April 
LA pr es 
able, fromthe fingular feverity of the fea- 
fon. When I advifed carrying it home 
for the ftock, I by no means intended the 
whole to {tore (which is impraticable with 
rape), but merely to cut and carry daily, 
as we do foiling in fummer. With per- 
miffion, I will now difmifs the fabje& of 
Coleworts and rape, both which, as winter 
food for cattle, appeared to me, many years 
fince, comparatively ufelefs, whether in 
this country, or any otiier. PS 
To the quettion, “What good fubflitute 
wwe can have for turuips, on firong, deep 
clayey land, where, in wet weather, foeep 
will fiand up to the bocks’—the beft an- 
{wer in my power to give, is, that, as far 
as our difcovertes go, the cabbage is the 
proper winter food of fuch foils, as te 
weight and nutritious quality. The 
ruta baga, which is of the traffica f{pecies, 
no doubt refifts the froit and the wet, be- 
yond every thing elfe, as G. A. is well 
apprized, and in that light, ftands in the 
firt rank. Butthe material queftion is; 
Whether other articles may not be fubfti- 
tuted, of fuperior weight and quality, and 
of fufficient, if not equal hardinefs? F 
confefs myfelf here upon fpeculative © 
ground ; I never tried the turnip cabbage 
ot Sweden. In the firft place, proceeding 
from a northern and unfavourable clime,. 
T fhould not expect from the plant any 
high degree of nutriment. I have heard, 
the fubftance of the turnip is very hard, 
and apt to be ftringy ; thet the ruta baga 
draws and imporerifhes the land, and that 
the quantity is very deficient, compared 
with our own country turnips; which 
again, in that refpect, are much behind 
cabbages. I have never heard of a hea- 
vier crop.of ruta bega, than the amount of 
froin twelve to fiiteen ton; whereas twenty 
and twenty-five ton ef Englifh turnips, 
are a product fuffiiciently common, with 
which muf be confidered, the fuperior 
fattine quality; and if both the Swedifk 
and Englifh are fuppofed to be drawn 
hoie and-ftacked, before the froft, the 
balance in favour of the Englith muft be 
highly increafed. G. A. however has the 
advantage of regulating his judgment on 
the matter from a@ual experiment. 
I have paid particular attention to the 
analyfis of the fcil, and the ftated propor- 
tions of clay, calcareous earth, and fand 5 
on a foil fo compofed, I have Known not 
only cabbages and turnips, but alfo pota- 
toes, and even carrots and parfnips, fue- 
cefsfully cultivated, as winter food for 
attle. But I mut here obferve, that po- 
fitive conclufions are not always to be 
drawn froma bare knowledge of thé¢om- 
: ponent 
