1805, | 
SOCIETY INSTITUTED AT LONDON, 
FOR THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF ARTS, 
MANUFACTURES, AND COMMERCE. 
O this meritorious Society the public 
is greatly indebted for many highly 
important improvements in agriculture, 
chemiftry, mechanics, and in yYarious 
branches of the manufa&turers. This So- 
ciety has now exifted fomething more than 
half a century, and has expended, for pub-. 
lic purpoles only, more than fifty-thoufand 
pounds, advanced by the voluntary con- 
tributions of the members, of whom there 
appears to be at prefent about fifteen hun- 
dred. The tranf2étions of the Society are 
chiefly carried on by various committees of 
independent and public-fpirited gentlemen, 
who are afliduous in'their attendance, and 
who expend much of their time in advan 
cing the beft interefts of mankind. 
Among the improvements in agricul- 
tare, which this Society has lately recom- 
mended to public notice, the two follow. 
ing are deferving of attention. 
‘Mr, Plowman of Broomeé,in Norfolk, 
has obtained a gold medal for an improved 
fheepfold, which is peculiarly ufeful in 
feeding off turnipson land in frofty weather, 
when burdles cannot be ufed. This fheep- 
fold is made in the form of a large pound, 
the fides of which run on wheels of catt 
iron, and may be moved by a fing!e man. 
- The invertor affures us from nearly three 
years” experience, that this fheep-fold is a 
great improvement on the old ones ; that 
a man can remove one of them capable of 
Containing three hundred fheep in five 
minutes, which by the old method, fre- 
quently take feveral hours to accomplith 
if. A fold of this kind is about twenty- 
one feet long, and nearly four feet high, 
and each fide is compofed of five bars length- 
wile, with uprights at proper diftances. 
~The gold medal has alfo been prefented 
to Joun Curisrian Curwen, Eq. 
M.P. for his experiments in draining land ; 
from certificates, it appears that he has cut 
upwards of fix thouland yards of drain on 
his own farm, and that they anfwer com- 
pletely the purpofe intended. The -ex- 
pence is confiderable, viz. about ten fhil- 
lings perrod, but it is thought that in the 
end this method will be cheaper than any. 
other now in ufe, on account of its dura- 
bility, and the {mall number of drains 
required. The gold meda! was allo given 
to the fame gentleman for his plantation 
of more than eight hundred thouiandtim. 
* 
(365 >) ; 
‘PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES, 
} ” 
ber trees. A like premtum has been 
awarded to A. Borrow, Efq, Warrington, 
for planting fx hundred’ thouland ofiers. 
Premiums of lefs value have been granted 
to Mr, SHERIFF, for preferving turnips 3 
to Mr. Warson, for the culture of the 
fame root; and to Mr. 'Hurron, for 
planting nineteen acres with foreft trees. 
Tn no inftance,- perhaps, have the funds 
of this Society been more ufefully employ- 
ed, than in encouraging a deferving man, 
who, though very poor, his exerted his 
talents, in improving fome acres of barren 
land; the account of this perfon and of 
his exertions was: laid before the Society, 
by Mr. Thos. Humphries, liewtenant of 
the'royal navy, which we fhall give nearly 
in his words : 
“<I yeterday took, a walk of about 
two miles from this ftation, to fatisfy my- 
felf refpe&ting a remarkable inftance of 
perfevering and indefaticable induftry, 
which I found as follows: —Twelve acres 
of barren downs had been taken from the 
common, feven-or eight of which were in 
a high fiateof cultivation, and the remain- 
der ina very forward ftate of improve- 
ment. ‘This {pace was divided into eight 
fields feparated by feventeen’ ftone fences, 
put together in a maflerly manner. The 
fields are interfeCted with various drains, 
which empty themfeives into the ditches, 
that have been obliged to be dug round the 
margin of each field, both ‘fer this: pur- 
pofe, and in order to give greater height to 
the fences.- On each fide of every bank 
ditches are dug, and in the gateways 
bridges are made able to fupport a loaded 
cart, that the water may run freely off. 
The land produced in the year 1802, ten 
Cornith buffiels of barley, nine trufles of 
hay, two hogfheads of -oats, and ten 
bufhels of wheat, befides pafture for cattle. 
This has been the labour of eighteen years, 
by one indefatigable man, who began it 
in the fiftieth year of his age. I have to 
add, that his dwelling-houfe, and out- 
buildings, including the turf-walls of 
which they are compofed, the laying of 
the rafters, and the thatcking, are’all ex- 
ecuted by himfelf, though he was only 
bred to hufbandry. 
‘ ¢'This deferving charaéteris WILLIAM 
PEarCe, near Helfton, Cornwail, who 
when he began his improvements, was pof- 
feffed only of one mare, and the filling 
per day, which he earned by hard labour. 
He has brought up teven children, of 
; - whom 
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