learned gentlemen may think the following question alfo not unworthy their confideration :

Why is the rot fatal to fheep, hares, and rabbits (and fometimes to calves), when cattle of greater bulk, which probably take the fame food, efcape uninjured? Is the digeftive matter in the ftomach of thefe different from that of the others, and fuch as will turn the ova into a state of corruption; or rather, are not the" fecretory ducts in the liver large enough to let them pafs through, and be carried on in the ufual current of the blood?

It seems to be an acknowledged fact, that falt marfhes never rot. Saft is pernicious to most infects. They never infeft gardens where fea-weed is laid. "Common falt and water is a powerful expellent of worms bred in the human body. I could with the intelligent farmer would confider thefe truths with attention, and not neglect a remedy which is cheap, and always at hand.

Lifle, in his book of hufbandry, informs us of a farmer who cured his whole flock of the rot, by giving each fheep a handful of Spanish falt, for five or fix mornings fucceffively. The hint was probably taken from the Spaniards, who frequently give their fheep falt to keep them healthy.

On fome farms, perhaps, the utmoft caution cannot always prevent the diforder. In wet and warm feasons, the prudent farmer will remove his fheep from the lands liable to rot. Thofe who have it not in their power to do this, I would advife to give each fheep a spoonful of commor falt, with the fame quantity of our,

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in a quarter of a pint of water, once or twice a week. When the rot is recently taken, the 'fame remedy given four or five morhings fucceffively, will in all probability effect a cure. The addition of the flour and water will, in the opinion of the writer of this, not only abate the pungency of the falt, but difpofe it to mix with the chyle in a more friendly and efficacious manner.

Were it in my power to communicate to the fociety the refult of actual experiment, it would doubtlefs be more fatisfactory." They will, however, I am perfuaded, accept of these hints, at" least as an earnest of my defire to be ferviceable. Should they only tend to awaken the attention of the induftrious husbandman, or to excite the curiofity of fome other enquirer, who has more leifure and greater abilities, I fhall have the fatisfaction of thinking that my fpeculations, however imper fect, are not entirely useless. I am, Sir,

Your very humble fervant,
BENJAMIN PRICE.

hend, are formed on fo fmall a scale as to preclude the practicability of taking into their hands a few fields (and a few would be fufficient), and of appointing fome perfon or perfons to cultivate them, and inftruct the pupils, either ace cording to the idea of Lord Molefworth, which points to the education of poor men's child ren; or, according to the ideas of Cowley and Sir William Petty, which respect the education of gentlemen's fons as well as others. At prefent, however, let us at tend to the advantages accruing from each of the above plans; premifing only, that lectures on the theory of husbandry muft, by all means, be accompanied with a clofe attention to the practical part of it, in such a manner as may tend to correct the mistakes of fpeculation, to open and enlarge. the mind, and to give a clearer infight into the nature of vegetation, and the very fundamental principles of agriculture.

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Were schools eftablished in different parts of the kingdom for the education of farmer's fons who might be but in low circumstances, gentlemen would never want fenfible and rational improvers of their eftates, who would likewife be the most proper persons to in ftruct parifh apprentices and inferior fervants. This the old experienced Varro reckoned to be of principal importance. "The bailiffs," fays he, "fhould be men. of fome erudition and fome degree of refinement." But more efpecially ought a bailiff to be well Skilled in rural œconomics; he fhould not only give orders, but alfo work himself; that the labourers might imitate him, and be convinced it is with propriety

he prefides over them, because hee excels them in the practical part,-. as well as the fcientific.

Were this the cafe with us, local and eftablished cuftoms would be regarded no farther than they are founded in propriety; younger fervants would be accustomed to a variation in their methods of culture as circumftances varied; new modes will not be defpifed, because they are new; the effects of experiments would be modefily. expected; the advantages and dif-. advantages attending them, would: be accurately difcerned; and a continual progress would be made in the fcience and practice of: agriculture. Were fome fmart: boys felected by each society, and educated on the above plan, they would hereafterconvey knowledge wherever they went; and their obfervations would be better at tended to by inferior. fervants, than if they came from perfons of high rank. In fhort, they would effect what even the fuperior knowledge of noblemen and gen tlemen could not perform, who›› have more important objects in view than to cultivate the aeglected understanding of every ruftic labourer they may have occafion to employ. Like fmaller rivulets, branching from the main ftream, they would water and fertilize thofe lands where a larger river cannot with propriety ex-. pand itself.

While under tuition they will: learn the expediency of a clean and fpirited fyftem of husbandry;: as it is fuppofed that their tutor's fields will be cultivated on these principles. On comparing his.. crops with those of many others, the truth of Hefiod's maxim would be apparent, that half may be more

than

than the whole. For fhould they think of becoming tenants, they will view an eftate with this ruling principle, that one of an hundred pounds per annum, well cultivated, will produce at the end of the term more clear profit than another of two hundred a year, treated in a negligent and flovenly

manner.

An injudicious courfe of cropping, imperfect tillage, partial and improper manures, are not always to be attributed to ignorance, but fometimes to the eftate's being too large for the farmer's capital; he does not command the eftate, but the eftate him, too frequently to the great injury of both; his hands are bound at his first fetting out; and it is much if they regain their freedom, unlefs eventually, through his landlord's diftraining him for rent and ejecting him from the premifes. But what is the farmer to do, if he cannot find a farm in his own neighbourhood fuitable to his capital? fhall he remove into another county, an entire ftranger; or commence day-labourer, or ftarve?

The modern practice of throw ing feveral small farms into one, is much to be lamented as a national evil in every view; and calls loudly for the regulation of the legiflature.

But to return to our young farmer, tranfplanted from the nurfery, where his mind received its firft cultivation, unto the fpot where he is fuppofed to fix his refidence.

While under inftru&tion, he was taught to form a pretty good judg. ment of the qualities, fuch as the tenacity, drynefs, or moisture, of different fields, from the herbage

they fpontaneously produce; he will, therefore, immediately perceive which are moft proper to be first under tillage, in order that the eftate may not be impoverished. The want of attention to this circumftance has kept many a man poor all his days, under a notion that the best ground will carry one or two good crops of exhaufting corn at firft, and fo far prove of immediate great gain; not confidering, that it generally proves a future heavy lofs, from the neceffity he will be under of letting it lie fallów, and of applying much expenfive labour in order to ex. tirpate weeds, and much more expenfive manure in order to recover its loft ftrength. Yet ftill, there is a certain vigour in those fields, which have been under a judicious courfe of meliorating crops, though but moderately manured, which even a fallow and a complete ftercoration cannot bestow on any foil which hath been once impoverished; as may be more easily perceived by a difcern ing eye, than described.

Our farmer hath been taught, that the good ground (on which his chief dependence is for paying his rent), if preferved in good heart, will often mend the bad; but the impoverishingof one or twoof the beft fields will frequently affect the whole eftate in the decrease of its pafture, in leffening the quantity of manure, and increafing the expence of tillage.

It hath frequently been inculcated on him-that his future fuccefs depends much on his first courfe of crops,-that at first, efpecially, meliorating crops are to be preferred, as far as circumftances will admit, to exhaufting

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ones; that the latter, whenever they are fown, fhould be fucceeded by the former ;-that those manures which are most apt to produce weeds, fhould either be laid on pafture, or ploughed in for fuch crops as can be best hoed or have the best tendency to deftroy them, viz. beans, peas, turnips, cabbages, &c.-that, although fome of thefe crops may require rather more expence, and not return that expence in money quite fo foon as fome of the exhaufting ones (part of them being appropriated to the fattening of cattle, by which means, the best of manure is raised and in the largest quantity), yet, like thofe bees which travel fartheft, and stay out longeft, they generally return home moft deeply laden;-that the dung-heap be moft feduloufly regarded as the foundation of his future weath; but that no manure should be laid on wet fpringy lands before they have been drained, unless he chufes to fink the profits of all his other fields.

He hath been taught to venture on fome few experiments, on general fixed principles; which, though they might not all of them perfectly anfwer his expectations, may, nevertheless, throw additional light on the fubject of agriculture. In a word, he will become fit company for a gentleman; he will receive and commu. nicate information; and, at the fame time, on account of that clofe attention which he finds requifite, in order that he may pay his rent, he will be continually increafing that important knowledge which an uninftructed mind cannot paffibly attain.

Such an inftitution as is here

recommended may poffibly be of fervice to thofe farmers who have no particular connection with our agricultural focieties; whofe fields, however, lying open to the continual view of their neighbours, will be a conftant leffon to those who most need inftruction, speaking, much more intelligibly to them, than accounts of experiments stated on paper; againft which they will be frequently itarting that particular kind of doubt, which I have found to be generally expreffed in fome fuch language as this, it may be fo, but I don't know :-a doubt arising from a cloud enveloping their minds, which the powers of reafoning are very ineffectual to difpel. But they will fometimes learn that leffon from the plants of the field which they might not chufe to learn from the tongues of their fellow-creatures, because they will not avowedly acknowledge others to be their fuperiors in this art and fcience.

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The advantages of fuch an academy for the education of gentlemen's fons, will be no lefs evident with regard to themselves, their pofterity, and the nation in general.

On this part of our subject, my learned mafter thus expreffes himfelf:-" according to the best obfervations, the proper time to infufe that useful part of natural philofophy called husbandry, is in the earlier ftage of life, when there is a curiofity and a thirst for knowledge. And, if practice here could be joined with theory, enjoying the open air, exercife, and activity, agree well with the turn and caft of young people, not to mention a revolution of

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perpetual variety which is very engaging at their age.

"It is one point gained, without doubt, to be enabled to read, the husbandry works of Cato, Varro, Virgil, and Columella, with tafte and knowledge. It may open a nov walk on claffical ground, and in all probability, give young men certain predifpofitions, in favour of agriculture. Yet ftill, the whole combined together will produce but flight ef fects, unless we call in the affiftance of facts and experience.

"Something of this kind ought certainly to be done, and the complaint of Columella, when he fays with fome degree of warmth, Agricolationis doctores qui fe profiterentur neque difcipulos cognovi,' fhould, if poffible, be, removed."

The former part of this quotation, evidently intimates, that the improvement of young gentlemen, in claffical learning, would not be impeded, but rather promoted, by attending to agriculture; and the experience of every one who, has led a ftudious life will teftify that the open air invigorates the mind, and prepares it for receiving inftruction, because it can bear application only to a certain degree, and ftands in need of being frequently reinvigorated by amufements and lighter ftudies.

Time is precious, and might be virtually lengthened by a proper difpofal of it. When the mind is fatigued with clofe application, exercife in the open air will renew its firength and activity. Additional to their being taught the value of the different felds over which they may walk with their tutor, from the various

plants each field naturally produces, botany may be attended to as a pleafing and instructive fcience; neither fhould planting and gardening, by any means, be neglected; nor the art of furveying and delineating eftates be confidered às beneath their notice.

In bad weather they may be oc cafionally amufed with experiments on various branches of natural philofophy;-the effects of the air with regard to vegetation, and the nature of different earths and manures, after the manner of the Doctors Home, Fordyce, Ainflie, Priestley, &c. They fhould alfo be inftructed in the principles of mechanics, especially that part, which relates to hydraulics, it being of principal utility in draining, and other modes of improving eftates.

Thefe are circumftances from which many of the capital im provements, lately made, in a great measure, originated. They were indeed confidered of principal importance by Sir William Petty, one of the greateft, men of that, or any other age, who recom mends them with earneftnefs, for reafons highly worthy of himself, and which will be mentioned hereafter.

Having gained fome knowledge of agriculture, they will read the works of the antient agricultural writers with improvement and pleafure; a circumftance which will much expedite the knowledge of the languages. For without excluding other, profe authors, may I not venture to affert, that the antient writers on hufbandry, are, from the nature of their fub; ject, and their claffical ftyle, as

proper