binding,' about five fhillings more: inning the harvest, and repairing the fences, about fix fhillings an acre (48); and the harvest moderately computed, yields thirty bufhels of wheat an acre (49). After this, without fresh expence of dunging, the land, will very well bear two crops more, one of barley, another of pease, or the like.'

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Omitting fome of this random computation, we come to the expence of an acre of ground for the three crops, which, taking in every article, is about five pounds thirteen fhillings, ' reckoning at the higheft (50), and the produce of the three, 'computing in a moderate way, is about eight pounds.'

Our authors now enter on the fubject of harrowing, on which they beftow three chapters: the firft entitled Of harrowing;

the

(48) Weeding, reaping, binding, five fhillings; inning the wheat, and repairing the fences, fix fhillings, may do well enough together at eleven fhillings; though not feparate, one being too low, the other full high,

(49) We think our authors fomewhat immoderate in their moderate yield of thirty bushels to an acre.' If we may be allowed to judge, from information, and fome experience, we should think twenty bushels of wheat on an acre is as much as the middling fort of land produces, at a medium, one year with another. And it feems as if our authors did not believe this their own affertion; for at the end of their computation they fet the whole value of all the three crops at but eight pounds; whereas the first crop of thirty bushels of wheat, at five fhillings per bufhel (the price they fet the feed at) amounts to feven pounds ten fhillings, i. e. within ten fhilllings of the whole value (eight pounds) of all the three crops; and furely the two laft, of barley and peafe, must be worth more than ten fhillings?

(50) We perceive this computation is taken from A new Syftem of Agriculture of which a large account may be feen in the XIIth volume of our Review: but let us enquire whether the whole expence of an acre of land for four years, i. e. three crop years, and one fallow year, is not more, taking in every article, than five pounds thirteen fhillings? even admiting the expence as they have flated it, as far as they go, though that is much under-rated. 1. s. d.

The first article is dung, which in fact is near double the expence of

2. Plowing. Two plowings are directed to be given after the land is dunged, and it was in tillage they fay before; fo that we may reasonably fuppofe it had, or ought to have had, two plowings before, that is in all four plowings, at their price of four fhillings each, i. e.

3. Harrowing. This (though forgot by them) must be done at least fix times, fix pence eaca

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the fecond, Of the various kinds of harrows; the third, Of the drill harrow.

They tell us, that in the old husbandry, men were employed to follow the plow with a kind of hoes, called hacks; but ftronger in the handle, and hollow in the blade, which was well

Brought over

4. Seed: two bushels, ten fhillings; harvest charge, weeding, and repair of fences, eleven fhillings

The whole charge of a crop of wheat The charges of the barley crop are, first, two 1. s. d. plowings, which cannot be done in winter at lefs than

Harrowings, four, at fix pence each, is two fhillings; feed, four bufhels, at two fhillings and fix pence per bushel, ten fhillings,

Harveft charges, fix fhillings; weeding and repairing fences, two fhillings, in all

The charges of the peafe crop are, one plowing in winter, fix fhillings; three harrowings, and rolling, two fhillings; feed, four bushels, at three fhillings, twelve shillings; harvest, eight fhillings; weeding and fences, two fhillings,

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So that the whole charge of one acre in tillage, maDure, and hand-work, is

The charges of one acre in tillage, manure, and manual labour, for four years, then is

Add to this, four years rent, tythe, and taxes, at fifteen fhillings per acre, per annum, that is

It gives the total charges (taking in every Article) for four years 9 Deduct, from this, the value of the three crops, as computed by them, that is

There remains a lofs to the farmer in each acre, in every four years, of

That is five fhillings per acre, per year; which in a farm of two hundred acres, is a lofs, every year, of

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We need not go any further here; this is fufficient to fhow the falfity of their estimate. And yet these gentlemen are pleased to tell their readers, that their account may tempt any one to look on husbandry as a profitable occupation, but' that this is nothing, for when they come to practice by the rules laid down in their book, they fhall find that where the expence is moft, the produce, 'inftead of being three or four times equal to that, shall be fix, seven, or eight times, and often much more,' &c. But, caveat emptor! • fteeled.

• fteeled.' 'These people were called Hackers, and used to cut and hack the clods to pieces before harrowing.

Several forts of harrows are taken notice of, as the common harrow, the great harrow, the drag harrow, and the bufh harrow. The great harrow differs from the common harrow only, by being heavier and bigger. It confifts of eight beams, feven feet long, and four inches and a half fquare, difpofed as ' in the common harrows: the iron tines or spikes twice as thick, and once and a half as long, as those of the common ' harrow,' — and are to be placed at the fame distance as in the common kind. This harrow is fitteft for the stubborneft and hardest kinds of land; and is there of such service that the farmers think its effects equal to a flight plowing." It requires commonly three horfes to draw it; and in very ftrong lands fometimes more.'

The drag narrow is like the great harrow in fhape, only bigger and heavier; the beams are further apart, and the distances between the tines are greater, which tho' it goes deep and tears up a great deal', occafions it to leave a great deal of ground untouched, and a great many clods unbroken.'

The bufh harrow is directed to be made of a ftrong old gate, with black-thorn bufhes drawn in between the bars (croffways) and faftened with nails, cords, or otherwife: the traces the horse draws by, are to be fixed to the center of the gate, that it may draw evenly (51).

As to the drill harrow, the description and use of which takes up a whole chapter, and all from Mr. Tull, we fhall fay nothing of it; as the whole of his Husbandry may be had in one octavo volume, for about five fhillings; in which the reader will meet with more fatisfaction on the fubject, than in the Compleat Body of Husbandry for five-and-thirty: exclufive of what the compi fers have copied from that writer.

ROLLING has alfo three chapters beftowed on it: the first, Of rolling. The fecond, Of the feveral kinds of Rollers. The third, Of the great advantages of rolling. They fpeak of feveral forts of rolls; as the common, which they fay, 'fhould be eight feet long, and made even all the way. A notable ex

(51) A ftrong four or five-barred hurdle feems rather better than a gate; as the ground ends of the bushes may be interwoven with the floats, or bars of the hurdles, fo as to keep faft, without nail or cord; and it may be loaded with heavy poles to any degree, at pleasure. The horse too, that draws it, may be hung by his chains or traces, to the first float or bar, only by twisting the chains or traces round the float, and hitching or hooking them on the ends of the bufhes that lie a-crofs that float. Though all this may be practifed en a gate, but perhaps not fo conveniently.

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preffion

preffion this, and pregnant with a great deal of meaning. The ftone-roller for horfe-hoing is particularly defcribed from Mr. Tull. The fpiked roller, the ftructure of which will be plainly enough understood by the figure (52).' The edged. roller, the figure of which, they fay, is alfo added in this place (53).

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The ufe of the roller is fo excellent and neceffary,' they fay, in preffing and fixing light foils, that if the farmer manages them ever fo well otherwife, if he omit to roll them, • he will never get half a crop (54).'

One material advantage of rolling, is that it deftroys infects, particularly the naked fnail, commonly called the flug.' Peafe (55) are the favourite food of this creature. They are in the greatest abundance in the beginning of the fpring, efpecially if the feafon prove warm and fhowery: and their principal time of eating is the morning, efpecially very early; for as the day rifes, they get into the ground.' In order to deftroy them, the land must be rolled very early in the morning, while the creature is above the ground (56).

Our authors are for rolling, in general, only in dry weather. And they fay, the corn must be at a proper growth before? it is rolled, that is, the leaves must be ftrong, but the ftalks muft not be at all hardened (57). Great care is to be employed

(52) But where is the figure? Not in our copy.

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(53) We can no more find this figure than we could the other: but they fay it is defcribed under the article of burnbaiting." May be fo; however we fhall not trouble our readers any further about it.

(54) Here our authors have cracked their credit, by stretching fo extravagantly in favour of rolling we are well affured no fuch misfortune can attend the omiffion of it.

(55) When they first come up, and while young.

(56) It is probable this way of rolling might be of fervice towards destroying this mischievous reptile ; but we doubt the dews, which, in the fpring especially, almost always hang on the young corn and weeds and lodge on the clods early in the mornings, would cause the roller to clog fo much as to prevent its going; or make it do more harm than good and fhould there happen a morning without dews, it is obferved that the fug then chiefly keeps in the ground.

(57) This is a needlefs, if not a hurtful, precaution; for Experience teaches us, that the only proper time for rolling, is when the clods will crumble beft, and the roller go cleanest and freeft from flicking to and pulling up the earth; and this direction may prove prejudicial, if the

farmer

alfo in the rolling of barley; this must not be rolled when. too young, for then the preffure of every little clod will crush. and destroy a leaf, and the root having little strength, will 'not be able to renew it (58).?

-Wheat in a very loofe foil, may be rolled in October ' and November, and in January, February, and March; the winter-rolling will prevent the ill effects of frofts, as the fpring rolling will that of droughts (59).

farmer, waiting for the leaves to grow ftrong, fhould mifs the critical feafon for rolling, and the land become either too dry, or too wet, which frequently happens. Such delay is of no advantage, fuppofing neither of these inconveniences enfue; for, as the principal end of rolling most forts of corn, is to level the ground for the fcythe against harvest, no farmer neglects rolling until his corn is grown into stalk, for many perform it immediately after fowing.

(58) This is of a piece with the preceeding direction. The time when the clods will break or crush to pieces bef, and the roller gather up the least dirt, is all that need be obferved; which feafon may be any time from the fowing of the barley to its growing fo big, and fo much into grafs (as it is called) as to incur the danger of being bruised by the roller: and even then we have known it rolled with very little damage to the corn.

(59) This is a good and useful direction, to which we do with pleafure affix our probatum eft. But we defire our practifing readers to remember, that it is not often the ground can be rolled at those times, by reafon of its wetnefs: but if it be rolled in April it will not be too late, efpecially for late fown wheat.

Bengelius's Introduction to his Expofition of the Apocalypfe; with bis Preface, and the greatest part of the Conclufion of it: and alle his Marginal Notes on the Text, which are a Summary of the whole Expofition. Tranflated from the High-Dutch. By John Robertfon, M. D. 8vo. 5s. Ryal and Withy.

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F we confider the difficulty of the undertaking, and the ill fuccefs which so many who have writ upon the Revelation have met with, the pious author of this performance may be allowed to claim an exemption from Cenfure, for what might be reckoned Tediousness, on a lefs intricate fubject. We do not read works of this kind for amufement, in order to which elegance, of writing may be neceffary, but chiefly for the improvement of our understanding;-on which account perfpicuity is the main requifite and even prolixity, for the fake of truth,may become excufable. But let us hear the author's own apology: Some'times I make a remark that may appear obvious and indifput• able