that they had good roots, were planted in large holes, and were well bedded in with foil of a light fand and loam. The thanks of the fociety were voted to Mr. Davis, steward to the marquis of Bath, for a curious and important communication relative to the value of fcotch fir. His lordship, it feems, for the last twenty years, has, on an average, annually planted upwards of fifty thousand trees, and in fome years upwards of one hundred thousand; on a foil, moreover, which experience has proved to be unprofitable for cultivation. Aware of the almoft impoffibility of rearing forest trees on this heathy tract of land*, without the fhelter of fcotch firs, his lordfhip judiciously planted a large proportion of them, and on the pooreft fpots planted fcotch firs alone. Mr. D. fubjoins an account of the profit derived from this plan, and adds, that beeches, oaks, &c., even with the advantage of the beft foil, and moft fheltered fituation, will not be fo valuable at fixty years old, as the fcotch firs, on the very worst land, are at thirty; three hundred and thirty-fix of these laft, at thirty years old, cut upon a ftatute acre, each tree measuring on the average three feet, and valued at only 10d. per foot, amount, per acre, to 421. This land, at the time of planting, was not worth above 29. an acre rent, which, at twenty-five years purchase for the fee-fimple, amounts to 21. 10s.; and the cost of the trees and planting was not above 31.; fo that the total expenfe, per acre, even fuppofing the land to be annihilated, is 51. 1os. Mr. Davis fhows, from the following calculation, that the fcotch firs, which have increafed 51. 10s. principal, to 421. in thirty years, have paid upwards of 71. per cent, compound intereft: 51. 10s. principal will increase in thirty years, At 5 per cent, fimple intereft, to only 1. S. d. 41 17 4 Mr. D. ftates, that no plantation of deciduous trees, within his knowledge, has paid fo much as five per cent, fimple intereft. We cannot omit mentioning, on his authority, that english-grown fir timber equals, in ftrength and durability, any foreign deal whatever: the general coarfenefs of it's grain Mr. D. attributes to the rapidity of it's growth, and it's having too much room to throw out large fide branches. It is obvious, that to remedy this inconvenience is doubly profitable: more trees will be raised on the fame fpot, and from this circumftance they will be better in quality. The filver medal was adjudged to John Phillips, of Ely, efq., for an ufeful communication relative to the plantation of ofiers. His plantations being chiefly in the fens, his attention was particularly directed to discover what fpecies is moft profitable in a black peat foil; which is the most advantageous way of planting; and, at what feafon of the year. Mr. P. gives a preference to what is called the french ofier: it is exceedingly taper, pliant, clofe-grained, tough and durable; the basket-makers are more defirous of it than of any other, as it is best suited to make the smaller and finer baskets, hats, fans, and other * At the foot of Wiltshire downs, near Warminiter, dividing the counties of Wilts and Somerset. delicate delicate articles.' Notwithstanding it's luxuriance, however, it is comparatively of flow growth, and a great number are required to make up the bunch. As to the most advantageous way of planting, Mr. P. recommends, that beds fhould be dug, and the ofiers planted on the banks which are thrown up. Every experiment that he made confirmed him in the opinion that autumn, and not fpring, is the moft proper feafon for planting. Mr. P. reafons upon this fact with plaufibility. The fociety voted to Mr. Harper the filver medal, for his communication of feveral judicious obfervations, and of the refult of numerous experiments relative to the different modes of cultivating wheat. For the accurate detail of profits and expense attending thefe different modes of culture, we must refer to the volume itself but we cannot fuffer the following obfervations to pafs unnoticed: P. 165. If dibbling be practifed, it fhould be on light dry land, but upon any land the expences of labour will over-balance the faving of feed: for the time, and number of hands it takes, prevent any attempts on a large fcale, at leaft to do it in proper feason, and while the land continues in condition; for if it be too wet, it will not dibble at all: and I do not think it will answer well on any land; for it is impoffible to make a hole in the land that you can drop a feed into, but it will leave a kind of giaze round the hole, which being foon filled with loofe earth, when rain falls, it holds water, and starves the plant. I thought this was the cafe with mine: and if dibbled at the fame time when the drill or the broad-caft is fown, it will be ten days later than either, before it is ripe and ready to cut. However, after it was hoed, the dibbled came on more than the drilled.' From Mr. H.'s note, it should feem, that he employed grown perfons to dibble in his wheat: this must be very expenfive, and the work is not likely to be done either fo well or fo expeditiously by men and women, as by children, thoughtless as they are. A grown perfon cannot ftoop like a child, or rather, in order to bring his hands equally near the ground, he has much lower to toop, and cannot well bear his body to be fo bent for a length of time; to relieve himself, he will incline lefs, and confequently much of the wheat which he drops, instead of falling into the hole, will be fcattered around it; his fingers are moreover ftiff and callous. It is the cuftem in Nor It has been frequently obferved, that dibbling may be performed by children, and therefore the expence is light. It is true that the fingers of young people may be better adapted to handle fo fmall a grain as wheat, than the fingers of grown people; yet every one knows the inattention and thoughtlefsnefs of childhood and becaufe fuch feeds are not feparated with cafe, they will frequently drop, instead of one, probably half a dozen into one hole, whilst the next, through the fame carelessnefs attendant upon that age, may omit the next hole; befides, at this feafon of the year, be the weather ever fo temperate, the air is fo cold as to produce a numbness in the extremities, to fuch a degree as to prevent an ability to feparate the fmall grains, the handling of which ftill increases the degree of cold, and confequently produces greater inactivity.-The fize even of the leaft bean renders the practice of dibbling more effectual in that article.' Ggz folk, folk, and, from the obvious utility of it, probably in other counties, for two or three grown perfons, and fuch girls as may be relied on for their steadiness, to ufe the dibbles, and each of these to take charge of their own droppers, who are children from four or five years old, to ten or eleven: by this method the work is ufually performed with fufficient regularity. Mr. H. fays, that upon any land the expences of labour in dibbling will overbalance the faving of feed:' the truth of this affertion, to fay the leaft of it, is very questionable. Suppose three millions of acres to be annually fown broadcast with wheat in this kingdom, and ten pecks of feed be fown per acre: again, let us fuppofe, that instead of being fown, the fame number of acres are annually fet: we may furely deduct two pecks of feed per acre. The confequence, according to this rough calculation, is, that three hundred and feventy-five thousand coombs of wheat are faved to the nation by dibbling! Another important confideration has escaped Mr. H. in his calculation of expense and profit, and that is, the effect of the employment of these children upon the poor rates. The children receive fixpence, eightpence, many of them a fhilling a day; not more than one half of the lowest of these fums do they in common earn at home by fpinning. We have thought it neceffary to make these obfervations, in order to counteract the difcouragement to wheat-fet ting, which, from what we confider an imperfect view of the fubject, Mr. H. has endeavoured to produce. Mr. Jofeph Webfter received twenty guineas for having drilled fixteen acres of land with horse-beans, in the year 1796, and fown the fame land with wheat, in the fame year. Nothing particular occurs in the mode of cultivation. The filver medal and ten guineas were adjudged to Mr. John Exter, for his comparative culture of turnips; he tried his experiments on a field of fix acres and a half. One half of this piece was fown broad-caft in the usual mode, the other half was drilled in two different methods, namely, one acre was drilled with Cooke's machine, with intervals of eighteen inches from row to row, and the remainder with intervals only of one foot; four perches of each were measured off, and the turnips, their tops and tails being previously cut off, were weighed; the following was the produce: The four perches drilled at a foot, weighed The four ditto broadcast 962 lbs. 555 Mr. Exter has closed his account with fome useful hints relative to the culture of turnips, and the best application of the crop: he has learned, from experience, that fall dung is a far better manure for them than theep-folding. The thanks of the fociety were voted to Mr. Henry Harper, for a communication relative to the culture of potatoes. Mr. H. enumerates particular forts, which he conceives to be beft adapted for different purposes; he ftates their refpective objectionable qualities, and thofe which are profitable. Pigs have often been fattened on potatoes; Mr. H. mixes a proportion of flower with them: this mixture he alfo finds a profitable food for beafts, milking-cattle, cart and plough horfes, &c. Mr. Jones, of Fifth-street-hill, received thirty guineas for having raised and planted, in the year 1797, at four feet feet afunder, three thoufand and forty plants of rheum palmatum; which are certified to be in a healthy ftate. Mr. J. has before communicated particulars relative to the cultivation of this plant; in the prefent paper are fome additional hints, which the grower may do well to confult. It affords us much pleasure to anticipate, that two plants, poffeffed of fuch important medicinal qualities, as opium and rhubarb, will be in a fhort time fo fuccefsfully and fo liberally cultivated on british foil, that we shall not long be dependent on foreign countries for the enjoyment of them. In our review of the fourteenth volume of this fociety, we mentioned the atteftation of three medical gentlemen to the equality of english opium, in point of operation and potency, with the foreign; it is gratifying to be acquainted with the flattering opinion, entertained of english rhubarb, by gentlemen unqueftionably qualified to eftimate it's merits: At the inftigation of Alexander Champion, efq.,' fays Mr. J., P. 218, one of the governors, I fent several pounds of british rhubarb to Guy's hofpital, for their examination and trial. I have fince had the honour of an interview with the physicians of that hofpital, upon the subject, and embraced that opportunity for prefenting them other and improved fpecimens. I cannot defcribe the pleasure I experience, while I add, that they were unanimous in their expreffions of approbation and respect, and were pleased to give me an order for as much as, from the ftate of my plantation, I was enabled to execute, as an encouragement for what they politely entitled my meritorious perfeverance and exertions.' The laft paper on agriculture is from John Peart, efq., of Settle, to whom the fociety adjudged the filver medal and twenty guineas for his improvement of fifty-fix acres of wafte land. The total expense of these improvements amounted to .834 16 9. nearly the whole of which was expended in the laft two years, and chiefly in labour. A long and accurate account of the modes, in which Mr. P. proceeded, is given in the several certificates, to which we must refer fuch of our readers as are defirous of the detail. We cannot avoid ftating our coincidence with Mr. P.'s opinion, that little attention has yet been paid to the improvement of pafture ground in this kingdom, in comparison to the plough-land; P. 234. and I doubt not,' he continues, but the prefent pafture-land in the kingdom may be made to keep at least one third more ftock of cattle, and alfo keep them much better than they are now kept. Pafture land, within thefe laft feven years, is much increased in value, therefore it now becomes more profitable to a proprietor to improve that fort of land. Good and fine grafs will grow in almoft the highest climates in this kingdom. I have now a part which, feven years ago, was covered with ling, and now grows very fine herbage, and will fatten any fort of cattle; and I doubt not, the improvements ftated will pay feven per cent. for which I have my own land as fecurity.' CHEMISTRY. The thanks of the fociety were voted to John Sneyd, efq., of Belmont, in Staffordshire, for a communication on a fubject of no fmall importance, namely, the preserving seeds of plants in a See Anal. Rev. vol. xxv11, p. 361. Gg3 fate ftate fit for vegetation. Many years ago, Mr. S. fowed fome feeds, which had accidentally come over among raifins. Thefe feeds were fuch as are generally attended with difficulty to raife in England, after coming in the ufual way from abroad:' they all of them, however, grew, and Mr. S., attributing the retention of their vegetative powers to the peculiarly favourable state of moisture which had thus been afforded them, commiffioned his fons, who were then abroad, to pack up all forts of freds, which they could procure, in abforbent paper, and fend fome of them furrounded by raifins, and others by brown moist fugar. Not one in twenty of thefe failed to vegetate, although others of the fame kind, and fimilarly guarded with their natural integuments, which were packed up in the common way, would not grow at all. This hint, relative to the general caufe of failure among the feeds, which are transported from one diftant part of the globe to the other, is a very valuable one, and we flatter ourselves it will not be overlooked. Mr. Browne, chemift at Derby, received the thanks of the fociety. for his letter defcribing a quick and eafy method of converting weeds and other vegetable matter into manure. The mode of making the manure is very fimple: place a thin layer of fresh lime, beaten fmall, on a layer of any vegetable matter when green, about a foot thick; fo proceed; firft vegetable, then lime, alternately. A decompofition will fpeedily take place, and unless prevented, either by a few fods, or a forkful of the vegetables at hand, the compoft will break out into a blaze, which, at all events, must be prevented. In about twentyfour hours,' fays Mr. B., the procefs will be complete, when you will have a quantity of afhes ready to lay on your land at any time you wish. The thanks of the fociety were voted to Arthur William Devis, efq., for his prefentation to them of a small iron inftrument, called by the natives of Hindostan nehrea, and ufed by them for making incifions in the capfules of the plants, for the extraction of opium. Mr. D. has fubjoined a short sketch of the manner in which poppies, (the papaver fomniferum of Linnæu's) are cultivated in the Eaft Indies. One only paper appears on the POLITE ARTS.-It is a differtation on painting in oil, in a manner fimilar to that practifed in the ancient venetian fchool, by Mr. Timothy Sheldrake, to whom the fociety adjudged the greater filver pallet. Various attempts have been frequently made to discover, if poffible, the manner of painting practifed by the best artists of the venetian school, fo as to produce fuch a brilliancy, and at the fame time fuch a harmony of colouring, as form the genuine characteristic of those artifts.' Mr. S., during the last feffion, fubmitted feveral papers to the fociety on the fubject. Thofe relating to the preparation of oils and varnishes are intended for infertion in fome future volume of thefe tranfactions; the prefent paper relates immediately to the mode of colouring. It is a very elegant and ingenious communication, and, on the fociety's authority we may ftate, that fome artifls of confiderable eminence, who were confulted on the occafionsį agreed, that Mr. S.'s method of painting was not only different from that commonly practifed, but an improvement of it |