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N. B. We have long thought that the Diffenters have chofen a very awkward name for their places of worship by filing them Meeting-boufes. Merry.

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE Marquis de Cafaux's obliging letter is received, and we are forry that it is inconfiftent with our plan, and incompatible with our narrow limits, to infert it in our journal, or to give thofe farther elucidations that might be agreeable to him. At his defire, we have revised the articles to which he is pleafed to refer, bu do not think we could make the alteration he wishes. Were it not on account of the great length into which the difcuffion would draw us, we think we could fatisfy the liberal-minded Marquis himself of the propriety of this determination. We readily however admit, that an author is in all cafes the ben judge of the meaning of his book, and that a reader may fometimes mifnderftand a paffage, from his own deficiency of perception, and not from any inaccuracy in the expreffions of the author. This may poffibly have been our cafe; we are bound however, in juftice to the Publice, in all cafes to adhere to what appears to us to be juft and right, after having confidered the matter with candour. At the fame time, we must beg leave to remark, that in a work of fo much originality, and of fuch nice difquifition as that which has been published by the Marquis, an author may very naturally make ufe of an expreffion without perceiving it, which to another perfon will convey a very different meaning from that which the author intended: for his own mind, ftored with congenial ideas, goes directly forward in its own track, like a traveller in a well-known road, without adverting to thofe avenues which fometimes diverge from it, and greatly perplex a traveller who goes that way for the first time. This confideration will, we hope, confirm our very ingenious author, in his defign of giving a fuller developement to his notions than he at first thought would be neceflary; for in a work of the nature of that which he has undertaken, he ought not to be ashamed of repetitions, nor of turning and re-turning the fame idea, in every way which can tend to render it more acceptable, and ferviceable, to the generality of mankind." An~-12

TYRO's polite letter is received. To answer it at large would require more room than we can at prefent fpare. We must however briefly remark, that the fpecific gravities of fubftances cannot be taken with much accuracy by any other means than by weighing them in two different mediums; as we mentioned in our last month's answer to Tyro. The comparative density of two bodies thus obtained, is the ratio of their fpecific gravities, and though they are referred to one ftandard, as water, yet the ratio is not thereby altered: for example, when we fay, filver is to water as 11 to 1, and copper as 9 to 1; it is evident that filver is to copper as 11 to 9. "R-m ft Biblicus is acknowledged. Farther notice will be taken of the fubject.

If There is little probability of thofe volumes of the Review, concerning which P. P. enquires, being speedily reprinted.

THE

MONTHLY REVIEW,

For AUGUST, 1787.

ART. I. The Rural Oeconomy of Norfolk; comprising the Manage ment of Landed Eftates, and the prefent Practice of Hufbandry in that County. By Mr. Marshall (Author of Minutes of Agriculture, &c.), refident upwards of two Years in Norfolk. 2 Vols. 8vo. 125. Boards. Cadell. 1787.'

ENSIBLE men, who have applied to the ftudy of agricul ture, have often regretted that the knowledge which individuals have acquired by long and attentive practice, is fuffered to die with them. They yet more regret that the knowledge of certain useful modes of practice, which have been long adopted in a particular diftrict, fhould remain, even for ages, entirely unknown in other diftricts, where they could have been adopted with great fuccefs, had they been known. Several plans have been devised for remedying this inconvenience, none of which have hitherto proved entirely fuccefsful. The ingenious Author of the treatife now before us, who, at his first outfet in his agricultural career, feverely felt the want of that knowledge which might have been drawn from fuch fources, could they have been acceffible to him, devifed, with his ufual ingenuity, a plan that bids fair for proving more effectual for thefe purposes (especially the laft) than any other that has come to our knowledge; and we are now well pleafed to find that he has been enabled, in a certain degree, to carry his plan into practice, of which the prefent volumes will afford a very advantageous fpecimen.

Mr. Marshall, eager to acquire knowledge, not in that fuperficial way which fatisfies theoretical fpeculators, but in that accurate manner, which alone can answer the purpose of those who are to depend on actual practice in agriculture, for the means of fubfiftence, very foon perceived, that no man, were he poffeffed of the brightest talents, could poffibly acquire a knowledge of all the particulars neceffary to direct the practical farmer, by the courfe of a hafty vifit to the different diftricts where the beft modes of practice were adopted; and that if his apprehenfion was flow, his imagination lively, or his judgment imperfect, Rev. Aug. 1787.

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error, inftead of truth, might thus be widely propagated, and well-meaning individuals greatly milled.

To guard against thefe evils, our Author, in the year 1780, fubmitted to the London Society of Arts, &c. a plan for obtaining a very accurate knowledge of provincial practice in agriculture, and offered himself to carry it into execution. His propofal was, firft, to fix a diftrict that was known to poffefs fome peculiar and valuable mode of practice-to place himself in fome centrical farmer's house in that diftrict, where he fhould remain for the space of two years at leaft, attentively obferving the practice during all that time, converfing with the most intelligent farmers, and exercifing himself in the actual performance of the different operations; at the fame time minuting every thing that feemed worthy attention. In this way, he hoped to be able, at length, to delineate the peculiar practices in that district, with fuch accuracy as that it might be relied upon by others who had not the fame means of information, without fear of being mifled. This done in one place, he propofed to move to another-and fo on, till he had thus made the round of the whole island. These are the outlines of his plan and an excellent plan it doubtlefs was, in the hands of fuch an acute and attentive obferver. But though it was approved of by the refpectable fociety above named, no meafures were adopted by them for facilitating the execution of this great national enterprize; and we feared the propofal would be no farther attended to: but we are now happy to be informed, that private circumftances have fo far fortunately concurred with our Author's public-fpirited views, as to enable him to carry his plan into practice, with regard to the county of Norfolk; and this has given rife to the prefent work; which, we are fatisfied, will long occupy a diftinguished place in the annals of English agriculture.

The work is divided into two parts, each of which forms a feparate volume. The first volume contains a fatisfactory account of the Norfolk practice of hufbandry, which, for the fake of diftin&tnefs, he has arranged under the following heads;

viz.

A general Description, with particular Obfervations on 1. The Districts.

2. Eftates.

3. Farms. 4. Soils.

5. Manures.

6. Farmers.
7. Workmen.

8. Horfes.

9. Implements. 10. Taxes.

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32. Buck. 33. Turnips.

34. Culture of Graffes.

39. Swine.

40. Poultry.

41. Decoys.

42. Bees.

The fecond volume confifts of minutes made by the Author, containing particular remarks on facts and circumftances as they occurred. Thefe, in general, tend to illuftrate particulars mentioned in the first volume; and they form a body of important obfervations, relative to a vaft variety of fubjects, which have a tendency not only to correct fuch defects in practice as our Author thinks imperfect, but to fuggeft new views to the experi mental farmer, leading to important improvements and as the characteristic peculiarity of this writer, is a laudable defire to attain accuracy in practice, and to guard againft being misled himself, or misleading others, by unguarded fpeculations, these minutes form a moft ufeful, as well as highly entertaining part of the prefent publication. Ever attentive alfo to the reader, and confidering that this work is to be occafionally confulted for information on particular points, care has been taken, in the printing, so to number the minutes and diftinguish the particulars, in the margin, as to admit of being confulted with the greateft eafe. Such minutes as have a particular relation to the fubjects of the different divifions of the first volume, are always referred to at the end of each article, fo that an attentive reader can find all that occurs relative to each fubject without trouble; and by turning to the places referred to, may fee the whole at one view, if he fo inclines. To the whole is added an Index, and a Gloffary of Norfolk provincial words, which we think a most useful appendage, not only for the ftudent of agriculture, who could not without it understand a great many terms that occur in treating that fubject, but we alfo think it a valuable

By foil procefs, Mr. Marfhall means the operations performed on the foil, for fitting it to produce the different crops to be reared on it; in other words, the management of the foil. Manure process is, in like manner, the mode of managing manures. Seed process, the various modes of fowing and preparing the feed. Vegetating process, the general management of the crop while growing; and fo of others. addition

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addition to the lexicography of our language confidered in a general view. Were fuch a Gloffary of the provincialifms of all the districts of Britain compiled, it would be the means, in future times, of elucidating many points which muft otherwife ever remain doubtful and obicure; and would prevent much error at present.

In a work, every page of which contains original matter, of importance to the rational ftudent of agriculture, we cannot pretend to give our readers an adequate idea of every part. We muft, therefore, content ourfelves with felecting only a few particulars; referring, for farther fatisfaction, to the work, which, we imagine, will foon be in the hands of almost every perfon who is keenly engaged in the improvement of agriculture.

The foil in East Norfolk (the diftrict where our Author refided) confifts, we are told, of a fandy loam, varying a little in point of fertility, and fome other peculiarities. This foil lies above a fandy, absorbing fubftratum, from which it is feparated by a thin cruft, called in Norfolk the Pan, which, if broken, tends infallibly to render the foil lefs fertile than before.-The diftrict is all arable (a few fmall meadows, and fenny patches, excepted) and inclofed. The crops reared to the greateft perfection, in this diftrict, are turnips and barley; and with regard to the rotation, Mr. Marshall obferves, It is highly probable that a principal part of the lands in this diftrict have been kept invariably, for at leaft a century paft, under the following course of cultivation :

Wheat [with manure].

Barley.

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Turnips [with dung, confumed by fattening bullocks].
Barley.

Clover [with fome ryegrass].

Ryegrals, broken up about Midfummer, and followed by wheat in rotation."

By which it appears, that one third part of the land is annually in barley-one third in grafs-and the remaining third part divided equally between turnips and wheat. This may be confidered as the true Norfolk fyftem of husbandry; but we cannot fuppofe it to be adhered to invariably. Other crops are occafionally introduced, fuch as oats, peafe, vetches, and buck,ufually called buck wheat [Fagopyrum], which are the only crops mentioned by our Author as ever cultivated in this diftrict.

The whole fyftem of the Norfolk management,' Mr. Marhall remarks, hinges on the turnip crop ; and this depends in a great measure on the quantity of dung that can be fpared to it.— No dung-no turnips-no bullocks-no barley-no clover, nor teathe upon the fecond year's lay for wheat.'-Turnips, therefore, are in this diftrict invariably dunged; and the remark of

Mr.

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