Wheat and Rye-Spring Wheat-Spelt-Barley-OatsMaize, or Indian Corn-Millet-Buck, or Beech WheatBeans-Peas-Veiches, or Tares-Lentils-Lupines-Scotch Cabbage-Turnip-rooted Cabbage-Anjou Cabbage, or Colewort-Jerufalem Colewort-Rape, or Cole-Seed, with others. of inferior qualities-Potatoes-Turnips-Carrots-Parfneps -Parfley-Shirrets-Jerufalem Artichokes-Mangel Wurzel, or Root of Scarcity-Madder.'

In the management of potatoes, Mr. Adam fuggefts a very ufeful hint, which we have known practifed with advantage. Potatoes, he obferves, may be properly introduced into the farmer's courfe of crops; and, if after the best of the roots are taken up, hogs are turned in to the others, the animals would be fattened, the ground cleared and manured without expence. Dividing the potatoes into fets, unless a large piece. of the root is left, has not anfwered under our infpection; and, if they are planted at too great a distance, the root is generally fmall. The potatoe, in our author's opinion, greatly improves uncultivated, wafte, or wood-lands: the caufes of the curl are not elucidated, and we must still retain our former opinion, that it depends chiefly on the weakness of the plant. The fly, the principal deftroyer of turnips, is with difficulty prevented, and nothing is added by our author in this respect. An infufion of foot, in which the feed is to be fteeped, and fome of the foot fown with the feed, have seemed, in fome experiments, to be very fuccefsful. The turnips we have known contribute to the rot in sheep, a disease certainly proceeding from watery food, and often, when latent, excited by a sudden chill. The disease is analogous to fcurvy, and the various appearances are in general the effects only. It may be obviated, in our author's opinion, by mixing parsley with the food, or fowing it in the pasture. The cultivation of madder is chiefly explained from the experiments of the French agriculturists, and of Mr. Arbuthnot. We ftrongly fufpect that the profits are exaggerated. The eighth effay relates to the enemies of corn and the means of preferving it. The fmut, the burnt ears, the fpur, blight, mildew, &c. are all difeafes of corn; but unless these appearances proceed from animalcules, we know not how to explain them. This opinion, at least fo far as regards the fmut and uftilago, is ftill unimpeached. Animalcules in a more vifible form do fometimes attack grain, and Mr. Adam, without a fufficient foundation, endeavours to revive the exploded fyftem of equivocal generation. Weeds are alfo enemies to plants, and our author has defcribed them, as well as the means of destroying them, with fufficient accuracy. The cause of corn falling or

lodging

lodging is next explained: this fubject gives Mr. Adam occafion to explain the principles of vegetation. On the fucceffion of the roots of plants he mentions the opinion of the late Dr. Cullen, with the experiments of Mr. Arbuthnot, which we fhall tranfcribe.

Culmiferous plants have three fets of fibres: the first set is formed on the radicle, the fecond fet is formed above this, at a knot on the plumule; the third, at a knot on the plumule above the fecond; this the difcovery of Bennet, (Bonner) upon the due formation of thefe three knots and fets of fibres, I judge the tillering of frumentaceous plants does entirely depend: that if thefe knots are imperfectly formed, the plant imperfectly tillers. These three knots are termed by Bennet, (Bonnet) the infancy, the adolefcence, and the maturity of the plant. At the two uppermost knots, the tillering is formed.

Mr. Arbuthnot was hence induced to fow a few grains in water, to watch the fucceffion of the roots. He cut a hole an inch fquare in a bung-cork, in which he laid fome wool, and upon that three grains of white wheat, and floated them on water in a glafs tube cighteen inches long. First, there were three fibres fhot from the radicle, which branched into innumerable fibres; upon the wheat fpearing, frefh fibres ftruck out as defcribed by Dr. Cullen. Soon after they were established, the three first fibres with their branches gradually decayed; as foon as it was in ear, the fresh fibres made their appearance, foon after which the fecond decayed, and the laft remained in poffeffion of the water. The roots ftraightened, when taken out of the water, meafured two feet and a half long. The wheat bloffomed and ripened in its regular course.

He tried the fame experiment in another glafs, mixed with fome wood-afhes: the feed rotted on the furface; owing, as fuppofed, to the quantity of wood-afhes being too great. The motive was to fee if it would lead to any difcovery of the caufe of fmut; for Mr. Arbuthnot apprehended that disease to be owing to a want of proper nourishment in the last fucceffion of roots; the grain then being in a mucilaginous ftate, there may. not be a fufficient quantity of food to carry it through that state. He has obferved, that part of a field which has been full of weeds, finutted when the reft has efcaped; and likewife, when ftrong land has been much poached in fowing, and afterwards baked, whether on the head-land or middle of the fields, fuch parts have been moft fubject to fmut; owing, as he believes, to the furface of the earth not being pervious enough to admit the last fet of fibres, which it is to be observed, first shoot from the plumule into the open air, and then introduce themselves into the furface, frequently at the distance of three quarters of an inch. This fact Mr. Arbuthnot has many times remarked, in examining the roots of field-wheat.

This curious investigation of the fucceffion of the roots of culmiferous plants, and the formation and growth of the last

fet

fet of fibres, leads naturally to two conclufions of great im portance: first, that it is highly neceflary to have the ground well prepared by hoeing, for the reception of thefe fibres iffu ing from the last knot; otherwife, the plants are not only deprived of the nourishment required, but alfo of hold and flabi. lity against the attacks of wind and rain, and are thereby cafily lodged. A moft intelligent friend of mine, whofe veracity L can thoroughly rely on, informed me, that he has feen a whole field of wheat laid down as if mown, and withering on the ground; and that upon examining into the caufe, he found the above-mentioned fibres had not been able to penetrate the furface of the ground, which, from much wet, and a sudden drought, was to them become hard and impenetrable.

And, fecondly, fhould we not alfo from hence conclude, that the feeding of wheat with fheep, may be attended with very dangerous confequences; for, if this part of the root, being above ground, is nibbled or wounded by the teeth of thele animals, it might prevent them from fending forth a fet of vigorous fibres, fo neceffary to the stability, health, and produce of the plant.'

Mr. Cooke and Mr. Dickfon have both oppofed this fyftem attributed to Dr. Cullen; the former contends, that the third and last set of roots are adventitious only, produced by the great vigour of the plant for additional fecurity. Mr. Dickfon thinks, that the laft fet does not contribute to the tillering of the plant, and that the two former fets do not die." The chapter on the prefervation of corn is very copious and valuable.

The culture of various ufeful plants follows, and among these the most fatisfactory accounts relate to hops, drawn from a well-written pamphlet published by the Dublin Society; to hemp, taken chiefly from the French authors; and to flax. The other subjects, examined with lefs minutenefs and precifion, are woad (ifatis fativa), weld, or dyer's weed, (luteola), lavender, and mustard.

The tenth effay is on the culture of artificial graffes, lucerne, fainfoin, burnet, clover, rye-grass, succory, and wild' endive; but thefe details prefent nothing particularly new nor interefting; and general defcriptions cannot be easily abridged. The effay on the culture and management of grafs lands, contains many very ufeful hints and interesting obfervations. On thefe fubjects, Mr. Adam is more at home, and fpeaks more frequently from his own experience: the management of meadows we would particularly recommend to the farmer's attention, for we know the rules to be judicious and ufeful. This fection contains a defcription of the diffe rent meadow graffes. On the fubject of pastures, our author

treats

treats of thofe poisonous plants which fometimes occur, ás well as thofe vegetables which, without being poisonous, furnish improper food. Some plants, though unpleafing to the eye, are ufeful, particularly furze, which is not only a valuable fuel, but its thorns, when green and bruifed, are faid to be a wholesome aliment. Broom is a plant chiefly valuable for the food of bees. Fern, wormwood, reeds, rushes, and flags. are useful, as by burning or rotting they manure the ground Under this head alfo, our author adds fome mifcellaneous remarks, particularly on the neceflity of good water and the best means of difcovering and preferving it. The third fection of this effay is on enclosures, and Mr. Adam recommends a middle courfe between the very large fields in the prefent fashionable fyftem, and the fmaller ones, once the effect of poverty and neceffity. Enclofures, for arable land, may be larger than thofe for pafture; and the whole farm fhould not, he thinks, exceed 200 or 250 acres: a farm of this kind our author calls middle-fized. As forest trees are injurious in the hedge-rows, our author recommends occafional plantations on fuch lands as are fuitable to them. We perceive no particularly useful or new directions for fences.

The work concludes with fome excellent advice in the choice of farms, the neceffary appendages to a well-regulated farm, and the conftruction of a farm-houfe. On the whole, we think these volumes will be useful companions to the farmer; the author indulges in no refined fpeculations; he has selected with care what experience has dictated, and fuccefs, in moft inftances, confirmed.

Lectures on Political Principles; the Subjects of eighteen Books, in Montefquieu's Spirit of Larys: read to Students under the Author's Direction. By the Rev. David Williams. 800.

45. Boards. Bell.

THIS

HIS work has lain long before us, because we wished to have stepped on with our author in his progreffive examination (the fubject of thefe lectures) of Montefquieu's celebrated work. Each author affords ample employment for criticism, fince each has his merits and defects. Perhaps it may not be amifs to pursue the parallel. Montefquieu, as well as Mr. Williams, to extenfive knowledge and no inconfiderable acutenefs, joins the brilliancy of luminous expreffion, and a glowing fancy, which gives a fplendid and captivating air to paradoxes, which will not long bear the examination of judgment. Each will convince the fuperficial reader at the first reading; and each

will

will always please by his acutenefs and his knowledge. In the author of the Spirit of Laws it has been long fince obferv. ed, that we find too much of the fpirit of fyftem; in Mr. Williams, that fpirit is exhaufted in idolizing liberty, in captious objections; in glowing expreffions, whofe brilliancy dazzles fo as to obfcure the force of the argument

tenebræ per tantum lumen oborta. Montefquieu will fometimes give a quaint conceit instead of an argument: Mr. Williams fubftitutes a founding paragraph; a bubble, which is loft in examining; a meteor, that disappears even while we are admiring it. Instead, therefore, of following the critic and commentator on the Spirit of Laws, we fhall felect and examine a paffage or two, where Mr. Williams speaks more particularly from himself.

The fundamental law of defpotifm; or, the circumstance conflituting a defpotic government, is that every thing be done at the will of the prince. It is a deviation fo violent, from all the provifions made for the happiness of fociety, that it feldom takes place; or only for a fhort time. In the immediate road of conqueft; and in the enthufiafm of military glory; combinations of circumstances may bestow abfolute authority on the general. But he feldom preferves it. The army who affisted in his defigns; or, the leaders of it, divide his power; fometimes affume it, leaving him only the name. The people may be flaves in a defpotic state; but the prince feldom continues the defpot. In this cafe, if I were to felect a fact, as the fundamental law; it would be-that the power impreffing fear on all the people, is in the prince's army; and not, that it is ef fential to his defpotifm to chufe a vifir.-That indolent and arbitrary princes fhould divett themfelves of offices, requiring attention and trouble, is natural: that they should devolve abfolute and capricious power on a fingle perfon, may also be natural; it is a fact, in several defpotic states; but not in all it is not therefore a fundamental law.'

We have examined this paragraph with fome care; but we can only extract one fentiment from it, which is, that he only is a defpot who acts from himself. If the flave of my will is the agent of my power, a critic may reply, I am as much the defpot as if I acted from myself: this pofition, if carried farther on the fame ground, would not call the man who kills unjustly the murderer, but the hand which directs the dagger.

• Though a warm and devoted admirer of liberty-I readily allow, men are not equal by nature; that they are not equal in civil or political fociety: but to reconcile that inequality with private and public juftice; to render that justice conducive to the utmost variety of happiness; to draw out all talents for VOL. LXX. 08. 1790. all