John Frederick Chabannes, of Mary-la-bonne, efq. for a machine for feparating coals, and a compofition for making fmall coals into cakes or bricks, to be ufed for fuel. December 16.

Edward Ludlow, of Walworth, and Ann Wilcox, of London; for their new-invented playing-cards, to be named brilliant new-invented knights cards. December 20.

William Loofemore, of Oldfireet, factor; for a method of making and manufacturing certain cloth, for general ufes, and purpofes. December 20.

Experiments and Obfervations on various Kinds of Manure, by John Middleton, Efq. From the Tranf actions of the Society, for the Encouragment of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce.

HAVING made experiments

with various kinds of manure, on a farm of which I am the owner and occupier, fituate at Merton, in Surry, for the purpofe of afcertaining the moft appropriate dreffing for the foil which is a tenacious loam, on a fubftratum approaching towards yellow clay, I am induced, by the regard I feel for the fuccefs of British agriculture, to lay the following obfervations on the feveral experiments before the fociety for the encouragement of arts, manufactures, and commerce, for their confideration. I hope and believe that they will be found not altogether unworthy their attention.

1. Peat afhes, from Newbury, Berks. Of thefe afhes I have spread, in various quantities, per acre, fif

tares, feeds, and meadow land, without being able to difcern any beneficial effect from them.

2. Coal aflies, spread on three or four acres of grafs land, in March, 1798, produced no visible effect at mowing time, nor have I fince obferved any.

3. Wood afhes, the produce of my own fires, when fpread on the grafs, in February, or early in March, I have found to be of fome though little fervice.

4. Malt duft, including the duft from the malt-kilns, I used for two or three years, to an extent fufficiently great to afcertain that the benofils produced by the use of it are confiderable. It may be applied in fuch a quantity as to infure one large crop; but, on meadow land, even when hay is at five pounds a ton, it only repays the prime coft.

The quantity which I have ufually laid on, has been in the proportion of from fifty to fixty bushels per

acre. The firft coft of kiln-duft is

fix-pence, and of malt-duft eightpence, per bufhel: including the expenfe of carriage, and fpreading this dreffing on the land, it amounts to about two guineas per acre. The extra crop returned me this fum, but without profit.

5. Soot. Of this manure I fpread eight hundred bushels over twenty acres of wheat, in one year; but 1 could not, from the fubfequent appearance of the crop, difcover whether the increase in quantity was equivalent to the additional expense, However, it was evidently of fome ufe; but to what extent, would require more than bare inspection to afcertain. By way of comparifon, fome of the ridges were left without foot: they were at harveft fcarcely

to

loads annually, would be found fufficient to keep it in the highest degree of fertility.

9. Farm-yard dung. This, when it had been once turned, and become about three-fourths rotten, I have uled in the proportion of about thirteen or fourteen loads per acre; and found it much lefs effective, for one year, than three loads of night-foil. I believe that even a load and a half of foil, would have been equal to the foregoing quantity of dung. In the fecond year, I could not perceive any difference between the dung and the foil.

In the laft volume of the tranfactions of the fociety, page 168, a crop of wheat, amounting to 56 bufhels per acre, is faid to have been raifed by Mr. Henry Harper, of Lancashire; which is fo much above the general average, that Mr Harper was at a lofs how to account for it. I am inclined to think that the night-foil, contained in the mixture with which he dressed the close, was the cause of this wonderful effect.

He mentions, that the quantity of manure (confifting of night-foil, coalalhes, fweepings of treets, &c.) was eighty tons, and that the clofe contains eleven acres: the proportion per acre was therefore fomething

more than feven tons. He does not fay what part of this proportion was night-foil, but it was probably not leis than four tons; a quantity which, as I have before obferved, is fufficient of itfelf to produce one immenfe crop.

In short, it appears to me that nature, following her general fyftem of re-production, prepares this matter in the most perfect manner for the purpofe of feeding vegetables, and raiding them to the very higheft pitch of excellence, and it is certain,

that herbage growing under these circumfiances, is capable of fattening the largeft cattle in lefs time than any other.

The importance of this kind of manure being fo evident, that I am fure the fociety will feel, equally with me, the moft poignant regret, when they take into their confideration, that ninety-nine parts in every hundred of this valuable article is conftantly and moft abfurdly carried by the fewers and drains, into the rivers, and thereby totally loft to the purposes of agriculture, for which it is fo admirably adapted.

In Britain alone, the quantity of this manure, and of urine, which is annually thus wafted, is aftonishingly great; probably not lefs than five millions of cart-loads, worth to the farmers two millions and a half, and to the community five millions of pounds fterling, per annum.

This fubject is, I think, well entitled to the attention of the fociety; and it would add much to the credit which they have already acquired by their patriotic labours, if they could devile the means whereby the wafte of this article might be effec tully prevented.

On preferving Seeds in a State fit for Vegetation, by John Sneyd, Efq. of Belmont, Staffordshire; from the fame.

to be distinguished from the reft; but, where the foot lay in larger quantity than ordinary, as was the cafe in the places at which the loads had been hot from the carts, the fuperior vegetation was very diftinally marked. I have, on the whole, formed the fame opinion with refpect to this fpecies of manure, as I have already ftated in regard to malt-duft, namely, that it returns the coft price, with very little profit.

6. Soap-maker's wafte. I have tried only one load of this manure, on a few rods of ground, in four of my meadows. It has not produced the leaft effect, although it is now three years fince it was laid on. Soap-maker's wafte, potah, and barilla, are probably held in too much efteem, as preparers of the food of plants, by philofophical chymifts, of whom it might be wifhed that a little practice were combined with their theoretical ideas on the fcience of agriculture; and that they would try their fpecious theories by the teft of experiment, before they publish them to the world.

I am farther induced to confider this kind of dreffing for land as of much lefs utility than is generally imagined, from having been informed by Mr. Ruffel, junior, that his father, who is a foap-maker of great refpectability, at Paris-Garden, has ufed the wafte of his own manufactory on his farms in Effex and Kent, (in the latter on a clay foil,) without difcovering that it was of any material benefit to the land; and that he has confequently difcontinued the ufe of it.

The experiments made by Major Velley, as reported in the eighth

volume of papers publifhed by the Bath fociety of agriculture, feem alfo to prove, that Dr. Hunter's food of plants does not answer any of the purposes for which it has been fo highly extolled; but, on the contrary, that it is really hurtful to corn crops.*

7. Sweepings of London ftreets. I have ufed feveral hundred loads of this manure on grafs land, and have found it to be of confiderable service to the fucceeding crops. I have ufually laid it in large heaps, and mixed with it a fmall quantity of horfe-dung: in this ftate it generates a little heat, though less than might be wifhed, which helps to decompoft or rot the mixture; when thus prepared, it has been fpread on the land, in the proportion of ten or twelve loads per acre.

Within

8. The foil of privies. the last four or five years, this manure has been fpread on my land, to the expenfe of about 1007.; the proportion, from two to four loads per acre. The effect produced by it was aftonifhing fertility; fo much fo, as to induce me to be of opinion, that it exceeds every other kind of manure that can be brought into competition with it, at leaft for the firft year after it is laid on. In the fecond, it is of fome lervice; but, in the third year, its effects very nearly or entirely ceafe. From thefe premifes I draw this conclufion, that, for land in good condition, the application of two loads per acre, per annum, will continue it in that flate for any length of time; and alfo, that land which has been much exhausted, might be reftored by laying on four or five loads per acre; after which, a repetition of two

loads annually, would be found fufficient to keep it in the highest degree of fertility.

9. Farm-yard dung. This, when it had been once turned, and become about three-fourths rotten, I have ufed in the proportion of about thirteen or fourteen loads per acre; and found it much less effective, for one year, than three loads of night-foil. I believe that even a load and a half of foil, would have been equal to the foregoing quantity of dung. In the fecond year, I could not perceive any difference between the dung and the foil.

In the laft volume of the tranfactions of the fociety, page 168, a crop of wheat, amounting to 56 bufhels per acre, is faid to have been railed by Mr. Henry Harper, of Lancashire; which is fo much above the general average, that Mr Harper was at a lofs how to account for it. I am inclined to think that the night-foil, contained in the mixture with which he dreffed the close, was the caule of this wonderful effect.

He mentions, that the quantity of manure (confifting of night-foil, coalalles, fweepings of fireets, &c.) was eighty tons, and that the clofe contains eleven acres: the proportion per acre was therefore fomething

more than feven tons. He does not fay what part of this proportion was night-foil, but it was probably not leis than four tons; a quantity which, as I have before obferved, is fufficient of itfelf to produce one immenfe crop.

In fhort, it appears to me that nature, following her general fyftem of re-production, prepares this matter in the moft perfect manner for the purpofe of feeding vegetables, and railing them to the very higheft pitch of excellence; and it is certain,

that herbage growing under thefe circumftances, is capable of fatten ing the largest cattle in lefs time than any other.

The importance of this kind of manure being fo evident, that I am fure the fociety will feel, equally with me, the most poignant regret, when they take into their confideration, that ninety-nine parts in every hundred of this valuable article is conftantly and most abfurdly carried by the fewers and drains, into the rivers, and thereby totally loft to the purposes of agriculture, for which it is fo admirably adapted.

In Britain alone, the quantity of this manure, and of urine, which is annually thus wafted, is aftonishingly great; probably not lefs than five millions of cart-loads, worth to the farmers two millions and a half, and to the community five millions of pounds fterling, per annum.

This fubject is, I think, well entitled to the attention of the fociety; and it would add much to the credit which they have already acquired by their patriotic labours, if they could devile the means whereby the wafte of this article might be effec tully prevented,