of Bamff and Murray. It appears, that in the course of fifteen years, his Lordship has planted in all 3005 acres, which have been all well inclofed with walls, the total measurement of which is 68,656 ells; and that these extenfive plantations are all at prefent in a very thriving condition. The kinds of trees planted, and the number of each fort are as under: Thefe are princely plantations! yet they form only a part of thofe that have been made by Lord Fife; for it is now, as his Lordship informs the Society, above thirty years fince his plantations commenced; and from their infancy,' he adds, to the prefent period, I have nurfed them with care, regularity, and perfeverance; every fucceeding year has enlarged the old, or has given birth to a new planted inclofure. By thefe means, about SEVEN THOUSAND acres, of bleak and inhofpitable moors, have been clothed with rifing and flourishing trees, in Aberdeenshire, Banffshire, and Moray.' It is with pleasure that we register these important improvements, which we hope will ftimulate others who have fuch bleak and inhospitable moors' on their eftates to follow fo laudable an example. That they may fee what fuccefs has attended thefe efforts, we fubjoin the following table of measurement, the circumference taken at three feet from the ground, in different parts of the plantation. The fpecification of foil, we prefume, is intended to fhew what foils were deemed the most favourable to the different kinds of trees. The trees were planted about twenty-five years ago. It will be remarked that the larch and filver fir greatly outgrow the other trees; but we regret that no measurement was made of the common fir, with which they might be compared. The common firs, we are told, are planted merely as nurses to the other trees, the plants being bought in that country, at a proper fize for planting, at the very moderate price of ten pence per thousand. We had occafion to take notice, a few months ago, on the authority of the President de la Tour d'Aigues, that beams of larix wood were of exceeding great durability. This fact is farther confirmed in the prefent volume. Mr. Francis Dennison writes from Petersburg, that the larch wood is there folely appropriated to fhip building, for which use it answers perfectly well; and that line of battle fhips are built of it at Archangel. Mr. Ritchie, his Majefty's Chargé des Affaires at Venice, also writes that it is there likewife employed in fhip-building; to which there appears to be no other objection than its weight on fome occafions. It is certainly lighter than oak; but, on account of the fhoals in the Adriatic, the Venetians are obliged to build with very light wood. It refifts, he fays, the intemperature of the air more than any other wood known in this country, and therefore it is much ufed in making outer gates, pales, &c. which are conftantly expofed to the open air. It is no lefs durable within doors, and in fome of the very old palaces here, there are beams of larix as found as when firft placed there. a word, wherever ftrength and durability are required, this is reckoned here the most choice and valuable wood; and it may be applied to a great number of ufes. We are glad to collect authentic information concerning the ufts of this valuable and ornamental tree, with a view to introduce the culture of it more generally into this country. As a maritime nation, we cannot pay too much attention to every article that may prove serviceable in the conftruction of ships, and at a moderate price, which this fpecies of timber promifes effectually to do. It flourishes in a great variety of foils, and on the bleakeft expofures. In In our account of the fifth volume of these Transactions, we had occafion to notice the recovery from the fea, by embankment, of a whole ifland in the mouth of the Thames; in the present prefent volume, we are also favoured with an account of another fuccefsful attempt to rob old Neptune of part of his domains. The Rev. Mr. Henry Bate Dudley, in the parish of Bradwell' (near the fea) in Effex, "did, in the year 1786, fecurely inclofe, by an embankment of foil only, a tract of land meafuring forty-five acres, one rood, and twenty-five poles; which land, until fuch enclosure, had been, from time immemorial, overflowed by the fea from the German ocean." These are the words of an atteftation figned by the minifter, churchwardens, and overfeers of the parish, who thus proceed to atteft, that "the fea wall, now enclofing this recovered land, contains in length one hundred and eighty-three poles; that its bafe is thirty-two feet, its height feven feet, and the top five feet wide: That it is the general opinion, the land fo gained is worth twenty fhillings an acre on a leafe of twenty-one years." They' allo certify, that the expence of this improvement was as under, viz. 144 rods (of 21 feet each) of walling at 30 fhil- One new fea gutter five feet clear run Hilling up rills Planks, barrows, and other tools Carting ditto, and extra's £221 12 6 60 10 A fmall price for fuch a valuable purchase. Mr. Profeffor Rofs, of Aberdeen, informs us, that the turnip-rooted cabbage had been cultivated with fuccefs in that remote part of the country, by being fown broad-caft, and hoed like turnips; and recommends that plant as valuable spring food for cattle. This confirms the more extenfive experiments of Sir Thomas Beevor, concerning this article. Mr. John Boote, having found the practice of drilling all forts of grain, as mentioned in the fifth volume of thefe Tranfactions, extremely profitable, has carried it into practice on a ftill more extenfive fcale, having drilled no less than four hundred and fifty acres, in the year 1787, by means of Mr. Cooke's drill machine, and has had the fatisfaction to find the crops in every cafe better than those that were fown broadcast on land of the fame quality; fo that he computes he has been benefited by that practice, in one year, to the amount of five hundred pounds at leaft-and therefore refolves to continue it. His letter is written in a high flow of fpirits, and gives a pleasant account of the obfervations of his neighbours on that practice, with their final conviction of its proving highly beneficial. Nothing is wanting to render thefe experiments altogether fa.. tisfactory, C-3 tisfactory, except that he has omitted to mention the width between the drills, and to afcertain what is the moft favourable diftance-From Mr. Winter's experiment (fee our account of Ben. Bramble's pamphlet in Rev. for Nov. laft, p. 461.) intervals of feven inches appear to produce weightier crops than either nine or eleven inches. Mr. Boote's experiments, however, clearly evince that the practice of fowing grain in narrow drills, fo as to admit of the hand hoe, is highly beneficial in moft fituations; and it would appear that the drill machine which he employed has anfwered the purpose of fowing very well. finds that grafs feeds fucceed perfectly well with drilled crops, if they be fown over the field immediately before the laft hoeing be given to the grains:-he has not, however, yet been able to afcertain what is the exact expence of hoeing thefe drilled crops. He Such of our agricultural readers as have not an opportunity of feeing this volume, will perhaps be glad to be informed of the refult of two comparative experiments between broadcaft and drilled wheat on the fame foil, by Mr. Boote. ift, Wheat drilled upon poor clay, after clover Wheat fown broadcast on part of the fame field Difference Produce per acre. - II 4 7 2d. Wheat drilled by Mr. Boote on part of his farm, adjoining to a field of ground of the fame quality belonging to a neighbouring farmer, which was fown broadcaft, and was in equally good order before, and had dung to the wheat, while Mr. Boote's had none. The crops, while growing, were compared by an impartial neighbour, who eftimated Mr. Boote's crop to exceed the other in the proportion of three to two, at leaft. These are important experiments. We are glad to find that the Chinese hemp, mentioned in the former volume, has been found to fucceed perfectly well in this climate, and promifes to be a valuable addition to the lift of useful vegetables. The Rev. Dr. Hinton, at Northwold, having accidentally faved fome ripe feeds, fowed them on the 10th of May 1787, on a small patch of good land-They came up well, and attained as much perfection as ordinary hemp. The produce, when dreffed, weighed at the rate of ninety five ftone feven pounds and twelve ounces per acre➡ (the ufual crop of hemp in that neighbourhood, we are alfo informed, feldom exceeds fixty ftone) and at the rate of three bushels two pecks and half a pint of feed per acre, were faved. Dr. Hinton fuppofes that the feeds which were brought from China have failed merely by having been two years old, at which age 12 hemp feed feldom vegetates. Now that it is found to ripen with us, fresh feeds can always be obtained. Dr. Hinton alfo communicates the refult of three comparative trials between wheat fown broadcast, and drilled; each on the fame field, and under the fame management, in every other refpect. In thefe trials the advantage was invariably in favour of the drilled crop. In experiment ift, the excess was, per acre, 5 In experiment 2d, In experiment 30, ditto ditto bush. 16 quarts. No. 1, we are told, was hand-hoed three times; No. 2 and 3 hand-boed twice. The expence of thefe operations from 16 to 18 pence per acre (each hoeing, we prefume). The broadcaft was carefully weeded by hand, at the expence of from feven to ten fhillings per acre. We mention thefe experiments thus particularly, as they lead to important conclufions in agriculture. Dr. Hinton has alfo omitted to fpecify the diftance of the drills from each other. These are all the articles that relate to the fubje& of agricul ture in the prefent volume; and had thofe belonging to the other branches of fcience which have engaged the attention of the Society, been equally numerous and valuable, our review of this volume would have furnished a larger article than usual. Under the head Chemistry there is only one article-It is an account of a native foffil alkali, found in the neighbourhood of Bombay which Mr. Hellenus Scott fays may be afforded in a refined ftate for the price of 300 rupees, (about 37 pounds 10 fhillings) per ton, and could be obtained in large quantities. From an accurate analyfis of this fpecimen of the falt, by Mr. Keir, of Birmingham, it was found to confift of the following materials, in the proportions expreffed: 100 o grains of crude falt. This is rather purer than good barilla-but as the heterogeneous matter in barilla is different from that in this native foffil alkali, it may have very different effects in fome manufactures. Mr. Jeffe Ruffel, of London, briefly ftates the comparative purity of this falt as oppofed to others, thus: Refined native foffil alkali (the fpecimen) Ruffa pearl afh 9 7 9 |