played upon by others as a paffive pipe; when minifters will be compelled to study and promote the general welfare of the people in order to fecure their places, rather than to purchase the favour of overgrown individuals, or powerful companies, at the general expence; and when men, from policy as well as from a religious principle, shall look on all mankind as their brethren, and ftudy to promote univerfal felicity as the fureft means of augmenting individual profperity:-But the time is not yet come. Prejudices muft gradually abate,-and the foundations of many of them are already fhaken- Le fiécle prochain fera certainement plus éclairé que le notre; il faut nous confoler.'

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FOREIGN LITERATURE.

ART. XIV. Mémoires d' Agriculture, &c. Vols. IV. and V. See our last month's Review.

Vol. IV. TRIMESTRE de Printemps. Spring quarter, for the months of April, May, and June, 1786.

In the extracts from papers communicated in this number, we find an account of a kind of bread ufed by the inhabitants, of the isle of Palma (one of the Canaries), from the root of a fpecies of fern common in that ifland as well as in most parts of Europe. The root is cleaned, dried, and reduced to a powder, which is extremely light; [qu. is it white, and fit for hair powder?] this is afterward made into a pafte with water, and baked like bread. We have not a doubt but the large roots of feveral fpecies of this common plant may be applied to various economical uses. The root of the royal fern, ofmunda regalis, in particular, affords, when steeped in water, a viscous, glutinous fubftance, in great quantities, very much refembling the unbeaten white of an egg.-This, in certain circumftances, affumes a bright red colour.-But we have not heard that either as a dye, as a medicine, or as an efculent, this plant has hitherto been applied to any valuable use.

From feveral experiments communicated by the Marquis de Léry, it appears that the fruit of the horse chefnut affords a wholefome nourishment for cattle, and may even be en ployed with fuccefs for fattening them. It is faid to render the ta low of those fattened with it particularly firm.-The milk yielded by cows fed upon it, is alfo faid to be thicker and richer than that produced from any other kind of food.

The culture of maize, or Indian corn, seems to be gaining ground in France, efpecially in the fouthern provinces. M. Amoreux, of Montpellier, recommends this plant as remarkably proper for being reared on the borders of rivers, and in places apt to be overflowed. He even thinks it tends to dry up the humidity,

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dity, and render the ground firmer than it otherwife would have been. However this may be, there is no doubt that this plant profpers abundantly on fwampy grounds.

M. Dombey, from Peru, prefented to the fociety a specimen of a kind of flour, or ftarch, prepared from a root of a lileaceous plant called chuno-couno, Alstroemeria ligta, Linn. which is accounted a wholefome and nourishing food. M. Thouin thinks a fimilar fubftance might be obtained from the root of the branching afphodel-afphodelus ramofus, Linn. But M. M. Fourcroy and Parmentier tried in vain to obtain a fimilar fubftance from the roots of that plant.

M. Brouffonet gives, in the last article of this part, a receipt for making fpruce beer.-We were furprifed this philofophic enquirer did not inveftigate the nature of this popular compofition, and try to deftroy that myfticifm which has hitherto accompanied all accounts of it.

The firft effay at large in this Trimestre is by M. B.ret, Counsellor of State, Auditor of Accounts, and ancient Lieutenant General of the Bailliage of the city of Beauvais, on the means of reducing the meafures of grain of the district of Beauvais to the fetier of Paris. This is an accurate performance; and its ufe is obvious.-The work reflects honour on the worthy magiftrate for his attention to a matter of such public utility.

In the fecond paper, M. le Marquis de Bullion communicates fome obfervations on the culture of afparagus. We prefume the directions are very good.

Memoir 4th. On the Culture and Ufes of Maize. By M. Parmentier. This worthy academician, ever attentive to matters of utility, here endeavours to furnifh his countrymen with a fet of plain directions for the culture of this valuable kind of wheat, which feems to be well adapted to the climate of fome of the provinces of France.

Memoir 5th. On the Organization of the different Kinds of Tumours and Excrefcences upon the Body and Branches of Trees. By 1. Daubenton. An accurate physical inveftigation concerning the particulars here announced, to which we muft refer the curious reader.

Memoir 6th. On the different Species of Poplars, and the Advantages that may be derived from their Culture. By M. Fougeroux de Bondaroy.

This is a continuation of the account of the experiments begun by M. M. Duhamel, with a view to afcertain the value and ufes of different kinds of trees. The poplar is a beautiful and quick-growing tree, though the value of the wood of many of the forts is very little known in the northern parts of Europe. This fet of experiments, therefore, which tends to direct the

planter

planter to make choice of the moft ufeful forts, muft be highly efteemed by the Public.

M. Fougeroux de Bondarcy finds that the wood of the black poplar is good, and useful for many purpofes; that the Lombardy poplar, populus fafligata, is of very little value; that the Virginia poplar, populus Virginiana, affords a wood of excellent quality, that may be applied to many ufes. The Carolina poplar, populus Carolinenfis,-heterophilla, Linn. is a very quick grower,; beautiful when found, but liable to be hurt by cold. Its wood appeared to M. de B. to be of little value; but M. Malefherbes, who cut down a large tree of this fort, wa's affured by his carpenter, that the wood was very good.That the Tacamahaca, populus Tacamahaca balfamifera, is a dwarfish plant, of little value.-That the Liard, populus Canadenfis, is a large tree, the wood light, not eafy to be split, and fit for feveral ufes.-That the white poplar, populus alba, is a large growing tree, affording a wood of excellent quality, and is among the most valuable of this fpecies.-That the trembling poplar, populus tremula, Linn. is neither fo large a tree nor affords fuch wood as the former.-Thefe are in few words the principal refult of the experiments of this Gentleman, on this class of plants. A few other forts are mentioned, but nothing decifive with regard to them is determined.

The Writer reports, that from fome experiments made by M. Dambourney, it appears that the poplar may be usefully employed in dyeing. The Italian poplar gives a dye of as fine a luftre, and equally durable, as that of the finest yellow wood, and its colour is more eafily extracted. It is likewise very apt to unite with other colours in compofition. Befide the populus faftigata, M. Dambourney tried alfo the black poplar, the Virginian do. the balíam do. or Liard, the white do. and the trembling poplar; and found that all thefe dyed wool of a nutcolour, fawn-colour (vigogne), Nankin, mufk, and other grave fhades, according to the quantity of wood employed, and the length of time it was boiled.

M. M. le Duc de Liancourt, Saint Jean de Crevecoeur, & Cadet de Vaux, give a report to the fociety, in the fucceeding article, concerning the uses of a kind of kitchen utenfil employed in America for the purpofe chiefly of boiling potatoes. The peculiarity of this contrivance confifts in putting the potatoes, or other roots, in a veffel pierced with holes, within a larger pot, having a very close cover, fo as that the roots are not immerfed in the water, which covers only the bottom of the pot, but are detained in the fteam rifing from that water when it boils. We are told that the roots boiled in as fhort a time this way, as if they had been immerfed in the water, and are much drier, and have We have feen it above thirty feet high.

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more

more flavour. That in the fame manner cabbages, greens, carrots, turnips, and most other vegetables thus cooked, have much more flavour than when boiled in plain water;—but that afparagus and artichokes in particular eat much more delicately when thus managed, than when boiled in the ordinary way, as it is found that the juice extracted from the harder parts of thefe plants, which is of a harfher taste than that of the more fucculent parts, tends to contaminate the whole. This utenfil is however particularly recommended for thofe places where the water has a mineral taint or a faline impregnation.-By adapting a tin veffel with holes in it to the fhape of any clote boiler, the purpose may be effected.-Fish and fowl, and other meat, may be done in the fame manner. We have learnt, however, from fome trials that have been made of this utenfil in our own country, that there is reafon to doubt if it be a great improvement in the furniture of the kitchen.

Vol. V. Trimestre d'Eté. Summer Quarter, for the Months of July, Auguft, and September, 1786.

In the extracts from papers in this volume is an account of some experiments by the Abbé Breluque de Besançon of feeding horfes and cattle on dried vine twigs, which he found to answer very well, and in particular that they were better for horfes than very dry hay. The twigs were cut fimall, moistened with water, and bruifed under a tone like a tanner's mill. The great fcarcity of forage for fome years paft in France has turned the attention of the people very much to enquiries of this fort. Leaves of various kinds of trees have been found to answer well. But they do not yet feem to have adverted to many other fubftances that can be much more eafily obtained. Furze, we have been alfured, on the best authority, has been found to afford an abundant and wholesome food for cattle, when bruifed. The small branches and leaves of the Scotch pine, without any preparation, is a wholefome food for cattle and fheep, and is not attended with any of those deleterious effects that accompany the use of the common broom as food for theep. Even heath has been employed for the fame purpose, on fome occafions, with good effect.

M. l'Abbé Dicquemare recommends the ufe of different marine fubftances as manure. S-a-weeds of all kinds have been long used for that purpose on the coafts of Great Britain. In addition to thefe, M. Fougeroux de Bondaroy wishes that all kinds of fishes that are not uted as food for mankind, should be carefully fearched for as manure. We with, however, to fee fome experiments made on this fubject before entire confidence be put in the efficacy of thefe manures. Every foluble part of land animals, we believe, without exception, operates as a rich manure; but we have reafon to think there are exceptions to

this rule in regard to fifh. Some facts, in particular, have occurred to ourselves, that ftrongly tend to fhow that fish of the fbark tribe, fome of which are very large, do not produce any confiderable effect as manure. Thefe and other kinds fhould

be examined.

M. Parmentier has made fome experiments with a view to obtain a fermented liquor, of the nature of beer, from maize. His fuccefs has been fufficient to induce him to undertake another fet of experiments, more at large, for the fame purpose.

M. Tillet's experiments on fmutty wheat have induced many others to engage in the fame purfuit. M. Taffart, at Veze in Valois, communicates feveral experiments on the fame fubject, which entirely accord with the theory of M. Tillet.

As there feems to be a probability that the culture of filk may foon be introduced into this country, we are glad to inform our readers, that it appears, from fome trials made by a Mr. Villars, that the filk produced by worms fed upon the leaves of the black mulberry was better than that produced by thofe fed on the white. This laft it is well known is more difficult to be reared than the former.

M. Collignon gives an account of his having fuccefsfully carried feveral growing trees from Breft to the Ifle of St. Catharine on the coaft of Brafil. He attributes his fuccefs in a great meafure to the covering them with a wax-cloth, from the dews and the first rains that fell after a continuance of dry weather, both of which he had found highly prejudicial to the growing plants.

M. M. Tillet and Dejmarets give an account of a machine invented by the Sieur Perrin for cleanfing wheat from smut, for the purpose of making it fit for bread; but neither this, nor fome other contrivances here mentioned, were so efficacious as washing in water.

M. le Breton communicates fome experiments on the effects of cutting growing wheat in certain circumftances, which contain no information of importance.

M. de Serval mentions a cafe of his having cured a perfon bitten by a viper, by application of the volatile alkali, externally and internally.

M. Parmentier gives an account of a difeafe to which maize -is fubjected; it is called fmut (charbon); but it differs effentially from the disease of our wheat known by the fame name. This difeafe does not appear to be infectious, or in other refpects of much confequence.

M. de Ribacourt communicates to the fociety fome observations on peat as manure. From theory he concludes that peat in fubftance would be equally efficacious as manure with dung. How miferably would this gentleman be disappointed were he in practice to be directed by this theory! We have known feveral