I seen a most useful creature made indocile by hafty treatment, hampered and spoiled! Experience is certainly the best mistress: the cries aloud, that the instances of cows vicious with ties are numerous in the North, without them scarce here.'

Our humane Author has another remark with respect to the treatment of thefe valuable creatures, which deferves to be repeated, and circulated as much as poffible. One execrable milmanagement of any ftalled cattle, especially milk-cows, is the obl ging them to drink at a dirty pond, whither run all the drainings of dunghills, &c. It is amazing that any man, raised one degree above the brute which he tends, can think of forcing an animal fo naturally delicate as a cow, whofe smelling is exquifite, to allay that thirst which the dry winter-meat occafions, and her pregnancy heightens, with a collection of every filth! If the public fuffered not with him, he would deferve to be punished for his barbarity, by the lofs of his poor imprisoned cow, under any of those diforders which fuch loathsome drink may occafion!''

Our Author next adverts to the following points, with respect to the management of fheep; viz. of theep, as generally a lofing article; of fummering and wintering theep; of running to the ftack; of wintering without hay, &c. and he concludes, with regard to the best methods of wintering theep, that, to him, it appears a most evident truth, that without adopting Mr. Young's fyftem of providing green food for a part of winter, and for all fpring, it is fcarcely poffible to keep any flock of fheep with profit, nay, without confiderable lofs.'

Mr. C. fubjoins fome remarks on the culture of turnips, cabbages, carrots, and cole; and declares his refolution of trying the experiment fuggefted by Mr. Young, viz. the tranf planting of carrots; which, if it fucceeds, promifes to five much expence in the culture.'-It is undoubtedly commendable to try every experiment that may be fuggefted by men of thought and skill; and we fhall be glad, though fomewhat furprized, to hear of the good fuccefs of transplanting these tap-rooted vegetables.

Our Author proceeds to recommend several improvements in the breeding and management of sheep; and then he again introduces the much controverted and very important fubject of ex draughts. The preference of oxen, to horses, for this purpofe, is much infifted on by fome writers and farmers; while others manifest an equal partiality for the horfe. Mr. C. is a ftrenuous advocate for the ox. He informs us, that a confiderable part of his paternal eftate, in Yorkshire, was occupied by his parents, who changed the ox draughts, which their te

Such as turnips, cabbages, &c. or early graffes, as burnet, &c.

C 4

nants

pants had used, into horfe ones; but returned to the old cuftom through conviction, and for many years kept at least fix pairs of oxen, of their own breed. In my youth, fay our Author, I had full opportunity of feeing the effects of these oppofite measures, and can avow the following truths, confirmed by all my obfervations fince. First, in any given foil, oxen do all kinds of horse work, much cheaper than, and equally well with, horfes. Secondly, oxen, well fhod, do all roadworks, in countries not very hilly, much cheaper than, and equally well with, horfes, except in droughts, when the fand is apt to hurt their lungs and eyes. Thirdly, oxen feem to do better in harness and collars, than in yokes, and fingle than double. Fourthly, oxen properly ufed will pay for their work, and leave all the profit of their growth clear gains.'-If it be objected that oxen are not fit for draught in hilly countries (which Mr. C. feems to allow, as above) he obferves, in a note to this pasfage, that in hilly countries no draught can be well used; and that going down fteep hills is as prejudicial to horfes as to

oxen.'

We come, now, to our Reverend Improver's obfervations on wool, on the high price of mutton, and on corn land. Mr. C. profefies himself to be a warm partizan for inclofures, as a publick good,' although, fays he, I am a fufferer by the iniquity of commiflioners.' He adds, I remember, that two general objections against them were, firft, that the breed of theep muft decrease in confequence of them, and confequently the woollen manufactures perish." Secondly, that corn would become fo cheap, that we must pay an high bounty to take it off our hands." After fuch numerous acts for inclosures paffed every feffion of parliament, behold! the price of wool declines confiderably, and that of corn rifes !'

As our Author's remarks on white thorn fences, appear to be of fome confequence, we think it may be doing fervice to the public, to lay before our country readers an abstract of what he has offer'd on this fubject..

After a very juft cenfure of the negligent or erroneous manner in which fome farmers in his neighbourhood manage their hedges, he concludes his long epiftle to Mr. Peacocke; but refumes this fubject in a poftfcript.

The practice of fetting old thick fets of white-thorn, he ob ferves, was long purfued, as a fure method of quickly effecting a good hedge: but experience,' he adds, taught practitioners, that they could not depend on the thickness of the ftems of their fets for quickness of growth of their fences, but rather the contrary; as many of thefe were funted in their growth, and young fmall fets foon overtook them in growth, and left them. It has, therefore, been a practice, for fome

yearsa

years, over all the kingdom, I believe, to fet no thorns but fuch as had young fmall ftems; and in general, the method has fucceeded well.'

But now, fays Mr. C. we feem running into the extreme, contrary to the old [method] as it ufually happens; and fets too fmall are now frequently planted. There must be a medium, which is the propereft fize* for fets of white-thorn; and he who plants as fmall as I have lately feen, will certainly be one year backwarder in the growth of his hedge, than his neighbour who fets ftronger wood.'

Our Author acknowledges himself to be an advocate for the practice of planting quicks in a fingle row; founding his opinion on this theory, that the roots of thorns fet in double rows near each other, will certainly encounter and retard, if not destroy, their mutual progrefs; and in this idea he is confirmed by the practice in York hire, where fingle rows make a fine hedge, both in channelly or gravelly and clayey foils.'

Another, and worfe error than double rows, is here pointed out by our Author, viz. the fetting of plants thick in the fame row; and he mentions an inftance wherein he obferved no less than 13 fets, in the line, within the extent of his walking cane, which was of the ufual length. Here the rows being double, Mr. C. pronounces 3-4ths of the wood to be wafted, or worfe than wafted, as doing harm, inftead of good: and he exclaimswhen fuch a fuperabundance of wood is employed, who can wonder that the price of quickfets is raised fo extravagantly as they are in fome parts of the kingdom!' It is faid that the growth of this commodity, for fome late years, has not anTwered by any means, to the demand, and that the hips † have been fo poor a crop of late, that future inclofures must be delayed, till a fupply of quickfets can be procured. Who can wonder that fuch a waste as this which is just now mentioned, fhould be followed by want! The quick-feller encourages the fale of more than are wanted, that he may enhance the price of what remains on hand; -the quick-fetter recommends the planting of more than are wanted, that he may be better paid. for extraordinary trouble; and thus the quick-grower is chous'd out of his money, and pays for what he had better want.'

The proper time for planting quickfets, being a point much difputed, Mr. C. gives us his opinion on this head; and we think it well founded. The generality, fays he, are for plant

Should not the Author have particularly mentioned what he deems the proper fize? Miller recommends the fize of a goofe quill; which Mr. C. will, no doubt, think too small.

+ Does not the Author mean haws? The hip, we apprehend to be the fruit of the dog-rofe.

ing early in the Spring; but experience will foon teach them, that when frofts continue fo long as they ufually do, and fo late as they continued in this fpring, particularly, the roots and life of their plants will fuffer greatly; and if they plant them Jate in the fpring, the dry weather will frequently kill this plant, which naturally fhoots early. Experience will fhew, that the best time of planting white thorn is between Michaelmas and Martinmas, but then a quantity of fhort half decayed litter fhould be laid along the line, as in gardens, on many beds, By this means the roots of the plants will be preserved from the frofts, and take easily, and fhoot vigorously; and in the enfuing fummer the earth, especially if clayey, will be preferves from baking by fun and wind, and moisture will be preferved. The progrefs of the plants in the first year, will amaze the planter.'

Our Author recommends good weeding in the first fummer, as effential to the fuccefs of these plants; and if the feafon be droughty, a line of fresh litter, he obferves, will coft but a trifle, and effectually prevent the drought's hurting the roots; or if it be very violent, one plentiful watering, with a wateringpan, will preserve the roots from any damage; and the litter will prevent the moisture from being exhaled by the fun.

With refpect to the time of fhortening the ftem, by cutting down the quick, this muft, Mr. C. juftly obferves, be determined by circumstances; chiefly their quick growth. • Moft people, fays he, perform that operation after the fecond year; but I am inclined to think this too early a period: efpecially if the quicksets be fmall. To cut down the main upright flem before it has gained a good fize, in order to make it foot laterally, is counteracting nature, and the defign of planting a quick-hedge. This point ought to be determined by experiments.'

No young trees, of any fort, ought, in our Author's opinion, to be fet in the line of quick-wood; because the quicks are apt to fmother them, and they, when grown up, ruin the fence. If a planter will have trees near his hedges, let them, says Mr. C. be fet when 10 or 12 feet high, and at feveral feet distance from the quicks; and well fenced off. The roots of trees, when ftrong, destroy the quick-wood, and when themselves are felled, they commonly and irreparably destroy the fence in which they ftand. He farther declares against the growth of all kinds of trees in hedge-rows, as they afford means for trefpaffers to climb over, and lodging for birds of prey; they also fhade the crops of corn, and are incommodious to the plough. He rather advises to plant trees, of whatever fort the proprietor chufes, in a corner of his field, or of his eftate, and in proportion to the natural wants of that field or eftate.

On

On the whole, he expreffs his wifh that the Society for Arts, &c. would offer a premium for experiments on setting of white thorns of different thickness in the item, at different diftances in the fame row, of fingle and double rows, and at different times of planting; alfo on different foils; fo that the best method of this important work may be determined by fact." He concludes the poftfcript with a remark on the method of feeding oxen with oil-cakes, which, he fays, is practifed by many principal graziers: and that the price of this commodity is raised from 21. 10 s. per thousand to 101. 10 s. and he exclaims, if the practice be ftill profitable, as they confels, what muft it have been! It is however, he obferves, alleged, that the manure from this food is fo valuable as to be alone a fufficient profit; and that Mr. Young's Eaftern Tour feems to evince the truth of this pofition :-he adds, What would our fathers have faid to the prediction, that their fons would judge the dung from oil-cakes a fufficient profit for feeding oxen with that expenfive food!'

.

This tract is finally closed by a letter to Dr. Hunter, of York, editor of the Georgical Essays, and author of most of the pieces contained in that publication. In this epiftle Mr. Comber gives a curious account of a diftemper to which theep are liable, called the Rickets.

Till he came to fettle in Huntingdonshire, our Author says, he never heard of this diftemper, either by its particular name, or its general defcription; although it appears to be fuch as muft render sheep a much more precarious stock than they have hitherto been usually thought.

In Huntingdonshire, Mr. C. obferves, this difcafe is generally known by theep-mafters, either from their own fad experience, or from the accounts of their complaining friends. It is diftinguished by a peculiar name, the Rickets, very different from what we know in Yorkshire by the name of either water in the head, or crook t. It appears, fays our Author, to be more formidable than the fcab or rot, as thofe diftempers are now well known, and many fuccefsful remedies for them are applied; whereas this continuing unknown in its caufes, not one remedy

*Not even among the Yorkshire farmers, with whom our Author had been much converfant; and who, as he obferves, are (many of them) very knowing, with respect to this valuable animal.

+ In a note referring to this paffage, our Author intimates fome degree of doubt whether the crook is a diftemper diftinct from the poxianos; yet intimating his apprehenfion that it is fo, and to have its feat in the neck of the sheep: perhaps he has expreffed himself with too much diffidence on this head.