years than others at an hundred. Since I have mentioned comparative age, obferve, from fixteen to twenty, is a critical time for the delicate fruits: if they continue in health beyond that period, they generally go on well afterwards; and, upon fome future occafion, I fhall introduce root-pruning.

"Were it neceflary more fully to enforce the practice of pruning, fuppofe an order was given, that all peach-trees fhould remain unpruned for five years; from thence be affured, there would fcarcely be a high-flavoured peach in the king dom, all either four or infipid. The apple or cherry do not require the fame care the peach does; yet each are well worthy of attention, I obferved, in Vol. XII. (N. A. R. for 1794, p. [145]) that funfhine and fhade are unalterably the 'cause of sweet and four fruits.'

"Thofe acquainted with the wine countries know, that the natives bestow much labour in manure, culture, pruning, and more particularly in bringing the grapes to perfect ripenefs; and I do not fee why, in Britain, fome part of that attention fhould not be given to the apple.

"It is proper here to recommend to nurserymen, to be attentive to their GRAFTS, for more depends upon it that is imagined; as, from the grafts being full, well wooded, clear, and properly chofen, the fruit will be both larger and higher flavoured. Though the foil and culture may be the fame, the health of the wood of the tree is alfo moft materially affected during the whole time of the tree's exift. ence, by the proper maturity the fcion was in at the time it was firft put into the ftock.

"As this is to be my last effay,

can, and beg excufe for the great length. Let any perfon, whofe mind has, by precept, been turned to philofophical enquiries, confider the following ftatement: when an orchard has become old and much encumbered, fo that the trees, from being too thick, totally overshadę the ground, if one of those trees dies, the four next furrounding it will each of them throw out their branches to fill up that void space; the fap of thofe four trees tending that way by the active influence of the fun and air, and the other parts of those trees ftill remaining incumbered, will of confequence decline in vegetation; for the energy is drawn the contrary way. These things happen every day, but on the unobferving eye make little impreffion. This intuitive energy of nature is not confined to vegetation, for it pervades all nature: then why not fuppofe, if a part of a tree is decayed, and you take it out, that nature is capable of filling up the void fpace: that he is capable, is moft undoubted, and the will do it too, if there is any energy left, by fupplying younger and better-bearing wood than which is taken away.`

that

"Where the trees are fo close and incumbered, that the agricultural vegetation cannot thrive under them, the fruit from fuch an orchard will hardly be large and highflavoured; neither will it keep fo well.

"Last autumn, the delicate fruittrees were much incommoded with a whitish mould or mildew, which I have regularly observed to take place in what is called muggy weather; this is what lays the first foundation of canker; it was very prevalent about feven years back. I have long known it to arife from

animal

animalculæ fettling on the wounded parts of the tree, and the fhoots of the prefent year. In Vol. XIII. (N. A. R. for 1796, p. [177.]) I pointed out the cure, which is rubbing off with the lard medication; and I recommend to have the fhoots cut at a large bud; for, when they have been thus affected, there are but few of them will stand the cold of the winter: they generally die off about half way up. I have formerly quite removed the canker from fome nonpareils,which, after three years medication, threw out fhoots a yard long: this induced me to fay, that the mercury gave an energy to the plant; I mean, by the mercury curing the difeafe, the plant recovered its energy: any one may fatisfy himfelf that it is animalculæ, by rubbing a little of the mildew between his thumb and fore finger, when the infects actually break, and produce a matter like the cochineal fly (coccus mali).

Another circumftance worthy obfervation is, the cultom of attempting to check the too great flow of the fap, particularly in pear-trees, by cutting a circle through the bark, with the intention to make the tree fruitful; much better would it be, by natural means, to lead the fap regularly through all the branches; the action of the fun would then properly impel it to the extreme parts of the tree, for fwelling the buds, and fupporting the fruit; and this even flow of fap is what produces fruitfulnefs, and is implied, [N. A. R. for 1793, p. [171.]) the more the range of branches fhoot circularly, the more equally will the fap be diftributed, and the better will the tree bear.'

"Let me entreat those interested in fruit plantations, to unite in eftablifting and exalting the fcience

of orcharding, to make it one of the handmaids of commerce: it is certainly the poor man's friend, the rich man's ple:fure, the pride and ornament of the respective spots attached to each habitation. View the trees in fpring unfolding and raifing their beautiful bloffoms and leaves up to the eye of heaven, and in autumn gently bending their pliant branches for the industrious hand to gather the fruits. Do not wonder that I fhould fhew a little enthufiafm for the welfare of a fcience which I have actually created, and from which I have received much fatisfaction.

"The ancients had their goddess Pomona, to whom they paid divine honours, which goddefs was no other than an ideal fuperintendency fuppofed to prefide over orchards which is a moft convincing proof that they held the culture of fruits in high eftimation.

"Through the whole procefs I have confined my inftructions to standard trees; but now fay, they are equally applicable to fruits in general, even to the hawthorn, whofe bloffoms in fpring, and fruit for the birds in autumn, make it worth fome attention in parks, and fuch plantations.

"For the full establishment of the art, nothing more is neceflary, than to gain two or three capital land-owners in each district, who occupy their own eftates, and influence them to examine the system, and follow it, from which much improvement muft refult. In every fcience the principles must be underftood before the practice can become general. I am, fir,

"Your most humble fervant, "T. SKIP DYOT BUCKNALL." "Hampton Court,

66

"Jan. 6, 1796."

An

N purchafing the leasehold

ON

of an eftate near Marazion, in Cornwall, confifting of about two hundred acres, I found feventy in a state of good cultivation, and one hundred and thirty acres of waste land, confifting of marth, croft, and fandy foils. I flattered myfelf, that a great part of this unprofitable fpot might be converted into ufeful and valuable land, which, in this neighbourhood, in the common ftate of cultivation, is worth from three to fix pounds the Cornish acre (about one fifth part larger than ftatute measure). From a profpect of recovering that part called the Marfh, which had hitherto been accounted irreclaimable, I Jaid down a plan of draining the fame, which, if I fucceeded in, might probably induce the proprie. tors of other tracts of marth-land in this vicinity, to make fimilar attempts.

"The novelty of my draining fcheme, with its attendant difficulties, joined to the great diflike which moft farmers in the west of England have to the improvement of low lands, drew on me the ceúfure of the public, who treated the fcheme as chimerical, and impofible to be effected for the following reafons:

"First-Because the fea had ac-
cefs to this land, and overflow
ed it at fpring tides with two
feet water;
"Secondly-If the fea were ex-
cluded, the fresh water would
be accumulated, and ftill keep
it in the fate of a bog, as the

water had no other vent than by its direct communication with the fea; and, "Thirdly-That if the fuccefs

in the drainage fhould be equal to my mott fanguine expectations, yet the nature of marth land, in general, would not adinit of any valuable improvement.

However cogent these reasons might appear to the public, I was convinced that they arofe more from the want of a lpirit of enterprife, and little knowledge of the nature of fuch foils, than from a decided conviction of the failure of the plan; and, on considering the advantages likely to refult from the improvement, in cafe of fuccefs, and the example given to my countrymen, who poffefs fimilar tracts of marthland,' I was emboldened to undertake the drainage of this bog, which for time immemorial had been looked on as utterly irreclaimable.

"The fpot fixed on for the intended improvement, confifted of fixty-three acres, ftatute measure; of which thirty-fix acres were marsh; feventeen acres of a light blackish fand, and ten acres of croft, confifting of a light black mould, with a fubitratum near the furface, of a fine tenacious clay. The croft and fandy land lay on a rifing ground, ferving as a furrounding kirting to the marsh, and which, from their gentle elevations, might be useful in rainy feafons for cattle to refort to.

"On confidering that the most fertile

fertile fails confift of a combination of clay, fand, and vegetable matter, in different proportions, and that these three fubftances were almost distinct, and to be procured in any quantity from this improvable fpot, it appeared probable that, after a complete drainage was performed, little more remained to be effected, than a happy combination of these three foils, fo contiguous to each other, to render the whole good and productive land.

"The marfh, containing thirtyfix acres, is fituated between the croft and the fandy foil, which has been thrown up by the fea, and ferves as a natural embankment against the water, which at every fpring-tide overflowed this lowland to the height of two or three feet, by a direct communication of a river which carries off a part of the redundant water collected on its furface, from its own fprings and others in its vicinity, and the rain from the higher grounds.

"This marth, from time immemorial, has produced nothing but rushes, flags, gofs (arundo phragmitis), iris paluftris, water-lily, and feveral other aquatic plants, which, from their verdure, terved only as a decoy for cattle, that were frequently smothered in attempting to reach them, to the great lofs and injury of the tenants. Several perfons alfo have loft their lives by getting at night into this morafs, over which boats have frequently paffed to enable fportfmen to fecure the game, which flocked to this place in great quantities during winter. From the production of marsh miafmata, fevers of the low nervous kind, but particularly agues, have greatly prevailed, to the annoyance and distress of the neighbourhood.

"The great and unfuperable dif9

ficulty, which hitherto prevented even an attempt towards the draining this bog, arofe from its being under the level of the fea at springtides; fo that no deeper outlet could be procured than the river, which fupplied it with falt-water. But, on confidering the nature of water, which preffes equally on every fide, I fufpected that a pipe, with a valve at its extremity, introduced at halfebb, through the fandy embankment, to the body of the marsh, would tend to carry off the furfacewater; and, from the fhutting of the valve, on the approach of the tide, no fea-water could gain admittance through the tube. On taking an accurate furvey of the levels from the fea, at the point of half-ebb, to the furface of the ground in the marsh, measuring in length one hundred and feventyfour yards, it was found that fix feet of level could be gained, after allowing two feet for the flowing of the water through the pipe; accordingly, an embankment of one thousand one hundred and feventyfive yards in length, formed of ftrong clay turf, about five feet high and fix feet thick, was made round the two fides of the marsh, which were liable to be overilown by the fea; the ditch ferving as a channel to carry off the water, which used to flow over its furface. In order to carry off the water fill remaining on the marfh, I procured one hundred and feventy-four yards of fquare pipe, nine inches diameter and two inches thick, made of found fir-wood called ball, which, in the mines of this county, is the wood most commonly made use of, and found to be very durable, efpecially if kept conftantly in water.

"In May, 1793, the first pipe was laid down on the fhore, at the point of half ebb, and fecured by

means

means of a large rock, to prevent it from fwimming; the other pipes were fucceffively joined, and laid nearly on a plane with the first, by throwing open the fand. As we advanced to the highest part of the fandy embankment, which was twenty-four feet above the pipes, the difficulties were confiderably increased, by the great quantity of fand neceffary to be removed, and its tendency to fall on the workmen; fo that the approach towards the marsh became tedious, and very expenfive. However, by purfuing every cautious plan which could be devifed, to prevent accidents, and to make the work fecure, we arrived, in five weeks time, at the borders of the marth, paffing under the river and new-made embankment at the depth of fix feet under the furface, where the pipe opened into a refervoir of eighteen feet fquare and eight feet deep, prepared to collect the furface-water, which immediately flowed through the pipe with great rapidity, and difcharged itfelf into the fea, till the whole of the ftagnant water was taken off. The aperture of the fea-pipe had iron-bars placed before it, to prevent the infinuation of extraneous bodies, and alfo a valve made of ftrong wood, lined and hung with leather, and loaded with iron, to prevent it from fwimming at the approach of the tide, which always fhut it fo clofe as to effectually exclude the fea-water: the pipe within the refervoir had alfo a fimilar valve, for the fame purpofe, near its extremity, which was covered with an iron grating, to prevent the intrufion of roots, weeds, &c. that might probably obftruct the paffage of the water.

"As foon as the tide returns to the pipe, which is uncovered fix hours in twelve, the marsh water

ceafes to flow; and, during that time, collects within the refervoir and trenches till the fea begins again to retire; and when the collected water becomes of equal weight with the sea water over the shore pipe, it finks gradually till the pipe is left by the fea, when it regularly difcharges the water ftrained from the marih land; and which amounts in winter to about 29,600 gallons, or 2160 hogsheads in twenty-four hours; but, in fummer, the quantity is trifling, and does not exceed 43,200 gallons or 720 hogfheads. Some little difficulty at first arose from the valve not thutting itself properly, by the intrufion of pebbles; but this was eafily removed, by adding about two feet of pipe beyond the valve.

Trenches or open drains of three feet deep, five feet wide at the top, and three at the bottom, were immediately carried from the refervoir, which was the loweft place, to the extreme parts of the marfh, on the fandy fide, about fix feet within the new embankment, and interfected by others at right angles towards the croft, from fifty to feventy-two yards distance, according to the nature of the ground, dividing the whole into regular oblong fields, as in the plan; the wetnefs of the foil, and the great difficulty of procuring a firm footing for the workmen, obliged them to ftand on pieces of timber, to complete thofe numerous drains, which every day grew firmer; and in a few weeks the foil became fo confolidated, as to admit of perfons walking over it with tolerable fafety. In making these drains a pot of copper coins, containing about one thousand, was discovered at the depth of three feet from the furface, which, on examination, appeared to belong to the emperor Victorinus,