and quickly becomes putrid. In this ftate animals refufe it; and if they do eat it, it will not agree with them.

Leaven made with the flour of fprouted corn receives but little water. It ferments or comes forward very quickly; but if not ufed immediately, lofes this property, and foon finks and flattens. The dough is fubject to ftill more inconveniences than the leaLike the leaven, it receives but little water; it is fhort, clammy, but does not hold together, breaks in the kneading, and grows foft and pulpy.

ven.

The bread of sprouted corn does not rife in the oven. If there is not a large fpace between the loaves, they fpread and stick together; it bakes badly, feparates from the cruft, and the cruft toughens; digefts with difficulty, affords little nourishment, turns four, and grows mufty.

the winter, if fevere; but if it is the least moift, or if, at the return of warm weather, the fprouted corn is expofed to its influence, all the care you can take will not hinder it from changing.

The corn being thrashed, it fhould be fpread upon the floor, and turned every quarter of an hour with a fhovel; a door or window fhould be left half open, to give vent to the fteam. Before grinding, it fhould be put in an oven fome time after the bread is drawn, the door of the oven left half open, and the corn turned every ten minutes with long flovels or rakes, to facilitate the evaporation of the moisture.

The corn thus ftove-dried mut be fifted; and care taken not to put it into facks, or in heaps, til! it is well cooled; otherwife it will turn mouldy.

This method may be objected to as troublesome, but if not adopted a rifque will be run of lofing

Sprouted Corn.

prefervation of fprouted corn requires is confiderable and expen. five, demanding a continual attention. But eight or ten days drying will preferve it good for a whole year; befides, this method, were it ftill more troublesome, would amply repay the labours, by the better quality and quantity of the flour, as well as of the bread.

Some provinces are very fubject to the fprouting of corn.-In a period of ten years, there have been fometimes four, when the corn has been got in fprouted. It were to be wilhed that in those provinces public kilns were erected, where each might kiln-dry his grain without much expence.

Such a kiln might ferve like

wife to dry peafe, beans, and all vegetables, which, during the wet feafons, are fubject to damage, which would by this means be preferved.

Eftablishments of this kind, which discover univerfal goodwill to mankind, are preferable to the momentary affiftance which charity affords to the indigent, by fecuring a more wholefome nou. rifhment, by diminishing the number of the fick, and thofe epidemical diseases of which we are generally ignorant of the caufe, and which have often no other than the bad quality of our food.

If, unfortunately, fprouted corn has been ground without the precaution of being dried or ftoved, as the meal cannot otherwife be, preserved, it will be neceffary to have recourfe to the fame method as is ufed with corn, altho' the application will then be more difficult. The meal must be fpread upon linen cloths, and removed as it dries, which requires greater care and occafions lefs lofs.

The Sprouted corn, or meal which it produces, when well dried, will be as eafily preferved as the common meal and corn. The corn will grind well, the ftones will not clog, the bran will not retain fo much meal. This bran having less moisture will not corrupt fo eafily, and will be ufeful to cattle.

What fprouted corn, or its meal, lofes by drying, is nearly replaced by the greater quantity of water which the meal receives in the kneading, infomuch that the stoved corn and meal produces more bread than that which has not undergone that operation.

Leaven, made with the meal of

fprouted corn, ought to be briskly difpatched, because the sprouting caufes the meal to ferment quickly. It ought to be more firm and have a greater confiftence; that is to fay, too much water must not be ufed.

Care must be taken not to make ufe of too hot water to make the dough. It must be worked as lightly and quickly as poffible, for fear of working it too much, and thereby leffening the fermenta, tion. It must not be prepared, or brought into too warm a place, to caufe the fermentation to cease too foon.

Salt corrects in a fingular manner the defects of moist meal, and especially in meal made of sprouted corn; the falt giving ftrength to the dough, and caufing it to receive more water; for the water forms a part of the bread. Twelve pounds of meal ought to produce fixteen pounds of bread when baked; falt likewife corrects the infipidity of the bread.

The oven must be made a little warmer than ufual, without which the bread would fall and become heavy. It must be wiped and rewiped after it is baked, because the meal of fprouted corn retains much moisture,

By conforming in every respect to what has been here mentioned, the inconveniences of fprouted corn will be remedied, and good and wholesome bread will be obtained from it.

The prefent advice is the refult of experiments made on sprouted corn, by order of government, by the profeffors and members of the committee of the establishment of free bakers.

Made and registered Oct. 31,1782.

About five years ago, I took fome land into my occupation, and having found the expence of horfes very great, I determined, fomewhat more than two years ago, to make trial of oxen, and bought one pair. At that time, I am almoft certain, there was not an ox worked in this county; on which account my workmen added much to the trouble of breaking them, by their obftinate prejudices against the use of them..

At laft I was fortunate enough to felect a labourer, who, though totally unused to them, was willing to take proper pains to break them. By his good treatment and temper, they foon became tractable, and as handy both at ploughing and carting as any horfes.

Being well fatisfied with their performance, I refolved to difpofe of all my draft horfes, and fubftitute oxen in their ftead. I have now compleated my plan, and have not a fingle cart-horfe; but the work of my farm (which confifts of upwards of one hundred acres of arable land, and fixty of pasture and wood) is performed with cafe by fix oxen; together

with my ftatute-duty on the highways, timber and corn, carting, harrowing, rolling, and every part of rural bufinefs. They are fhoed conftantly: their harness is exactly the fame as that of horfes, (excepting the neceflary alterations for difference of fize and fhape) they are drove with bridles, and bits in their mouths, and anfwer to the fame words of the ploughman or carter as horfes, and as readily. A fingle A fingle man holds the plough, and drives a pair of oxen with reins; they will regularly plough an acre of land every day, and in less than eight hours time; I believe they will do it in feven, but I would not affert more than I know they perform.

I have a fmall plantation, in which the trees are planted in rows ten feet afunder; the intervals are ploughed by a fingle ox with a light plough, and he is drove by the man who holds it. I mention this as an inftance of their great docility.

My oxen go in a cart fingle, or one, two, three, or more, in proportion to the load. Four oxen will draw eighty bushels of barley, or oats, in a waggon, with ease; and if they are good in their kind, will travel as faft as horfes with the fame load..

I frequently fend out eighty bufhels of oats with only three oxen; and one ox with forty bufhels in a light cart, which I think of all others the best method of carriage. My workmen are now perfectly reconciled to the use of oxen; and the following reasons determine me to prefer them greatly to horfes

Firft; They are kept at much lefs expence. Mine never eat corn or meal of any fort. During the

winter,

winter, they are kept in good order for work upon ftraw, with turnips, carrots, or cabbages; for want of either of the three latter, I allow one pcck of bran a day to each ox, whilft in conftant work. When my ftraw is finifhed, and the spring advances, they eat hay; and if they work harder than common, in the feed time, they have bran befide. When the vetches are fit to mow and give them in the ftable, they have nothing elfe. After the day's work in the fummer they have a fmall bundle of hay to eat, and ftand in the ftable till they are cool, and then turned into the pasture.

I am of opinion, that the annual difference of expence in keeping a horfe and an ox, each in condition for the fame conftant work, is at least four pounds.

Secondly; The value of a horse declines every year after he is fe. ven years old; and is fcarcely any thing if he is blind, incurably lame, or very old: But if an ox is in any of thofe fituations, he may be fatted, and fold for much more than the first purchase; and will always fat fooner after work than before.

Thirdly; They are not fo liable to illness as horfes. I have never had one indisposed.

Fourthly; Horfes (efpecially thofe belonging to gentlemen) are frequently rode by fervants without their master's knowledge, and often injured by it. Oxen are in no danger of this kind.

Fifthly; A general ufe of oxen would make beef, and confequently all other meat, more plentiful; which I think would be a national benefit.

That it may not be thought, that a pair of oxen will plough an acre of land in a day only upon a very light foil; I must add, that the greater part of my arable land is too heavy to grow turnips to advantage. When my lighter lands are in fine tilth, I make use of a double plough; a fingle man holds it, and drives one pair of oxen, and will plough two acres a day.

I am well aware, that the method of working oxen with a yoke fpares a confiderable expence in the article of harnefs; but they move fo much more freely with collars, and can be ufed with fo much more advantage fingly by the latter method, that I think it far preferable.

After experience has inclined me to give the preference to oxen, I will not omit in my account the only material inconvenience I have found in working them; which is, they are troublefome in fhoeing, at least I have found them fo in this country; and, I believe, chiefly because my smith never fhoed any before. I have them confined in a pound whilft they are shoed, and a man attends the fmith. However, I think this difadvantage amply recompenfed by more material advantages; and can with great truth affirm, that the longer I have worked oxen, the better have I been fatisfied with them,

On Planting barren Lands with Wood; from the fame.

A

GENTLEMEN,

MONG all the improvements which a lover of his country would naturally wish to fee take place, there are none which seems to want, or to merit encouragement, more than that of planting barren foils and wafte lands with wood. One principal caufe of this improvement having made a flower progress than many others is, that the first expence is confiderable, and the profits, although certain in the end, are remote; and therefore I have for feveral

years wished to fee your premiums increafed on this article.

As I have made confiderable plantations in my time, and always found the future profits, as well as the prefent pleafure attending it, to exceed my expectations, I do not offer my advice on an uncertain theory, but know what I take the liberty of recommending to you.

There are three kinds of land ufually termed barren; and with refpect to almost every purpose but that of planting, they are, and muft remain fo, unless an expence, greater than most people chufe to be at, be fubmitted to in improving them.

The first kind is mere fand. This foil, unless there is clay or marle at a few feet depth under it, (as is the cafe in the weft part of Norfolk, about Thetford and Brandon) will pay better by being planted with Scotch Firs and Larches than any thing elfe; efpecially, if in making the plantations, a little clay or marle be

mixed with the fand in the holes where each tree is planted; and this may be done at a small expence.

These trees will grow here very well. I know feveral large plantations, where the foil has been fo perfectly fandy, that there was not grafs enough to keep one fheep on an acre, and yet after being planted twenty years, there have been two thoufand trees on an acre, worth at the lowest eftimate one fhilling each as they ftood. A few acres of fuch land thus planted would be a pretty fortune for the younger branch of a family.

The fecond kind is boggy or wet moors, which are fometimes fo fituated as not to be drained without too great an expence. Whereever this is the cafe, fuch foils may be planted to great advantage, as Mr. Fletcher in his letter on this fubject, printed in your first volume, has juftly remarked. Afh for poles or copfing, will thrive here beyond expectation; and alders, with feveral fpecies of the fallow tribe, will grow rapidly, and in twenty years after planting pay a profit of three pounds per acre per annum, for the whole time. The expence attending it is confined almost wholly to the first five or fix years; for after that time little more is required than to keep up the fences, and the profit is certain.

The third foil on which planting answers better than any thing elfe, is barren rocky hills, which cannot be ploughed on account of the ftones lying level with the furface, or growing above it. In fuch places there are numerous little clefts or fiffures in the rocks