filled with veins of earth to a confiderable depth, which the roots of trees will follow and find fufficient nourishment in. Many inftances of this may be found in the counties of Somerfet, Gloucefter, and Dorfet, where the wifdom of our forefathers induced

them to try the experiment. On the North flope of Mendip hills in particular (a fituation as unfavourable as moft, on account of its being a bed of rocks expofed to the bleak North and East winds) we fee beautiful woods of large extent hanging over the parishes of Compton - Martin, Ubley, Blagdon, Hutton, and Churchill. In thefe woods, although the timber is not large, the growth of the pollard trees and copfe-wood must every twelve years bring in confiderable fums to the owners, although the land for any other purpofe would not be worth one fhilling an acre.

In planting barren mountainous fituations, full of ftone, no par ticular directions can be given as to the number of trees per acre, for you must follow the veins of earth where they are deepest; but in general plant as thick as you can, for this will beft prevent the bad effects of tempeftuous winds, by the interior parts being fheltered from them.

In thefe fituations intermix Scotch Firs, which will fecure lefs hardy trees from the fury of the winds, efpecially if a double row of them form the boundary. As the furfaces of fuch places are moftly craggy and uneven, be careful to plant your trees in the little hollows, for two reafons: first, because there is moft earth and moisture; and Secondly, becaufe

in these cavities the plants will, while young, be moft sheltered from the winds. Fear not to plant too thick, for as the plants increase in fize and hardinefs, you may thin them at pleasure, and the wood will pay for the labour.

Your young plants fhould be raised in a fituation as fimilar as poffible to that where you intend they fhould continue; for if they are tranfplanted out of a rich warm nursery, it would prove their deftruction. As there is feldom fufficient depth of foil among the rocks to receive long tap-roots, the plants which naturally have them fhould be cut off when they are first taken from the feed-beds and planted in the nursery. By treating them in this manner, although their vigour will be checked for the firft year or two, until they have fent forth a number of lateral roots, they will recover their ftrength, and prove equally thrifty with others.

Thefe plantations may be made with beech, birch, oak, afh, fycamore, and black poplar; al ways obferving to place the tendereft trees in the least expos ed fituations, where they are sheltered from North and Eaft winds. In places where the foil is very thin, raife little hillocks about the young plants, which will greatly encourage their growth.

In fuch bleak fituations, plant as late in the fpring as you can with fafety. April is a month in which it may be expected the most ftormy weather is over, and all the kinds of trees I have mentioned may safely be replanted at that time. But your nursery should always be near the fpot you in

tend

tend to plant, or else the roots of your young trees will get dry, and their buds be rubbed off in carriage.

During the first three months after planting, they fhould frequently be examined, and the earth made faft about the roots, otherwife they will be loofened by the winds; but after that time they will have put forth new roots fufficient to hold them fecurely.

The upright English elm, and the wich elm, may alfo be properly introduced in thefe fituations, for they are hardy trees, and, when once rooted, grow well on rocky foils. The timber of the latter is very valuable for naves of carriage-wheels, and boring for water-pipes.

If oaks, chefnuts, or beech, or indeed any other tree that sheds its leaves in winter, grow crooked, make incifions with the point of a knife from top to bottom in the hollow part. This will occafion the tree to increase in bulk more in those parts than in any other; and by this fimple eafy method, I have known many a crooked tree grow ftrait and handfome.

I fhall be happy if thefe few obfervations may in any degree prove useful, or tend to encourage planting in your counties. I am, your's, &c.

that which comes fresh from the fprings, or that which has run a confiderable courfe above ground, we fhall give the following extracts from divers letters which have been fent to the Society on the fubject, without prefuming ourfelves to determine on the point in difpute.

I.

I apprehend that in most of the flat parts of this county hot-fprings may not abound; and that in places where there are any, their virtue is not known; fo that the inhabitants (without choice or confideration, in many inftances) ufe only that water which has run fome way, and is become foul by floods, But in the neighbourhood of Chard, and doubtlefs in many other places in the county where the benefit of good fpring-water is known, it is preferred, and the farmers flood their meadows with it immediately from the fprings, finding its effects fo fertilizing as fufficiently to maintain their meadows in good heart, without any

other aid.

Near Taunton.

II.

R. P.A.

I should have answered your letter fooner, but wifhed to know the opinion of fome of my friends on the fubject. On enquiry, I find that their fentiments coincide with my own; and are as follow:

That water running from a fpring, or out of a rock, is often preferred to water from a river that has paffed fome way. I apprehend, however, that this is not

always the cafe; but fometimes quite the reverfe. Springs coming immediately from a rock, or from the earth, are, I apprehend, of very different qualities. A fpring

coming from a lime-ftone rock, I fhould think by much the beft for watering meadows, which is the cafe at Orchefton in Wilts, where that famous grafs grows, which produces an amazing crop in thofe feafons when the meadow can be watered with the fprings gufhing out of the lime-ftone rocks. At other times, when the fprings are low, the land does not produce more than a third of the quantity. It is understood by the farmers here, that water is very much impoverished by watering a great many meadows on the fame ftream; and that thofe meadows at the head of the stream are much the best on

that account, except where there are a great number of farm-yards draining into it; which, in my opinion, makes up in part at least for the deficiency. Maningford.

III.

J. A.

Water feldom, if ever, promotes vegetation, unless it be in a mixed or heterogenous ftate. It is therefore neceffary, previous to the flooding of meadows, to examine of what nature and quality your water is. All water that paffes through beds or veins of minerals, or which contain calcarous nitre, copperas, allum, &c. is highly prejudicial to grafs lands. But water that iffues from chalk cliffs, or lime-ftone rocks, or fand and gravel, is in general friendly. The beft teft is its foftnefs, which may easily be known.

The quantity of water that is let over the land fhould be in proportion to the nature of the foil, and the heat of the season. If the

foil be fandy, gravelly, or chalky, and the declivity confiderable, the

more water is wanted, and it should remain the longest, efpecially if the weather be warm, and it be a fouth afpect.

If your water has run a long courfe above ground, the fouleft is the beft; but that coming immediately from chalk or lime rocks is warmeft, and much to be preferred to foul muddy water in general. I muft however obferve, that water in a ftate of putrefaction is poifon to vegetables, and therefore ought never to be used for this purpose. S. B.

IV.

Water when carried over meadow-lands after heavy rains, depofits a fertilizing fediment which enriches the foil, and turns the mould blackish. It alfo promotes the fpeedy putrefaction of every vegetable and animal fubflance found in the earth, and thereby contributes to the melioration of the foil uuder the fward or turf.

Care fhould however be taken, that the quantity of water brought on the land be only enough to give vigour to the plants without overcharging their veffels. Never water your lands in very hot weather, for when the veffels of the plants are filled, by the heat caufing it to afcend fuddenly, a fudden cold morning will greatly injure the herbage.

If the fpring proves dry, paftures may be watered as foon as the frofty feafon is over. But if the winter has been fevere, and the earth remains moist, no current of water fhould be admitted till the earth is fettled, and the furface becomes dry; for the gentleft ftream would carry off the fine mould loofened by the froft. After the grafs fhoots, and the feason

becomes

becomes mild, water fparingly. In the fummer never water but in great drought, nor even then, unlefs the water be perfectly clear . and fweet; for muddy water would render the grafs foul, and give it a bad taste.

The best water is that from clear warm fprings, and the fofter the better; but if that cannot be had, brooks which are become foul by running in a muddy channel, will be the next beft. For a ftream which continues clear after it has run a confiderable way above ground, is generally cold, and impregnant with metallic, mineral particles, both which are deftructive to vegetation.

V.

or

J. F.

On the receipt of your letter I confulted my meadow floaters, who are unanimously of opinion, that the fooner the water is thrown over the meadows after it arifes out of the fprings, the more efficacious it will be.

We have no fprings on the hills in this part of the country, as in the neighbourhood of Bath; but our meads are full of them, and we apply the water iffuing therefrom as foon as poffible to the lands. We find the fpring water is better for this purpofe than river water, on account of its being warmer in winter, and cooler in fummer.

clear foft water. Being defirous of proving which would be most beneficial to the land, I have divers times in different years tried both.

In a wet winter, I can eafily, at flood-time, when the river is very foul and muddy, float all my meads by opening the bank by the river fide. This I have done feveral times, and a great deal of fediment has been left behind on the retiring of the water. In this cafe, I have generally had a large crop of grafs the fucceeding fummer, but I have always found it ranker, and the hay lefs fweet, than at other times.

When I have turned the water of my fpring over the land, I have found the produce equally great, and the hay much finer and fweeter than in the other inftance. I have alfo obferved, that those meads which firft received the water from the fpring, were most luxuriant; and those which it ran over laft the leaft fo. I am therefore of the opinion, that the best and moft fertilizing water for meadow land, is that which iflues immediately from warm foft fprings,

Firft; "What kind of water have you found moft efficacious?" &c. I answer, That which has firft ran a confiderable way as a brook or rivulet, or rather as a large and rapid river.

I formerly occupied fome watermeadow not many miles diftant from this place, where there is a great deal of land watered from the Kennet, a very confiderable river which rifes at a village of that name not far from Marlborough. The occupiers of thofe lands are uniformly of opinion, that the more thick, turbid, and feculent, the water is, the greater will be the benefit to be derived from the use of it: And the opinion is certainly well fupported both by reafon and experience. Hafty fhowers, and very heavy rains, dilute the manure, and wafh away the fine pulverized earth from the adjacent lands for many miles around; fo that as the waters increase, and become more rapid, they alfo become more replete with fertilizing matter, as is vifible to the eye by the quantity of fcum, mud, and fine earth, remaining on the furface when the water is drawn off. The benefit derived from flooding may in general then be computed, cæteris paribus, from the quantity of feculent matter depofited by the water, for it is, I believe, invaribly found to be in proportion there

to.

Secondly; "Is the water of land-fprings?" &c. I apprehend no certain particular anfwer can be given to this general question.

The effects of the water of land fprings muft depend upon the nature of the ftrata through which it paffes, and may be beneficial or

otherwife to vegetation, as that might be if applied in fubftance. Calcareous earths, in general, are friendly and conducive to vegetation; and from thence it feems probable, that water iffuing from limestone-rocks, would promote the growth of vegetables in proportion to its impregnation by the calcarous matter.

The effects of limeftone-water have never fallen within my obfervation; but from what I have obferved of land-fprings, I have often thought the benefit from them was nothing more than from the fimple fluid as a conftituent part neceflary to the accreation of all bodies, abftracted from every principle of nutriment but what is contained in water as fuch only.

However, there cannot be a doubt, but different fprings are impregnated with different qualities, the particulars of which cannot be known but from obfervations of their effects.

Thirdly; "Which ever is preferred, or found beft, why is it fo?" &c. The answer to the first part of this question is contained in the answer to the first question. It is fo, because it fupplies more copioufly that matter or fubftance which is the pabulum, or food of plants, and what is the material fupport of vegetation; without which it would as neceffarily cease, as an animal would die without food.

And, fourthly; "What is the modus operandi of the benefit arifing from the floating of meadows?"

Perhaps this queftion, strictly and philofophically fpeaking, is as little capable of a fatisfactory anfwer, as, What is the effence of matter, or that fubftance which

fupports