Extract of another letter on the fubject of the Root of Scarcity. I do not wonder that those who have met with a bad fort of feed which has produced plants with the crowns close to the ground, and roots with many fangs, fhould condemn it. But a fample which is now growing in the old kitchen garden of H, many of which rife a foot or more above the ground, have determined Mr. C to try it in his farm next year. The first root he attempted to pull up, he expected to require great ftrength; but it up came fo eafily, that he tumbled backwards, and carrying it to his farm-yard made his arms ache, fo as to convince him there was fome fubftance in it; he weighed two roots, one of 24, the other of 22 pounds. What originally induced me to try it was, that I found many people condemn it without trial, and that I could not meet with any body who had tried it. F reported my first trial of it to Dr. Lettfom, who inferted my letter in the gentleman's magazine, in spring 1789. That great philanthrophift imported a large quantity of the feed, which he fold for the benefit of the humane fociety, and small debtors; it is no wonder, that as no feedfman was employed, they fhould all abufe it unfeen. One farmer of this neighbourhood from the fight or rather from feeling the weight of mine, was induced to fow four or five acres of it in the following fpring, which he found of fo great benefit to his lambs when weaned, that he determined to fow fifteen acres laft fpring. He had then just got one of the Reverend Mr. Coke's patent drilling machines, and ploughed his land in ridges as directed in the pamphlet fent with it; but having given rather too good measure, he took a furrow from each ridge for at Tow of potatoes. His two first fowings (one I think was in February, the other in March) almost all ran to feed, and he fowed fome turnip feed on the ground, which will account for his not having turned his lambs to it as in the preceding year, and for his sheep having mangel wurzel, potatoes and turnips at the fame time, which he mentions in the note I inclofe you, which he sent me in anfwer to one, defiring to know what fault his fhepherd had found in mangel wurzel, as he did not seem to like it the last time I had seen him, when I had not an opportunity of gathering an explanation. I think you will admit the note (which was written in haste, while my fervant was waiting) to be a candid one, and to come from a fenfible man. You are welcome to make what use you please of any part of it. Yours, &c. WHEN ewes are put to turnips every feason, they are at first affected by the change of food fo much that fome die: they are by the fhepherds frequently injudicioufly treated, giving them too much at firft: This feafon was very wet when my fheep began to mangel wurzel and turnips, two of them died,-I have about twentyfeven fcore, and I dare fay every perfon feeding fheep on turnips alone, loose as many in proportion. For the time, my fhepherd declares he never faw fheep do better; and where my latest fown mangel wurzel was, he never faw more food on my farm of turnips in the fame space. I was from home the whole time they were eating mangel wurzel, they had finished two days before I returned. At that feafon I never faw my ewes look better; my fhepherd now approves mangel wurzel, which is more conviction than I expected: but potatoes, he fays, are fuperior to all other winter feed for fheep; and mine are fonder of them than ei ther turnip or mangel wurzel. They had of each before them daily for fome weeks. I fow ten acres of mangel wurzel in April, and hope to ascertain its value on my foil next season. *In a future number will be given, an account of fome experiments with this root by the fame. Hear, ye powers above, our prayer, February 7th 1790. } D. C To a folitary Star in a ftormy Night. Hail! fweetly twinkling, maiden ftar, So, gently charms the melting fair, Slow gath'ring, dims its sportive fire, ! While care untroubled mortals fleep, Fair orb, who o'er the fhaded plain Or does thy pitying eye explore The friend, who, from a distant shore, And weeps like me till dawn of morn? Slow rifing in the filent air, Doft thou our mutual forrows hear, O! could I on my wifhes rife, Back to my eyes at least restore Edinburgh, 1.} January 7th 1791. F. R. S. Farther Particulars concerning the use of Gypfum as a manure in North America. Copy of a Letter from Mr. H. Wynkoop, of Verden Hoff, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, 13th August 1787, to the Prefident of the Agriculture Society at Philadelphia. " SIR, a "Convinced of the utility of plaster of Paris as a grafs manure, I communicate to you, for the information of the fociety, an experiment which I lately made. In the month of March last, as foon as the fnow was off the ground, and fo fettled as to bear walking upon the furface, I fpread eight bushels of the plafter of Paris upon two and a half acres of wheat ftubble ground, which had been fown the fpring before (in common with the reft of the field) with bout two pounds of red clover feed for pafture; this fpot yielded, about the middle of June, five tons of hay. A fmall piece of ground within the inclosure, and of fimilar quality, having been left unfpread with the plafter, afforded an opportunity of diftinguishing the effects of plafter of Paris as a manure; for, from the produce of the latter, there was good reafon to judge that my piece of clover, without the affiftance of the plafter, might have yielded one and ahalf tons of hay; fo that the eight bushels of the pulverized stone must have occafioned an increase of three and a half tons of hay upon two and a half acres of ground; in addition to which, it is now covered, to appearance, with between two and three tons fit for the fcythe. This foil has been in courfe of tillage about fifty years, and never had any dung or manure upon it, but yet was what might be called good wheat land. As the effects of the plaf ter, were thus powerful upon fuch kind of ground, there is good reafon to conclude they would be much greater upon a foil previously manured. With due refpect, I am, &c. To the Prefident of the Agricultural |