IN

France.

N the year 1662, when Paris was afflicted with a long and fevere famine, Monfieur de Sallo, returning from a fummer's evening walk, accompanied with only a page, was accofted by a map, who prefented his piftol, and, in a manner far from hardened refolution, afked him for his money. M. de Sallo, obferving that he came to the wrong perfon, and that he could obtain but little from him, added, I have but three piftoles about which are not worth a fcuffle, fo much good may do you with them; but, like a friend, let me tell you, you are going on in a very bad way.' The robber took them, and, without afking him for more, walked away with an air of dejection and terror.

me,

The fellow was no fooner gone, than M. de Salio ordered his page to follow the robber, to obferve where he went, and to bring him an account of all he fhould discover. The boy obeyed, purfued him through feveral obfcure ftreets, and at length faw him enter a baker's fhop, where he observed him change one of the pistoles, and buy a large brown loaf. With this falutary purchase the robber went a few doors further, and entering an alley, afcended several pair of fairs. The boy crept up after him to the topmott ftory, where he faw him go into a room, which was no otherwife illuminated, than by the friendly light of the moon; and peeping through a crevice,

he preceived the wretched man caft it on the floor, and bursting into tears, cry out, There, eat your fill; this is the dearest loaf I ever bought: I robbed a gentleman of three piftoles; let us husband them well, and let me have no more teazings; for foon or late thefe doings muft bring me to ruin.'

Thefe expoftulations were anfwered by thofe of the whole family: And his wife, having at length calmed the agony of his mind, took up the loaf, and cutting it, gave four pieces to four poor starving children.

The page having thus performed his commiffion, returned home, and gave his mafter an account of all he faw and heard. Sallo, who was much moved, (as what Chriftian breast can be unmoved at dittress like this) commanded the boy to call him at five next morning. This humane gentleman arofe, and took his boy with him to fhew him the way; he enquired of his neighbours the character of the man who lived in fuch a garret, with a wife and four children, by whom he was informed, that he was a very induftrious man, a tender husband and a quiet neighbour; that his occupation was a fhoe-maker, and that he was a neat workman, but was overburthened with a family, and struggled hard to live in fuch dear times.

Satisfied with this account, M. de Sallo afcended to the fhoe-maker's lodging, and knocking at the door, it was opened by the unhappy man himself, who, knowing him at firit fight, to be the gentleman he had robbed, proftrated himfelt at his feet. M. de Sallo defined him to make no noife, affuring him he had not the leaft intention to hurt him. You have a good charac

ter (faid he) amongit your neighbours, but must expect your life will be cut fhort, if you are fo wicked as to continue the freedoms you took with me. Hold your hand; here are thirty piftoles to buy leather; husband it well, fet your children a laudable example. To put you out of further temptations, to commit fuch ruinous and fatal actions, I will encourage your industry. I hear you are a neat workman, and you fhall take measure of me and my lad for two pair of thoes each, and he shall call upon you for them.

The whole family feemed abforbed in joy: Amazement and gratitude, in fome ineafure, deprived them of speech. M. de

Sallo

Sallo departed greatly moved, and with a mind replete with fatisfaction, at having faved a man, and perhaps a family, from the commiffion of guilt, from an ignominious death, and perhaps from everlafting damnation. Never was a day much better begun; the consciousness of having performed fuch an action, whenever it recurs to the mind of a rational being, must be attended with pleasure; and that felf-complacency and fecret approbation, which is more defirable than gold, and all the opulence of the east, will be the attendant on fo much benevolence.

II. The kiln-duft that falls from the malt in drying, appears to be an advantageous manure for wheat, especially if laid on as a top dreffing; for a farmer having manured an acre of land with dung in the ordinary way, and manured another acre with 80 bushels of malt-duft after Chriflmas, by way of top-dieffing, the former produced only 32 bushels and an half, an acre, and the latter 41 bufhels. He tried alfo every other method of culture upon fmall parcels of one acre each, and found none produce fo much as thefe. The crop produced from the acre manured with dung was much fouler than that produced from the other, fo that the malt-duft, befides bringing a better crop, does not stock the land with weeds,

Sixty-four bushels of malt-duft is the proper quantity to lay on an acre for barley, and for barley it fhould be laid on at the time of fowing.

This manure, however, is best where the foil is clay or ftiff loam; in a gravel it may burn the crop, if the feafon happens to be dry, not otherwife, for the firft fhower of rain washes it in, and fecures the сгор.

Nothing furpaffes this manure for cold grais grounds, to the amount of about 60 bufhels to an acre; it produces a furprizing increase of sweet feed.

III. Wet paftures, i. e. fuch as have a loofe, woodcock, brick earth foil, for about 20 inches, and under that clay to a great depth may be greatly improved by the following method:

Make ditches fix feet perpendicular deep, 7 wide at the top, and three at the bottom round every field; if the fields are large divide them into pieces of five or fix acres each, by new ditches; these ditches must be made with a defcent from one to the other, fo that no water may remain in them, but be carried off.

In the banks of the ditches, white thorns fhould be laid, 50 roots to a rod, but never mix hazel with any fence, for when the nuts come it will certainly be pulled to pieces; oak and afh only enable idle people to get over the hedges with greater eafe, and fallow, willow, and elder grow deftroy it. fo faft that they overshadow the quick and

When the ditching is done, and ready to receive the water, the fields must be land-drained, fo that every part may be laid dry; if the furface is not exactly level, the drains fhould be cut through the loweft part; if the furface is level, the depth of the drains fhould vary, fo as to make a defcent.

Thefe drains fhould be about 32 inches deep, 20 wide at the top, and 4 at the bottom, and fhould be filled three inches deep with wood or stone.

The clay thrown out of the ditches is an excellent manure; 100 loads to an acre if unmixed, if mixed with muck in the proportion of 20 bushels to 50, 80 load is fufficient,

IV. A hoved calf was cured by thrusting a pen-knife through that part of the fwelling which rofe higheft near the hipbone, and putting the barrel of the largest quill that could be got, into the orifice.

V. Four large spoonfulls of unflaked lime put into a puncheon of 90 gallons of putrid ftinking water at fea, will, in a night's time, make it as clear and sweet as the beft fpring water juft drawn,

VI. It is reckoned good husbandry to fow clover with fpring corn, yet fometimes, if the fpring is backward and cold, and the fummer wet, the clover will get too forward, and overpower the corn; to prevent this, fow the clover a month after the corn, there is no danger of its failing though the feafon fhould be dry. The feed fhould be fcattered on the ground with

out

out further care, for there is no need either to roll or harrow it. The roots and blades of the barley will keep moisture enough in the land to fupply the fmall want of the clover during its infant growth, and when the barley is off, it will thrive amain.

VII. It is good husbandry, after the haulm is brought in, to carry out the dung, and lay it upon the land where the wheat grew the last harvest, and spread it forthwith: It will enfure a good crop of beans or peas the next year, and the land will be more free from weeds than if the dung is laid upon the fallow.

It is alfo good husbandry, as foon as beans have got fix leaves, to turn fheep in among them; they will eat up all the young weeds, even the mellilot, and not touch the beans: Sheep may be kept among beans till they are ready to bloffom, but they must be kept gently moving about, and not fuffered to lie down.

VIII. In lands, where wheat is apt to be winter-proud, fow old wheat inftead of new; for that will always be backwarder in its growth.

IX If corn or hay happens to heat in the mow, and is in danger of firing, cut in it a round hole like a well, quite to the bottom, which will act as a chimney, or flue, to carry off the heat. A mow of barley, which was greatly heated by a horfe having been indifcreetly got upon it, to tread it, was faved by this expedient.

X. It has been found advantageous to fow wheat without laying on any manure; and, in the beginning of February, to lay twenty bushels of lime, unflacked, upon every acre, and forty bushels of fand, or the rubbish of a brick-kiln; then, about the end of the month, to flack the lime, which doubles its measure, and mix it well with the fand,and immediatelay afterwards to fcatter it, by way of top-dreffing, over the green wheat. As rain generally fucceeds, it is foon washed down to the roots of the plants, and gives them a vigour and ftrength, that, to thofe who never made the experiment, is aftonishing.

XI. What will destroy the fly in theep, will alfo cure the fcab, and the remedy for the fly is this:

Take of good corrofive fublimate, Lalf an ounce; diffolve it in two quarts of rain-water; add a gill of jpirit of turpentine; ufe this mixture as follorus:

When the fheep is ftruck, make a circle round the maggots with fome of the water, by dropping it out of a bottle: This prevents their getting away, for they will not come near the water: Then shred or open the wool within the circle, & drop a few drops of the water among them, and rub them about with the finger, and there leave them, for they will all die presently.

To a quart of the above water add a pint of the fimple lime water of the London Difpenfatory, and it will infallibly cure the scab.

XII. Farmers in general cut their oats too foon, and inn-keepers complain of the thinness of their oats with good reafon. They ought to be cut as foon as the oat corn bites dry, and before the oat parts too easily from the chaff or cheft which enclofes it. Oats cut green will never ripen in the field.

XIII. The fame is true of barley, which is alfo frequently cut before it is ripe. Moft farmers, if they fee the grain full, dry, and hard, imagine their barley must be ripe; but the only fure fign of its being fit to mow is, the drooping or falling of the ears, io as to double against the ftraw. If it is then cut, and not before, it may be carried in directly, without danger of heating in the mow.

XIV. Smut in wheat may effectually be prevented merely by washing it well in a large tub of water, ftirring it violently with birch brooms, and fkimming off the light corn and impurities.

XV. To fatten pigs fafter and better than in the common way, put up none but young porkers; put only four in a ftye; the first week feed them moderately on barley, oatmeal, peas, or beans: During the third week, give them the antimony twice. It purifies their blood, gives them an appetite, & makes them thrive apace.

XVI. Vale land will produce good crops of turnips, but on fuch land turnips are feldom fown, because they cannot be fed; and if they are drawn, the tap roots leave holes, which fill with water, and four the land. But if, immediately after drawing the turnips, you go over the field with a heavy pair of drags, they will fill up the holes, and make the land yeild a good crop of barley.

(To be Continued.)