66 Agriculture.[Jan- 1

ciety examined the minutes sf the proceedings of their Committee 5 and ap- proved the præmia wbhich.the Committee had voted for the improvament of the breed of black cattle, and for thecultivation of waſte ands.—T'hey exceedingly approved the reſolution of the Dire@ors to give a piece of plate of the value of 1 5 guineas to the Rev. Mr, Bremner, Miniſter of Walls, in Orkney, tor a ylan fug- geſted by him to ſave the lives of perſons ſuffering hipwreck by means of a certain proportion of caſk or cork to be fixed to any common ſhip’s boat. A Sub-Committee reported, that this plan had been brought into aQual experi- ment; and that it was fully aſcertained that a boat prepared agreeably ts Mr. Bremner’s plan, will not ſink, though full of water, and can ſcarcely be overſet by-any violence of the waves.—The Society farther reſolvéd to apply te Parliament, and to his Majeſty’s, Miniſters, to ſolicit, that ſpeedy meaſures may be taken to improve and extend the fiſheries, to open up communications by roads and bridges, to cut canals in certain places, and to encourage the woollen manutaŒures.—The meeting voted its thanks to the Britiſh army of Egypt, and eſpecially to the 42d regiment.—They re- ceivèd the report of the Secretary, intimating, that he had correſponded on the objets of the Society, with Mr. Vanhittart of the Treaſury, and with the Dublin Saciety, ¡which has produced from both thoſe quarters, ſeve- ral highly agreeable communications,—T'hey réferred to the Dire&ors, a very ſenſible letter from Mxr. Baron Hepburn on the ſubje& of winter-teeding. and‘green crops, as alſo certain communications and ſuggeſtions from Mr. Girváän of Leith, relative to che ſalt-laws, fiſheries,&c.—=The Society had great pleaſure in finding, that the ſtate of its funds would enable it to leave a targer ſum than uſual, at the diſpoſal of the Committee of Dircâtors, for pro- moting, during the current year, the ends ofthe Inſtitution. His Grace the DukLé of Argyle was re-eleSed Preſident.—After the adjournment, the Mem- Ders dined together, as uſual, at Fortnne?s Tontme- Tavern.

A Correſpondent who had lately occaſion to-travel in Hertfordſhire, in- Forms us, that the plaſhing of the hedges, 1s there performed in a manner extremely walteful, and in all appearance, very little effeœ@ive. The ſhoots are cüt more than half through, ſo that they either die immediately, or if preſerved, are ſo weak that the hedge can afterwards have but very little ürength. He récommends, on the contrary, to dreſs, the hedges when the ſhoots may be intextwined with very little cutting 5 and to addthe briar, the black-thorn, the buck-thorn, and the willow to the hazels and other plants now common n thoſe hedges, Theſe additions would thicken the hedge, render it more formidable to cattle, and admit of-being entwined in their growth, without any neceity for the preſent deſtruétive pradice of plaſhing., Pray might not that admirable hedge-plant, the caus opuntia be naturalizéd, though it were cven in a dwarfiſh and unfrunful variety of it, in this climate>?

The total gnantity of grain neceſſary in Britain for bread and ſced=corn, is eſtimated at 8,497,338 quarters,

‘There‘are ot cultivated land in England and Wales, 11,350,501 acres in tillage’; 16,796,458 acres in paſturage.—Ofwacultivated(and 3,51 5,2 5 acres fit tor tillage of paſturage,—2,148,92x acres ft: rather for planting only,— 35454,9040 occupied by tawns, villages, roads, rivers,&c. The tôtal meaſurernént of England and Wales is thus, 37,265,855 acres.- There are for each perſon of the population, four acres of ground barrenand prod udtive, or three acres of producCiive ground.

Chaptal the French Minifiér for Internal Affairs, publiſhed, ſome time ſince, a treatiſe, the reſult of much laborious enguiry and many expériments, on the culture of the vine and tbe preparation and management of‘wine. ‘That treatiſe was intended for the direélion of all the propriétors of vine- yards throughout the republic. To render it- fully beneficial,‘oiÆtolcpic miſ- ficnaries have been recently ſent into the diffrent wine-diftri&ts, td inſtrué the peop!e by a(ual praîice, in the methods which Chaptal has. recommended,

Oúe cf thoſe miſlionar:es, is Mr, Cadet-Deyaux-,