Another advantage of ftandards, and that no fmall one, is, that their fruit is more likely to escape the ravage of those numberlefs infects which harbour and breed in every crevice of a wall, and adhere to the branches nailed to the wall. I muft add to this, that the many, and fome of them large, wounds which are made in trees, in order to make them fpread in a certain ftated form, render them, and efpecially fuch as are apt to gum, much fhorter lived than they would naturally be; which is a very manifeft difadvantage, because the older trees are, while they continue found, the better and higher flavoured is their fruit. Indeed fome trees do not bear either in plenty or perfec-, tion, 'till they have attained their full growth; by which time they are often deftroyed by the fometimes neceffary, but more frequently injudicious, ufe of the knife. Now a standard efcapes that danger.

A farther reafon which renders walls the lefs neceffary is, that the fruits planted against them ripen before the fun has acquired its full force in this climate. This is what happens to all our apricots, to most of our nectarines, and to the finest of our peaches: for it is well known, that the month of July is our hottest season, and that the heat of that month will therefore the most perfectly exalt the juices and flavour of fruit.'—

Our Author has furely mistaken the time when peaches and nectarines are ripe. He is greatly, but we think needlessly, afraid, that fuch of them as are planted against walls fhould be ripened before they can have the benefit of a July fun. Some few forts may perhaps, be ripe in that month; but most of them will re-. quire the addition of Auguft, not to fay September, to render them fit for the table, notwithstanding all the advantage they can receive from a common brick-wall.

Mr. Mills, instead of peaches and nectarines, (as his argument required) gives us an inftance, that

An apricot tree transplanted fome years ago, even into a field, bore fruit, in the very unfavourable fummer of 1763, much higher flavoured than it had ever done against a wall, or indeed than any tree against the wall had ever borne, in the garden from whence it was tranfplanted; though the field was exactly the fame foil as the garden.' The fame thing (he fays) happened to a green gage.'

Walls (he allows) may be neceffary for the later peaches: though even a Catherine peach (he fays) will ripen on a standard, in a favourable fituation.". Credat Judæus Apella!

The Catherine peach, according to Miller, when planted against a wall, and in a good season, may be ripe by the middle of September.

Next follow fome very judicious remarks and directions in

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regard to the replanting of fruit trees from the nursery; for which we muft refer to the book, p. 236, et feq.

As Mr. Mills is not fanguine enough to fuppofe that what he has faid against the expediency of fruit walls, will entirely banifh the use of them; he next treats of the management of trees planted against walls.-In this article he has chiefly followed Mr. Miller; though he, notwithstanding, gives him a lafh, in paffing, at p. 248.-The following article relates to the management of fruit trees in Espaliers:after which fucceeds the management of [his favourites] Standard Fruit Trees.

After having thus pointed out the feveral methods of obtaining each fort of fruit from the tree; he confiders, in the laft place, the means by which it's poffeffor may beft and longeft preferve that reward of his expence and care. A closet surrounded with good walls, and furnished with double doors, (he thinks) promifes the best fuccefs. In this clofet, different compartments, or bins, may be made of brick, which continues drier than ftone. Large jars, or cafks, will answer the fame end, when clotely stopped; and fo do boxes: for the first should be exposed to the air as little as can be.'

He then adds the following anecdote; of which, it seems, he made a memorandum when the fact was related to him: viz. • Chance convinced an excellent and attentive housewife of the fuccefs of fuch care as is here recommended for the prefervation of fruit. Her refidence was then in Switzerland, where the houses are generally built of ftones, with thick walls, in which there frequently are cupboards, which fhut with doors exactly fitted to them. In one of thefe, this lady put a plate of fruit; but, by chance, this cupboard was not opened till fome months after, when, to her great furprize, the fruit was plump and found, and had loft very little of its original flavour.'

He concludes with directing the fruit to be packed up close in veffels, or bins, with a layer of dry ftraw betwixt each layer of fruit; and then to be kept perfectly dry, as above-mentioned, till wanted for use.

Sect. III. which treats of the Orchard, feems more proper than fome others, for a fyftem of Hufbandry; but as it contains little new, being chiefly copied from Evelyn and Miller, we shall not give any Extracts from it. We muft, however, remark, that we think Mr. Mills may be under a mistake, when he alerts, that almost all the Kentish Cherries are gathered from trees planted in Hedges.'The writer of this article has travelled through the whole length of Kent, more than once; and has, occafionally continued for fome weeks together, in a part of that County, abounding both in cherries and apples: but he cannot, at prefent, recollect that he ever obferved either of them commonly growing in the Hedge-rows. The moft ufual practice, (betwixt Rocheiter

Rochester and Canterbury, in particular) is to plant their fields with the above kinds of fruit-trees, in ftrait lines every way, and to plow between the rows for a crop of corn. And the year following they ufually cross-plow the fame field; by which method no more ground is loft from the plough, than a small fquare plot, where each tree is planted; and, at the same time, the trees themselves are greatly benefited, by those frequent ftirrings of the earth about their roots.

Sect. IV. contains many useful directions relating to the Diftempers of Fruit-trees; for which we refer to the Book.

Sec. V. (Of the Culture of the Vine) is chiefly adapted to the ufe of those who are inclined to try their skill in the management of a Vineyard.-Tho' Mr. Mills feems doubtful as to the fate of Vineyards in England, yet he appears certain that they may be brought to perfection in our American colonies, where he thinks they may be rendered an object of importance to the induftrious inhabitants; for whofe ufe this Section is profeffedly intended, as well as the next, upon the Culture of Olive Trees.But as neither of these articles feems to fall within the province of a mere English Husbandman, we shall proceed to the laft Section in this volume, which treats of the Culture and Management of Hops.-The Directions here given for the management of this useful plant, are very diftinct and minute, but too prolix for our insertion. We fhall therefore content ourselves with giving Mr. Mills's account of the annual charge of an acre of Hopground, in moft parts of England where hops are cultivated, which (he fays) is computed thus, viz.

1. s. d.

3 O

4

In all 15 O O per ann.

But then he alfo adds, that in fome places they pay 4 or 51. an acre yearly for the rent of the land; and in the next paragraph he owns, that if the husbandry part be hired, it may coft 31. 10 s, an acre. -He likewife owns that an acre will require 3000 poles, which may coft after the rate of 20s. for an hundred, i. e. 301. for the firft poling of an acre; and that a recruit of 500 Poles yearly will be neceffary to keep an acre of hop-ground in conftant repair. Here is a yearly expence of 51. or, if they coft but 15 s. an hundred (which is his lowest price) of, at leaft, 31. 15 s. per ann. to be added to the intereft of the

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money funk in the fpoling,-which must have been 221. 10 s. ar the lowest price of poles mentioned, viz. 15s. an hundred. So that Lis original computation of only 41. for the wear of the pil, is certainly too low, according to his own account. We are therefore clearly of orin on, that 201. is much nearer the real annual expence of an acre of hop-ground; agreeably to what we have been told by feveral experienced Kent:th Planters. Mr. Mills computes the produce of an acre, at an average of years, at the rate of 30 l. a year; which, we apprehend, may be pretty near the truth: for tho' an acre may sometimes be worth from 50 to 80 1. or even col. (as he alledges) yet, at other times, its produce has been frequently known to be worth nothing at all. We therefore think that he is quite right in cautioning the hufbandman, whofe circumftances are but middling, against embarking too far in this very expensive, and yet precarious branch of agriculture.

In Part V. which begins Vol. V. Mr. Mills treats of the making and managing Fermented Liquors.-The Introduction to this Part is, Concerning Fermentation. And here our Author the more regrets that we have not yet any rational fet of experiments on this fubje&t, because he owns himself not fufficiently acquainted with the chemical principles on which Fermentation depends, to fupply the deficiency. He therefore proposes only to felect the moft judicious directions or remarks that have been hitherto made on this head, by others; particularly Boerhaave from whom he gives us the following process of Fermentation. The mafs of crude fermentable liquor, at firft refting, and poffeffing a certain fpace in the [containing] veffels, gradually begins to fwell, rarify, and conceive an inteltine motion, through its whole body, acting upwards, downwards, and fideways, in ftrange circumvolutions, without ceafing, though with a different force. In the mean time, bubbles are every moment formed in every part of the mafs, and conftantly endeavour to rise up to the furface, where they burst with a hiffing noife, or often break in the mid-way. Hence the whole mais froths, difcharging with an audible ebullition a certain tartifh fpirit, which proves acrimonious to the nofe, furprisingly elaftic, and capable of burfting almost any veffel by its great expanfive force.'-[The following remark deferves particular regard. If a large vefiel full of fermenting Muft, in the height of its action, fhould difcharge this condenfed fpirit through a fmall orifice, and a strong healthy man fhould draw in at his noftrils the vapour fo iffuing, he would inftantly fall down dead: or if he received but little thereof, he would become apoplectic, and remain an idiot his whole life.'

The following practical obfervation may be of use to such as iew or prepare their own liquors; viz. that when the fermenta

tion is finished, and gone off, then the veffel fhould be immediately flopped down, and the liquor kept for fome time in its lees, a great part of which will be affumed and affimilated by the liquor, which will thereby become richer and ftronger in fpirit, than it was before. If the veffel is not ftopped down, the spirit produced in the fermented liquor will foon exhale, and leave behind only a vapid ufelefs fluid; but if the liquor is kept quiet in a clofe veffel, it will gradually become more pure and fpirituous.'

Chap. I. OF Wine.

Mr. Mills obferves, that the directions given in this Chapter may, with little alteration, be adapted to the juice of other fruits in general, as well as to that of the grape in particular. This circumftance may render what is here faid of greater use to the English busbandman, than it would otherwise be.

'A due degree of maturity (he obferves) is effentially neceffary in every kind of fruit, the juice of which is intended to be made into wine; because the juice of unripe fruit is a rough acid liquor, which cannot be made to undergo a vinous fermentation, without great difficulty.'-This, we fear, will always remain an infuperable obftacle to the making wine, of the grape, here in England; where that fruit is rarely brought to a due degree of maturity, in any fufficient quantities, for that purpose. -In fome measure, however, to remedy this great inconvenience, he directs, that

In cold countries, where, for want of the fun's having force enough to mellow and enrich the juice of the grape, the Muft is thin and poor; [there] fugar, or dried grapes, fhould be added to the Muft, to give it a body.'

At p. 43----45, and at p. 54, 55, Mr. Mills attacks fome particulars, advanced in Mr. Miller's account of making WINE, as given in his Gardener's Dictionary, in a very ungenteel, not to fay illiberal, manner; confidering the great obligations he himfelf owes, in all his preceding volumes, to that (in general) very judicious and inftructive work. So that even fuppofing what he here objects to Mr. Miller, to have fome juft foundation, yet we must be of opinion, that he certainly ought (all things confidered) to have expreffed his cenfure in terms not fo harfh, as thofe he has really made ufe of.Let any impartial reader confult the pages referred to above, and judge whether our opinion, in this particular, be well founded, or not.

The colour of Wine, Mr. Mills fays, is frequently artificial. He adds, Wine may be naturally of a pale dilute red; but a deep red is almoft always the effect of artificial additions, as of the red-woods, elder-berries, bilberries, &c. In France, no fecret is made of thefe practices, the colouring matters being qu blicly thrown out after they have been ufed.-Turbid wines are

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