On the Gallaway Breed of Horses.

245

horses similar to these in Scotland, which were known by the name of Gallaways, the best of which sometimes reached the height of fourteen hands and a half. One of this description the writer of the present article possessed, it having been bought for his use when a boy. In point of elegance of shape, it was a perfect picture; and in disposition was gentle and compliant. It moved almost with a wish, and never tired. He rode this little creature for five and twenty years, and twice in that time he rode one hundred and fifty miles at a stretch without stopping, except to bait, and that for not above an hour at a time; and it came in the last stage as well as himself, with equal cheerfulness and alacrity as it travelled the first. He could have undertaken to perform on that beast, when it was in its prime, sixty miles a day for a twelve-month running, without any extraordinary exertion. He states these facts merely to show what is attainable by bestowing a proper degree of attention to the breed of this species of animal; for feats approaching to this are not common even among that kind. This breed. is now nearly extinct in Scotland, which is much to be regretted; for could a sufficient number of these horses be obtained to make a proper selection from among them for breeding from, it is difficult to say to what degree of excellence they might in time be raised. By a judicious cross also, their size might be improved without much abating their other qualities. A crofs between these and the Lanark breed would have been admirable for many uses, particularly for the plough in a district occupied by good farmers. In

1

remains of this breed are still to be found, though they are so much neglected as to be fast degenerating by intermixture with other breeds.

There is yet another breed of horses still to be found in the Shetland isles, which, though of a very diminutive size, are in other respects superlatively excel lent. Were I required to sketch out a model for a horse that were to pofsefs in the highest degree strength of body and lightnefs of movement united, I should take the picture of one of these. I have seen some of this breed that scarcely exceeded three feet in height, but would have carried a man of twelve stone weight a journey of forty miles in one day with ease : I need say nothing more of their strength and activity. In form, they are superlatively elegant; their body is much thicker and more compact than that of a blood horse; the muscles of the thigh and shoulder diminish gradually as they descend, till near the pastern they are as small and sinewy as that of the blood horse; their pasterns, however, are nothing near so lax, but firm and sinewy; the hoof hard and tough. The neck, towards the shoulder, is also firm, but towards the head it is small, and the head itself clean and light, with an eye that indicates health, strength, and animation. Could a horse of this kind be found of the size of one of the London drays, it would be an animal of inestimable value; yet this ereature, because its size is small, is neglected, and will probably be suffered to become extinct; as if it were not in the power of man, by judicious management, to raise this breed gradually to a larger size, and thus obtain an excellence among this species of creatures that has been hitherto deemed unattainable, merely be

eause we have only chosen to pamper with pleasure, large, lubberly brutes, that are fit for no purpose but parade and waste alone.

OBSERVATIONS ON A NEW MODE OF REARING

POTATOES.

To Dr. Anderson.

"DEAR DOCTOR,

Manchester, Nov. 7, 1800.

"DURING the last spring, when potatoes were at the immoderate price of 20s. and upwards per load of 240lbs, I was determined to try the experiment of planting some of the shoots or sprits, and compare the produce with what were gained on the same land, and from the same kind of potatoe planted in the usual manner by cuttings of the root itself, which has always appeared to me as a very extravagant system, and a great waste of provisions; it has, however, hitherto been deemed necessary, and that a crop could not be procured by any other means; a belief in which doctrine deterred me for many years from making the experiment myself. I selected in April last shoots of about two inches long (of which very great numbers may always be procured when the potatoes are taken out of the holes where they have been guarded during the winter), and planted them in drills, so as that they should be covered fully an inch with soil; in due time they appeared above ground without (I believe) a single failure, and with a very promising healthy colour, which continued during the

that they were too vigorous, and the haulm too heavy. I had them taken up a few days ago, and am happy to inform you that the produce is extremely good, and fully equal both in quantity and size to any crop in the county; so that I am completely satisfied with the result of the experiment. If you deem this information of any importance at this very interesting period, when every saving in the consumption of provisions is a duty we all owe to the community, you will use your own discretion in communicating it to the public."

The respect that I bear to this correspondent, and the impartiality which it is my constant endeavour to maintain, induce me to give the above experiment to the public fairly as it has been stated to me; but the duty I owe to my readers and the public, at the same -time compels me to add, that the result is so far contrary to my own experience, that I suspect there must be, on the one side or the other, some latent grounds of fallacy which remain to be discovered. To enable such of my readers as have opportunity for entering peculiarly into this very interesting investigation to judge in this case, I shall state a few facts that have resulted from experiments made with accuracy; and then suggest some hints tending to bring under view a few circumstances which seem not as yet to have been sufficiently attended to. I shall only premise, that I have frequently reared potatoes by the mode here stated; but the result was always so unfavourable, as never to excite an inclination to make an accurate experiment on that mode of planting: nor do I know

that it ever yet has been done by any one, though it has been mentioned vaguely by hundreds.

[N. B. The experiments quoted below were, together with several others, communicated to the Bath Agricultural Society, and were published in the fourth volume of their correspondence.]

"In the month of April, 1777, a piece of ground was prepared for the experiment. This had been in grafs some years, and now got a slight kind of trenching, barely to cover the sward, without any dung. It was found that this small piece of ground could contain exactly twenty plants in length, at sixteen inches from each other; and it was divided into rows, crossing these at right angles, at the distance of sixteen inches from each other also; so that the plants stood in squares sixteen inches from one another in every direction. The soil of this patch was thin and poor, insomuch, that when in grafs, the crop was so scanty as scarcely to admit of being cut with the scythe; but no dung was put upon it, on account of the difficulty of spreading it so equally as not to affect the accuracy of the experiment.

"On the 5th of May twenty plants of each of the following kinds were provided and planted, each kind by itself, in a single row; all the plants in each row being, as nearly as pofsible, of one size. A row of potatoes cut promiscuously having been first planted next the edge of the plot, for the sake of accuracy,

Ist row.

ounces.

Small potatoes whole. The twenty} 5

plants together weighed..