Volume 4

A new and complete system of practical husbandry; containing all that experience has proved to be most useful in farming. Either in the old or new method; with a comparative view of both; and whatever is beneficial to the husbandman, or conducive to the ornament and improvement of the country gentleman's estate / By John Mills.

  • Mills, John, -1784?
Date:
1762-1765
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A new and complete system of practical husbandry; containing all that experience has proved to be most useful in farming. Either in the old or new method; with a comparative view of both; and whatever is beneficial to the husbandman, or conducive to the ornament and improvement of the country gentleman's estate / By John Mills. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    « This difpute, the fubjeft of which is high]/ tnterefting to all countries where beer is the com¬ mon drink, excited a naturalift to examine the na¬ ture of this mildew; and with the afilftance of a tnicrofcope he percefved it to be full of the eggs ©f little infefts, which fly in vaft numbers in the air while the hop is in bloffom. Thefe infefls gnaw the leaves even of trees, and, like others ot their fpectes, undergo various metamorphofe.,. This difcovery induced him to believe, that, as snfeiSs are not apt to attack perfeftly healthy trees, or vigorous plants, but only fuch as aie. feeble and fickly (they being indued with fuch nice fen- facions as to diftinguifh by the outfide only, per¬ haps by the fmell, a plant which is vitiated within, though it may appear to us to be quite fair and found), hog dung might probably give fuch vi- o-our to the hop, as to render thefe little animals afraid to attack it: for it has been remarked, that the infers which nip a leaf, leave it as foon as they find in it an abundant juice, the fairs Oj, which, it may be prefumed, are two flrong for them •, and that they fix on thofe only which be¬ gin to decay and lofe their fap. —- Afhes may like- wife have the power of hurting them, and it’s falts may be capable of giving them difturbance. But late experience hinders us from, giving entire thefe two remedies, and fhews, that if they have fometimes preferved hops from the efFedts of the mildew, we are not to conclude that they will always anfwer this defirable end. A very good hufbandman faw his hops tpoiGd by the mildew, notwithftanding the dung with which they were furrounded, and the allies that were, thrown upon them : in a little time, the leaves of the plants were covered with millions of final! white infefts. The afhes indeed feemed to kill them; but, as was obferved above, they at the fame