Page:Willich, A. F. M. - The Domestic Encyclopædia (Vol. 4, 1802).djvu/429

395&#93; BAR to each of the male plants, in order to separate them from the females, the latter of which are then to be pulled up. Towards the end of July, espe- cially if the weather be wet, the stalks of the asparagus should be cut down, the beds be forked up, and raked smooth. In case the season be dry, Mr. Weston irri- gates the beds with the drainiiigs of a dung-hill ; leaving them some- what hollow in the centre, for the better retention of the water or rain. In the course of 12 or 14 days, the asparagus begins to ap- pear ; and, if the weather be very dry, the wintering ought to be re- peated once, or twice, every week. —By such method, he observes, a constant supply of this vegetable may be obtained, till the month of September, when hot-beds will become necessary ; so that, by making five or six of the latter, during the winter, a regular suc- cession may be procured, through- out the year, ASS. — Thh useful animal is chiefly employed for drawing huck- sters' carts, and similar burtiiens ; but it appears from an experiment, made by the Earl of Egremont, and recorded in the 37th vol. of " Annals of Agriculture,'' that asses may be advantageously put in harness, for tlie draught of wag- gons. His Lordship, early in the BAR [395 year 1800, formed a team, con- sisting of six of thfse male ani- mals ; and during the term of nine months, he found them of great service. The creatures brouglit one chaldron and aq«arter of coals twice a day, in a waggon, from the can il ta his house at Petworth: they were gentle, and docile; during the winter they had no oats, subsisting wholly on furze, holly, and the bands of the trusses of haj consumed by horses. As, there- fore, asses arc very hardy, and may- be kept at a trifling expence, we recommend this experiment to the attention of our country readers, and readily subscribe to the opinion of Mr. Young, that " they vdl] be found by far the cheapest team that can be used." ASTRONOMY. — In addhioo to the later elementary books al- ready mentioned in this article, wc recommend the two following, as being well calculated to give youth an idea of the planetary bodies, and their revolutions, namely, Mr. P'ekguson's " Young Gentlemaiis and Lady's Astronomy familiarly explained," in 10 Dialogues, 8vo- 1/08 j and Mr. Bonnycastle*» " Introdu6iion to Astronomy ," Svo. 1786: this work is written in a series of Letters, in which the most interesting parts of the science of Astronomy are unfolded, and illustrated with engravings. B. BARK- — Dr. Darwin consi- ders the bark of the trunks of trees to be similar to that of their roots. of which he conceives it to consti- tute a part ; inasmuch as it consists of an iutertexture of the vessels, that