t '57 3 



It Teems to have been totally forgotten, that the 

 lands of all corn -farms, be they little or great, were 

 originally pafture, and in that (late applicable only 

 to grazing or the dairy: and many hundred thou- 

 fand acres of fuch land, worth only in that ftate a 

 fhilling or two an acre, have been improved by 

 means of the plough, to ios. 155. 20s. per acre, 

 and fome much more. Relinquifh the plough, 

 and thofe very lands would, by rapid degrees, revert 

 to their original ftate of unproductivenefs, and con- 

 fequently would be of no more value. It is with 

 lands, as with the occupations of men : fome are in- 

 comparably more lucrative than others; but all men 

 cannot be of thofe occupations which are the moft 

 lucrative, nor have they talents for it. Ralph may 

 poffefs every qualification necefifary to conftitute an 

 excellent ploughman, but, probably, no education 

 upon earth could qualify him for a Prime Minifter, 

 or a Lord Chancellor. So, many fields by proper 

 culture would bear excellent crops of wheat, to 

 which nature has denied herbage proper to fatten a 

 rabbit. Individuals in certain fituations may fuffer 

 by ill-judged converfion of land proper for grazing 

 to arables but I am of opinion, the practice is nei- 

 ther of fuch extent or magnitude, as to advance the 

 price of butter and cheefe, even fo much as a far- 

 thing a pound in the general market. Admitting 



then 



