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the fame quantity planted with vines, or of good 

 meadow-land; and according to the manner of 

 reckoning, a diftrid which had one thoufand ar- 

 pents* of arable land, would receive lefs profit 

 from its produce than that which had one thoufand 

 arpents of vines, or one thoufand arpents of mea- 

 dow-land ; however, this is not owing to the corn, 

 but to the foil; for they fow it with corn, becaufe 

 it is not good enough for meadow-land or vine- 

 yards ; and if the profits of an arpent of arable be 

 lefs than that of meadow-land, it is becaufe the. 

 foil of the one is not fo rich as that of the other. 

 If corn werefown on a foil naturally good, without 

 the help of manures, I am perfuaded that more 

 advantage would always accrue from arable lands 

 than from meadow. The fame comparifon cannot 

 be made with refpedb to vines, becaufe they muft 

 have a particular fituation. But corn is more 

 eafily cultivated than grafs; for although they are 

 two plants of the fame fpecies, the former will 



• I am obliged to ufc the word arpent t as our Englilh acre does not 

 anfwer to it ; and I know no other word in Englifli applicable. The 

 common arpent in Switzerland is called a pofty and meafures 40,000 

 fquare feet; the arpent of Paris, 100 perches, reckoning 18 feet to 

 the perch, is 32,400 fquare feet ; but as the foot of Berne is lefs than 

 that of Paris, in the proportion of 1500 to 1440, the arpent of Paris 

 contains 36,735 feet of Berne; and as the difference is but »a65 feet, 

 one may be taken for the other, without any error of confcquencc.— 

 ^. B, The EogUih acre contains only 40 perches. 



thrive 



