320 Professor Buckland on Artesian Wells. 



sants. In Hampshire, he rejoiced in the occasion of recording 

 a much greater example of improvements of this order, now 

 in progress, on the property of the accomplished Baronet, who 

 so worthily represents this county in Parliament, and who, 

 like the noble and gallant Lord-Lieutenant of the county, has 

 placed himself at the head of those who are engaged in the 

 patriotic work of amending the productive capabilities of the 

 soil. Between Southampton and his hospitable mansion at 

 Hursley Park, Sir William Heathcote has already converted 

 to good arable land, large inclosed portions of the sandy soils 

 at Anfield and Cranberry Heath, by enriching them with the 

 permanent mineral manures of clay and chalk. Sir W. Heath- 

 cote has also adopted, on the farm he occupies at Hursley, the 

 practice of stall-feeding oxen, which is essential to produce 

 the great quantities of manure that are required for the ferti- 

 lization of all soils that are naturally poor, and without which, 

 the improved fertility of the chalk and sandy lands in Lin- 

 colnshire could not be sustained. He has rendered a further 

 inestimable service to the agriculture of Hampshire, by the 

 first establishment, in this county, of one of those agricultu- 

 ral steam-engines, which are so common on large farms in 

 Scotland and the North of England. The employment of a 

 steam-engine is one of several causes of the great profit of 

 farming in Scotland, and wherever it has been introduced in 

 England. That erected by Sir W. Heathcote performs the 

 work of thrashing, winnowing, grinding, and bruising corn, of 

 cutting chaff and turnips, cracking bones and beans, turning 

 a saw-mill, &c. ; and thus leaves a large number of labourers 

 free to be employed in the more profitable and improving 

 work of cleaning and cultivating more highly the ancient 

 corn-fields, of draining wet lands, and transporting chalk, and 

 clay, and marl, to enrich the surfaces of sandy commons. 

 Sir W. Heathcote had also dug wells at Hursley, which have 

 near connection with the well now in progress on Southamp- 

 ton Common ; and when this great and costly public work 

 shall be completed, the level of its water will probably be 

 found to oscillate in unison with the variations in the level of 

 the water in the wells of Hursley. 



The scientific search for water, and the scientific conver- 



