lgo4. Memcirs cf John Cockhurn hjq. \'<^l 



wheat, turnips, rye-grafs and clover, planting potatoes in the 

 fitlH, and feeding of cattle and (lieep : all which were attempted 

 by Mr Wight fo eavly as i 724, 25, and 26. Mr Wight v/as pro- 

 bably the iirft tenant who raifed turnips in drills, and cultivated 

 them with the plout^h. He brought the tultnre of this root to 

 fuch perfection, that, in 1736, a turnip of his raifing, which 

 weighed 34I lib., was carried to Edinburgh, and hung up in 

 John's Cotfeehoufe as a fliow. 



Thefe letters, indeed, breathe the fpirit of a father addreffing his 

 children, and prove his extreme folrcitude, though at a diftance, 

 refpe<?(:ing the welfare and profperiry of every perfon whofe lot 

 had fallen upon his cflate. In a letter dated 24th February 

 1735, he expreffes himfelf in the following flrong terms" ' My 

 tenants are quite upon a ditrerent footing than thofe of other 

 people; and all of you are intereiled in the future as well as 

 the prefent profperity of the place ; which is not the cafe with 

 people who are only from year to year, and, at the end of the year, 

 or at moil at the €nd of a few years, are not fure of having any 

 more to do with the place or parifh. But the advantage of your 

 childrens children, in fome meafure depsnd3 upon your putting 

 a h':!ping hand in advancing improvements; and your children 

 ^re fure of being the better of what you do, which is not 

 the cafe with your neighbours. * Numberlefs extracts of this 

 nature might be offered, all proving, in the ampleft manner, the 

 tender zeal which influenced Mr Cockburn to watch ovex the 

 concerns of thofe below him with a p.'uriarchal anxiety. But 

 we fliall content ourfelves, at this time, with prefenting one en- 

 tire letter, which mark3 liis chara6ler more accurately than 

 any thing in our power to urge, leaving the remainder as an 

 occafjonal (lore, vv'hence our readers may derive the mofi ufeful 

 inflruclion. 



* 1 received yours of the 16th July,*the morning I left Bath. 

 The manner in which you v.Tite ftn-prifed me, for T had heard 

 of nothing but dii^culties from others who had written to me 

 iibout country affairs and improvements. I read it oace over 

 hefore I fet out, but, as I travelled along, could not help pulling 

 it out feveral times to fee if I was not miilaken, when I fancied 

 that you found fome things anfwer, even in this extraordinary 

 year, and that you was far from being diicouraged, but employ- 

 ed your thoughts in iinding out cnires and remedies, rather than- 

 in llarting difhculties. You are the only perfon about Ormiflon, 

 from wliom I have heard any thing, fmce I left you, but of the 

 bad fuccefs we have had in every thing that has been tried, and 

 objec'lions and infuperable difficulties to every thing that c^n be 

 ?:ropofed for 2}.t^'^i"S ^^^ .^ood old hufbandry of our fathers, 

 *" " ' I 4 indeed, 



