j8o4' Review of Survey of il^e County of Cavati, 223 



felvcs by no means dilpofed to fuhfcribc. The abolilion of fal- 

 low feems to be a favourite idea ; he introduces it at p. 19. and 

 ajrain at p. 226. Among other reafons which he afligns for his 

 favourite cloclrine, he alleges that the ground will not be injured 

 by too much expoiure to the atmofphere. * A very eminent a- 

 gricultuviil,' fays he, * uirtrts, the more that the foil is plouc^h- 

 ed in fummer, the more is the vegetable food exhaufted. * We 

 mean not to enter into any controvcrfy with this eniinent agricul- 

 turift, but ihall only fay, that we generally oxpcO the bell crops, 

 when our fallows have been molt completely wrought ; and this 

 fame expectation or prejudice perhaps is founded, we imagine, 

 en experience. The author feems to have thought of fallow, 

 for no other purpofe, but that of rcfting the land : * We will 

 find, ' fays he, * by introducing intermediate vegetable crops, we 

 entirely abolifli the ufe, or rather the abufe of fallov/, which the 

 moll celebrated writers on agriculture, and the bell farmers, now 

 entirely condemn. ' We know not what he means by vegetable 

 crops ; the crops, with which we are acquainted, are all vegetable. 

 But, was the author really ignorant that even good farmers fome- 

 times think fallow necefiary for cleaning land ? To contend 

 againil it as necefiary only for refting the kind, is to combat ^ 

 man of llraw. 



The author exprefies himfelf in ftrong terms, too, on the nu- 

 merous difadvanrages of broadcall, and pronounces it to be high 

 time that it were expelled for ever. We venture to predicl, that 

 he Ihail never fee this happy revolution in agriculture accomplifh-r 

 ed. Does he ferioufly think that drilling could be advantageoully 

 introduced for all crope in the ' ilifF brown clays ' of Cavan, for 

 inilance ? It is furprifmg that even fenfible men fhould fo often 

 fuffer themfelves to be milled by theory, and found general rules 

 , upon particular and local initances. Becaufe, upon foft and 

 pliable foilsj drilling may be preferable, fnail we conclude that 

 it ought to be pra6lifed likewife on the moil hard and obdurate ? 

 We might as well infill, that arm.ed rebels ought to be treated 

 with the fame gentlenefs as peaceable and loyal fubjecls. 



We find no portion of this work fet apart for difcufling the 

 obflacles to improvement, but only occafional fa£ls and remarks 

 relative to this fubje«£l, vvhich deferve attention. The county of 

 Cavan cannot be laid to fuffer from any tax direOIy on land. 

 Tile only burden of this kind is a cefs, which does not exceed 

 3-^d. per acre •, but it is laid on in a manner Ibmewhat curious. 

 The county is divided into 8000 carvaghs, and the cefs is laid on 

 at fo much per carvagh ; though we are told (p. 221.) that fome 

 of thgfe contain thirty acres, others not more than hve, and no 

 material difference in the quality of the foil. Human ingenuity 



coul'^ 



