^^y^. jA^nculnirai Inteifigence- — Eiiglamh 489 



Notvvithftandinrr :he indifFtrent appearance of the wheats in fpringf, 

 they fu (lalnc;d the fcverity oF the dtoup;ht better than other cropa, and 

 proiDife to be very produdive. Con/iderable duiibts, however, are en- 

 tertained, that the oat crop is of a difFerent defcription, efpecially what 

 was produced upon light foils. B.uley ia unequal. Upon deep foils, 

 \k\ good condition, ft is not only of fine quality, but will yield a plenti- 

 ful return. Snch fields as received much fpring- work, caniQ up uneven-. 

 ly, and the produce is coarfe. Beans and peas are univtrfally fhort, and 

 potatoes are very fcanty. 



From repeated obfervationS, it is believtd that thofe farmers are moil 

 fuccefsful, who trull little to the fpring time for cleaning their land. 

 Should the fcafon be favourable, the young plants get a itart that enables 

 them to combat adverfe circumilances afterwards ; but if the feafon ia 

 unfavourable, feed work is executed with difficulty, and often to little 

 purpofe. This doctrine applies particularly to the barley fields, which 

 often pay the farmer impcrftdlly, becaufc they have not been prepared 

 in the proper feafon. 



Turnips hardly dtfcrve the name of a crop, Thofe fields which 

 fprung equally, and withilood the dry weather in the early (lages of 

 their growth, were aflailed by the caterpillar in Auguft, and very few 

 have been able to withlland the attack. Thofe that remain arc Jickly, 

 have a fa*tid fincll, and Hiow bulbs not much larger than potatoes. Such 

 a pitiful crop has not been feen fince the inlrodu(5lion of turnips into 

 this country. 



From the want of after grafs, and the i'"ailure of turnips, both black 

 cattle and iheep have been pulhed prematurely into the fhambles, which 

 will operate feverely againft a fuitable fupply at an after period. The 

 iait tryil at Falkirk exhibited few fat cattle^ but a confiderable number 

 of lean ones appeared, which went off at much higher prices than ex- 

 peded. The lalt day of the market had a greater fale than the pre* 

 ceding ones, and all were fold. 0^. 21. 



E N G L A N JD. 



Leitsrfi'om a Scotch Gentleman, dated Cl'tfton^ mar J^rijiol, ^uly 26., 



* Since writing yon lad (p. 363.), I have made a long tour through th'^ 

 fbuth part of SufTex, Hampfliire, Wilts, Dorfet, Devonfhire, Cornwall, 

 and am now ftationed, for the prefent, in Somerfet. To dcfcribe fuch a 

 trad^ cf country, where much is to be admired, and a great deal to be cen- 

 fured — where a proper fyilem of agriculture would double the prefent 

 riches of the country — where nature, foil, and climate, have done fo 

 much, would require a much abler pen than mine. I (hall endeavour, 

 •however, to give you a fhort, but very inadequate fl<:ctch, of the beau- 

 tiful and romantic county of Devonlhire. 



The boundaries you will fee defcribcd upon the map of Enf^land, 

 ftretching from th.e Engliih Channel on the one fide, to the 13rillol 



TOL. lY. wo. x\'i. T t t Ghaand 



