1 6^8 Advantages of Agricultural Puhlicat'ions. April 



TO THE CONDUCTORS OF THE FARMER'S MAGAZ1N6 



On the Advantages of Agricultural Publications. 

 GENTLEMEN, 



As a friend to Britifli Agriculture, which I confider 

 as one of the chief pillars of the State, I beg leave to 

 exprefs my hearty approbation of the dcfign in which 

 you are engaged, being convinced that important advan- 

 tages may be derived from fuch a Publication. I have 

 long wifhcd to fee a regular Agricultural Pamphlet, and 

 remember well the attempt made by Mr Auld, to publifli 

 fomething of that kind about twenty-five years ago, which 

 failed for want of coirefpondents and public countenance. 

 I approve fo m.uch of your Firil. Number, that I fhall be 

 very glad to contribute any aid in my power to the fuc- 

 cefs of the undertaking ; trufting that, under the direc- 

 tion of pra£lical men, agriculture may be refcued from 

 the hands of fpecious theorlfts, who have, in many in- 

 ftances, feized upon a fcience, which evidently belongs 

 to profefhonal people. 



The only opinion or advice which I can think of ha- 

 zarding at prefent relative to your work, is, that care 

 fliould be taken net to admit papers liable to miilead the 

 pradlical farmer, or to ferve tlie purpofes of thofe vul- 

 garly called jobbers. In Mr Auld's Scots Farmer, many 

 papers were inferted totally inapplicable to the hufband- 

 ry of Scotland, and confequently ufeiefs to his readers : 

 A want of arrangement was alfo conftantly difcernible : 

 And I have reafon to believe, that thefe and other de- 

 fers proceeded from the editor being ignorant of the 

 art propofed to be elucidated in the courfe of the publi- 

 cation. 



"With refpeft to one grand point of improved huf- 

 bnndry, the ufe of the Drill Plough^ I fliould be glad to 

 fee fafts and conf^quences well fifted and examined, in 

 your Magazine ; being of opinion, that, properly at- 

 tended to, it may be of the molt important benefit to 

 agriculture, and to manufactures, by increafing and 

 cheapening every produce of nature, applicable to the 

 food of the people. Likeuife, I fliould wiih to fee 

 much attention paid to every kind of labour, and every 

 fpecies of economy capable of being adopted with ad- 

 vantage in our Britifii Georgics j by which means, and 



thofe 



