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died within the memory of man, remembered when 
neither of the fy{tems was conducted on any regu- 
lar plan. 
Theory of water-meadows.—The idea of watering 
meadows, fo far as it relates to bringing the water 
upon the land, was taken from ature. It muft have 
been always obferved, that winter floods produced 
fertility, provided the water did wot remain too long 
onthe land. The idea of taking the water of the 
the land at will, and bringing it on again at will, is 
the effect of art; and the knowledge of the proper 
time to do this, the effect of obfervation. 
A water meadow is a hot-ded for grafs. In what 
manner water acts upon land, fo as to produce a 
premature vegetation, before natural vegetation be- 
gins, is a philofophical problem, which it is not a 
farmer’s province to folve. It was fufficient for 
him to know that the fact was fo. Obfervation on 
the effects of water fo brought on, foon fhewed them 
at what period its good effects ceafed, and when it 
began to do mifchief. This obfervation, therefore, 
regulated the time of keeping the water on the 
land—and as this period was different, on different 
kinds of land, and at different feafons of the year, 
it became neceffary that they fhould have fuch a 
command of the water, as to fake it off immediately, 
_as foon as they found the ftate of the land required 
it. This, by degrees, produced that regular dif- . 
pofition of the water carriages and water drains, 
K 2 which, 
