[62 J 
it, and if it has, it is to make it lighter. This 
kind of down land is, as has been already obferved, ~ 
in general the fweeteft pafture, and even the appear- 
ance of heath upon it does not indicate that it would 
not be fo, if it were properly ftocked and clofe fed. 
But however burnbeaking may be proper in 
proper cafes, for breaking up new land, it isa matter 
of very ferious confideration, how far the fyftem of 
burnbeaking lately introduced, and which feems to 
gain ground as a general /y/lem, upon old arable land 
on Wiltfhire downs, can be reconciled to the rules 
of good hufbandry. 
This fyftem feems to have a tendency to fubvert 
the long-eftablifhed hufbandry of Wiltfhire—zhe 
Joeep-fold, and to introduce a fyftem, which, how- 
ever proper it may be in fome parts of the kingdom, 
is not at all applicable to this diftri@t, and appears 
to carry with it the feeds of its own deftruction. 
The general fault of the foil, of a great part of 
Wiltfhire down land, is, that it is already ‘ too 
“light and too thin.” ‘The fheep-fold is particu- 
larly adapted to remedy this fault, by adding to the 
cohefion of the land. Uf this fyftem be right on fuch 
land, a continuance of burnieaking muft be wrong. 
In my opinion, this fyftem originates in “ that 
« pride or vanity of fheep ftock,” which has been 
fo often mentioned, and which has already been 
fatal to a neighbouring county, [Hants] and is 
doing mifchief to the hills of Gloucefterfhire. 
BENEFICIAL 
