XXXVlll INTRODUCTION. 



tatoes may be ralfed ia large quantities, by a careful manage- 

 ment of odd pieces of land, head-lands, the borders of 

 fields, the banks of ditches, the foil of orchards, and for 

 bringing forward all rough grounds, for corn culture, &c. 

 it is the ftrong recommendation of this Society that thofe 

 objecEls fhould be efpecially kept in view. 



Another objeil: of national attention, and confequently of 

 this Society's notice, of late, has been, that of corn-mills. 

 However well or ill founded the proverbial ftigma, liberally 

 caft on the generality of millers^ has been, it was to be ex- 

 pected that in a period like the late one, (of which we have 

 treated) the ftigma (hould be increafed ; and that a ufeful 

 fet of inen in the community fliould be doomed to fevere 

 anitnadverfion. But common prejudice is often over-pro- 

 portioned to the delinquency of a clafs of men — for the 

 known inftances of wrong condu^ in a few individuals are 

 too generally transferred at random to the bulk of a pro- 

 felTion. This illiberality is often encouraged by perfons 

 who too eauly credit a running report, without doing them- 

 felves the juftice of confulting their own better underftand- 

 ines, or means of information and reafoning. This is a 

 propenfity cleaving to human nature, rather than a criminal 

 dcfign. But there is one point of view, in which the ge- 

 neral topick of fappofed illicit conduct in millers may be 

 properly confidered — I mean o^ [mall millers, who grind for 

 hire, (for by iar the greater number of the largeft millers 

 are not in habits of fuch grinding, and are feldom requeftcU 

 to do it) which is, that dilhonclly in the article of toll does 

 not affect the nation by lelTening the national flock of grain : 

 It affefts the private pockets of thofe individuals who cm - 

 ploy fuch millers ; and if they happen to be poor perfons, 

 the hardihip (if as real as fuppofcd) muft be feverely felt, 



where 



