C ?>75 ] 



been, and I fear, ever will be, a fruitful fource of 

 error. The true principle of the drill method is 

 very far from being generally well underftood, even 

 by drill machine makers. They have dropped and 

 loft the principle on which the fuperior fuccefs of 

 that mode is fuppofed, or rather hioivn, to depend; 

 for clofe drilling, or any drilling that does not allow 

 intervals for thoroughly pulverifing the foil, and pre- 

 paring it for future crops, has little advantage over 

 the common method. I am afraid agriculture will 

 acquire little improvement from experimentors, till 

 they can be prevailed upon to aft upon more liberal 

 principles ; but while the paltry confideration of a 

 premium preponderates againft publick good, no 

 fuccefs can be reafonably expefted; the motive is 

 too felfifh for it to furvive the reward that gave it 

 birth; and they commonly expire together. 



I had begun a firft attempt to explain and enforce 

 the drill hufbandry, but my indifpofition became fo 

 great, that I was forced to abandon it; whether I 

 fhall be able to refume it, God only knows. 



[The latter part of this letter contained an affeftin? ac- 

 count of the author's growing infirmities, whi.h foon^fter 

 put a pcnod to his exigence, in the 83d year of his age. 

 rhc clcarnefs of his faculties, and the ardour of mind, which 

 he d.fcovered to the laft, for the pro.notion of ufeful know, 

 ledge together with the manly and virtuous fcnti.ncnts 

 which adorned his latter days, may not improperly be men- 

 t.oned here, as the probable fruit of a plain, active, country 

 Jjfe, which he had chofen and purfued.J 



