On clearing Land. 329 



about twelve acres, and covered one half with the bushes 

 and rubbish of the whole, in stripes across the field of 

 tM^enty yards wide, leaving intervals twenty yards wide 

 also. These intervals I leisurely manured well by cow- 

 pening. They w^ere left to diminish the labour of re- 

 moving the brush, and to diversify the experiment by 

 extending it to every quality of the ground. The land 

 remained covered and inclosed for four years, the stripes 

 were burnt, and with the manured intervals being then 

 put in culture, have since produced two very good crops 

 of corn and two of wheat, lying in clover ungrazed, 

 when not in cultivation. Last year, the clover would 

 have made a saving crop of hay ; this, the land goes 

 again into corn. It has been difficult from the begin- 

 ning to discover, whether the ground manured, or that 

 left covered four years with the brush, was most en- 

 riched. The latter seemed at first to have the pre- 

 ference, but the stripes and intervals cannot now be dis> 

 tinguished. The whole is probably richer than in its 

 virgin state, and its fertility is increasing, owing, pro- 

 bably, to inclosing, clover, and plaistering. 



I have done something towards this experiment every 

 year from its commencement. If there are no galled 

 places or gullies, the stripes are burnt at the end of 

 four years, if there are, the rubbish, too large to plough 

 in, being collected by forks and rakes, is accumulated 

 upon such places, which it enriches, by lying quiet four 

 years more. 



After the first four years, the annual repetition of the 

 experiment, began annually to furnish some acres of 

 land highly improved by brush. It has been suffered 

 to remain five years, with increased benefit. A com- 



G O 



