CHARACTERS. 



Sli 



not to leaTe off work, but to go to 

 still harder, that of my own under- 

 taking in improvement. 



The manner I proceeded in clear- 

 ing the land, which was chiefly 

 swamp, and produced what in ge- 

 neral grows on those kind of com- 

 mons, was as follows — the surface, 

 for the most part, was less than six 

 inches, under which was a bed of 

 loose stones of various sizes, from 

 half a pound to three cwt. or there- 

 abouts, but the latter generally ap- 

 peared above the surfaces To clear 

 away these was certainly a work of 

 great trouble ; but still it assisted 

 me in another respect, and on this 

 account it was so far an advantage; 

 for, on removing these stones from 

 (heir natural bed, they were car- 

 ried to places in which they might 

 be handy to face my banks, the ex- 

 tent and labour of which will be 

 seen by the imperfect, though nearly 

 correct, plan which accompanies 

 this narrative, as I thought it might 

 tend to throw more light on the sub- 

 ject, than my still more imperfect 

 narrative. j\Iy method was, first, 

 to enclose in part; to do which, I 

 was obliged to collect materials, that 

 [is, turf and stones, as I could pro- 

 [cure them ; which cost me great la- 

 (bour. After which, when I came 

 ftoclearaway to improve the grounds, 

 (the stones, as before-mentioned, 

 [did, by being used as I have said, 

 Iseparate my (extreme) enclosures, 

 |and divide the grounds into ditl'erent 

 ' departments, and assisted me in the 

 two grand objects of clearing the 

 ground and making the banks. As 

 the plan is too siriall to give it in 

 scale, it may be necessary here to 

 mention, that the banks are betw cen 

 five and six feet high, and four feet 

 broad, as I built them to be durable, 

 and though not exactly so, still very 

 1 



nearly in as straight lines as drawn in 

 the plan, having made them so, be- 

 cause, for a variety of reasons, they 

 are more convenient. 



In the spring, as the land became 

 dry, 1 began to cut up the surface 

 of the ground, exactly the same as 

 turfs for fuel ; which, being placed 

 iipright, with their upper ends touch- 

 ing, were left in this manner to dry. 

 As soon as this was accomplished, 

 they were placed in piles loosely to- 

 gether, and burnt. 1 then proceed- 

 ed to clear, binder the surface, the 

 loose stones as mentioned ; which 

 on being removed, as before related, 

 I came to a strata of rather light 

 loose clay, (there are some excep- 

 tions to this of not so good of bot- 

 tom), among which, at times, stones 

 were likewise found. For this rea- 

 son it became necessary, first, to 

 break all this ground up by hand, 

 not being able to use the plough, 

 which, when done to a convenient 

 depth to answer the purposes of til- 

 lage, was manured with the before- 

 mentioned burnt materials, to which 

 at times something more was added. 

 The corn was then sown, and turned 

 in with the plough, wheat, oats, and 

 barley in succession, with the latter 

 of which, grass seed was sown. It 

 was then suffered to lie fallow 

 for three or four years, at the end 

 of which it was managed by the 

 common methods of ploughing, har- - 

 rowing, and maiuuiug. This latter 

 requires great labour, for the rea- 

 sons above-mentioned, before it is 

 brought into a proper state for til- 

 lage. After this, a regular succes- 

 sion of different kinds of grain, lit 

 to keep the ground in the best state 

 for cultivation, is carried on. AfUn- 

 having improved as much as rcquiu- 

 cd my more innnediate attend 

 ance, and the produce of which 



tended 



