in which the Clay greatly predominates. 55 



ad infinituin to demonstrate tiie folly of old grass lands to 

 remain imtilkd, under the foolish idea of not inipoverish- 

 ins; the land. So far from being improved by sueh a state 

 of~rest, tlie lands, by being saturated with stagnant water, 

 become worse and worse every year; and one hundred acres 

 in this state, at seven shillings and six pence per acre, would 

 starve the tenant and his cattle, bring a very poor rent to 

 the landlord, and produce nothing to the public. Under the 

 management 1 have recommended, the income of the land- 

 lord may be nearly tripled, and the produce to the tenant 

 and the public increased in a tenfold degree. But I will, as 

 the Board requires, substantiate these assertions by further 

 experiments made under my direction on some lands in 

 Sussex, belonging to his grace the duke of Richmond, 

 and on others in Suffolk, the property of lord Rous. One 

 will be an additional proof of the utility of breaking up old 

 sour grass lands ; the other, of the advantage of restoring 

 lands'exhausted bv constant tillage into good and produc- 

 tive meadows. It may be necessary to say, that I applied 

 to mv two noble friends for an account of the following ex- 

 periments, and received permission to transmit them to the 

 Board. The farm of lord Rous consisted of two hundred 

 acres of land, half of which was old sour grass, let for 

 ninety pounds a year ; but previous to my riding over it with 

 his lordship, his steward bad valued it at one hundred and 

 lifty pound.s a year, allowing a specific number of acres to 

 be broken up every year, on condition that the tenant laid 

 down w ith hay seed an equal number of acres of the old 

 arable lands. 1 stated to lord Rous, that he could not have 

 a full and fair rent for his farm under covenants, or with- 

 out allowing the whole to be cleared, ditched, drained, 

 marled, and ploughed, except about ten acres near the 

 house. To these conditions lie readily, and from convic- 

 tion, acceded ; and 1 valued the estate (which was then let 

 at ninety pounds a year, and estimated with a partial privi- 

 lege of breaking up the old pastures at one hundred and 

 ilfty,) at two lumdred and twenty-five pounds ; for which 

 sum it was let to an unexceptionable tenant, so much ap- 

 proved of, that at the end of three years, before he had 

 reaped the fruits of his own industry, his lordship offered 

 him a much larger occupation, if he could find a tenant of 

 character to repay him for his expensive improvements. 

 Several candidates offered, out of which lord Rous selected 

 one who paid the outgoing tenant five hundred and filty 

 pounds lor his ditching, draining, and marling, and ex- 

 D 4 p ended 



