On Fhrhi Grass. 137 



themselves are used to raise, with all their hcasted agric\i]tural 

 skill, from their best grounds ; while much of mine shall be found 

 growing on land, from most of which that same great agricultural 

 skill of theirs cnuld not extract any produce — to wit, cold, 

 wet, peaty ground, biu-ned down (for greed of ashes) to a tough, 

 viscid, iucoml>ustib!e moory clay ; — and also peat moss twice 

 cut out for turf, and now brought down to within twelve inches 

 of the perpet\iallv stagnant water, and often flooded. 



My inspectors also will see, and I hope report (though 

 not for competition) that the rest of my meadows retain their 

 usual value, and that my ninth and tenth successive crops of 

 Fiorin, growing on light dry upland ground, have not iti the 

 least fallen off. 



I like to taunt incredulity, and therefore tell these unbelieving 

 farmers of Mr. Farey's, that the grass they reject, thrives, and 

 luxurintfs equally on the top of the mountain and bottom of 

 the vallev; thanks to my noble friends the Marquises of Hert- 

 ford and Abcrcorn for enabling me to establish this important 

 fact, on their respective mountains. Nor, taking the question 

 a priori, is it unreasonable to ask these sceptics to concede that 

 this .same Fiorin grass, already in possession, and almost ex- 

 clusively, of every green mountain in our islands, must, when 

 fostered by man, — stimulated by manure, — and protected from 

 its enemies, thrive and htxvriate in the same soil and elevation 

 where it grows spontaneously without any of these aids. 



Had Mr. Farey's obstinate friends the faculty of drawing con- 

 clusions, they would soon find to what stupendous consequences 

 this hardy habit of Fiorin nujst necessarily lead. 



Our mountains are desolate, because they will not produce 

 food for man without manure — nor winter sustenance for his do- 

 mesiic cattle^ to afford him mamire audm/lk. Give him hay in 

 abundance (as Fiorin will rapidly and cheaply), all his difticuities 

 vanish. Hay pToduces milk and manure. Hence potatoes, rye, 

 and black oats. 



Great projuietors mav soon restore the population of the 



mountain Highlands of Scotland. Enable the holders of small 



tacks to suppiv themselves with hay, they cease to be claimants 



1 shares of the widely extended pastures, or rivals of the wccalthy 



a/.iers, and sheep feeders. A verv few acres in the glen^ and 



llcyi will enable them to feed themselves, and to derive their 



her necessaries from their domestic indcstry. 



What a field is here opened for the establishment of a manu- 



i-turing population ! Cheap land — food easily raised — fuel in 



lundance. Nor is weighty capital required: — the attentive eve 



r d fostering hand of the proprietor are nearly all that is re- 



jiiisitc. 



But, 



