AGRICULTURE. 



perience of the farmer himself, or are de- 

 rived from the experience and practice 

 of others, it is desirable that he should 

 ever be free to avail himself of them. 

 The liberal ideas on this, subject, which 

 have been suggested by the best writers, 

 and adopted by enlightened landlords, 

 will unquestionably, in time, and it is hop- 

 ed rapidly, prevail, to the almost total ex- 

 clusion of those narrow and pernicious 

 notiors which have hitherto existed. 



It is desirable that the farmer should 

 occupy a sufficient tract of land to en- 

 gage lis time, not irregularly and occa- 

 sionally, but fully and completely, by 

 which means his attention is not distract- 

 ed from this important employment to 

 others which would interfere with it, and 

 necessarily prevent its correct and profit- 

 able management ; and those idle habits, 

 connected with public injury and individ- 

 ual ruin, are effectually precluded. A large 

 farm, therefore, generally speaking, is far 

 preferable to a small one, in this as in eve- 

 ry other point of view. Some persons, not 

 having employment for themselves in the 

 superintendance of the different depart- 

 ments of husbandry on their land, have 

 recourse to personal exertion, and sub- 

 stitute themselves for labourers, a plan 

 which is extremely unwise. The true ait 

 of fanning consists, not in driving the 

 plough, or engaging in other menial of- 

 fices, but in allotting and superintend- 

 ing latour, in recording its results, and 

 contrring how and where to dispose of 

 it to the most perfect advantage. To 

 read, uid think, and attend the public 

 markets, and regulate accounts, and ob- 

 serve .vhat others in the same occupation 

 in the neighbourhood, or even at some 

 distance, are engaged in, is of far more 

 importance to the advance of agriculture, 

 and the profit of the individual cultivator, 

 than for him to engage in those manual 

 operations, which,in consequence of more 

 practice, are generally performed with 

 more rapidity and success by common 

 labourers. On urgency of business, or as 

 an example to his men, and to give their 

 employment that estimation and dignity, 

 the idea of which will ever render them 

 at once more happy and more dexterous 

 in it, it will be extremely proper for him to 

 engage occasionally even in these, and 

 iiis education ought always to have been 

 such, as to enable him to practise them 

 with some degree of skill and neatness, 

 by which he will of course be better ena- 

 bled to judge when they are well perform- 

 ed by others. But let him consider him- 

 self as the manager of a grand manufac- 



turing establishment, requiring peculiar 

 and incessant vigilance; of a concern, in 

 which occurring contingencies, often re- 

 quire a change of plan, in which the ex- 

 ercise of judgment is perpetually demand- 

 ed ; and through the want of a sagacious 

 and presiding mind, the manual labour of 

 many, convertible to extreme advantage, 

 may easily become productive only of 

 mischief, or may have substituted for it 

 negligence, indolence and dishonest}'. 

 This situation of continued superinten- 

 dance is the proper situation of the far- 

 mer ; and in proportion as he does not 

 occupy land sufficient to require it, he 

 engages in the profession with incorrect 

 views, and misemploys his time. 



But whatever this quantity of land may 

 be thought to be, differing certainly in re- 

 lation to different individuals, the im- 

 portance of adequately stocking and pre- 

 paring what is actually occupied is ex- 

 treme. To unite the portion of land ne- 

 cessary to occupy the time of the experi- 

 enced farmer, with the complete means of 

 its fertility and improvement, affords the 

 most suspicious foundation for the hope 

 of success. For frequent and fine tillage, 

 and abundant manure, which are essential 

 to the perfection of husbandry, consider- 

 able expense is demanded. The most 

 skilful servants, the most correct imple- 

 ments, the most robust cattle, are neces- 

 sary to produce that improved tilth, which 

 is the most productive cultivation, and 

 will amply repay the extraordinary ex- 

 pense incurred in obtaining them. The 

 procuring of manure in abundance, to re- 

 pair the exhaustion of the soil, and not 

 only keep it in heart, but cany it towards 

 that point of fertility, beyond which ad- 

 ditional expense will be incapable of re- 

 turning proportional produce, is also a 

 matter often of extreme difficult}' and 

 cost. The importance indeed of adequate 

 means is so obvious, that it might perhaps 

 by some be scarcely thought excusable to 

 insist upon the subject. But the frequent 

 and ruinous neglect of this consideration 

 will, by others, be regarded as an ample 

 justification of enforcing most emphatical- 

 ly and repeatedly the idea, that the per- 

 fection of agriculture can never be attain- 

 ed without an unembarrassed and abun- 

 dant capital. With an inadequate capital, 

 on a large extent of land, the same conse- 

 quences will take place, which formed 

 the moststrikingand decided objection to 

 those little farms, which, however strange 

 it may now appear, were formerly thought 

 the grand foundation for national plenty 

 and perfect husbandry. The produce 



