CROPS AND PROFITS. 119 



fertilized wholly by the flow of water which was only 

 harmful in its old locality. I next ordered, in the 

 leisurely time of later autumn, the grubbing up of 

 the patches of myrtles and briers, root and branch ; 

 these with the mossy turf that cumbered them, after 

 thorough drying, were set on fire, and burned slum- 

 berously, with a little careful watching and tending, 

 for weeks together. I was thus in possession of a 

 comparatively smooth surface, not so far disinte 

 grated as to be subject to damaging washes of storm, 

 besides having a large stock of fertilizing material in 

 the shape of ashes. 



In the following spring, these were carefully 

 spread; a generous supply of hay-seed sown, and still 

 further, an ample dressing of phosphatic guano. The 

 hillside was then thoroughly combed with a fine- 

 toothed Scotch harrow, and the result has been a 

 compact lively sod, and a richer bite for the cattle. 



Again, upon one or two salient points of the hill, 

 where there were stubborn rocks which forbade 

 removal, I have set little coppices of native ever 

 greens, which, without detracting in any appreciable 

 dt-gree from the grazing surface, will, as they grow, 

 have charming effect, and offer such modicum of 

 shade as all exposed pasture lands need. One who 

 looked only to simple farm results, would certainly 

 never have planted the little coppices, or hedged 



