STATISTICAL SURVEY 



grafs land is, in many inftances, fo great and fo evi- 

 dent, that to perfons of obfervation, who are conver* 

 fant in rural affairs, the means of procuring and con- 

 dueling it over ground mull be a defirable object j but 

 the idea, that water enriched by depofition alone, for a 

 considerable time prevented the true practice from be- 

 ing followed, that of conveying it over lands frorrj 

 their natural fituation not liable to be flooded ; confe- 

 quently, no other grounds were allowed to enjoy the 

 fertilizing powers of water, until of late years, except 

 fuch as from their low fituation admitted the water 



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without difficulty, and where it was fuffered to ilagnate 

 upon them ; now, however, that the fuperior effects of 

 running water are difcovered and confeffed, many 

 meadows have the ftreams from above, which are con- 

 {lantly kept in motion ; and in other fituations they are 



conducted, at no great expenfe indeed, along the fides 



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 of the hills, which in this county,' from their kindly 



foil and fubflratum, feem particularly adapted to this 

 operation. Obfervation alone could have taught the 

 fuperior advantage of running water, in the production 

 of grafs ; that water impregnated, or fuppofed to be 

 impregnated with fertilizing fubftances, fuch as are 

 carried down by floods, might act as a manure, in de- 

 pofiting thofe fubftances when ftagnated, would be a 

 very obvious conjecture, and fuch as might occur to a 

 reafoner of no extraordinary powers ; but a courfe of 

 obfervation muft have been necefTary, to afcertain the 



benefit 



