PREFACE. 



As the author has, for many years, devoted 

 a great proportion of his time to investigating 

 a branch of Rural Science, hitherto much neg- 

 lected, though equally connected with indivi- 

 dual and the National Interest,he thinks himself 

 entitled to that protection which it would be 

 injustice to refuse, — namely, not to be incoii" 

 siderately classed with a description of writers, 

 who send books into the world, much better 

 calculated for sale than use. 



Presuming this to be granted, the reader is 

 informed, in return, that if he expect the fol- 

 lowing sheets to be principally composed of 

 Theories, or to furnish little more than his 

 library can already afford, he will be equally 

 disappointed. — In this, however, the writer 

 takes no credit \ for, so far from highly apprecia- 

 b 



