8 Oration delivered before the Agricultural Society, 



prefent populoufnefs and happinefs, with what they formerly 

 were in Csefar's time; calculate whether thefe countries are not, 

 hy the well-applied induftry of their inhabitants, as different 

 from ancient Helvetia and Caledonia^ as Ireland is fuperior to 



Labrador f or New-York to Terra del Fuego. 



Columella relates a ftory finely illuftrative of the excel- 

 lence of good tillage : De re Ruflic. L. iv. c. 3. — "Grae- 



** cinus in his book concerning vines, relates that he had often 

 " heard his father tell of a certain Paridius who had two daughters, 

 " and a farm planted with vines. Of this farm he gave one third 

 ** part, as a marriage portion, to the man who wedded his elder 

 ** daughter, and notwithftanding, received as much produce as 

 " before, from the two thirds which he referved to himfelf. 

 " Afterwards on the marriage of the younger daughter, he gave 

 " away the half of the remaining land, and found his income ftill 

 ** in no refpeft diminiflied. What concludes he from this ? 

 " But that the third part of the farm was at length better culti- 

 " vated than the whole ufed to be before.'* 



But in this flage of farming, a well managed plantation mull 

 be carried on with fteadier labour and more exaft fldll than in 

 the former. For now when timber becomes fcarce, fences are 

 more difficult to be kept in repair; where the ground is not of 

 itfelf produflive enough, manure mud be procured ; if a farmer's 

 own ftrength is not fufficient to carry on his bufinefs, a number 

 of additional labourers are now necefTary. In order to perform 

 this requifitc labour, two forts of workers have been employed, 

 hired free-men and flaves. Upon calculations and ellimates 



