FARMERS' REGISTER. 



89 



The approximation of lhe:?e two results, tends 

 much to confirm the liiirness ofeach ol'thein. 



I must observe, thai akhouirh these resuhs so 

 romplelely esiahlish my I'riend Mr. Miller's posi- 

 tion, as to ihe elFects the introduction ol'fiorin i^rass 

 must necessarily produce ; yet they are deduced 

 from hut one of ihe three descriptions of ground 

 into which I have divided our islands, viz. our pre- 

 sent cultivated liirms. 



The addition that will be made to our grain 

 crops by the cultivation of fiorin on our peaty 

 moors, upon which I have alreatly dwelled, is not 

 taken into consideration. Neither is ilie improve- 

 ment and extensions our airricultural fields must 

 derive Irom scalterinir meadows, clothed with this 

 luxuriant grass, through ail the dreary mountain 

 tracts so profusely spread over Great Britain and 

 Ireland, called in aid ofmy friend's position, "that 

 it shall not again be necessary either to import 

 grain, or export our bullion, p. 47-51. 



Upon these very ingenious calculations and de- 

 ductions and suppositions, it does not seem to be 

 our business to olFer much of remark. UnfJjrtii- 

 nalely we have enough of " miry bogiry land," and 

 also of mountain tracts, but scarcely any meadow 

 that can be cotiverted into arable land. It was, 

 theren)re, very proper to confine the preceding 

 statements to England, though it might iiave 

 been as well to have begun with the wastes, in- 

 stead of the meadows. If the English meadows | 

 are to be broken up, which is not a very probable 

 occurrence, those concerned will no doubt be fully 

 satisfied about the foundation upon which this 

 splendid superstructure is to lie reared — the treble 

 crops and superior quality of fiorin. They may 

 still, however, have to choose between a regular 

 rotation of gr:iin crops, and clovers and turnips, 

 and a fiorin meadow one-third the extent of their 

 present alternate meadows and pastures. They 

 must also consider whether this diminution of their 

 pastures will not occasion a scarcity of butcher- 

 meat and dairy produce, to place against the su- 

 perabundance oi'grain. For fiorin, thoutrh it is 

 said to be found in all our pastures, does not itself 

 admit of being pastured — facts, like several others, 

 somewhat perplexing and discordant. Another 

 ditTiculty occurs about manuring the fiorin every 

 year. In Scotland, there is always both a grain 

 and a cattle crop raised from one dunging, and 

 more commonly two of each; on English mea- 

 dows, first year a hay crop, and the next year pas- 

 ture. On the miry bogs and mountain larms, all 

 that is necessary is to procure aslips, bj' burning 

 the nearest wild land, or, according to the good 

 practice of our forefathers, to enrich one spot by 

 the ruin of ten limes its extent: but this cannot 

 well be done on " cultivated farms." The com- 

 post of dung, ashes, and lime, afterwards recom- 

 mended, or the plain earlh alone to be applied to 

 the oak-land, are not always to be got ; and if re- 

 course is had to dung by itself for this yearly top- 

 drefcsing, the land in tillage may be somewhat 

 defrauded. Besides all this, it miglit have occur- 

 red to Dr. R., that the population of Great Britain 

 will certainly increase with the increase of" food ; 

 that there is no country to which a temporary 

 surplus can be exported, unless by means of a 

 large bounty, and therefore that no surplus will be 

 produced ; and that, much as the continuance of 

 the late excessive importation may be deprecated, 

 it is perhaps quite as enviable, that Britain 

 Vol. VIII— 12 



should continue to clothe other countries, as to lead 

 t:iem with her raw produce. Dr. R., with a view 

 to iliis point, may compare the condition of the la- 

 boring classes of England, which imports so 

 largely, wiih that of those on his side of the water, 

 from whence large exporlations have been lately 

 made. 



A great many other beneticial effects would 

 result Irom thecultivation of fiorin, which we have 

 only room to enumerate. 1st, It would "restrain 

 the occasional enormous rise of the poor-rates, by 

 prevent inir the recurrence of scarcity and dearth. 

 2.1, It would both nia'ntain and employ our popu- 

 lation. 3d, The increase of our agricultural popu- 

 lation is a necessary consequence. 4th, "The in- 

 troduction of fiorin will make an era ol^ much im- 

 portance to the breeders and feeders" of sheep,"' 

 and probably lead to a great improvement of wool. 

 5th, Fiorin is very proper (or being distilled, and 

 yields excellent sp'rits ; and last of all, though not 

 least, "it shall now appear capable of contributing 

 materially to our national strength and defence." 



" I liiile thought, when I was developinir suc- 

 cessively the dilTeient valuable qualities of fiorin, 

 that I should discover this diminutive grass might 

 be made an important friend to our navy, and a 

 useful associale in raising oak lor its supply. 



" The properties of the oak, connected with my 

 plan, are two — a distinct solitary stem, and great 

 slowne s of growth. Each of these is highly 

 favorable to the measure I propose, that is, to 

 make the same enclosure an oak plantation and a 

 fiorin meadow ; by thelbrmer the erect oaks will 

 little interfere with the fiorin crop; by the latter 

 the proprietor will long enjoy the benefit ol"a valu- 

 able fiorin meadow." 



This brilliant conception is (hen illustrated at 

 some length ; but our limits for such an article 

 have been already exceeded. Those who wish 

 to know the value of coppice and standard reserves, 

 and of the yearly thinnings of a mixed plantation, 

 will find some inlbrmation in the first branch of 

 this number; and may choose between our au- 

 thor's fiorin, and either of these methods of rearing 

 timber trees. 



If we should now bring this article (o a conclu- 

 sion, we should probably disappoint the just ex- 

 pectation of many of our readers. Of thi-s essay, 

 then, we will say, that from beginning to end it is 

 written in the language of enthusiasm ; and the 

 author either knows not, or spurns at the dictates 

 of reason and experience. A very slight acquain- 

 tance with the most approved practices of modem 

 husbandry would have convinced him, that there 

 is very little room in it, (or a plant, which can nei- 

 ther supply the place of old (i^eding pastures, nor 

 of artificial grasses, nor of winter crops of comiiion 

 and Swedish turnips. From these lofty anticipa- 

 tions, let us turn to such facts as seem deducible 

 from our present very limited experience. 



We do not fear being contradicted by any per- 

 son in Scotland, who has attempted thecultivation 

 of fiorin, when we say that it is altogether unsuit- 

 able f^ir arable lands. Should any farmer in the 

 Lothiansor Berwickshire, plant fiorin upon any 

 considerable portion of land, capable of growing 

 clovers or turnips, it would be held a decisive proof 

 that his mind was fast verging to confirmed insan- 

 ity. A few small patches of such land have been 

 planted by way of experiment along-side of tillage 

 crops ; and it will not be easy to prevail with those 



