their hiring little farms. But general ob- 

 fervation will fhew, that this conclufion is 

 true in every part of the kingdom; for 

 where are more mife'rable beings to be met 

 with, than the farmers of fuch little farms 

 as I am now treating of? , 



The great mifchief is their hiring arable 

 farms, or fuch as have even one acre to plough. 

 Grafs ones are evidently profitable, and truly 

 beneficial to them ; liable to few lofles and 

 chances againft them ; eafe of labour, and, 

 in a "word, a fure ftep, with tolerable in- 

 duftry, to get into larger farms, and to rife 

 by degrees to a good fortune. The profit 

 of 6 /. ifrr. a year, on one of thefe, i s 

 confiderable, and would prefently accu- 

 mulate to a fum confiderable enough to 

 hire a farm of 50 or 60 acres of land. 

 Whence, therefore, comes the infatuation 

 fo common among thefe people, to think 

 themfelves no farmers till they get a 

 plough ! the only implement that can in 



any cafe enfure their ruin. It is much 



to be regretted, that landlords will let fuch 

 fmall arable farms ; the expence of laying 

 them down to grafs would be trifling, and 



1 then 



