THE BELVOIR HUNT. y 



favourable to scent ; but when that Im- 

 portant element does serve, hounds can 

 race over this country at a terrific pace, 

 bringing horses to grief, as soon, or pos- 

 sibly sooner, than where the fences are of 

 greater magnitude. North of Caythorpe, 

 the country becomes stronger, with more 

 grass, though, perhaps, there are fewer 

 foxes than in some other parts. The 

 western confines are good, and the vale of 

 Bel voir enjoys a wide-spread fame ; but the 

 improvements of modern farming, as in 

 almost all other places, have contributed 

 materially to alter the hunting aptitudes of 

 the country. Draining, for example, by 

 Increasing the powers of evaporation, has 

 had a great effect ; and artificial manures 

 are very generally condemned as antago- 

 nistic agents— an impression, however, with 

 which I am not quite prepared to concur. 

 The now common practice of ploughing up 

 the stubbles immediately after harvest, 



