WASTE LANDS AND WASTE WATERS. 165 



liusbancliyj if those lieaths, thus once ploughed 

 up, could have been turned to useful and remu- 

 nerative purposes, they would not now have 

 been permitted to go back to heather and remain 

 abandoned. 



Alas ! in my opinion, the present generation 

 liave taxed the temper of the earth and of nature 

 far too much. So much have they over-taxed the 

 soil and ^^ quacked" it, that Nature now seems 

 to be kicking against this grasping tyranny, and 

 hurling at the attempts of assuming man all sorts 

 of diseases unknown to this country until the 

 introduction of artificial manure. The potato 

 disease came on the j^ear after the artificial 

 manure came in. This, as before mentioned, has 

 been succeeded by the foot-and-mouth disease in 

 cattle, and, according to Lord Eadnor's statement, 

 it has attacked his hounds. 



Since the introduction of this dram-like stuff, — 

 for, as far as the interests of land are really 

 concerned, it is but a ^' flash in the pan,"— the 

 featliered game all over the country, particularly 

 the partridge, have been gradually decreasing. 

 I believe my friend Mr. Sturt, of Crichel, has 

 noticed this on his beautiful partridge ground for 



