172 PARING AND BURNING. [MARCH. 



reasoning and philosophical theory ; that practice 

 the most decided, and experience the most ex- 

 tended, pronounce it to be an admirable system ; 

 and that the mischiefs often quoted as flowing 

 from it, are to be attributed merely to the abuse of 

 the method, and by no means necessarily con- 

 nected with it. 



I must without the least hesitation declare, that 

 the latter of these opinions is that to which I must 

 subscribe. To trust to reasoning in matters of 

 agriculture, is a most dangerous reliance. I shall 

 leave others to detail their philosophical specula- 

 tions, and rest what t have to offer solely on the 

 practice, various and extensive, of numerous agri- 

 culturists, and on the common husbandry of many 

 spacious districts. 



These agree in declaring, and it is most parti- 

 cularly to be had in remembrance, for the enemies 

 of the practice admit it, that by paring and burn- 

 ing, you may command two or three good corn 

 rrops in succession. The fuel cannot be denied ; 

 for whether you examine the peat of the Cambridge 

 , or the shallow chalk soils of the downs and 

 wolds of Hampshire, Gloucester, and the East 

 Hiding, it is known, th;;t. bad farrnurs do act thus 

 absurdly. Tt;c- ; -at crops, but they too often 



take them in si n, to the injury of the soil, 



though not to iu ruin, unless that can be < 

 the ruin of land, which enables the tenant to p-iy 

 v.t for it. Such fanners have been ia 

 the habit of burning for wheat, and then taking 



two 





