THE RURAL SOCRATES, i^ 



as to others.* I thought it incumbent on me to engage 

 him to correal thefe defeats. I inflriKfted him in the 

 method of keeping regular accounts of his receipts and 

 cxpences.j' and recommended his fending one ofhis fons 

 to learn writing and arithmetic : nor had 1 any difficul- 

 ty in making him comprehend, that by. particularizing 

 every article of labor, expence and profit, and marking 

 the progrefs and minute circumflances which altend-ed 

 his improvements, he would be much better enabled to 

 form a precife and adequate judgment of their value ; 

 whillt the wiieft man may fufFer himfelf to be deceived 

 a«5 well as deceive others, if he trulls to the uncertainty 

 and deceitfulnefs of memory .t 



But it is time to clofe this digreflion, and return to the 

 detail of Kliyogg's obiervations on the watering of mea- 

 dows. — He finds that water^from mofTy grounds is very 

 injurious to greifs, and deflroys it entirely. Water 

 loaded witli' calcarious grit-ftone, may likewife be of 

 the worft confequence to a meadow ; fo that the huf- 

 bandman cannot attend too carefully to his v^ater, oth- 

 erwife his lands may faffer more from overflowing than 

 from drought. — Nothing afcertains the falubrity of wa- 

 ter more than the produ<^ion of crefTes, brookline, and 

 fiicculent plants. But when a river is choaked with 



ruflies^ 



* An important praf^ical remark ! — Men inSrufted by mhers, remere- 

 l)er how they were taught. Men felf-inftrufted, where they attempt fo 

 explain, cofniuonly overlook fome efifential articles ; their own fyftenns 

 being founded opoa a fort of inftinvftive perfuafion, or upon broken proofpj, 

 rather than upon reguhr dedudlons. Few things then belter mark 2 

 knowledge of things and of the world, or form a more iroponant qualifi- 

 cation in a teacher, than an accurate meafure of the ignorance of othcrgc 

 joined to a happy mode of conveying information, E. 



f An excellent remark ! which cannot be too often repeated to at! 

 farmers. — The experience arifiog from praftical agrtcultnrc, bears no pro- 

 portion to that which is gained from the regilter of pra^iciil pgricuhurc, 

 A farmer kno^^s whether he ^rsins or lofes, but in vvhai articles f and in 

 what proportions ? How coj-liafd li his knov?!edge b '^hefe fefpcd^« ! Y. 



