THE RURAL SOCRATES. 29 



cf earth may he 'ir.ftriimenial io the improvement rf an* 

 otker of oppojiie qualities, . The difcovery therefore of 

 a ftratum of earth hitherto unknown to him, is as great 

 ^n acquifition in his eyes, as a purfe of gold in thofe of % 

 niiier. 



Kliyogghas another peculiarity in the culture of his 

 arable land. — Dirapproving the cuftom of throwing it 

 into ridges, to prevent wetnefs ; u'hich not only wafies 

 much land, but occafions the roots of the grain on the 

 fides of the ridges to be overflowed as they lie in the- 

 furrows between ; he thus remedied the double injury. 

 He changedithefe furrows into trenches of the depth of 

 about two feet, which he half-filled with large ftones, 

 nnd then covered with pine branches ; fpreading the 

 earth tak#n out of the trenches over the whole. — In 

 this manner he regained lo much lofl land, and obtain 

 from it as good grain as from the reft of the field. '''^ 



By a procefs nearly refembling this, he has made a ve- 

 ry fine hemp Held of a piece of ground fituated in a flop- 

 ing bottom, on the lideofagreat road , which, after 

 heavy rains, v/as conflantly overflowed by torrents com- 

 ing from the road, and had been given ypasuDprofitablCa 



Our wife cultivator has appropriated a pretty large 

 inclofure to the culture of vegetables^ fuch as French 

 beans, peafe, cabbages, &c. Thefe fufRcc for the main- 

 tenance of his family daring the greater part of fummer ; 

 a branch of economy that didingaifhes him from the 

 peafants of that country ; who, excepting beet, culti- 

 vate very little vegetable food ; which obliges them to 

 confiime a much greater quantity of bread and flour, 

 and diminifhes, in proportion, the only means they have 

 of procuring money, fo neceffary to purfuc their im- 

 provements* 



*This is the famous njctbod of draining all fons of wet foils in Erg- 

 land. I da not reniember meeting before wiih any nsention of it in th? 

 French authors. It is very extraordinary that ihia peafant, enlightened 

 only by nature, (hould unite in bis Hitls far*!?, fo many o^ '' ' *: : t rir".!- 

 ces ot Eoropcan huibandry ! Y. 



