504 OCTOBER. 



ter, it is at once perceived by walking on it ; at all 

 times of the year by the herbage which generally 

 abounds on it, such as rushes, flags, and a great 

 quantity of moss ; and also by the colour of the 

 grass, which is mostly blue at the points ; some- 

 times of a dirty yellow hue, and always coarse. If 

 the soil is the first described stiff clay, and the sur- 

 face level, the evil will be very difficult of cure ; 

 if of the other sort of clay, or stiff loams, draining 

 will have great effects. 



Grass fields on gravelly soils are, if the gravel is 

 sharp, very apt to burn in dry summers ; but they 

 give great and sweet crops in wet ones, provided 

 the land is a gravelly loam. A farmer should not 

 regret having a pasture or two of absolute gravel in 

 his farm, being of excellent use in winter for feed- 

 ing sheep and lambs with turnips, &c. 



The low meadows, whatever the soil, on the banks 

 of the rivers and brooks, are in general good, but 

 often subject to the misfortune of being overflown 

 in summer, which not only ruins crops of hay be- 

 fore they are cut, but carries them away, perhaps, 

 when just made. 



Many grass fields on all soils, consist of so bad 

 an herbage as to be of little value. Made up of 

 weeds, and the worst and coarsest of grasses, if a 

 landlord will not allow such to be ploughed, the 

 farmer should minute the rent accordingly. This 

 fault is visible at all seasons. 



A river that does not overflow, running through 

 a farm, is a very favourable circumstance, as it in- 

 dicate* 



