OCTOBER. 525 



miry rather than economy. From all which it is 

 sufficiently clear, that such a country gentleman 

 must farm, and with success ; or he must be de- 

 prived of many very essential comforts of life. 



" Such accounts explain to us the reason of little 

 estates being every where swallowed up by large 

 ones. Nineteen young men in twenty, and many 

 old ones also, who come to small estates, are 

 ruined before they are well turned m their new situ- 

 ation ; and this is for want of calculating their 

 abilities, examining what they can spend per week, 

 and paying ready money. 



" As to your husbandry, you are to remember that 

 this is the only possible means you have of better- 

 ing your condition in life : by gradually increasing 

 your farm (but never doing it without the land al- 

 ready in hand being profitably conducted), you 

 may very materially improve your income ; and by 

 thus advancing in a branch of industry, you take 

 advantage of that rise of ti?nc.s which crushes people 

 of small incomes, who cannot advance with the pro- 

 gress of others. As you have no particular pursuit 

 to occupy your time, I do not see that )ou can 

 have a better than this. Your soil is not the most 

 favourable, but it does not demand any very ex- 

 pensive exertions : the tract being small, you are 

 to remember that great economy and carefulness 

 are necessary, and this upon principle ; because a 

 very small loss in labour, for want of attention, by 

 perpetually recurring, will grow into a material ob- 

 ject upon the whole year's account. Very many 



farmer 



