INTRODUCTION 



AND 



PLAN OF THE WORK. 



AGRICULTURE, or, " The art of improving and 

 " cultivating the Soil" remained for ages in a most 

 imperfect state, and though necessarily practised, in a 

 greater or less degree, by the most enlightened, as well 

 as the most barbarous nations, never, till of late, made 

 any material progress towards perfection. Those who 

 followed it as their occupation, generally pursued the 

 customs of their forefathers, without inquiring into the 

 circumstances which either led to the adoption of such 

 practices, or justified an adherence to them ; while such 

 individuals as endeavoured to explain the principles of 

 the art, were rarely acquainted with its minutiae, r and 

 seldom had the advantages of experience. From the 

 great increase of knowledge, however, which has of late 

 years been acquired, agriculture has made a most rapid 

 progress in improvement. Established on regular and 

 rational principles, from being an art mechanically prac- 

 tised, it has been elevated to the dignity of a science ; 

 and hence the era has at last fortunately arrived, when it 

 has become practicable to undertake, with every prospect 

 of success, the arduous task of drawing up, " A Digest" 

 or " Code of Agriculture" 



Before the present period, such an undertaking could 

 not have been attempted with any well-founded prospect 

 of success. For so many able and well-informed indi- 

 viduals, had never, at any former era, directed their at- 

 tention to agricultural pursuits , so much capital had 

 never previously been employed in the cultivation of the 

 soil ; so many practical farmers had never before pu- 

 blished the result of their experience in the art of hus- 

 bandry ; so much attention had never been paid to 



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