X PREFACE. 



on, under the direction of an experienced Norfolk farmer. But 

 it was a long time before the generality of the islanders would 

 even look at these improvements.* They regarded them as 

 "mere foolishness;" said " they might do very well in Eng- 

 " land ; but that in a mountainous country the plough could 

 " never answer ; that their forefathers had done very well with the 

 " hoe, and they saw no use or necessity for these new things." 



At length, however, when they did perceive the facility with 

 which extensive fields were broken up ; the rapidity with which 

 they were prepared by the plough, and the excellent crops of 

 potatoes and corn that were raised, they acknowledged the supe- 

 riority of English farming ; and many of the most respectable 

 soon afterwards followed the example. 



Besides giving examples in the use of the plough, and in the 

 new culture of potatoes, and of corn, it was deemed proper to 

 explain the principles, and to point out the advantages of the 

 new husbandry. With this view, I prepared short agricultural 

 essays, (detailing the progress and results of the experiments) 

 which were printed, for general information, in the St. Helena 

 Monthly Register. Thirty of those essays have been selected for 

 the First Part of this Work. They are placed in the order in 

 which they were written. The Table of Contents points out the 

 sections wherein the several subjects are at first discussed, or 

 afterwards resumed ; so that no inconvenience can arise from 

 this arrangement : on the contrary, it was the only mode of 

 shewing the progressive steps that were taken to convjgy useful 

 information to the landholders ; and to excite amongst them a 

 spirit of emulation in cultivation and planting. 



* Section Xlll. p. SI. 



