London to John O Groat's. 55 



about the farm of a member of the same society, living 

 in the outskirts of the town, who cultivates about 400 

 acres of excellent land, and is considered one of the 

 most practical and successful agriculturists of Essex. 

 His fields were larger and fewer than I had noticed on 

 my walk in a farm of equal size. This feature indicates 

 the modern improvements in English farming more 

 prominently to the cursory observer than any other 

 that attracts his eye. It is a rigidly utilitarian 

 innovation on the old system, that does not at all 

 promise to improve the picturesque aspect of the 

 country. To " reconstruct the map " of a county, by 

 wire-fencing it into squares of 100 acres each, after 

 grubbing up all the hedges and hedge-trees, would 

 doubtless add seven and a quarter per cent, to the 

 agricultural production of the shire, and gratify many 

 a Grradgrind of materialistic economy; but who would 

 know England after such a transformation ? One 

 would be prone to reiterate Patrick's exclamation of 

 surprise, when he first shouldered a gun and tested the 

 freedom of the forest in America. Seeing a small bird 

 in the top of a tree, he pointed the fowling-piece in that 

 direction, turned away his face, and fired. A tree-toad 

 fell to the ground from an agitated branch. The 

 exulting Irishman ran and picked it up in triumph, and 

 held it out at arm's length by one of its hind legs, 



