On Gypsiun. 77 



tern of Malthus is overturned, more easily than the sys- 

 tem of Malthus overturned the system of Godwin." 

 ' " The heavier the erop no matter of what ^ the richer 

 the land is left, though the crop is taken oJJ^" From this 

 fact stated by judge Peters, I infer, " that the heavier 

 the crop, ?io matter ofruhat^ the richer the land is left, 

 if the crop is not taken q^" If a heavy crop of weeds or 

 crab grass (no matter of what) would lea^'e the land 

 richer though taken off, it will I suppose enrich it still 

 more, when restored to the eartli. By the fertility of 

 the surface of the earth of uncultivated countries, and 

 of long enclosed spots, our attention is drawn, to vege- 

 table matter. The famous experiment of the willow, 

 with many others, proves that vegetables draw much of 

 their food from air and water. Whatever of these tran- 

 sient elements, vegetaljles can catch and bestow on the 

 earth, elaborated into a durable manure, seems to me to 

 be a particular acquisition drawn from an inexhaustible 

 treasury. It is however, not the small neat husbandry 

 of which the judge is so justly enamoured, and which 

 may be preferable in well peopled regions, but one cal- 

 culated to improve a great space of worn out land slow- 

 ly and at small expence. Weeds and grasses of all kinds 

 undoubtedly injure the crops with which they grow, 

 yet we sow clover with wheat. In seasons favourable to 

 its growth, I have seen it injure wheat materially. It is 

 for the purpose of replenishing the earth with vegetable 

 matter that we do this. The stuljble and roots, tht^ litter 

 it produces or saves when fed away (such as straw and 

 stalks) conspire to furnish the recruiting pabulum. 

 Weeds and grasses of all kinds left on the surface or 

 ploughed in, like wheat straw, are supposed by the en- 



