JEuIogium on William West* 157 



the grass it produced, and which would tend far more 

 to invigorate the soil, than the gypsum would to exhaust 

 it. Much of the fertility to which his farm had reach- 

 ed, he ascribed to the use of that important substance, 

 and his continued confidence in its powers occasioned 

 the general and extensive use of it in his neighbourhood. 

 The result of his experience with respect to its effects 

 on grass, may be seen in the publication of the President 

 of our society, and his remarks shew that he had a cor- 

 rect notion of the points essential to the production of 

 its full eifects, and explain the want of success which 

 sometimes follows its application to land. 



The paper alluded to contains the only literary tes- 

 timonial of his attention to agriculture.* He was fre- 

 quently importuned by his friends, to give to the world, 

 a statement of the improvements he had effected, and of 

 his practice in general, but he as constantly declined to 



* This backwardness to give to the public a detail of the 

 progress of his improvements, which arose solely from his 

 diffidence, is the more to be regretted, in as much as they 

 would have been highly instructive to a young farmer. Few 

 practical men are fond of committing themselves on paper. 

 Neither Bakewell, the well known English improver of live 

 stock, or Klyiogg the Swiss, ever communicated their improve- 

 ments to the world. But Mr. West did not like the former 

 character, wish to conceal his operations, nor like the latter 

 undervalue written Information : on the contrary he set a 

 just estimate upon all instruction whether oral or recorded, 

 and often regretted the contempt in which our agriculturists 

 in general held all information, except what is derived from 

 their own limited circle of observation. 



