8> 



and in the hands of the common farmer, 

 without whose co-operation and example 

 nothing extensively valuable in agricul- 

 ture can be effected, either in the intro- 

 duction of new practices, or in the modi- 

 fication of old ones. 



These my hopes and expectations, 

 however, have not been gratified ; but 

 have experienced, of late, a strong and in 

 a certain degree, mortifying check ; for 

 when I came to reside in the county of 

 Northampton, about two years ago, I 

 could not find that either my book, or 

 the practice of Floating had ever once 

 been heard of or dreamt of, in this part of 

 the kingdom ; in a district too, where the 

 capabilities for the adoption of the art 

 are abundant, and where the occupiers 

 of land excel in ahnost every other 



branch 



