INTRODUCTION. XXXy 



Whilst the cultivation of artificial meadows, and the 

 sound doctrine of a rotation of crops, were unknown, it 

 was well to fix the duration of leases to three years ; 

 then all agriculture consisted in two years of corn har- 

 vests and one year of fallow ; the same course recom- 

 menced every fourth year, and the successive farmers 

 followed this plan without any deviation ; there was 

 therefore no inconvenience arising from supplying the 

 place of one by another. But at this day it is well known, 

 that the establishment of artificial meadows, and a good 

 system of successive crops, ought to form the basis of 

 agricultural proceedings; and it is acknowledged, that 

 in order to execute these two great methods of amelio- 

 ration, and to reap the fruits of them, a term of twelve 

 or fourteen years is necessary ; the leases ought, there- 

 fore, to be of at least that duration. In cases like this, 

 the interests of the proprietor and farmer are the same, 

 nor can they be divided without injury to both. Ground 

 well tilled increases in value, and thus enriches both the 

 lessor and the lessee, whilst on those estates where the 

 farmer sees himself secure of remaining for only three 

 years, he cannot employ either his intelligence or capital > 

 to advantage ; and he continues the imperfect course of 

 management which he has hitherto pursued. 



Though agriculture has been gradually enriched by 

 the introduction of many foreign plants, it still remains 

 for us to adopt and naturalize others, and to extend the 

 cultivation of those we now possess. The agriculture 

 which is limited to the production of grain, supplies only 

 a portion of the wants of society ; but if it includes in 

 its labors all the productions of which the climate and 

 soil will admit the cultivation, it will provide for the 



