56 . THE PRACTICE OF THE 



" is called Eaft Hills, being on the eaft of the 

 " farms to which they all formerly belonged. 

 "On the norrh-wefi fide, is a high field, 

 " called CooKs Hi//, and is the only field of my 

 " farm that is not upon a chalk. It is a 

 *' very wet fpewy foil, of very little value, 

 " until I made it dry, by ploughing crofs the 

 " defcent of the hill. This foil is all too 

 " light, and too fhallow, to produce a tole- 

 " rable crop of beans. This farm was made 

 " out of the ikirts of others. Great part of 

 " the land was formerly a meep clown ; and 

 " whiliVthe whole was kept in the Virgilian 

 * 4 management (ufual for iiich land), it had 

 " the full reputation of poverty. The higheft 

 "part of it ufed to be fown (as I am well 

 " informed) with oats once in two or three 

 " years, upon the back Tonce ploughing], 

 " and if the rummer proved dry, the crop 

 * { was not worth the expence of that once 

 " ploughing. The generality of farmers, 

 44 were then of opinion, that if this fhould be 

 6 - thoroughly tilled and pulverized, it would 

 <c become fo light, that the wind would blow 

 " the ilaple away; but the contrary happened, 

 " for it being ploughed free times iuilead-'of 

 "once, it produced, good barley and other 

 At corn, and never has returned to its former 

 4< degree of lightnefs fmce ; and this was 

 < 4 above fifty years ago. And now tillage 

 fi and foreign grades are come into falhion, 

 " iiicloied lands, th'at' : do not rot fheep (as 

 &:' " not 



