AGRICULTURE. 



without exciting 1 useless anxiety. In se- 

 lecting a situation in which to exercise 

 the occupation of a farmer, various cir- 

 cumstances are minutely and deliberately 

 to be Regarded, and great consideration 

 is required to form an accurate compari- 

 son of advantages and disadvantages. 

 After these have been fully ascertained, 

 a balance is to he drawn, and a decision 

 to be made. More attention than time 

 is requisite for this purpose, and hesita- 

 ting, broken application will often occu- 

 py 'a longer period in arriving at an injudi- 

 cious determination, than, with persever- 

 ing and dispassionate examination, is ne- 

 cessary to obtain a correct one. Headlong 

 temerity, which diminishes, or even anni- 

 hilates to the mind, substantial evils, and 

 minute, apprehensive prudence, by which 

 every ant-hill of difficulty is made to swell 

 into a mountain, are both to be carefully 

 avoided ; and a firm confidence in human 

 exertion should unite, on this critical oc- 

 casion, with keen and comprehensive ob- 

 servation. The soil is an object of parti- 

 cular consideration, in reference to a vast 

 variety of circumstances; as to its stiff- 

 ness and moisture ; levelness or slope ; its 

 exposure or its stoniness ; the manuring, 

 draining, and fencing that may be requir- 

 ed; the state of the roads; the accessibi- 

 lity of markets ; the prices of manufac- 

 tures, of produce, and labour ; the cus- 

 tom of tythes ; the amount of poor-rates; 

 the compactness of the land, and the 

 covenants concerning crops ; are only a 

 few of the points which demand, in such 

 circumstances, to be duly ascertained 

 and estimated. To fix on good land is a 

 prudential general direction. For such it 

 is not easy, with ordinary discretion, to 

 pay too much, while for poor soils a small 

 rent very frequently exceeds their worth. 

 The most advantageous of all soils are, 

 the mellow, putrid, crumbling, sandy 

 loams ; those which will admit tillage, 

 soon after rain, and, though finely har- 

 rowed, will not harden, as if baked, in 

 consequence of the hottest sunshine, after 

 violent rains. The stiff loam, which is 

 very nearly approaching to proper brick 

 earth, is, without plenty of manure, an 

 unfavourable soil. On walking over it, it 

 is found extremely adhesive in wet wea- 

 ther, and it requires a long time to dry. 

 It may be considered as forming a medi- 

 um between the clods of clay and the 

 crumblings of loam. In stubble, a small 

 green moss is frequently seen to cover it. 

 By farmers, poverty and hunger are me- 

 taphorically and most expressively ap- 

 plied to this land, which has a great num- 



ber of varieties. It requires a large quan- 

 tity of manure, and is wonderfully im- 

 proved by hollow ditching. The expense 

 of these operations must never be forgot- 

 ten in connection with an estimate of 

 their result. 



Warm, dry, gravelly 'cams are, in win- 

 ter, easily distinguishable. Unless in a 

 particularly wet winter, they may be 

 ploughed during almost any part of it, 

 and will break up in a state of crumbling, 

 running mould. A very bad soil is con- 

 stantly formed by wet, cold gravel, which* 

 in winter, is always indicated by its wet- 

 ness, and in spring is known by the bind- 

 ing effects produced upon it by short and 

 violent showers. It can be fertilized only 

 by very extraordinary quantities of ma- 

 nure ; and drains, fully and neatly com- 

 pleted in it, will considerably improve it. 

 Some gravels are of so particularly sharp 

 and burning a nature, that, unless the 

 summer be particularly wet, they will pro- 

 duce absolutely nothing. At any season 

 ttiis soil is obviously distinguishable. 

 With respect to sands, the rich, red sand 

 possesses always a dry soundness, and a 

 temperate moisture, and will in the driest 

 summer, secure a crop. Its excellence 

 and profitableness can scarcely be ex- 

 ceeded. Another admirable soil is form- 

 ed of the light, sandy loam. It may be 

 ploughed during the whole winter. The 

 degree of its adhesion is precisely that 

 of its perfection. It may be usefully ob- 

 served, that when stiff land is dry and 

 crumbling, it is a sure indication of its 

 goodness, as the adhesive quality of a 

 sandy soil is, with respect to that species 

 of land, an equally decisive symptom in its 

 favour. That which falls flat in powder 

 is a mere barren sand. The chalk marie 

 runs exceedingly to mortar from vio- 

 lent showers, after being pulverised, 

 and is a cold and unprofitable soil. Clay 

 land of great tenacity is usually let for 

 more than it is worth ; and, though it will 

 yield abundance of wheat, is attended, in 

 its management and preparation, with 

 so great expence, that its profit is often 

 trifling, and fortunes are far more fre- 

 quently made by lands of a directly op- 

 posite description, consisting of light and 

 dry sand. The common fault of stiff 

 clays is wetness. Where fields are level, 

 and, even though the furrows are well 

 ploughed, the water stands in the land, 

 the extreme tenacity of the soil is obvi- 

 ous. It is also broken up by the plough 

 only by a very powerful draught of cattle, 

 and in pieces of vast size and extreme 

 hardness. In winter, soils approaching to 



