AGRICULTURE. 



must be can-led to market, not at the sea- 

 son most advantageous, but almost im- 

 mediately after the harvest, in order to 

 enable the farmer to extricate himself 

 from immediate embarrassment, and pre- 

 pare the soil, inadequately as it must be 

 done in these circumstances, for fresh 

 cultivation. Commercial monopoly is con- 

 siderably favoured by this compulsion 

 upon the farmer tor selling 1 at whatever 

 price is offered, and artificial scarcity, 

 though now not much to be dreaded in 

 this country, is more likely to originate 

 from this circumstance than any other. 

 Those grand operations of spreading marl 

 over lar^re dis' ricts, at the rate of one hun- 

 dred and fifty tons per acre, of conveying 

 immense quantities of dung from towns 

 at the distance of twenty miles, of floating 

 meadows at the cost of five pounds per 

 acre, of draining lands at the expense of 

 three, of paying persons to reside in dis- 

 tant shir -s, or eVen countries, to acquire 

 superior practical h.iormation, or of im- 

 proving the breeds of sheep and cattle, 

 by giving for the use of a single animal, 

 for a season, a price at which our ances- 

 tors would have been aosolutely astonish- 

 ed and confounded; practices, which, 

 happily, have been far from uncommon in 

 the British empire, and are daily adding, 

 perhaps more than any other cau e, to 

 its stability and prosperity, have depend- 

 ed entirely upon abundant capital. Such 

 processes for improvement might aseasily 

 be expected in the management of those 

 small farms, formerly so highly extolled, 

 and now so justly in theory exploded, as 

 in the conduct of large tracts occupied 

 only by men of embarrassed means. The 

 supply of present exigencies preclude 

 those comprehensive and remote views,on 

 which the success of the art most materi- 

 ally depends, and unthrifty savings and 

 corroding cares are substituted for the li- 

 beral expenses and delighted hopes, 

 which must attend the skilful application 

 of comparative opulence. 



Finally, as the art of husbandry is par- 

 ticularly intricate and comprehensive, and 

 those engaged initare generallypersons of 

 slight education, secluded in a great de- 

 gree from mutual intercourse and compa- 

 rative observation, ignorance may very 

 justly be considered as an obstacle to its 

 improvement, perhaps the most operative 

 of all. Instead of being collected, like ar- 

 tists in cities, and possessing opportuni- 

 ties for animating curiosity, and benefiting 

 by communication, they are scattered 

 over the surface of the country, and have 

 Cultivated generally the same lands, and 



VOL. I. 



the same prejudices, as their ancestors, 

 for a series of generations. Unless there 

 be among the number of those engaged 

 in this art, a certain proportion of persons 

 of intelligent and educated minds, capable 

 of turning the experience of themselves 

 and others to advantage, and deriving as- 

 sistance to agriculture, from the discove- 

 ries of other sciences or arts, it would be 

 vain in any country to expect its rapid ap- 

 proach towards that perfect standard, to 

 which every human effort should be re- 

 ferred. That the proportion of such cha- 

 racters has considerably increased of late 

 years in this country, is an observation no 

 less true than pleasing ; and in the class 

 of persons engaged in agricultural pur- 

 suits, it may be safely affirmed there ex- 

 ists much less tenacity of prejudice, a 

 far greater disposition to research, and 

 openness to conviction, than were to be 

 found in any former age. Even though, 

 in some instances, old and absurd rou- 

 tines of practice may have been maintain- 

 ed with more constancy, through the has- 

 ty projects and absurd expenses of some 

 innovaters, whose failure has checked the 

 spirit of improvement, and unjustly invol- 

 ved in one common ridicule all deviations 

 from ancient custom ; these effects, how- 

 ever much to be regretted, are only par- 

 tial, and information is still making its 

 way into the most remote recesses, and 

 the most stubborn minds. With a view 

 to lessen the darkness and intricacy yet 

 connected with the subject, to prevent 

 random speculations and ruinous pro- 

 jects, with their ill consequences of every 

 kind, it may be observed, that it is of the 

 very first importance, that persons enga- 

 ged, particularly on a large scale, in the 

 profession of agriculture, should keep 

 correct accounts of all their transactions, 

 and of all their profits and losses. The 

 advantages of clear accounts are obvious 

 in every other occupation of life. Per- 

 sons who are engaged in speculations of 

 merchandize, to any extent, and who are 

 known not to attend to this department, 

 are always supposed to be in dangerous 

 circumstances. Agriculture seems by ma- 

 ny to be considered an exception to all 

 other species of business; that it may be 

 engaged in without preliminary study, 

 and is capable of being properly con- 

 ducted, even to a large extent, with- 

 out any regular accounts, necessary as 

 these are admitted to be in other situa- 

 tions. With respect to experimental 

 agriculture, no correct conclusions are 

 to be drawn but from correct and minute 

 details. Suppositions drawn from 



