[ '4 1 



than five inches : Underneath there is a white 

 lime-flone rock, by fome called chalk, but 

 I tAink improperly ; it is more of the nature 

 of marie : This ftone rifes often in large 

 blocks, and is uied in building and for lime; 

 It is hard, but not of a very durable nature; 

 for if it be cxpofed to w^et and froft, it foon 

 cracks and moulders away ; but if the walls 

 built with it are kept well covered, it will 

 lafl: for ao-es : After a time it encrufts with 



o 



a mofs, which prcferves it. The general 

 life made of the open wolds land is to flock 

 it with fheep, and cultivate a fmall part 

 with the plough : But this tillage lying at 

 a great diftance from the farm-houfes, which 

 are all (in the parifh I fpeak of) fituated at 

 the foot of the hills, it is impradlicable for 

 the farmer to get his dung conveyed thither 

 at any moderate expence; he never attempts 

 it. AH the manure this land gets is from 

 the fhcep-fold ; and were he content to 

 plough no more than he can thus well 

 improve by twice folding, it would be Vy-ell ; 

 but the rage of plowing is fo great, that he 

 every year has been accuftomed to plough 

 up a frefli part of his fheep-walk, to take 

 a crop or two, and then let it lie fifteen 

 or twenty years till the natural grafs has 

 again formed a kind of turf, but it will 

 fometimes be forty years before the land is 

 completely fodded over. This ruinous 

 pradViccisbut too common ; and where it has 



long 



