PRACTICAL AGRICULTURE. 199 



furnish the means of amending other parts. It may 

 be asked, why not purchase a farm which is good 

 throughout, and needs no amendment ? The answer is, 

 that such farms are seldom found, and when found, the 

 price is not such that every one could command them. 

 On the other hand, there are many farms, at a compa- 

 ratively low price, on which are facilities for makicig 

 improvement, at a cost far less than the real value of 

 the improvement. 



375. For instance, there may be on the farm I am 

 looking at a ten-acre slope of land, with the best possible 

 exposure, and a good strong soil, but producing little, 

 because turf-boiHid and too stony to cultivate. I may 

 perceive that along the foot of this slope, adjoining 

 the highway, is an old rickety, fallen-down fence ; that 

 the stones, which are now in the way of the plough, 

 are well adapted to making a heavy, durable wall in 

 the place of the old fence ; that they would need to be 

 removed but a few rods, and that down the hill ; and 

 this slope may be so situated, that the manuring of it 

 from the barn-yard would be a down-hill, easy process. 

 It might be very clear, that by running a substantial 

 wall along the foot of this slope, 50 rods, at an expense 

 of 2 dollars a rod, and thus using up the stones on and 

 in the soil, I can make every acre worth 20 dollars more 

 than is now asked for it. If so, the improvement would 

 cost one hundred dollars, but would be worth two 

 hundred, when made. 



376. Again, there might be on this farm a five-acre 

 deposit of swamp mud, nearly covered with water, 



