PROCKEDINGS OF THE FARMERS' CLUB. 351 



obvious tendency to increase the produce of land, and the demand 

 for labor, to augment the rate of wages to the husbandman, 

 means will, I hope, be devised by the Legislature, either to faci- 

 litate or extend its progress, so that the enclosing of land, even 

 on the smallest scale, would not only accommodate the smallest 

 but the most extensive also. 



That such a law passed by our Legislature would promote the 

 advantage of individuals as well as the State, cannot be doubted 

 by those who have considered the nature of the subject. Those 

 numerous commons and waste lands that have so long remained 

 in an unproductive condition, to the disgrace of every county in 

 the State, and a reproach to agriculture, would be immediately 

 put under a system of improvement and cultivation. The bene- 

 fits that would be derived from the general inclosure of commons 

 would be various. In addition to the increase of value in such 

 lands to the proprietors, which would be considerable, particu- 

 larly near large towns, to the public it would be of still more 

 extensive utility, ag it would be the means of raising and sup- 

 porting a more numerous breed of cattle and sheep ; in conse- 

 quence of Avhich the markets would be better supplied Avith cat- 

 tle, grain, and vegetables. The high value of suburban land, in 

 general, will enable it to bear a larger expenditure, with a view 

 to secure a more productive cultivation. Such grounds are fre- 

 quently wet, and as a question of economy or pecuniary policy it 

 is important that provision should be made for the removal of 

 all stagnant water and superfluous moisture in the neighborhood 

 of towns. This is of great social importance because it tends to 

 drive tlie more opulent, who are also, generally, the more educa- 

 ted and refined, to distant places of residence, and consequently, 

 their contributions are lost towards the local taxes and subscrip- 

 tions. It is certain, also, that whatever renders a place better 

 suited for the residence of the wealthy must enhance the value 

 of the property, and that the expenditure for effecting such a 

 change may prove a profitable investment. The sanitary inter- 

 ests, also, of such localities, urgently demand attention to the 

 drainage and fencing of its suburban lands, for excessive moisture 

 most powerfully influences the local climate both as to dryness 

 and temperature. Dampness always serves as a medium of con- 

 veyance for all decomposing matters that may be evolved, and 

 adds much to the injurious effects of such matter on the atmos- 

 phere. In other words, excess of moisture in such unenclosed 



