WASTE. 



be a timely and defirable addition to the corn land of the 



kingdom. n , 



It is, of courfe, a queftion of much general mtereft and 

 importance, whether a confiderable portion of the capital em- 

 ployed in the enclofure and improvement of walle land, may 

 not often be more beneficially applied in the amelioration of 

 land already in a ftate of partial cultivation. 



The fcarcity of corn, which prevailed throughout the 

 kingdom a few years iince, afted, however, it is faid, as a 

 powerful llimulus to the enclofure and improvement of wafte 

 land in this country, and that the fpirit which was then ex- 

 cited has not yet by any means fubfided. And it is now 

 perhaps flill more neceflary, as affording a means of provid- 

 ing a large increafe of productive labour for a portion of the 

 working clafs of fociety. As there is now a great deallefs 

 than a fufficiency of labour for the demand of the country, 

 it would probably be poUtic in the ftate to convert a part of 

 fuch unrequired portion of it to the m,eans of extending the 

 culture and fertihty of the territory of the nation. It has 

 been properly fuggefted, tliat new land ought not to be im- 

 proved at the expence, or by the negleft of the old, but in 

 addition to it, and from new refources. 



In a fubjeft of this kind, particular eircumftances muft 

 be regarded. In fome wafte lands, from their fituations and 

 the quality of their foils, they are capable of being brought 

 into a ftate of high cultivation and improvement, with com- 

 paratively but httle labour and expence ; while, in others, 

 the eircumftances are fuch as to render any attempts at the 

 amelioration of them productive of great expence, and pro- 

 bably of but little profit. Indeed the fame quantity of 

 labour and expence which would be neceffary to divide and 

 cultivate them, would in all probabiUty raife a much larger 

 proportion of produce, if applied to lands already enclofed, 

 but in an imperfeAly cultivated ilate. 



It is remarked, by the able writer of an agricultural re- 

 port of a northern diftridl, in fupport of improving wafte 

 land, that as there is reafon to believe that many landlords, 

 or proprietors of ground, do not advert to the gain of im- 

 proving fuch waftes, it may be proper to ftate it, and to 

 ftiew that in no other way can money be laid out to fuch ad- 

 vantage. Whenever it is laid out with judgment, as it al- 

 ways may and ought, the rilk is lefs and the gain greater, it 

 is faid, than in manufaftures or in commerce. The improver 

 of land is, in the firft place, free of all hazard ; and in the 

 next place, may be fuppofed, in general, to gain at leaft 

 twelve or twenty per cent, upon his outlays. The average 

 expence of removing the wetnefs or improving wafte ground 

 is commonly eftimated, it is faid, to be under three pounds 

 the acre. Now if by thefe three pounds, land worth only 

 from one ftiilling to three ftiiUings is raifed to fifteen or 

 twenty ftiillings, the improver has at the loweft rate twelve 

 per cent, for his money ; or, in other words, by laying out 

 three pounds, he adds fifteen pounds to his ftock, as every 

 ftiilling per annum which the acre is improved, is worth at 

 leaft twenty -five years' purchafe. Inclofing and manuring 

 are not reckoned, as lands already in tillage need thefe ame- 

 liorations as well as thofe that are yet uncultivated. The 

 only expence peculiar to the improvement of wafte lands is, 

 it is faid, that of draining and reducing the furface to an 

 arable ftate ; and this, it is believed, was ftated fully high, 

 as the value of the improvement is probably ftated too low. 

 At leaft this is generally eftiiwated higher, it is faid, where- 

 ever it has taken place, as might be ftiewn in numberlefs in- 

 ftances throughout the kingdom. 



In fpeaking of the fame dillriO;, the writer farther ob- 

 ferves, that it ia often faid that the foil and climate are more 



adapted for producing grafs than corn, but the truth is, that 

 the foil and climate of the greater part of it are well fuited 

 for either ; and that wherever toil and (Ivill are exerted in 

 raifing either, they are fure of being well rewarded. But 

 fuppofing grafs fliould be the great objed, ought we not, 

 it is aiked, to put more of the land there in a capacity for 

 raifing it ? The meadows there are bad, but we may, fays 

 the writer, mend them ; they are few, but we may add to 

 them, and almoft to any degree we pleafe, and create both 

 pafture for the fummer and provender for the winter. By 

 fuch improvement of our wafte lands, the writer fays, and 

 by the introduction of green crops, it is poflible enough 

 that in half a century fome parts of this diftrift might be 

 made to rear more than double the black cattle or fheep that 

 are reared at prefent. It is impoflible to fay what the quan- 

 tity of wafte land in this diftrift, it is faid, if improved, 

 might one day be made to produce. It is certain that much 

 of it would be found to be more produftive than a great 

 part of what is in tillage at prefent. 



Profitable, however, as this bufinefs would entirely turn 

 out, both to the individual and to the public, it is to be re- 

 gretted, the writer thinks, that they who are able are not 

 often difpofed to attempt it. Inftead of this, they choofe, 

 it is faid, to buy more, and to enlarge their quantity of wil- 

 dernefs, rather than to improve what they already have. If 

 they would duly weigh thefe two diff^crent plans, they would 

 probably, it is thought, make a different choice. For it is 

 indeed a common obfervation in this diftrift, it is faid, that 

 proprietors feldom make much of farming or improving land. 

 A ftatement in the report on the agriculture of the 

 county of Montgomery in North Wales, however, ftiews 

 that the advantages of improving wafte lands is much greater 

 than is fuggefted in the above detail, confiderable as it may 

 appear. It is there faid, that Mr. Corbet now draws fifty 

 per cent, per annum for the money laid out in improving his 

 peaty or turbary lands ; which is the fame as buying an 

 eftate at two years' purchafe. And that were it not for 

 fome particular expences attending the inclofing and defend- 

 ing of it, as thofe of embanking, the profit inftead of this 

 w'ould be above one hundred pounds per cent, per annum. 



In the account of the agriculture of the northern coun- 

 ties, it is ilated too, that a Ipirited farmer there, who many 

 years ago took in leafe a traft of fourteen hundred acres 

 of wafte land, finds fome of the worft of them now very 

 cheap at forty (hillings each even in pafture ; that one hun- 

 dred of them are worth more than the whole farm when he 

 took it ; and that, though formerly covered with heath, and 

 in a high unftieltered fituation, the parts improved were 

 brought, in one or two years, at a moderate expence, to 

 produce as abundant paftures as any near the banks of the 

 Clyde. 



It is therefore conceived, by the writer of the report no- 

 ticed above, that in every view the improvement of wafte 

 lands is a gainful bufinefs to the owner or undertaker of it. 

 That it is found to be fo even in this part of the county, 

 though often fo charged, as that the improvement upon an 

 acre of land has from five to ten ftiillings a year of tithes 

 and poor rates. This, it is faid, of itfelf, would be no 

 fniall gain in fome cafes, but which is had there, the writer 

 fays, over and above that in the cafe of their neighbours. 

 It is evident, therefore, it is fuppofed, that he who is able 

 fhould lofe no time in improving his wafte land ; and that he 

 who cannot do it otherwife, would find it his intereft rather 

 to fell the one half in order to improve the other, than that 

 the work ftiould be left undone. When a proprietor is not 

 difpofed, it is faid, to improve his wafte grounds himfelf, he 



ought 



