WASTE. 



ought to give the mod hberal encouragement to tenants and 

 the labouring poor to do it for him. The foundation of the 

 encouragement, however, it is thought, fhould there be cer- 

 tainly a long leafe to poor, honeft, and indullrious labourers; 

 with a fmall allowance to build a houfe, and to help them to 

 live until they can raife food to fupport themfelves ; after 

 which they fhould pay intereft for the money, and a fmaU 

 rent for the ground. Proprietors, &c. fliould indeed, it is 

 thought, give any encouragement fhort of their own lofs, 

 rather than allow fucli lands to lie any longer as they are. 

 It may be noticed here too, that in improving thefe forts of 

 land, the open drains or ditches may often be made to ferve 

 as fences ; fo that the expence of inclofmg may be faved, 

 which will contribute greatly to the advantage of this fort 

 of improvement. 



It is evident, from what has been advanced, that there 

 are different forts of wafte land, which muft of nccefBty re- 

 quire different methods of practical management and work- 

 ing to bring them into a proper (late of cultivation, and 

 confequently demand more or lefs expence in making the 

 improvement which is neceffary. 



Such lands may, however, for the moll part, be arranged 

 and confidered under the three general heads flated below. 



1. Elevated barren lands, covered with different forts of 

 coarfe plants. 



2. Low lands of the fwampy, boggy, moraffy, and other 

 fuch watery kinds, infefled with various defcriptions of 

 coarfe vegetable produftions. 



3. Peaty, moffy, turfy, and other fuch lands, of which 

 there are many different kinds. 



Under each of thefe heads a great many varieties will ob- 

 vioufly be met with in the praftice of improving them, 

 which are to be conflantly kept in view and fully regarded, 

 in order to effedl the bufinefs in the moll eafy, cheap, and 

 effeftual manner. 



Flrjl Dlvtfion nf Wafle Land. — This comprehends all the 

 varieties and denominations of moory, heathy, mountain, 

 down, and other fuch lands, however diverlilied and changed 

 by the particular circumftances of quality, fituation, coarfe 

 herbage, and other fnch matters. 



In regard to the nature of the foil, and the means of im- 

 proving it where the ground is covered with fern, iieath, 

 furze, and other fimilar plants, the remarks of Mr. Phillips, 

 a writer on the improvement of wafte lands in North Wales, 

 are highly interefting and ufeful. In fpeakiiig of the im- 

 proving of them there when of the barren mountain kind, 

 and covered with furze and fern, it is faid that the thin 

 layer of foil or mould upon thefe lands feems to have been 

 created and formed by the annual decay and decompofition 

 of portions of the gorfe, which is a plant admirably calcu- 

 lated to produce, and afterwards to det;iiii, in fpite of rains 

 and florms, the vegetable earth, afforded by fuch means, 

 upon thefe lleep dechvities. Around each bufh of the 

 gorfe is always found, it is faid, a heap, more or lefs high, 

 of excellent mould or foil ; and fo completely do the 

 prickles of this plant defend the grafles tliat grow among it 

 from the attacks of flieep, that the earth produced by the 

 fucceffive decay of vegetable matter conllantly accninulales, 

 and renders land, that a few centuries ago would probably 

 have been unproductive, proper for the growth of corn, it 

 is impoffible, it is faid, to traverfe the mountains there, with- 

 out obferving how wifely thefe tilings are contrived by Him 

 who provides fur us all. The highefl mountains of North 

 Wales, where the rock does not every where appear, are 

 clothed with heath. As ages roll by, the foil or earth, pro- 

 duced by the annual decay of portions of the heath, becomes 

 fit to produce gorfe. If the water hawc a ready fall, and 

 Vol. XXXVII. 



the land be dry, this plant appears in abundance on the moft 

 expofed fides of fuch mountains. Where foil or earth has 

 accumulated in fufficient quantities, the next proteftor and 

 fertihzer of the mountain is fern. Wherever this plant flou- 

 rillies, flill richer quantities of vegetable earth or mould are, 

 it is faid, every year added to the furface foil ; and the 

 ground is rapidly prepared for the plough. 



The nature, fituation, circumftances, and fome other 

 points, in refpeft to the ground, muft, in thefe cafes, con- 

 flantly regulate the modes of clearing the furface, dividing, 

 incloling, and laying out the lands, as well as the buildings 

 that may be neceffary, and dirc<ft tlie kind and extent of the 

 different operations which are afterwards the beft and mofl 

 proper and advantageous to be eftablifhed and carried on in 

 the improvement of it. Where the land is thin, too much 

 ploughing is moflly, however, to be avoided, though in 

 other circumftances it may, for the moft part, be ufed freely, 

 efpecially where any fort of fuitable ameliorating fubftances 

 are at hand ready to be applied. 



It is flated that a great deal of moorifti land, which is 

 covered fometimes with heath, and fometimes with bent 

 grafs and Jpruts, is met with in the diftrift of Argyle, in 

 Scotland, and probably prevails in oilier northern counties ; 

 and that as this fort of land there has commonly a good 

 defcent, and refts upon gravel at no great diftance from the 

 furface, which is generally a black earth of the peat kind, it 

 may be cultivated with the plough at no great expence. In 

 which cafe, it is direfted that it fhould firft be ploughed in 

 fuinmer, in narrow ridges ; and foon after either crofs- 

 ploughed, or well broken down in fome other manner, as by 

 fpades, where it can be done. It fhould tiien be covered 

 with bine, or fome other proper manure, receive a gentle 

 harrowing, and lie in that flate until it get the feed-furrow 

 in the fpring. It is found that lime is peculiarly fuited to 

 heathy and new land, as, by its caullic quality, it converts 

 thefe and other vegetable matters into fine mould. The 

 efFeA of lime upon new land is niucli greater than upon old. 

 The fummcr's heat, the winter's frotl, and tlie fermentation 

 caufed by the manure, will, in moft cafes, make it mellow 

 and manageable enough by that time. If, in any cafe, it 

 fhould not, it is beft, it is faid, to let it have another fum- 

 mer ploughing, and to let it lie until the next year, when the 

 crop will be fo much the better as to pay for the delay. 

 After the ground is feeded and harrowed, the plough fhould 

 be run lightly through all the ridge furrows, in order to 

 carry oft fuperfluous moifture, and keep the ridges dry. 

 With the fecond crop, it fliould nioftly be laid down with 

 grafs-feeds for pallure, and tlie furrows be well cleaned. If 

 the ground be of a good Ihiple, three crops may, however, 

 be taken, provided the middle one be turnips, with dung. 

 It is faid in the twelfth volmiie of the " Statillical Account 

 of Scotland," that in this way Mr. Barclay, of Ury, has im- 

 proved three hundred acres of barren land of this fort. This, 

 after the lime given to the firll crop, will leave the land in 

 better heart, it is thought, than if only two white crops 

 were taken fimply with the lime. 



In the above dillnit, the improvement of walle lands of 

 tliii defcription is fo clieap a purciiafe, it is l;iid, that even 

 tenants upon a nineteen years' leafe, having accefs to lime, 

 might purlue it to great advantage. A tew of iheni do fo, 

 and more, it is expedled, w-ill follow their example. Some 

 in the parifli of South-end, who belong to the duke of Ar- 

 gyle, have done much of late years in this way, by which 

 their firms and their prolits are enlarged, and the face of the 

 ditlrid beautified. But the greatell imiirovement of this 

 kind that has yet taken place there, is th.it by the late 

 flierift" Campbell, of Stonelleld, who refcued moftly from 

 J A the 



