IN THE WORK, 



5 



in horticulture as well as in agriculture ; and Mr. Tull^ in his 

 famous work on the Horse-hoeing husbandry, relates, that his 

 Lordship, who had made a vast collection of books on these sub- 

 jects, had them one day all collected together, omitting not one ; 

 had the pile carried into the court-yard, and there set on fire ; 

 saying, In all these books I find no principles ; they can, there 

 fore, be of no use to any man ; he must get principles for himself, 

 or he must go on till the elements have instructed him ; and, in 

 either case, he can stand in no need of books like these." 



11. As to the manner of studying this book of mine, I would 

 advise the reader to begin by reading it all through, from the 

 beginning to the end ; and not to stop here or there, to learn one 

 part of it at a tinie. If he were to do this three times over, it would 

 only require the time frequently devoted to three or lour volumes of 

 a miserable novel. This would give him an enlarged general view 

 of the whole matter ; and he might then apply himself to any par- 

 ticular part of which he might more immediately stand in need of 

 knowledge in detail. This is not a work of that kind which would 

 require to be transcribed to be firmly fixed in the mind : three 

 careful readings from the beginning to the end might suffice, until 

 the reader came to put the instructions in practice ; and then he 

 would go into the detail, being particularly attentive not to omit 

 any part of that which the book recommended him to do ; for, a 

 part omitted may, and frequently does, render all that is done of 

 no use. Mr. Tull very justly complained that those who con- 

 demned his scheme (and it is curious that Voltaihe was one of 

 these), and asserted that they had tried it and found it to fail, 

 always omitted some one thing, which omission rendered the other 

 operations abortive. Mr. Tull said, Their great error is in the 

 misuse of the word IT : they say they have tried IT : they have 

 tried some thing, to be sure ; but they have not tried my scheme." 

 Voltaire, in one of his letters (I forget to whom), says, as nearly 

 as I can recollect the words, J'ai essay e le fameux systeme de 

 Monsieur Tull, de FAngleterre, et je vous avoue que je le trouve 

 abominable. '''^^ He goes on, however, to show most satisfactorily 

 that it was not the system of Mr. Tull that he had tried ; for he 

 says, Les intervalles, ou les espaces entre les sillons, furent, des 



* I have tried the famous system of Mr. Tull, of England, and I confess to you 

 that I find it to be abominable. 



