41 



The progress of the improvement I suggest, if exten- 

 sively adopted, would not be gradual ; for should incredu- 

 lity be suppressed, and a confidence in me substituted in 

 its place, and acted upon, the change in the value of 

 the mountains in the British islands would be instantaneous. 



Bacon tells us, that man and Nature execute their opera- 

 tions very difterently. Man commences with parts, 

 finishes one, and then 'proceeds to another, and so on till 

 the whole be completed. Nature, on the contrary, com- 

 mences with the whole, advances all the parts uniformly, 

 finishing- none, until the whole be completed. 



Hence, it appears, that should I be seconded as I wish, 

 the promise I made to some of my Scotch friends would 

 be performed ; and every mountain grazing- farm, from 

 Caithness to Dumbarton, enabled to sustain through 

 the winter the whole stock that had grazed upon it in 

 summer. 



Having stated the principles upon which the conversion 

 of a green sole of grass into valuable meadow depend ; 

 having detailed generally the measures to be adopted ; and 

 having by various and most respectable testimonies esta- 

 blished the success that has attended them on diff'erent 

 occasions, I shall proceed to the immediate object of the 

 Board of Agriculture, and show how extensively the 

 industrious and unoccupied poor may be employed in car- 

 rying these measures into execution. 



In the selection of the ground to be converted into mea- 

 dow, depth of soil is an important consideration ; I wish it 

 not to be less than twelve^ or at least ten inches deep ; to a 

 peaty soil I have no objection, provided it be not fibrous 

 and spongy. 



The only operation we have to perform on the area 

 chosen, is to reheve it effectually from all under water,^ 

 and to enrich the surface by good top-dressings. 



