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£0 wild as they may at first appear ; that the idea of con- 

 verting barren sands into kindly pastures, is not suggested 

 by the pressure of the moment, and by the mere wish of 

 giving employment to the poor ; for it had years ago oc- 

 curred both to myself and others ; and is now brought 

 forward as subsidiary to the exertions of the Board of 

 Agriculture, as one measure, among others, by which em- 

 ployment may be given to the industrious and unoccupied 

 poor. 



Some six or seven years ago, being on a visit to my 

 friend Earl O'Neil, his Lordship pointed out to me some 

 naked sand hills, which injured the view from the front of 

 Sii aide's Castle ; and, as he knew grasa to be my depart- 

 ment, asked me if T could make these little hills green. 



\Ye went to examine them, and found every where, 

 though most thinly scattered, detached roots of the agrostic 

 tribe, with two or three poor stolones issuing from each, 

 I observed to his Lordship, that as this grass grew there 

 spontaneously, and preserved its existence in such poverty, 

 that by enriching the surface a little, we must both add to 

 the number of roots and increase the length of the stolones ; 

 and that having thus formed the commencement of a sole, a 

 great number of diminutive grasses would soon start up 

 and form a perfect sole, both verdant to the eye, and yield- 

 ing some very kindly pasture. 



Where is the material to enrich the surface with I Burn 

 ashes in the contiguous moor, sprinkle the surface with 

 this divisible material, harrow it in lightly with a bush ; and 

 you not only meliorate the surface to encourage it to be 

 productive, but you change the very loose texture of the 

 sands, and by formmg them into a sort of paste, make them 

 less liable to be disturbed by the wind. 



The idea of clothing naked, and even blowing sands by 



