8^ On Cropping and Cultivating Light Land. 



sketched, still it is believed that they embrace the most common 

 methods of cropping as pursued by the last two or three gene- 

 rations of farmers ; but within the last four or five years there 

 has been an effort as energetic as it has been universal to stimu- 

 late land to increased production. The laws of cropping land 

 were not so immutable as to escape a searching inquiry as to 

 their fitness for the modern agricultural constitution. 



Upon no description of land have these laws or customs been 

 so completely revised, old ones abolished, and new ones esta- 

 blished, as upon that land now under consideration. The ob- 

 vious reason why attention has been so much directed to this 

 more pliable land rather than to the heavier clay districts, is 

 because lighter land is cultivated at less expense, and because 

 upon one both stock and corn can be produced, and upon the 

 other chiefly corn. 



And now it may be justly asked, What are the modern im- 

 provements and alterations ? If one of our forefathers, deeply 

 imbued with all the known agricultural economy of his own 

 imes, could sit in judgment upon the various changes lately 

 iitroduced, what could we show ? How could we prove that 

 agricultural improvement had not departed with his generation ? 

 We could show much ; we could explain the new-born aid of 

 science, having yet accomplished something, and full of great 

 promise for the future. We could show that what we call 

 " drainage " has converted thousands of acres of miry, sedgy 

 swamps into open, fertile uplands ; and, after reviewing in suc- 

 cession our fine breeds of stock, our improvements in grubbing 

 hedges and coppices and cutting timber, our use of artificial 

 manures, the wonderful power of our machinery and its varied 

 application, we may imagine this venerable ancestor would 

 scarcely realise the idea that as yet we are but laying the 

 foundations for a far more perfect system ; but he would retire 

 from the reviev/ as proud of his descendants, and probably as 

 much struck with their works, as one of our existing wise men 

 would be, could he review by anticipation the economies of 

 generations to come. 



What are the changes which have been introduced into our 

 system of cropping within the last few years ? In the first 

 place, landlords and tenants have, in most cases, adopted more 

 iberal covenants, which allow the tenant greater control over 

 his course of cropping. This was absolutely necessary to im- 

 provement, unless it was thought that the old covenants and 

 courses of our ancestors were infallible. Fortunately this is not 

 generally the case, and, where landlords still refuse to open 

 their gates to improvement, they must be content to have their 

 land tenanted by men who are in every way behind the age in 



