366 OBSERVATIONS ON GRASSES, 
what does he do ? he either takes his feeds indis- 
criminately from his own foul hayrick, or fends 
to his next neighbour for a fupply. By this 
means, befides a certain mixture of all forts of 
rubbifh, which muft necelfarily happen ; if he 
chances to have a large proportion of good feeds, 
it is not unlikely, but that what he intends for 
dry land may come from moift, where it grew 
naturally, and the contrary This is fuch a 
Hovenlv 
* Since the firfi edition of thefe trails i have had fever al op - 
port unities of obferving infances of this jlovenly kind ofhujbandry , 
and its ejfe&s. Inf e ad of covering the ground in one year with 
a good turf i have feen it filled with weeds not natural to it , 
and which never would have fprung up , if they had not been 
brought there . 
Arguments are never wanting in fupport of ancient cuftomSf 
and i am no f ranger to the arguments, fuch as they are , which 
prejudice and indolence have made nfe cj on this occafiom 
l . Some fay then , that if you manure your ground properly , 
good graffes will come of them] elves* I own they will* But 
the quefiion is how long it will be before that happens, and why 
be at the expence of Jawing what you muft afterwards try to kill 
by manuring P which muft be ihs cafe, as long as people fow all 
kinds of rubbifi? under the name of hay feeds. Again, if the heft 
way is to let the ground take its chance , why is the farmer at 
the expence of procuring the feeds of the white, and broad clo- 
ver, which come up in almofi all parts of Engtana fpontaneoufiy ? 
but if this is allowed not to be the befi way in relation to clover 
of any kind, what reajon can be in natitrs, why grafs f eeds only 
ought not to be f oven pure P 
Others 
