XVI 
PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS (continued), 
1807. 
Some of the articles in this Survey, are treated of ra¬ 
ther in a desultory manner, for which the writer hopes 
the following apology will be accepted: the materials 
were collected and registered at different times, and it 
was not in his power to incorporate them together, sys¬ 
tematically, without recasting the whole, which leisure 
and other circumstances did not permit; and he has 
therefore been obliged, in some degree, to sacrifice me¬ 
thod and order to perspicuity and matter of fact; he 
hopes, in its present form, it may be somewhat interest¬ 
ing and useful, and afford amusement, as well as in¬ 
formation, to those not immediately acquainted with 
the county, as well as to those within it, who have not 
turned their thoughts to general subjects, or to things 
with which they were not particularly connected. 
As botany has a more intimate connection with agricul¬ 
ture than is commonly supposed, and the spontaneous, 
produce of any district is considerably indicative of the 
nature and qualities, as well as of the management, of the 
soil, I am unprepared, at present, to define and explain 
accurately such indications; but believe the subject to 
be highly worthy the attention of the botanist, and the 
philosophical and systematic agriculturist: thus rushes 
indicate that under, or hollow drainage, is wanted; 
goose tansey (potentilla anserina) shows a want of 
surface drains to let off stagnant water; the upland 
burnet, (poterium sanguisorba officinalis), denotes cold 
land and moist; chadlock and goulans, hard tillage; 
couch grasses the same, and bad management; the 
wild teasel, moist land; and the hare’s foot trefoil, dry 
sand; and I have never seen the wild parsnip, the me- 
lilot, 
