312 
THOMAS WALLET. 
of their blood; and if lie cannot dress all the patches in one year 
he can dress them in rotation : I do not say dress the whole area 
of the hill pastures on a farm. There are hundreds of acres on 
which, by virtue of the absence of a matrix in the form of soil, 
manurial agents would be absolutely thrown away, but it is a poor 
hill on which there are not a few fertile spots—a few oases in the 
desert—and these are often the life of animals depastured on them. 
I will even go farther and say that some few such spots may be 
worth the expense of a little bone and a few pounds of good grass 
seeds. I have known a few hills, where it has been practicable, 
converted into a mine of wealth to sheep farmers by breaking 
them up and re-seeding; and it must be borne in mind that the 
good effect of improvements is not confined to the areas on which 
they are carried out. but that it extends around the borders of 
those areas by virtue of the improved manure (dung) from the 
sheep themselves. 
Assuming, moreover, that circumstances will not allow of the 
carrying out of these plans, cattle can be depastured on some of 
the hills or parts thereof and a supply of artificial foods or dried 
natural foods be given to them; or, the same thing can be 
done with sheep instead of always taking them to the lowlands. 
I have known barren hills converted into fertile ones by this 
means; and, more, I have known diseases, such as “louping-ill ” 
and “ braxy,” disappear from spots they loved to haunt, if I may 
use such an expression ; and only a short time ago Mr. Fletcher 
Menzies related to me, when conversing with him on this subject, 
a very instructive instance of the conversion of a death-dealing 
hill into a healthy pasture in this way. I will also ask if 
there is anything to prevent the farmer from adding some of the 
necessary elements of the animal body to the artificial and dry 
foods in the shape of salt, magnesia (as Epsom salts); potash (as 
kainite or sulphate); and iron—as green vitriol ? Two of these 
agents—salt and iron—not only destroy the germs of disease but 
the embryos of parasites also, while the others stimulate the 
digestive organs and kidneys to healthy action. All are cheap; 
and even if animals did not utilise all they took in they would 
return it to the soil in the urine and faeces. Iron is not likely to 
