121 
This answers the best purpose here, as the soil is too rich for 
wheat; the stalks grow too long, the heads contain too few grains, 
and the stalks on account of their length soon break down, so 
that the crop is not very productive. The chief complaint here 
is on account of the too great luxuriancy of the soil. The trees 
are all very large, shoot up quickly to a great height, but have 
so few, and such weak roots, that they are easily prostrated by a 
violent storm; they also rot very easily, and I met with a great 
number of hollow trees, in proportion. I saw them sow maize 
or Indian corn, for the first time. There were furrows drawn 
diagonally across the field with the plough, each at a distance of 
two feet from the other; then other furrows at the same distance 
apart, at right angles with the first. A person goes behind the 
plough with a bag of corn, and in each crossing of the furrows 
he drops six grains. Another person with a shovel follows, and 
covers these grains with earth. When the young plants are half 
a foot high, they are ploughed between and the earth thrown up 
on both sides of the plants; and when they are two feet high 
this operation is repeated, to give them more firmness and to 
destroy the weeds. There is a want of experienced farmers 
here; the furrows were badly made, and the whole was attended 
to rather too much eh amateur . 
After we returned to Madam Fretageot’s, Mr. Owen showed 
me two interesting objects of his invention; one of them con¬ 
sisted of cubes of different sizes, representing the different classes 
of the British population in the year 1811 , and showed what a 
4 powerful burden rested on the labouring class, and how desira¬ 
ble an equal division of property would be in that kingdom. 
The other was a plate, according to which, as Mr. Owen assert¬ 
ed, each child could be shown his capabilities, and upon Which, 
after a mature self-examination, he can himself discover what pro¬ 
gress he has made. The plate has this superscription: scale of 
human faculties and qualities at birth. It has ten scales with the 
following titles: from the left to the right, self-attachment; affec¬ 
tions; judgment; imagination; memory; reflection; perception; 
excitability; courage; strength. Each scale is divided into one 
hundred parts, which are marked from five to five. A slide that 
can be moved up or down, shows the measure of the qualities 
therein specified each one possesses, or believes himself to pos¬ 
sess. 
I add but a few remarks more. Mr. Owen considers it as an 
absurdity to promise never-ending love on marriage. For this 
reason he has introduced the civil contract of marriage, after the 
manner of the Quakers, and the French laws into his community, 
and declares that the bond of matrimony is in no way indissolu¬ 
ble. The children indeed, cause no impediment in case of a 
Vol. II. 16 
