in one of the plates, would much improve it; the shaded parts, in the figures of the designs in plate 6, are so very dark, as to obscure the minute squares into which they

were intended to be divided, if those parts were lightly shaded, as similar parts are in plate 7, the advantage would be obvious,

THAT a subject so closely connected with the interests of this country as agriculture, and the study of which demands the aid of so much science, should not have received the positive encouragement of English universities, has often excited our surprise. The fashion among gentlemen for farming a portion of their own estates is still increasing, and to this fashion most of the modern improvments are at. tributable. As it will not be disputed that a great many young men who receive their education at Oxford and Cambridge are among the number of those alluded to, it cannot be disputed that much benefit might be reasonably anticipated from the appointment of a professor of agriculture, who should in each term deliver a course of lectures on rural economy.

The tract before us may be called, the syllabus of a course of lectures delivered by Dr. Coventry, who is professor of agriculture in the university of Edinburgh. Judging from the extent of the foundation, the superstructure must have been a very large one. The course appears to have comprehended have comprehended every subject, collaterally as well as immediately connected with rural economy; and we have no doubt that many of Dr. Coventry's pupils will, in the future manage

ment of their paternal acres, have reason to acknowledge the obligations they are under to his scientific instruction.

Dr. C. is rather severe against what he calls profuse agriculture; his words are these.

"With regard to agriculture, in my opinion, it becomes profuse, whenever tillage and the culture for particular crops are pursued at an unlimited expence, and without a due regard to ornament or use. The principle of this sort is neither taste nor economy, but sheer ostentation, or some very adventurous and mistaken principle. The characteristic of this sort is neither orna

ment nor utility, but undue profusion ; and its object seems not to be gain, but the acquisition of some repute as a cultivator, or to obtain the credit of possessing fertile land, more than any thing else. The consequence of economical agricul ture is, or should be, decent success; but the tendency of the other, is invariably to ruin. The remark made upon alchemy of old, may in part be applied, not improperly, to this kind of culture; "Ars sine arte, cujus principium est mentire, medium laborare et finis mendicare"-A business originating in deception, proceeding with labour, but ending in loss. You may frequently observe lands in the possession of gentlemen of of great property, in fine order and bearing rich crops, and may thence be apt to conclude that such are managed by skilful husbandmen: But the very reverse of this should in many-I am afraid, in

most cases be the conclusion; for they too often proceed at an unlimited expence in the tillage and manuring; support unnecessary and extravagant means of labour, in servants and stocking; obtain perhaps double crops, but those at a triple cost; and, with illusive notions of profit, are betrayed into real, though unheeded loss."

That the sort of agriculture here described is ruinous to the individual, we are not at all disposed to deny, for which very reason there can be no great danger that it should be generally adopted. If a man, however, is enabled "to obtain double crops even at a triple cost,' and chuses to spend his money in the experiment, it is rather hard to deny him the merit of conferring a benefit upon the public, and to say that the characteristic of his system is "neither ornament nor utility, but undue profusion." Be it granted, that "its object is not gain, but the acquisition of repute as a cultivator," is this disinterested labour a ground of reproach? is the desire

to obtain repute as a cultivator a dishonourable feeling? Oh no! encourage the emulation, gratify the vanity, if you will brand it with so ungracious a term. But the public can never be injured by any pecuniary expence which a cultivator incurs, or by any means which he employs to make two ears of corn grow next year where only one the servants, and the stocking," are grew last. The "means of labour, neither "unnecessary nor extravagant," considering the object; and surely, in an ornamental point of view, nothing can so delight the eye and gladden the heart of man, as the sight of pastures with luxuing under the crops they sustain. riant herbage, and corn fields bendDr. Coventry has himself quoted Cicero as an authority on this head, and we shall repel him with his own quotation: "Agro bene culto, nihil potest esse, nec usu uberius nec Cato Major. specie ornatius.”

THIS report contains more general information than most of those which have hitherto come before us, and notwithstanding that Mr. Holland's practical knowledge of farming is evidently defective, his observations are frequently just, and are generally expressed in clear and concise terms.

Situation and extent. Cheshire, reckoning from the extremities of the county, lies between 53° 0" and 53 36" north latitude, and 1° 46" and 3" 22" west longitude, from London. Its greatest breadth is about 30 miles, and extreme length 58, and it contains about 675,000

acres.

Climate. It is generally supposed that more rain falls in this county than in any other part of Eng

county. The substrata are clay, marl, sand, gravel, rock and foxbench, a kind of iron stone very injurious to vegetation.

Minerals. Rock salt is the most valuable mineral of Cheshire; and the reader of Mr. H's work will find an interesting account of the manufacture of salt, both from the rock and from springs Coal is worked to a considerable extent in the district between Macclesfield and Stockport, and in the town of Little Noston. There are also some veins of copper and lead ore in the hill of Alderly edge, the manufacture of which had been repeatedly, though unsuccessfully attempted, till within these last two or three years, when some gentlemen at Stockport have recommenced the speculation, apparently with a prospect of success.

Water. Cheshire is a well watered county, and derives consider able benefit from internal navigation; independently of the Duke of Bridgewater's and the Ellesmere canals, many of i's rivers, as the Mersey, the Weaver, and the Dee, are navigable. There are also several small lakes.

Rents. The rents of this county are higher than in most parts of England, not averaging less than thirty shillings an acre, which may be accounted for from its vicinity to the populous county of Lancashire.

Poor rates. Mr. H. is aware of the abuses of our poor laws, and regrets that the old system of whippings, the pillory, stocks, and similar punishments, are discontinued; we cannot perfectly coincide with him, being satisfied that the impossibility of putting them in execution has caused their discontinuance. The rates are rather low, not exceeding two shillings in the pound. Arable land. This being a great dairy county, and the soil and climate so well adapted to the growth

of grass, the quantity of arable land is comparatively small, which may in some measure account for the defective system of agriculture generally pursued, than which nothing can be more wretched. It appears from Mr. H.'s rotation of crops, that the common practice is to take as many corn crops as the land can possibly produce, and then, already stocked, as it must necessarily be, with weeds of every description, to sow it with grass seeds! the necessity of a fallow becomes indispensable, before it can be again sown with corn. Some enlightened farmers are, however, beginning to adopt the system of alternate green and corn crops, the advantages of which must be so obvious, that we conceive it impossible not to become general where it is once introduced.

One of th most profitable crops appears to be the potatoe, which in some parts of the county is cultivated to a considerable extent, and with great at ention; and for the produce of which a ready market is alwas found in the populous towns of Liverpool and Manchester.. The following simple method is practised to obtain an early, crop.. Those designed for sets are taken up in September or October, and in November are laid rather thinly in a warm dry room, covered with chaff or dry sand; and are further protected in frosty weather by a rug spread over them, under which management they sprout in the months of February or March, when they are planted whole; alí the sprouts except one being cut off: and by this method are obtained a month sooner than in the com

the grasses they produce, and of the artificial grasses generally sown; but these are by no means peculiar to the county.

Woods and plantations. Though there are few woods, yet the quantity of timber growing in the fences and coppices is very considerable, the greater part of which is oak. The soil of many parts, particularly that of Durham park, is well adapted to its growth. One tree blown down at the last mentioned place measured over the bark 431 feet, and there are many others nearly of the same size. Mr. H. is rather alarmed at the decrease and consequent advance in the price of this article; though we conceive, without any great cause, as in the present state of the kingdom, it is surely much better that the land should be covered with corn than with timber.

Wastes. The quantity of waste land, including peat bogs and mosses, and the estuaries of the Dee and Mersey rivers, amounts to about 50,000 acres; the greater part is thought by Mr. H. to be incapable of any other improvement than planting, as a great poportion of that susceptible of cultivation has been lately inclosed.

Improvements. Draining appears to be one of the greatest improvements which have lately taken place in Cheshire; and as the superabundant moisture in most cases rather arises from a quantity of rain falling upon a retentive soil with a flat sur face, than from the prevalence of springs, surface draining has of course been attended with the great

est success:

Paring and burning. This is a practice which the farmers are seldom allowed by their landlords to adopt, it being a prevailing opinion (though certainly an erroneous one) that it destroys the soil. In the state in which land is here commonly laid down, it would undoubtedly

be the most proper method of restoring it to a state of cultivation. Mana res. These seem to consist of marl, lime, and other substances, commonly used. Salt has been tried, but though the application has in some cases appeared exceedingly beneficial, yet those cases have been so equally balanced by others in which it produced no effect, that nothing conclusive can be inferred from the experiments.

On the general application of manures Mr. H. has offered some ingenious remarks; but as we cannot entirely agree with him, and it being a branch of farming to which a sufficient degree of attention is seldom paid, we are induced to deliver our sentiments on the subject. Manures may be classed under three heads; viz. those which improve the texture of the soil, those which constitute the food of plants, and those which act as stimuli in pro moting a greater absorption of food. In the first class are included any of the simple earths, when applied where the others predominate, in too great a proportion; in the second, putrid animal and vegetable substances; and in the last perhaps salt.

It has been proved by experiments, that although plants will live, and even make some progress, in a mixture of certain proportions of the simple earths, yet their progress is slow, unless they are watered with a solution of putrid vegetable substance, which proves, that notwithstanding water, on analysis, is found to constitute a very principal component part; yet that vegetable substances in a certain stage of decomposition, are in a more proper state to be absorbed by the roots of plants than water itself.

A reference to the economy of the human body will materially eluci date this question. It will be found that if our food be analysed water is the principal ingredient in the