On this recipe, we fhall beg leave to remark, that the quantity appears to be by much too fmall to produce, we fhould think, any material effect: but if it did produce any confiderable effect, it would be the cheapest food yet devifed. According to Mr. Marshall's own ftatement, the price of American linfeed, at the time when he wrote, was under five fillings per bushel; and as a bufhel contains above forty quarts, the price of the quart is of courfe rather less than one penny halfpenny, one fourth part of which is three half farthings per day. We know of no kind of grain, or other article, the fame value of which could produce any fenfible effect in fattening bullocks. We fufpect there muft here be fome error. For quart, ought we not to read gallon?

Fattening of cattle is, however, but a fecondary bufinefs here. The great object of attention in the vale of Glocefter, is now, and long has been, the dairy. On this fubject, the author justly enters into the most ample details; and as the butter, but ftill more especially the cheese, of this diftrict, has long been held in a very high degree of eftimation, he exerts himself to discover the caufes of this pre-eminence, and to inform the public concerning them.

Much has been always attributed to the nature of the paftures in this diftrict; and the prefent ingenious author feems inclined to favour this opinion. The foil here, he thinks, has a tendency to give to common graffes not only a richness of pile, but a fweetness of tafte that is very uncommon, if not peculiar to it. Ray grafs he esteems by much the fineft pafture grafs; and this, he fays, conftitutes the principal herbage of the finest pastures in this vale. Below Apperly (fays he) the herbage is ray-grafs (faccharine in a fuperior degree-literally as fweet as fugar)." p. 162. He fpeaks of this faccharine tafte of ray-grafs on many other occafions; but obferves, of different fpecimens of this kind of grafs, that, in tafte, however, they vary confiderably; and perhaps the taste of ray-grafs might be taken as a criterion of foils.' ib. He remarks, however, that the grounds which are most remarkable for this fweet tafte in the herbage, are reckoned very good for grazing; but are difficult to make cheele from. p. 161. So that it fhould feem that the fuperiority of the cheese in this diftrict cannot be referred to this caufe.

Though we are much more friendly to ray-grafs than most perfons with whom we have converfed, and though we know that on very rich foils especially, it affords a much greater abundance of fucculent herbage than will be generally believed, yet we cannot help fufpecting that the author entertains a more favourable opinion of it than it deferves; and muft blame him for fo warmly recommending it to be fown as a pafture grafs, without marking one very neceffary difcrimination of which he muft

have feen the neceffity, viz. that on poor foils, in all cafes, it runs chiefly to ftem, and can with great difficulty be made to produce abundant leaves. The faccharine taste of this grafs, alfo, we never have remarked; and are inclined to fufpect that Mr. M. may, poffibly, in fome inftances, have mistaken another grafs for it. But as we never had an opportunity of examining the paftures of Glocefterfhire, we are here only difpofed to doubt, not to deny, the fact.

What peculiarity of foil occafions this fweetnefs in the tafte of ray-grafs, we are not informed; but many will be difpofed to afcribe the peculiar fineness of the cheefes of this diftrict to the richness of the foil, and the luxuriance of its herbage. It will, however, be generally admitted, that though richness of foit will greatly augment the quantity of herbage produced on it, yet that it is doubtful whether it improves the quality. In gathering medical plants, it is known, that in proportion to their degree of luxuriance, their peculiar medical qualities are diminished. Rich vale lands, therefore, if the quality of the milk is to be bettered by the fuperior flavour of the plants which the cows eat, fhould be the leaft proper for improving the quality of the products of the dairy. But as rich vale lands are, in general, most favourable for yielding the fineft butter, as well as cheefe, this hypothefis feems not to anfwer.

But though the grafs lands in the vale of Glocefter are rich, and produce naturally a very luxuriant herbage, yet we are told that an opinion there prevails, that dung spread on the furface of grafs land is hurtful to the dairy. We are here, for obvious reatons, inclined to confider this as one of those popular opinions which has, probably, been accidentally adopted in this diftria, and tranfmitted from father to fon without examination. Mr. Marshall has had no opportunity of determining the question by experiment.

Mr. Marfhall, at a loss to account for a falling-off, for fome years palt, of the good quality of the cheefes in this vale, which is univerfally admitted, is inclined to afcribe it to a debasement of the breed of cattle that were here reared formerly, by an intermixture with another breed; though he afterward feems indeed to abandon this hypothefis. The Glocefterfhire and Herefordshire cattle (which are here confidered as much of the fame nature) are spoken of in the warmest terms of admiration, as being particularly excellent for the draught, for feeding, and for the dairy; in all which refpects, he thinks they by far excel the long horned cattle, which have, for fome years paft, been much in vogue: a circumftance which he regards as of the moft ferious importance.

The working of cattle is in the way of being (thus), perhaps, irretrievably cut off; and, whenever the spirit of breeding fhall flag, CC 4

and

and the art fall into neglect, the entire country will be burthened with a breed of cattle, naturally, the worft, perhaps, it ever knew. The long-horned cattle, in a state of neglect, might, in figurative language, be called creatures without carcafe; all horns and hide. With every affiftance which genius and fpirit can give them, they are barely, if at all, fuperior, even as grazing ftock, to other breeds which have remained in a state of comparative neglect *.'

We fear that Mr. M. has here written rather incautiously; for though we have not fuch a predilection for this fashionable breed as fome others, yet we have no doubt but that fome varieties of it may be found which poffefs excellent qualities. Even for the dairy, Mr. M. himself tacitly admits, that they are in fome cafes extremely proper, when he gives the cheefes of North Wiltshire the preference to thofe of all other parts of the kingdom; and at the fame time obferves, that the fpecies of the cow here kept, is invariably the long-horned; which has here been the established fpecies time immemorial.' And he also further informs us, that the produce of cows, by the year, is, in this diftrict, almoft incredible. Three to four hundred weight a cow, is, I was affured, on all hands, the common produce. Four and a half not unfrequent. Four hundred nearly the par produce. There is a well attefted inftance, in which a small dairyman fold thirty-five hundred weight from feven cows; befides what was ufed in the family! But the cows were in their prime, and extraordinary milkers.' In the Vale of Berkeley, the richest part of Glocefterfhire, the average produce, we are told, is only three hundred weight, each cow.

From the whole of thefe confiderations, it seems, that the excellence of the cheefes of this diftrict, is neither to be afcribed exclufively to the nature of the pafture, nor to the breed of cattle. Probably, more depends on the management of the dairy than either.

The particulars of this management, both in the Vale of Glocefter, and in Wiltshire, are here defcribed with all poffible minutenefs. But the difference between the practice here, and in other diftricts, as well as that between the different individuals in this country, depend, as our author obferves, on such nice fhades of practice, as not to admit of being fpecified in any abridgment which we could make. Much attention, and great cleanliness, are required, in every ftage of the process; but it does not appear that the art has yet been carried to fuch perfection, as to admit the principles on which it depends being developed with precifion.

During Mr. Marfhall's refidence in the Vale of Glocefter, he made an excurfion among the Cotswold hills; and he here gives a sketch of the rural economy of that district.

* Vol. II. p. 228.

This

divifion

divifion of the country is confiderably elevated above the vales which furround it; but it cannot be denominated a hilly region. Ite climature is mild, fo that all kinds of grain, ufually raised in this country, ripen there perfectly well. Its flopes are not fo fteep as to debar the ufe of the plough; nor is its foil fo unkindly, as not to yield abundant returns to the induftrious farmer. It confifts, in general, of a calcareous loam above a substratum of calcareous ftone. It is chiefly an arable diftrict; the furface diverfified by irregular fwells, and varying vales; abounding in small rills, though rather deftitute of wood. But, on the whole, the author fays, the Cotswolds are, or might be made, a delightful land to refide in.'

The particulars of the economy of this diftrict are feparately examined, under diftinct heads, according to Mr. Marshall's general arrangement. But we do not mean to follow this minutely. In their mode of cultivating the foil, the farmers in this district, can by no means be held up as a pattern for others. Oxen are ftill here ufed, in fome measure, as beafts of draught; but horses are in more general ufe. FIVE horses conftitute an ordinary plough-team.-The intelligent reader will know from this particular, that improvements in agriculture are not here carried to a great height.

The only rural operations in which the inhabitants of this diftrict peculiarly excel, are breaft-ploughing, and fod-burning, which are here much practifed. The author alfo takes notice of the practice of an individual here, in regard to fallows, as worthy, of praise, viz. that of boeing his fallows. But unless it were during a length of rainy weather, which would render it improper for, the plough to go on them, we can scarcely form an idea of the utility of this method. The only particular crop which they here cultivate, is faintfoin, which is found to profper abundantly, throughout the whole of this diftrict. Indeed, wherever the fubfoil is dry, and abounds in calcareous matter, as here, this plant never fails to thrive, and is always a valuable article of huf. bandry; but in no other circumftances that we as yet know.

Sheep are ftill kept in fome places of this diftrict; but Mr. M. remarks, that they have not that fhort-carding wool, fimilar. to the Spanish. As the fame breed of sheep have been reared in this diftrict from time immemorial, Mr. M. takes occafion to remark, that the popular ftory of the Spanish breed of sheep. having been originally obtained from the Cotswold Downs, feems to be entirely without foundation.

During his refidence near Glocefter, the author made alfo an excurfion into Herefordshire, for the purpose, chiefly, of obtaining a knowlege of the cyder-management. The only other objects of the rural economy there, which he mentions (and thefe but fightly), are cattle, sheep, and wine. The sheep of

this diftrict, especially the Ryeland breed, are well known to carry very fine wool of the fhort-carding fort. Hence he concludes, that if Spanifh fheep were obtained from any part of England, it must have been from thefe parts. There are many good reafons, however, for believing that the popular story on this head is merely a fiction, invented to pleafe the vanity of our own people.

The Ryeland fheep is defcribed as a finall, delicate animal, not devoid of beauty. The fineness of the wool, Mr. M. is inclined to think, in fome meafure depends on a practice that here prevails, of thutting the fheep up in houfes during the night through the whole year. In this particular, however, we must beg leave to differ from him, as we are well convinced, from many attentive obfervacions, and fome fair experiments, that this practice rather tends to hurt the quality of the wool than to improve it: and is, undoubtedly, very prejudicial to the fheep.

On the management of orchards, and fruit liquors, the author has bestowed much attention; and he enters minutely into the confideration of every particular, from the choice of the foil and fituation for an orchard, to the final difpofal of the fruitliquor in its higheit ftate of perfection. In this divifion of his work, he is rather more didactic than defcriptive. He hazards his own notions, we are afraid, rather too ofen on a subject where his experience has not yet been fufficient to curb the lively exuberance of genius and imagination. In the first part of this difquifition, many intricate queftions refpecting the economy of vegetables, which even a Bonnet would have touched on with a cautious diffidence, are fuppofed to be fully known, and rules for practice are drawn from them. And though, in the second part, he proceeds with rather more caution, and is more attentive to the practice of the diftrict which he defcribes, ftill, perhaps, a captious critic might find room to object. This is by no means our defire. We know how difficult it is for a perfon of an active turn of mind to contemplate a fubject of this nature for the first time, and not to think he perceives innumerable eafy plans of improvement; or, feeing thele things, to fupprefs them in writing on the fubject. It is experience alone that can chatten the mind, and correct the over-luxuriant exertions of genius in matters of this fort*-On the whole, however, we confider this as a very ingenious differtation; and think, that if it be read with proper allowances, many ufcful hints may be gathered from it,

* We are fenfible that the author, in his preface, has apologized for this paffage. He will, however, at fome future period, we doub not, be fully fenfible of the propriety of our prefent remark, and probably will thank us for it.

tending