ed, he hopes to have his principal and his profit both safe in
his pocket. If he does not cherish these hopes, he is either a fool or a
rogue.

On one other point connected with draining, we are anxious to quote Mr
Stephens' own words. In reply to the question, is your land drained? we
have so often received the answer--"Oh, sir, my land is dry, it does not
require draining"--that we request the serious attention of such of our
readers as are interested in the improvement of land, to the following
passage:--

"Land, however, though it does not contain such a superabundance of
water as to obstruct arable culture, may nevertheless, by its
inherent wetness, prevent or retard the luxuriant growth of useful
plants, as much as decidedly wet land. The truth is, that deficiency
of crops on apparently dry land is frequently attributed to unskilful
husbandry, when it really arises from the baleful influence of
_concealed_ stagnant water; and the want of skill is shown, not so
much in the management of the arable culture of the land, as in
neglecting to remove the true cause of the deficiency of the crop,
namely, the concealed stagnant water. Indeed, my opinion is--and its
conviction has been forced upon me by dint of long and extensive
observation of the state of the agricultural soil over a large
portion of the country--that this is the _true cause of most of the
bad farming to be seen_, and that _not one farm_ is to be found
throughout the kingdom that would _not be much the better for
draining_. Entertaining this opinion, you will not be surprised at my
urging upon you to practise draining, or at my lingering at some
length on the subject, that I may exhibit to you the various modes of
doing it, according to the peculiar circumstances in which your farm
may be placed."--(Vol. i. p. 483.)

With the substance of these remarks we entirely agree. We would only not
put the point so broadly as to imply, that the want of draining was the
only cause of the bad farming we see. We have, however, been over large
tracts of Scotland, and we are quite sure that whole counties might be
made to yield the double of their present produce by an efficient
drainage, and proper subsequent management.

We pass over the very succinct and methodical description of the processes
of threshing, winnowing, &c., and can note only one point out of the grea