I cannot avoid foliciting every Gentleman, who has kept fuch a Regifter, to communicate what has been obferv'd in that Way, with fome Account of the Soil, Situation, and Time of Planting, if poffible; that from many Instances we may come near a Certainty of the Growth and Value of Timber, and give the Publick a View of how much every Acre of Wood-Plantation may grow in a Day, a Week, a Month, or a Year, having due Regard at the fame time to the Sorts which are growing, according to their Proportion of Difference; not unlike what I have heard, that Herbs grow in Pence, and Shrubs in Shillings, while Timber grows in Pounds; but this I fhall explain more fully in - another Place.

As for Gardens, I fhall mention them with the reft, as Occafion fhall afford me fufficient Variety of Obfervations to improve them in their feveral Orders; and remark how far the Skill of the Workmen employ'd in them, makes them excel the neighbouring Gardens: And, for the better Information of my Reader, fhall give fuch Remarks upon the Weather, and the Produce of every Month, as may be serviceable and worthy the Notice of all fuch as are either Hufbandmen or Gardeners: For one of the fureft Methods to be taken for understanding Agriculture and Gardening, is to enquire into the Courfe of Seafons, and their Confequences.

In this Work I fhall likewife have occafion to mention the Ufe and Improvement of Poultry, and fome Sorts of Cattle, about a Farm; for it is not only the making of Plantations, or the tilling or fowing of Land with proper Crops of Plants, or Grain, which enriches an Estate, there is alfo great Profit to be reap'd by grazing B 3 and

and feeding Cattle and Poultry; and without they are rightly understood, a Farmer may lose a great Part of those Benefits which the judicious Husbandmen enjoy. Nor indeed is the Knowledge of Pond-fifh, and the Method of improving them, to be neglected: They carry their Value with them, even tho' fuch Ponds lie near the Sea. I have often heard Gentlemen regret the Want of fuch Conveniencies.

In fome Places I know it has been thought impoffible ever to stock their Ponds with Carp, Pike, Tench, or fuch like, because there were not any of thofe Fifh near enough to be brought alive to the Places defir'd; but there is no Difficulty in fuch a Cafe, if we can but get a good Quantity of the Spawn of those Fish, they may be tranfported for feveral Days Journey in Barrels of Water, and stock our Ponds, if the Spawn has a due Quantity of Air while it is in the Barrels. I remember an Inftance of it, where a Gentlemen of my Acquaintance had long defir'd to store his Pond with Tench; he try'd in vain to bring them a Day's Journey alive; but at length he was advis'd to provide a large Quantity of Spawn of those Fish, and fend it into the Country thus barrell'd up, which he did, much to his Satisfaction; for in a fhort Time he had fo great a Quantity hatch'd in his Ponds, that he was capable of fupplying all his Neighbours. Befides, there is this Advantage in storing Ponds by Spawn, that the Fifh become natural to the Water, and thrive in it much more than if they had been accustomed to a Water of another Sort.

I have also known that fome Gentlemen have had Curiosity enough to transport the Eggs of extraordinary Land and Water Fowl fome hundred Miles, and thereby ftock'd their Eftates

with Varieties of Game; but in fuch a Cafe we must always have Regard to the Nature of the Fowl, that fuch as are of the Water Race, are hatch'd and brought up under those kinds as love the Waters, fuch as Ducks, Geefe,. &c. and Pheasants, if poffible, to be hatch'd rather under Turkeys, than Hens of common Poultry; for the Food of Pheasants is much nearer that of the Turkey than of the common Hen, and the Time of Incubation is the fame with the Turkey.

Of Water Fowls I find the greatest Variety about the Fern Islands near the Coaft of Northumberland, and by the Sea-fide in North-Wales. From the first, one of my Acquaintance has more than once receiv'd Eggs of above thirty different kinds, box'd up in Bran, which he hatch'd and brought to that Perfection, that his Pools are now plentifully ftor'd with them, altho' they have not the Advantage of falt Water.

The Breeding of Pheasants is generally thought to be fo difficult and expenfive, that few will undertake it, which perhaps may be, because the common Method, prefcrib'd for breeding this fort of Fowl, is fo unnatural to them, that we feldom have more than one fourth part of the young ones come to good; and yet I find 'tis ftill practis'd in fome famous Pheafantries, where the Expence amounts to much more than the Value of the Fowls that are produc'd: But in this, as well as other Things, we find that the more we fwerve from Nature's Rules, we are more diftant from Truth and Profit; and too frequently we find Men involv'd in Error, when they prefer Art to Nature. It is obferv'd by Men of Judgment, that the most useful Things were in Nature before they were discover'd, and that no Art is juft, whofe Foundation is not natural.

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tural. One Inftance of this may be pretty well explain'd by what I have obferv'd in the breeding of Pheasants about my own House: I bought a good Number, with a Receipt for their Management according to Art, viz. that they should be fed with Paste, made with Pollard, Milk, and a common Hen's Egg, which, as I was told, would make them lay plentifully; now, whether by this Means, or according to the Nature of Fowls, which have their Eggs conftantly taken away, they were prompted to lay more Eggs than natural, I know not, but every Hen brought me thirty at least; fo that I had always Eggs enough from every Pheasant, to fet under two Hens of the common Poultry; however, with all the Care I could take, I had not a fourth part of the Eggs came to the Perfection I defir'd, 'till one of my Hen Pheasants, by Accident, got abroad, and stole her Neft, which fhe kept undiscover'd 'till fhe brought out fifteen young ones, that I fuffer'd to run with her two or three Days without Controul; but I was ignorant enough then to imagine, I could contribute to their Welfare, by retrenching their Liberty, and giving them richer Diet than they naturally fed upon, befides my preferving them from Vermin : I therefore took the Hen and her Young, at Roosting-time, and put them in a Place of Shelter, but the Morning following, I found my Mistake, the Hen had deftroy'd every one, by wounding them in the Head with her Beak. From hence I learnt how neceffary it is to treat all created Bodies in the way moft natural to them; and I have found fince by Experience, that where pinnion'd Pheasants have had due Liberty allow'd them, and not more than one Cock to seven Hens; they have brought their

Young

Young to Perfection for a trifling Expence ; but the common way prefcrib'd, has always the fame Share of ill Fortune.

There is one Thing more which requires our Obfervation, and demands our Study, relating to the Use of Water, where the Ground about it is upon a Flat; where this happens to be under Government, fo as to be confin'd within proper Bounds, it will turn to extraordinary Advantage to the Proprietor. A Cafe of this Nature is now bordering upon an Estate of the prefent Earl of Warwick, which lies between Kensington and Hammersmith; where we find a Common-fewer, reaching from the Thames as far. as the Oxford Road near Acton, and croffing the great Road from London to the Weft of England; all the Land on one Side is belonging to his Lordship. This Shore has been made navigable for near a Mile in length, by private Hands; and was his Lordship difpos'd to continue it in the fame manner to its Extremity, there is no doubt but his Lands would be extreamly improv'd, and probably be enrich'd by Buildings, and at the fame time fave the Wear of the Roads, and turn to the Farmer's Profit, who might by the Benefit of Water-Carriage fupply their adjacent Farms with Neceffaries at cheap Rates, and transport their Crops to the best Markets with Eafe and Safety; but efpecially if they confift of foft Fruits, as Strawberries, Cherries, or other kinds of tender Garden-Stuff, which is chiefly the Study of the Hufbandmen thereabouts: We might add ftill the Advantage which might arife by bringing Coals and other cumberfome Commodities by Water, to the Inland Parts, which would fave the Expence of Horfe-flesh: But whoever underftands the Benefits arifing by