When I expressed my surprize that the peasants did not
disencumber their grounds of these stones; a gentleman, well
acquainted with the theory as well as practice of farming,
assured me that the stones, far from being prejudicial, were
serviceable to the crop. This philosopher had ordered a field of
his own to be cleared, manured and sown with barley, and the
produce was more scanty than before. He caused the stones to be
replaced, and next year the crop was as good as ever. The stones
were removed a second time, and the harvest failed; they were
again brought back, and the ground retrieved its fertility. The
same experiment has been tried in different parts of Scotland
with the same success--Astonished at this information, I desired
to know in what manner he accounted for this strange phenomenon;
and he said there were three ways in which the stones might be
serviceable. They might possibly restrain an excess in the
perspiration of the earth, analogous to colliquative sweats, by
which the human body is sometimes wasted and consumed. They might
act as so many fences to protect the tender blade from the
piercing winds of the spring; or, by multiplying the reflexion of
the sun, they might increase the warmth, so as to mitigate the
natural chilness of the soil and climate -- But, surely this
excessive perspiration might be more effectually checked by
different kinds of manure, such as ashes, lime, chalk, or marl,
of which last it seems there are many pits in this kingdom: as
for the warmth, it would be much more equally obtained by
inclosures; the cultivation would require less labour; and the
ploughs, harrows, and horses, would not suffer half the damage
which they now sustain.
Pages:
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447