OF SCOTLAND.

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dering the capabilities of the soil, and the sources of ameliora-tion within reach, which, without exhausting the fertility of thesoil, will give most profit on the long run ? Were it possibleto answer these two questions satisfactorily, it might perhapsappear advisable, on an imperfect consideration of the subject,that the course of crops should be prescribed in leases, so asto guard against injury to the patrimonial interests of theland-owner by the misconduct of the occupier. But as thebest course of cropping for any particular soil, has not beenas yet ascertained, upon any thing like conclusive evidence;and as the subject still is, and probably will continue, liableto almost endless variety, according to complicated differ-ences in the nature and composition of soils and subsoils, si-tuation, climate, seasons, elevation, exposure, market, de-mand, manure, and the like; all regulations with regard tospecific rotations, must injure the farmer and land-ownerreciprocally, by cramping the exertions of the former, and di-minishing those portions of disposable produce, out of whichrent is paid to the latter.

In the best managed husbandry of Scotland , as conductedon the alternate system of pasturage and tillage on arablelands, no absolutely fixed course or succession of crops can besaid to prevail. Upon all the large arable farms, at a distancefrom towns, in which the breeding, rearing, and fattening ofcattle and sheep form a very material object of attention,about half of the arable land is kept under grass for pasture,hay, and soiling, and the other half is under tillage. Theseportions are gradually interchanged, slower or faster accord-ing to circumstances ; and this alternation may be consideredas the fundamental principle in the system of Scotch husban-dry, so far as succession or the course of crops is concerned.Even on this subject, however, no positive rules can be laiddown with propriety for restricting the husbandman in thefree exercise of his judgment and experience, without mate-rial injury and consequent injustice to him in the first place,and eventually to the land-owner and the public, by lessening