OCT 
 =0 
 
 %-
 
 THE 
 
 Extenfive Pratice 
 
 OF THE 
 
 EXEMPLIFIED 
 
 ON DIFFERENT SORTS OF LAND, FOR A 
 COURSE OF YEARS j 
 
 IN WHICH 
 
 .THE VARIOUS METHODS 
 
 O F 
 
 PLOUGHING, HOEING, HARROWING, 
 AND MANUREING; 
 
 AND EVERY OTHER PROCESS IK 
 
 ft ECO M MENDED BY 
 
 MR, TULL, SIR DIGBY LEGARD, MR. DUFF, MR. RAN- 
 
 DALL, OF YORK; ARTHUR YOUNG, ESQ^; AND 
 
 THE COMPLETE FARMER, ETC. ARE 
 
 CONSIDERED AND EXAMINED. 
 
 AN APPENDIX, 
 
 CONTAINING 
 
 ?AIT|COt*t DIRECTIONS T C P* AC T ISIKG H USB AND! Y IN THE 
 
 *ST MANNER, AND WHERE THE D* I L L - P L OUCH 
 
 MAY BE HAD THAT IS USED IN IT. 
 
 THE SECOND EDITION. 
 
 BY M R. i F O R B E S. 
 LONDON: 
 
 PRINTED FOR W. TAYLER, N 5, WA RW1C K - COU R T , 
 WARWICK - LAN K, 1^86. 
 
 ' [ PRICE FIVE SHILLINGS IN BOARDS.]
 
 t'3 , 
 
 ENGLISH HUSBANDRY. 
 
 who praftife the New Husbandry, 
 exemplified in the following Treatife, or who 
 incline to make a candid Trial of it, may now 
 be fupplied with A DRILL PLOW accurately 
 conftru&ed on the Principles improved by the 
 lateft Experience of the celebrated ^Mr. TULL. 
 
 By this Plow, all Seeds, from Beans to 
 Tttrneps and Lucerne ', may now be properly 
 delivered in Rows of any Diftance., with re- 
 gularity and difpatch. 
 
 And the Inftrument can at laft be obtained 
 at an unparalleled and unexpected low Pricf, 
 occafioned by the ingenious Conftruftion of it 
 
 By Mr. JOSEPH TYLER, Cabinet-maker, 
 at N tf 54, in Wardour-ftreet, Soho.
 
 [ iii ] 
 
 THE 
 
 EDITOR 
 
 TO THE 
 
 READER. 
 
 ^ I ^HE publication of this little treatife 
 has been delayed till now, by the 
 death of its author Mr. Forbes. 
 
 The work was printed off under his 
 infpedtion ; and the following pages, that 
 precede it, were prepared for the prefs 
 
 by him. 
 
 
 
 A 3 The
 
 iv THE EDITOR 
 
 The reader will perceive that the in- 
 tention of this publication was to extend 
 the practice of the celebrated Mr Tull's 
 Horfe-hoeing Huibandry, according to 
 the genuine method of that gentleman^ 
 upon his lateft improvement of it. 
 
 To obtain this end, Mr. Forbes had 
 alfo prepared for the prefs an accurate 
 edition of Mr. Tull's Eflay, containing the 
 final rules he drew from the whole courfe 
 of his experience, and his many valuable 
 remarks, that lie aimed fmothered in 
 the polemical appendixes, &c. to which 
 Mr. Tull was provoked by thofe literary 
 vermin, that are as injurious to the agri- 
 culture of England, as the fly is to oiyr 
 turnips. And this work will not be loft 
 to the public, mould a charitable difpo- 
 fition, to a poor widow and diftrefled 
 family, fufficiently prevail among the 
 friends to rational agriculture.
 
 TO THE READER, V 
 
 What is faid in the following adver- 
 tifement of the inUruments neceiTary to 
 this method of Hufbandry, was in great 
 forwardnefs when Mr. Forbes died ; and 
 may be yet carried into execution, if, 
 from application to the publifher, there 
 fliould appear to be any demand for 
 them. And in fuch cafe, every poflible 
 method ihall be taken to infure juftice 
 to be done to the pui chafers. 
 
 The laft part of the advcrtifement will 
 not indeed be fo e^fily fupplied. Mr. 
 Forbes was a gentleman of much expe- 
 rience and fkill in this Hufbandry ; he 
 was an unconceited man of integrity ; 
 and was actuated by no bye-views that 
 could interfere with his earneft defire to 
 promote this Engliih method of agri- 
 culture, which, after long "practice, 
 checked by found theory, he found to 
 be the bed. 
 
 A 3 Whether
 
 vi TO THE READER. 
 
 Whether any perfon, equally to be 
 relied upon, can be found to do the 
 good fervice to our Hufbandry that Mr- 
 Forbes propofed, muft be left to time to 
 difcover. But the public may be affured y 
 that no other will be prefented to them 
 in any connexion 'with the Editor of the 
 prefent work. 
 
 TO
 
 TO THE 
 
 t 
 
 RIGHT HONOURABLE 
 THE 
 
 EARL OF MARCHMONT> 
 
 THIS 
 TREATISE 
 
 ON THE NEW 
 
 HUSBANDRY 
 
 IS, WITH GREAT RESPECT, INSCRIBED 
 BY HIS LORDSHIP'S 
 MOST OBEDIENT SERVANT, 
 
 THE AUTHOR*
 
 .! ri A :; u o : i o :: "izi't 
 
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 i* W J
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 SOME late Writers on Agriculture 
 having raifed objections to the New 
 Hufbandry ; it was thought neceiTary, and 
 the moft agreeable method, to fatisfy 
 the publick of the great utility of this 
 Hufbandry, to produce from authors of 
 credit their extenfive experience and 
 fuccefsful practice of this culture for a 
 long feries of years ; which it is pre- 
 fumed will fully prove, that its principles 
 are founded in nature, and that the ge- 
 neral practice thereof will be a national 
 benefit. 
 
 ABSTRACT
 
 C *i 3 
 
 ABSTRACT 
 
 O F 
 
 THE. CONTENTS. 
 
 THE different methods of cultivating 
 land in the Old and New Huf* 
 bandry for corn. The food of plants; 
 different opinions concerning it. Plants 
 receive it principally by their roots, 
 and from the earth ; but common earth 
 is not that food ; it is communicated 
 to the earth from the atmofphere, in 
 proportion to the quality of the foil, 
 The firft hints of the New Hufbandry 
 taken from the Vineyards in Languedoc, 
 by Mr. Tull^ the firft inventor of the 
 drill-plough, and new fyftem of vege- 
 tation. His fuccefs in the culture of 
 wheat upon ordinary land, without ma- 
 nure, for thirteen years, by means of
 
 xii ABSTRACT OF 
 
 deep hoeing. The caufes of this effect. - 
 Not neceflary for farmers to know fhe 
 nature of the vegetable food ; but very 
 ufeful for them to know, that it is de- 
 rived from the atmofphere. The dif- 
 ferent methods of hoeing, and the in- 
 ftruments adapted to each defcribed. 
 Hoeing with a plough fuperior to all 
 others, and the reafbns. Objections to 
 this hufbandry confidered and anfwered ; 
 particularly thofe made by Mr. Harrifon, 
 and the author of the Farmer's Kalendar. 
 -The ufe of manure in the Old Hufban- 
 dry admitted, and to many hoed crops ; 
 but not neceflary for wheat and other 
 corn, proved from Mr. TulPs fuccefs,' 
 and from the fuccefs of feveral eminent 
 cultivators in Britain, who have pra&ifed 
 this hufbandry extenfively, and upon 
 various forts of land, from eight or nine 
 to near thirty years. The profit of this 
 beyond the Common Hufbandry fhefwn. 
 Dung and manures of great ufe, when 
 applied properly ; otherwife very pre- 
 judicial to the farmer. A finking in- 
 flance of this given. Land well horfe- 
 
 hoed
 
 THE CONTENTS. xiii 
 
 hoed requires no reft. Greater crops qf 
 .turnips obtained thereby, than by hand- 
 hoeing, fhewn by an accurate compari- 
 jf 0ll . The Alternate Huibandry defcri- 
 bed, and Ihewn to be much inferior to the 
 .New Hufbandry, with refpe<5t to profit. 
 The Hoeing Huibandry of univerfal ufe, 
 applicable to plants in general, and in 
 all climates, exemplified in the culture 
 of the fugar-cane ; may be praftifed 
 to great a.d vantage, where little or no 
 manure can be had, either on light 
 land, or very iliong land, of difficult 
 culture in the Old Huibandry. The 
 fuperior advantages of the New Huf- 
 bandry, in feveral rclpedls, to the far- 
 mer, and to the publick. Other ex- 
 amples given of the comparative ad van*- 
 tages of the Old and New Hufbandry ; 
 and the New proved to be the moil 
 profitable, from a feries of crops of eight 
 years continuance; and the New fliewn 
 to be the lead expenfive. The New 
 proved to be the mod advantageous, from 
 a companion with the moil improved 
 culture in .the Old Huibandry in Suf- 
 folk, 
 i
 
 xiv ABSTRACT, &c. 
 
 folk, near Scarborough, and in Switzer- 
 land. Some miftakes in the pradtife or 
 the New, in England, pointed out ; and 
 remarkably in Ireland. A very late 
 and valuable author, a favourer of the 
 New Hufbandry. Some obfervations 
 upon his method, and the inftruments 
 he recommends, with improvements. 
 Many remarkable experiments made in 
 France and Italy, which confirm the 
 principles of the New Hufbandry ; but, 
 throughout this eflay, are fully proved 
 by practical examples in Britain, from 
 perfons of undoubted credit and charac- 
 ter, of very extenfive praclife on various 
 forts of land, and for a courfe of years, 
 And the objections of fome modern 
 authors, anfwered ; and fhewii to be 
 erroneous and inconclulive. 
 
 ADVER-
 
 ADVERTISEMENT, 
 
 WHEREAS many perfons, deSiring 
 to pra6tife the New Hujbandry^ 
 have been difcouraged from attempting 
 it, for want of the proper instruments ; 
 the author of this treatife hath under- 
 taken to furniSh the instruments for that 
 Husbandry, upon an improved con (true- 
 tion, and at the loweft prices ; and, to 
 prevent impolition, all that are genuine 
 will be Stamped with his name ; and a 
 note, figned by him, will be fent with 
 fuch inftruments only as fhall have been 
 examined and approved of by him. As 
 foon as the firSt of thefe instruments is 
 ready (which will be in a few weeks), 
 public notice thereof will be given in the 
 Daily Advertifer, and in the St. James's 
 Chronicle. 
 
 If the purchafers of thefe instruments 
 fhall find any difficulty in ufing them, 
 pr of practising the New Husbandry in 
 any other refpect, and pleafe to com- 
 municate the fame by letter, with their 
 
 addreft
 
 xvi A D V E R T/I:S E 1 M E N T. 
 
 addrefs, to the publifner hereof, the 
 author will 'anfwer their letters, endea- 
 vour to explain the difficulties that may 
 '.arife, 'and, for the benefit of the pub- 
 lic, -will publifh the fame occafionally^ 
 together with fudi valuable and authen- 
 
 ;' ' 
 
 tic experiments in Agriculture, as his 
 correfpondents fliall favour 'him with, as 
 foon as they amount to a fmall volume. 
 
 1777. FRANCIS FORBES. 
 
 THE
 
 t r 1 
 
 OF THE 
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY, 
 
 AND 
 
 The IMPORTANCE of it to BRITAIN* 
 
 TH E New Hufbandry is an improvement 
 of the Old : but the tillage is performed 
 in a different manner, and at different times. 
 
 In the Old Hufbandry, the tillage, viz. the 
 ploughing and harrowing, is done firft : the 
 ploughing, to open the land ; and the har- 
 rowing, to make it fine, and get out the weeds. 
 Dung, or other manure, is then fpread upon 
 the land, which is ploughed-in ; and then the 
 feed, as of wheat, or other corn, is fown by 
 hand, broad-caft, which is covered by the 
 plough or harrow. Nothing more is ufually 
 done till harveft, except weeding, when the 
 weeds are grown up pretty. large. Dung pro- 
 motes the growth of weeds ; and though many 
 
 B of
 
 of the large weeds are pulled up, the others 
 remain, run to feed, and fill the land with 
 weeds ; and thefe, together with thofe that 
 were pulled up, and a large quantity of feed- 
 corn, very much impoveriQi the land. To 
 fupport thefe, and keep the foil open for the 
 roots to fpread in it, dung is added to the til- 
 lage : but, as the land receives no more tillage 
 while the crop is growing, from feed- time to 
 harveft, which for wheat is from Septem- 
 ber to Auguft, or^ about ten months, and 
 more in very light land, the land during that 
 time becomes ftale and hard, particularly 
 flrong land ; for the tiHage, to open, the land, 
 makes it lighter and more porous than it was 
 naturally ; but no fooner is the tillage finimed, 
 than the earth begins to fettle and fubfide, 
 and continues to do fo till it recovers its na- 
 tural fpecific gravity, and it then becomes as 
 clofe and confolidated as it Was before any til- 
 lage was beftowed upon it. This gradually 
 TJOnfines the tender roots of the plants, fo 
 that they cannot fpread and extend fo much 
 as in open and porous ground; and by this 
 means many of the plants have not fufficient 
 nourishment; many of them are thereby 
 {tinted, and not a few are ftarved, and die ; 
 as is plainly feen in all crops of wheat fown 
 broad-caft, with a large proportion of feed. 
 
 Thefe inconveniencies are prevented by the 
 New Hufbandry. The land -is made very 
 clean from weette : at firft, by planting (ingle 
 
 rows
 
 'NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 3 
 
 rows of large plants, upon ridges, between 
 four and five feet broad, as of turnips, beans, 
 &c. Thefe are horfe-hoed alternately, by 
 ploughing away the earth from the rows of 
 plants, fir ft from one fide ; and after returning 
 the earth to the row, plough the earth away 
 from the other fide, ai.d thus alternately ; 
 allowing a proper fpace of time between 
 each hoeing, viz. till the weeds begin to grow, 
 and fo as never to fuffer the earth of trie in- 
 tervals to grow hard or ftale, and always to 
 hoe when the earth is dry, and xvill break 
 and crumble into fmall parts, called pulve- 
 rizing. Thefe hoeings, being repeated, will 
 deftroy the weeds in the intervals ; and the 
 weeds next to and in the rows are likewife 
 eradicated, by pulling them down with a hand 
 hoe, and weeding the rows by hand. In 
 this manner the land may be made clean ; 
 and till it is fo, thefe crops of turnips or beans 
 fliould be repeated, which will be no lofs to 
 the owner : for they will not only pay all ex- 
 pences, but will alfo produce a clear profit; 
 and are therefore preferable to fallowing, un- 
 lefs the land is uncommonly foul. 
 
 The land, being thus made clean, will alfo 
 be in fine tilth ; fo that once ploughing it 
 will be fufficient to form new ridges, of about 
 four feet nine inches wide, upon the former 
 intervals, and then the middle of the ridges 
 will confift of fine tilled mould, upon which 
 two rows of wheat are to be drilled, nearly 
 8 2 two
 
 4 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 two inches deep, with about three pecks of 
 feed to the acre. This is the largeft quantity 
 ufually drilled ; and the fmalleit quantity 
 about two pecks to an acre, when (own early 
 and in very good land. In this method land 
 is drilled with wheat to be horfe-hoed, the 
 partitions to be hand-hoed, and the rows to 
 be hand weeded ; that the land may be kept 
 clean, and no weeds fuffered to run to feed, 
 or to grow large, which mould be carefully 
 prevented. The land thus cultivated will be 
 kept clean ; nor can i: grow hard and ftale, 
 as- in the Old Hufbandry ; for it is to be re- 
 peatedly hoed in the intervals with the hoe- 
 plough, and the partition between the double 
 rows, which are ten inches alunder, are hoed 
 and kept clean with the hand-hoe ; by thefe 
 operations, the land is kept loofe and open, 
 and in an high (rate of pulverization, all the 
 time the crop is growing ; which fo encou- 
 rages the plants to fpread their roots, to form 
 new ones, and furnimes them with fuch abun- 
 dant nourifhment, that they tiller or branch 
 greatly; produce larger ears and fuller grain 
 than one commonly produced from wheat 
 fown broad caft with three times the quantity 
 of feed ; and, what is of great value, the 
 hoed wheat crops, if the hoeing is well per- 
 formed, require no dung or other manure ; 
 which is not only a faving of the principal 
 expence of broad-cart wheat, but alfo enables 
 
 the owner to conquer the weeds, as none are 
 * , , 
 
 brought
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 5 
 
 brought to heed wheat among dung or other 
 manure. 
 
 It is found by experience that the deep or 
 horfe-hoeing enriches the land, not only to 
 produce a fingle crop of wheat (which is all 
 that is commonly obtained of fown wheat); 
 but to fo great a degree, that a fecond third, 
 and a lucceffion of wheat crops, are obtained 
 by this culture, for as many yeafs iucceflively 
 upon the lame land, as the owner thinks proper 
 to cultivate it in this manner by the hoe- 
 plough, and that without manure. This is an 
 uncommon circumftance ; for conftant fucce. 
 five crops of wheat cannot be obtained in the 
 common husbandry, even with the alfitlance of 
 manure ; nor is it ukial for farmers to low land 
 with wheat even two years iuccefiively, 
 though manured. 
 
 Land is impoverished, in fome degree, by 
 every crop taken from it, whether of wheat 
 or other corn; which all farmers allow, and 
 are feniible of, and they endeavour to reftore 
 the land, and recover its loft fertility, by til- 
 lage, fallowing, and manure. They do not 
 apprehend that tillage and fallowing alone 
 will recover it, and here no manure is ufedj 
 whence then is the land recruited with vege- 
 table nourilhincnt;* as in this cafe, that it is 
 able to bear crops of wheat, year after year? 
 And this not only Without being impove- 
 rifhed ; but, on the contrary, land of mo- 
 derate fertility is round to become more fer- 
 
 B 7 tilt
 
 6 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 tile by this tillage, well performedj though 
 it bears a crop every year. This is totally 
 different from the effe&s of the common 
 Hufbandry ; though the land in that Huf- 
 handry has the aflitlance of manure, and the 
 hoed wheat crops have no fuch afliftance. 
 This recruiting of the foil is not the confe- 
 quence of tillage and hoeing ; thefe do in- 
 deed break, divide, and pulverize the foil ; 
 but breaking, dividing, and pulverizing, are 
 mere mechanical operations ; they add no 
 new matter to the land, and are therefore fo 
 far of themfelves from enriching land, that 
 they only prepare it for the roots of plants 
 to run and extend in it the more freely, which, 
 inftead of enriching the land, only prepares it 
 to be more readily exhaufted of its fertility, 
 for the more pabulum, or the more nutritious 
 aliment, the roots draw from the land, the 
 poorer the land becomes, and the lefs flock of 
 nourifhment is left in it, to fupport the next 
 crop. Tillage therefore, ploughing, har- 
 rowing, and hoeing, add nothing to the fer- 
 tility of land ; they only prepare and open 
 the land, for the roots to run, extend, and 
 multiply in it ; this helps to nourifh the 
 plants, yet does not add to the fertility of the 
 land, but only prepares it to be the more 
 quickly exhaufted of the vegetable nourifh- 
 ment, 
 
 . I have infilled upon this the more particu- 
 larly, becaufe farmers do not ufually attribute 
 3 their
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 7 
 
 their land recovering its fertility to any thing 
 but dung and manure; and thole late authors, 
 who mean to decry the New Hufoandry, do 
 not appear to comprehend the true practice of , 
 it, nor the principles upon which it is found- 
 ed ; as we (hall have occafion to (hew, and to 
 prove that its principles are founded in na- 
 ture. 
 
 The operations of nature are not the ob- 
 jes of our fenfes ; they are too abftrufe and 
 fuhtle to be difcovered by us : for which rea- 
 fon, we know not certainly what is the vege- 
 table food, or that matter which intimately 
 joins, and unites with, the fubftance of 
 plants, and whereby they are enlarged and 
 nourished. Several learned and ingenious 
 men have endeavoured to difcover this, but 
 hitherto without fuccefs; and they differ 
 much in opinion. So that, if this were ne- 
 ceflary to be known, it does not appear that 
 farmers, or any cultivators of land, could 
 attain to any certain principles of vegetation : 
 and, what is ftill of further importance, 
 we are not certain whether the knowledge of 
 the food of plants would enable us to derive 
 any practical advantages from it. 
 
 It appears from experiments, that the leaves 
 of plants imbibe air and moifture ; .tnd with 
 thefe, other kinds of matter ; but the prin- 
 cipal fource of the vegetable food is univer- 
 {ally allowed to be derived from the earth, 
 whence plants receive their nourifliment 
 
 B 4 chiefly
 
 8 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 '" -f -i 
 
 chiefly by means of their roots, and princi- 
 pally by their fibrous or fmall roots ; for they 
 are feen, by good microfcopes, to be fpongy 
 or porous on their furface. The vegetable 
 food enters at thefe pores, and, by a wonder- 
 ful mechanifm, is thence conveyed to the fe- 
 veral parts of the plant. 
 
 If the earth were denfe and folid, the roots 
 of plants could not penetrate into it, to col- 
 led nourimment : but all earth confids of 
 parts of various fizes, from dones and gravel, 
 to fine fand and an impalpable powder. This 
 is feen by ditto] ving earth in water, in a tall 
 glafs; wherein the earth, when broken, 
 mixed and dhTolved in water, will fettle, 
 the larged and weightied parts defcending 
 fird, and the reft in order, according to their 
 feveral refpeclive gravities; the fined and 
 lighted parts fubfiding laft of all, and fettling 
 at top. This fubdance that fettles at top is 
 very vifibie in grofs ; but the parts of it next 
 the top are fo exceedingly minute, that their 
 figure and confidence cannot be didinguifbed 
 by the naked eye, and the fined of them not 
 even by the afliftance of the greated magni- 
 fiers. It is ealy to obtain this fined part, by 
 , taking it off the top of the glafs ; or it may be 
 obtained feparate, by warning over, in the 
 manner performed by colourmen. 
 
 All forts of land have in them fome of this 
 fine matter in different proportions. Gravelly 
 foils have but little of it; fandy foils have 
 
 more
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 9 
 
 more (except flieer, fharp fands, which con- 
 tain none of it, or very little): but rich 
 loams, and rich clays, contain the largeft 
 proportion. This matter, fo far as it can be 
 traced by the eye or microfcopes, appears to 
 be fand, and probably it is all fand ; for fucli 
 of it as is too fine to be denominated fo with 
 certainty, has the fame colour and appear- 
 ance as that part of it that is feen to be fand. 
 There are other means of difcoverins: the na- 
 
 o 
 
 ture and qualities of the rmeft part of this 
 matter : and it is recommended to the curious 
 to examine it further. 
 
 The furface of fmall bodies is larger than 
 the furface of bodies that are greater, in pro- 
 portion to their refpective folidities ; and 
 when the furfaces of the fmaller bodies are 
 joined, they touch in more points than the 
 larger, and therefore cohere more ftrongly. 
 Hence clayey foils have a ftronger cohelion 
 than loams whofe parts are larger; and, for 
 the fame reafon, loams cohere more flrongly 
 than fands or- gravels. Pure clays, having 
 neither ftones nor coarfe fand in them, co- 
 here very ftrongly, are of difficult tillage, 
 and require great ftrength of cattle ; whereas 
 fands having larger parts, and touching in 
 few points, are loofe and eafily tilled ; fome 
 of them tilled as eafjly by one horfe as ftrong 
 clays are by three or four. A loam that con- 
 fids of a juft proportion of large and fmali 
 
 pares,
 
 10 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 parts, is flexible, fuitable to all forts of 
 plants, and profitable to cultivate. 
 
 The roots of plants are of different degrees 
 of ftrength. Beans and oats penetrate into 
 clofe ftrong land, better than barley ; and 
 tap-rooted plants pufh their tap-roots deep in 
 the ground ; but their lateral or fide roots, as 
 of carrots, are (lender and weak ; yet are the 
 carrots or tap -roots nou rimed by the .weak 
 lateral roots ; for when the weak lateral roots 
 are able to penetrate and extend, as in light 
 fandy foils, the tap-roots alfo grow ftrong 
 and penetrate deep into the ground ; but in 
 Itrong foils, where the lateral roots are con- 
 fined by the hard, clofe earth, and they can^ 
 not collect much nourishment, the tap-roots 
 alfo fuffer, and are unable to penetrate deep 
 into the ground. If carrots are in itrong 
 land, their lateral roots cannot extend and 
 collecl: nourifhment for the plant, which then 
 declines ; but if the ftrong land is lightened, 
 and kept open by good hoeing, not only the 
 weak, lateral roots are at liberty to range for 
 food, but the carrots, or tap-roots, are there- 
 by fo much ftrengthened, that they penetrate 
 into the earth below, even though it remains 
 .hard, and deeper than it is opened by the 
 ' plough. 
 
 Jt appears, in this and in many other cafes, 
 
 that plants receive their nourishment princi- 
 
 i pally by means of their fibrous or fmall roots; 
 
 but whence are the roots fupplied with this 
 
 nourifh-
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. II 
 
 nourifhment ? Many farmers and others think, 
 that the earth is recruited of the vegetable 
 nourishment by manures: but what recruits 
 the land that is not manured, and yet conti- 
 nues to bear annual crops of wheat ; and not 
 only wheat, but all other horfe-hoed crops j 
 as of barley, or other corn 5 and that may be 
 had every year fucceffively, without manure ? 
 Annual crops of peafe, beans, tares, and 
 other plants may be continued without manure; 
 and fo large plants, as vines are thus cultivated, 
 and annually produce large quantities of grapes, 
 without any manure at all: the low vineyards 
 in France and Italy, which produce the beft 
 wines, are not manured, nor have any other 
 afTiftance but the hoeings given by the 
 plough. This is therefore the great point to 
 be confidered, the difcovery of which will 
 explain the true fyftem of vegetation, and the 
 principal foundation of the New Hu{bandry. 
 
 Some have fuppofed, that roots feed upon 
 the fine particles of earth : but this cannot be 
 admitted ; for by much the greater part of 
 land confifts of flones, gravel, and fand ; 
 which are all too grofs and folid to nourim 
 plants, or to enter the extremely minute pores 
 of roots : or, if plants could be nourimed by 
 fine earth, the proportion of it is fo fmall, in 
 moft forts of land, that if a quantity of it, 
 fufficient to nourim the plants, was carried off 
 by every crop of corn and weeds, they would 
 carry off fuch large quantities, and carrots, 
 parfnips, cabbages, potatoes, and other large 
 
 plants,
 
 12 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 phnts, fo many tons every year, that the 
 richeft land would be foon exhaufted of all its 
 fine parts, and, if carried away by the crops, 
 could never be recruited again, but the land 
 would be exhaufted of all its fertile parts, 
 and would remain for ever after emaciated 
 and totally barren ; which is contrary to ex- 
 perience ; for the lands that were noted for 
 their fertility and depth one or two centuries 
 ago are known to continue the fame to this 
 day; they have ftill the fame depth of ftaple, 
 and the lame remarkable fertility, that they 
 had in former times ; whereas, had every crop 
 for a feries of ages, or only for one or two 
 centuries, carried off part of their fertile 
 earth, they muft long ago have been totally 
 exhaufted of their fertility. We muft there- 
 fore endeavour to dilcover elfewhere the ge- 
 nuine fource of the vegetable nomimtnent, by 
 which fuch weighty crops are obtained every 
 year, without diminimmg the fo 1. 
 
 The earth is {"unrounded by a fluid body, 
 commonly called the air, but more properly 
 the atmofphere, which confifts of all kinds of 
 matter, of air, water, lalts, oil, fire, and 
 earths of every kind ; for all the volatile 
 parts that arife from the fea, from lakes; 
 -rivers, and other waters, or moift places ; all 
 the exhalations from the earth, from hills, 
 vallies, caverns, < mines, or other dry places 
 that are lighter than air, afcend into it, float, 
 and mix there : the perforation likewife from 
 
 trees
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. IJ 
 
 trees and all plants, from living anional bo- 
 dies, and thole in a ftate of putrefaction or 
 diflolution by fire or other agents ; all thefe, 
 and every kind of volatile matter lighter 
 than air, afcend into it, and compofe that 
 fluid body called the atmofphere. In this body 
 are contained the moft active parts of matter, 
 and the principles, or elements, of all natural 
 bodies. This fluid body furrounds :he earth's 
 furface, and, being conftantly in contact 
 with the earth, muft have very great influence 
 upon it; and in fact we fee it has fo ; for heat 
 and cold, drought and moifture, dews or rain, 
 fnow and fro ft, do all proceed from the fun 
 and atmofphere ; they dired the feafons and 
 temperature of the air and earth, and are the 
 great caufes of its fertility, or of its barren- 
 nets. 
 
 Rain and dews contain the vegetable nou- 
 riihment in confiderable quantities; and it is 
 , by them introduced and depotited in the foil. 
 If the foil be loofe and porous, they intro- 
 duce it to a connderable depth, as in light 
 fandy land ; but ftifF loams and clays being 
 much more clofe and compact, the rain and 
 dews do not eanly penetrate into them, or but 
 to a fmall depth ; for which reafon, fuch 
 clofc lands are enriched by them near the fur- 
 face only. 
 
 This is feen in land that has lain fomc time 
 at reft, whereof the furface, called the ftaple, 
 is of a fomewhat darker colour, and richer 
 
 than
 
 14 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 than the earth that lies deeper; for which 
 reafon, gardeners, when making compofts, 
 chufe for that purpofe, the furface of com- 
 mons or paftures, which they find to be the 
 richeft part of thefe foils. The dark colour 
 of the ftaple is from the influence of the 
 atmofphere, to which the furface of the land 
 is moft expofed, and is always richer than the 
 earth below j even though the lower earth 
 be naturally of the fame, or of a better qua- 
 lity than the ftaple. But if this under-earth 
 is brought up to the furface, and expofed to 
 the atmofphere, it will in time be impreg- 
 nated by the atmofphere, and become as rich 
 as the ftaple. It will, however, require time 
 to become as rich as the ftaple, more or lefs, 
 as it is more or lefs ftrong or light, and per- 
 vious to the atmofphere ; for, as before ob- 
 ferved, ftrong, clofe earth is not fo eafily pe- 
 netrated, by the rains, dews, and other in- 
 fluences of the atmofphere ; nor do they go 
 fo deep in them, nor in fo mort a time, as 
 they do in lighter foils, that are more open, 
 and more eafily penetrated by the dews, rain, 
 heat and cold, drought and moifture, of the 
 atmofphere. 
 
 Hence it appears, that the richnefs of land 
 does not confrft in the nature and qualities 
 of the foil itfelf, but in fomethmg extraneous 
 that adheres to it, that is communicated to it 
 by the atmofphere, and that it may be di- 
 vefted of by the roots of plants ; for it feems 
 
 to
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 15 
 
 to adhere clolely to the particles of the foil, 
 and is not eafily feparated from them by any 
 other means than by the roots of plants : all 
 land enriched by the atmofphere continues fo, 
 in different ftat.es; if laid down to pafture in 
 a rich ilate, it will be found rich, when broken 
 up for arable, years afterwards : but, after 
 it is brokm up, it is foon impoverished by a 
 few crops taken from it ; unlefs care is taken, 
 that it be at the fame time recruited with new 
 vegetable food. 
 
 That the vegetable food is fomething dif- 
 tindfc from the earth, not natural to it, but 
 adventitious, is derived elfewhere, and capable 
 of adhering to it, or of being detached from 
 it, in a greater or lefs degreee, has been ob- 
 ferved by fome huibandmen, whereof we have 
 a remarkable inftance in Mr. Lifle's Huiban- 
 dry ; who, fpeaking of the fertility of land 
 being abated by cropping it, fays, that this is 
 perceivable by the colour and appearance of 
 the land. " For," fays he, " this vegetable 
 * balfam, though fo difficult to fay wherein 
 it confifts, yet, it may be averred, is as eafily 
 " feen as underftood: for, though almoft as 
 fubtle as a phantom, yet its marks are 
 " clearly difcovcred by the diligent huiband- 
 **'man, converfant about arable land. We 
 c can eafily perceive, by the different colour 
 " of our land (as it turns up under the 
 plough), whether it has borne one, two, 
 * three, or four crops ; and how, in propor- 
 
 " tion,
 
 " tion, the virtue is gone out of it. And as 
 " fenfible are we, by its reft, and lying to 
 " pafture, how, with its vigour, it renews alfo 
 ** its colour. We do not better fee and know 
 " when the plumb or grape is covered with, 
 or has loft, its bloomy hue, than we know 
 " by the colour the fertility of our foil : 
 " which colour arifes from the principles be- 
 fore intimated, of dung, air, fire, earth, 
 ' &c. mingled together; which, by often 
 " fowing, are abforbed into the corn in too 
 46 liberal a manner, to be renewed by a daily 
 ' recruit from thofe elements." 
 
 This obfervation of Mr. Lifle's is agreeable 
 to what is faid above; that the fertility of 
 land is not any thing permanent in it, but is 
 fluctuating, fubject to be carried away by the 
 crops, and reftored to it again by the atmo- 
 fphere. Mr. Lifle attributes that partly to 
 dung ; but we mall fhew hereafter, that 
 thefe changes happen in land from the atmo- 
 fphere only, and where no dung or other ma- 
 nure is ufed. 
 
 It is further obfervable, that land is enriched 
 by the atmofphere in proportion to the na- 
 ture and quality of the finer parts of it : for 
 all land is not equally enriched, though 
 equally expofed to the atmofphere. The 
 Iheer, (harp fands, in many places, appear to 
 be incapable of attracting or receiving the ve- 
 getable food ; for they continue barren for 
 ages, though conftantly expofed to the atmo- 
 fphere,
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. IJ 
 
 fphere, as do alfo the miffing fands in Nor- 
 folk and other places : for no feed or plant 
 will vegetate in thefe fands, nor in chalk, and 
 fome other calcareous earths, not even in 
 thofe hills of chalk that have for ages lain 
 expofed to the atmofphere, and though the 
 chalk confifts of exceeding fine parts. 
 
 The co'mmon method of preparing land for 
 wheat is by fallowing and drefling it with 
 dung or other manure, and, as before ob- 
 ferved, after the feed is fovvn and harrowed 
 in, nothing more is ufually done to it till har- 
 veft, unleis the land be foul ; and then the 
 wheat is weeded in the fummer. The quan- 
 tity of feed fown is from two and a half to 
 about three bufhels ; the crop is uncertain ; 
 fome years from thirty to forty bufhels per 
 acre, upon good land ; and in others, not 
 above half that quantity. 
 
 Another method of cultivating wheat was 
 introduced by Mr. Tull; who, going abroad 
 on account of his health, was fome years in 
 Italy and the fouth of France. He was a cu- 
 rious obferver of their agriculture, particularly 
 of the low vineyards in Languedoc. They 
 plant their vines there in ftraight lines, about 
 four feet diftant, and frequently plough be- 
 tween them ; which deltroys the weeds, and 
 keeps the land in tilth. With this culture 
 the vines produced good crops annually, unlefs 
 the tillage happened to be omitted ; for then 
 the vines languifhed, and produced but little 
 
 C wood,
 
 l8 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 wood, difcoloured leaves, and fmall bunches 
 of poor {tinted grapes : but foon after the tillage 
 was renewed, the vines recovered, and yielded 
 large clufters of grapes, and good crops, as 
 they had done before. Thefe vines arc low, 
 their heads juft above ground, and their heads 
 and roots being fo near together, they found 
 that dunging the vineyards in that hot cli- 
 mate, in order to obtain larger crops, gave 
 the wine a bad tafte ; and therefore the only 
 culture they beftowed was tilling the land be- 
 tween them with the plough, a practice that had 
 been continued there for ages j and which the 
 natives faw without making any reflections 
 upon it: but Mr. Tull faw it in a different 
 liglv, and as a law of nature, leading to a 
 general fyftem of vegetation, that was appli- 
 cable in other countries, and upon other 
 plants. He was a lover of agriculture, had 
 before practiced it upon a farm he had in Ox- 
 fordlhire; particularly upon fainfoin, which 
 he had much improved : for the cuftom before 
 that was to fow feven or eight bumelsof feed 
 upon an acre of land ; but he there in- 
 vented a drill-plough, which fowed his land 
 with one or two pecks of fainfoin feed; and 
 produced better crops than were commonly 
 raifed from eight bufhels ; and with this drill- 
 plough he likewife fowed wheat in equidiflant 
 rows, a foot afunder, and hand- hoed it ; and 
 by this method, obtained better crops than 
 common, and at a lefs expence. Some who 
 appear delirous of depreciating Mr. Tull, 
 
 have
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 19 
 
 have pretended, that he was not the firft in- 
 ventor of the drill-plough, and that it was 
 firft invented, fome fay in Spain, fome in. 
 Germany, and fome in England, and for this 
 they quote the Spanifh Sembrader, Mr. Wor- 
 lidge's drill-plough, Platte's fetting-fticks, 
 and fome others, all which were only propo- 
 fals ; and a method that feemed defirable to 
 fave feed: but there is no proof of any other 
 inftrument that really performed this at large 
 in the fields ; and what is of (till more con- 
 fequence', the great merit of Mr. TulPs huf- 
 bandry does not confift in the drill-plough, 
 though a very ingenious invention, but in the 
 new method of culture introduced by him, as 
 will plainly be (hewn hereafter. 
 
 Having recovered his health, he returned to 
 England, and fettled upon a farm he had near 
 Hungerford in Berkshire, called Profperous 
 Farm, where he began his horfe-hoeing, or 
 New Hu(bandry, upon turneps and potatoes ; 
 which fucceeded fo well, that he extended it 
 to wheat, upon part of a field, which he 
 made very clean from weeds, and drilled it 
 with wheat ; but finding, that ridges were 
 preferable, he laid his land up into fix feet 
 ridges, and drilled two, three, or four rows 
 upon each ridge, feven inches diftant : fo that 
 between the rows of each ridge, there was a 
 fpace or interval left, of about four feet, to 
 be deep hoed with a plough, and the parti- 
 tions between the rows were cultivated with 
 the hand-hoc. Tins fucceeded fo well, that 
 
 C 2 he
 
 20 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 he had good crops, fome years four or five 
 quarters upon an acre, from three pecks of 
 feed, which was the greateft quantity he 
 ufually drilled upon an acre. The neigh- 
 bouring farmers were {urprized, to fee fuch 
 crops raifed from fo fmall a quantity of feed, 
 and from only about a fifth or fixth part of the 
 land fowed ; and ftill more fo, that the fame 
 land produced fuch crops every year, without 
 fallow, reft, or manure : but as they did not 
 underftand the principles of this culture, few 
 of them attempted it: they are in general 
 averfe to innovations in Hufbandry, and were 
 fo particularly in this cafe, as it was fo different 
 from the Hufbandry they had been accuf- 
 tomed to. 
 
 Mr. Tull however proceeded in this Huf- 
 bandry, and extended his wheat crops gra- 
 dually from a part of a field, to one hundred 
 and twenty acres. 
 
 In the mean time, feveral noblemen and 
 gentlemen came, and viewed thefe wheat 
 crops ; and being convinced, that extending 
 this Hufbandry would be very advantageous 
 to the public, they periuaded Mr. Tull to 
 publifh his method of culture ; which he at 
 laft complied with, and printed it, firft a Spe- 
 cimen in 1/31, and an EfTay on the Horfe- 
 hoeing Hufbandry in the year 1733. He 
 continued to cultivate wheat, in this manner, 
 with fuccefs, for thirteen years ; and in that 
 time made feveral improvements in his me- 
 :> thod
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 21 
 
 thod of cultivating wheat; which, together 
 with anfwers to the objections, which he un- 
 derftood had been made to his Hufbandry, 
 he publiflied at different times, to the year 
 J 739 which was about two years before his 
 death : after which his Hufbandry was very 
 little pra&ifed in England. The farmers did 
 not come into it ; and being alfo diflilted by 
 the fte wards and bailiffs of fome noblemen 
 and gentlemen, who had engaged in it, very 
 few continued to pra&ife it, after Mr. Tull's 
 deceafe. 
 
 But his EfTay, or Method of Hufbandry, 
 publimed in 1733, being tranflated into French, 
 M. du Hamel, a curious gentleman in France, 
 began to try experiments in this Hufbandry ; 
 and he, and feveral of his correfpondents, 
 being much furprized at the effect of horfe- 
 hoeing wheat, they extended that culture to 
 feveral other plants, which likewife fuc- 
 ceded ; and their experiments fully confirm 
 the principles of the New Hufbandry. Mr. 
 Du Hamel collected and publimed thefe expe- 
 riments in French, and Mr. Mills tranflated 
 them into Englifh, which have induced many 
 pcrfons in Britain to try this Huil>andry ; and 
 ibme of them have praclifed it exteniively in 
 the fields, and for many years. As I had op- 
 portunity of knowing fome of thefe, and to 
 be well informed of other?, by corref pond ing 
 with the perfons who made them, I have in- 
 
 C 3 ferted
 
 22 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 ferted fome of them, which are very valua- 
 ble, in the following pages. 
 
 Many, who had neglected to pra&ife the 
 New Hufbandry from Mr. Tull's own fuccefs, 
 were prevailed with to engage in it upon the 
 recommendation of thefe foreign gentlemen ; 
 and it is now making confiderable progrefs 
 among farmers, in the culture of beans, peafe, 
 and cabbages, and in fome meafure of wheat; 
 but not much in the way of horfehoeing 
 wheat, which, though the moft profitable, is 
 more difficult to perform well, than it is to 
 drill and hand-hoe it. But they have found 
 little difficulty in applying the horfe-hoeing 
 culture to cabbages, particularly in the north 
 of England ; which indeed is lo neceflary to 
 thefe plants, that, unlefs they are fo culti- 
 vated, they would not anfvver to cultivate them 
 atal 1, for feeding cattle. 
 
 To have a juft notion of the benefits 
 of hoeing, it {hculd be obferved, that land 
 brought into fine tilth by the plough, as foon 
 as the ploughing is finifhed, it begins^to fettle, 
 and continues to do fo, as we have obferved, 
 till it becomes as clofe and confolidated as it 
 was before it was ploughed : by which means, 
 many of the roots of plants growing in fuch 
 ground are confined and unable to extend and 
 jpread in it, to collect nourimment for them. 
 To prevent this in fome meafure, the land is 
 dunged, and the dung, by fermenting in the 
 foil, contributes to keep it open longer than it 
 
 i ' . ' -~. \ A * ' , 11 
 
 would
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 23 
 
 would continue fo by the ploughing only ; 
 but this is attended with an inconveniency to 
 the wheat, which is fo much forced by the 
 dung, that it grows too luxuariant in its in- 
 fancy, and occafions it to be rank, and apt to 
 lodge ; but having no new fupply of nourilh- 
 ment, it is then apt to be blighted, and pro- 
 duce a fmall crop of thin blighted corn. 
 Wheat is only a fmall grafly plant for five 
 months, or more, after it is fown; in all which 
 time the earth is fubfiding, and the virtue of 
 the dung abating : fo that afterwards, as the 
 plants grow large, produce ears, and the 
 corn advances to maturity, it ftands in need of 
 more nourifhment than it did at firft, but is 
 in fact fupplied with lefs ; the confequence of 
 which is, that many of the plants die for 
 . want of proper nourimment, and the reft are 
 dwarfed or ftinted : for it may be feen, while 
 it is in bloflbm, that the ears of Lammas 
 wheat are formed by nature to produce each 
 fixty, ieventy, or more grains ; yet the largeft 
 ears of broad-caft Lammas wheat do not 
 ufually produce more than forty grains of 
 wheat, and, at an average, not half that 
 number; as has been found, by examining a 
 quantity of wheat in the ear before it was 
 thrafhed. 
 
 The New Hufbandry for wheat differs from 
 the Old in feveral refpe&s : Firft, with re- 
 fpe& to dung, of which none is ufed in the 
 New Ju{bandry for that crop, but the earth 
 
 C 4 i
 
 24 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 is not fuffered to fettle : for the ridges on which 
 the wheat is drilled, are hoed before winter, 
 as foon as the wheat has three or four blades, 
 by ploughing a furrow from each fide of the 
 ridge, within two or three inches of the 
 wheat, which remain fo till the fpring, till the 
 wheat begins to fpindle, and then the plough is 
 run along in the fame furrows that were made 
 before winter; the plough now going deeper, 
 and nearer to the rows of wheat, in order to 
 plough away the earth hardened in the win- 
 ter, that would now obftrucl: the roots of the 
 wheat from extending in the intervals. The 
 earth is then ploughed up in ridges, and this 
 has a fudden and vifible effect on the wheat ; 
 caufing it to grow luxuriantly, and of a 
 healthy dark-green colour. The wheat is 
 likewife now hand -hoed between the rows, 
 and the two narrow flips of earth on the out- 
 fides of the wheat, which were left there by the 
 hoe- plough. In this fituation the land re- 
 mains, till the weeds begin to advance ; and 
 then the earth, in the intervals, is again 
 ploughed up to the rows, and the hand-hoe 
 made uie of between them; the rows are Jike- 
 wife hand- weeded, if neceffary. If the wheat 
 (lands fair, it is again hoed with the hoe- 
 plough, to and from the rows ; and if any 
 earth remains in the furrow between the 
 ridges, it is turned up to them with the hoe- 
 plough at two furrows; or with a double- 
 mold board-plough, which performs it at one 
 
 furrow,
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 25 
 
 furrow , and leaves a clear, open trench be- 
 tween the ridges. Thus the wheat has in all 
 at leaft fix hoeings, and one of them mould 
 be when the wheat begins to bloffom, and 
 another fhould be done juft after it has 
 done bloflbming : for by thefe hoeings, the 
 wheat is made to blow ftrong, and to fill the 
 grain with flour. All the hoeings fhould be 
 performed when the earth is dry. Mr. Tull 
 d i reel s fo many hoeings, in his Book of Huf- 
 bandry publifhed in 1733, being then his 
 practice; but afterwards he altered his ridges, 
 making them narrower, and then found four 
 horfe-hoeings were fufficient. 
 
 He drilled his wheat for fome years upon 
 fix-feet ridges, and three rows upon each 
 ridge : but the hoe-plough coming near the 
 two outfide rows, they were improved fo 
 much more thereby, than the middle row 
 was by hand - hoeing, that they were al- 
 ways remarkably more vigorous, taller, and 
 fuller of corn, than the middle row. In or- 
 der to make the middle row equal to each of 
 the outfide ones, he raifed his ridges higher 
 in the middle, whereby the middle row had a 
 greater depth of mould to fpread its roots in ; 
 and then it was equal to the others. But he 
 fufpecled this was no advantage, and that the 
 outfide rows, being deprived of the earth that 
 was added to the middle, the produce of them 
 was leflened more than was gained by the 
 middle rows, and upon trial he found it was 
 
 fo;
 
 26 THE PRACTICE OF TIJE 
 
 fo; which determined him to leave out the 
 middle rows entirely, and to drill only two 
 rows upon a ridge. He then reduced his 
 ridges from fix feet to four feet and eight or 
 nine inches broad, and drilled two rows upon 
 each ridge, ten inches diftant. In this way, 
 the intervals between the double ro\vs, to be 
 hand-hoed, were near four feet wide ; which 
 is the proper room for a hoe-plough. In this 
 method, he had better crops than before, and 
 recommends it as the Deft. And his fervants 
 being now experienced in managing the hoe- 
 plough, he found f that four horfe-hoeings 
 were fufficient for a crop of wheat ; efpe- 
 ciallv as he could now hand-hoe the ten-inch 
 partitions deeper than the former feven-inch 
 ones. After harveft, all the preparation necef- 
 fary for a new crop is, to plough up the earth 
 in ridges upon the former intervals ; which is 
 eafily done, commonly at four furrows, or 
 fix at moft. This is one whole ploughing, 
 iuid the four horfe-hoeings are equal to ano- 
 ther ploughing, or two common ploughings 
 in all to an acre of wheat. 
 
 it may feem very extraordinary, that a good 
 of wheat can be raifed upon ordinary 
 land by fo fmall a quantity of tillage ; and that 
 good fuccefTive crops of wheat can be raifed 
 by 'tillage alone, without any dung or ma- 
 nure, and without fallowing, or reft: feverai 
 circumftances concur to produce this effect, 
 the principal of which are the following : 
 
 A ; , . ! <J 
 
 i. In
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 27 
 
 I. In common broad-caft lowing, the land 
 is feldom made fo clean from weeds as it 
 ought; nor can a broad-caft crop be kept fo 
 clean as a hoed one ; for which reafon, the 
 land fown broad- caSt is much more exhaufted 
 of the vegetable food : weeds, being natives of 
 the foil, grow vigorously, and rob the corn 
 qfjtnuch nourishment, especially Such of them 
 as run to feed ; which the weeds in hoed crops 
 are not fuffered to do, nor ever to grow large, 
 much lefs run to feed, where the hoeings and 
 weedings in the New Husbandry are performed 
 as they ought. 
 
 2. The land Sown broad-caSl is alfo ex- 
 haufted by four or five times the number of 
 wlieat plants more than the drilled ; upon 
 one is fown ten or twelve pecks of feed, and 
 on the other is drilled three peck s; or, on 
 good land Sown early, but two pecks : thefe 
 iupernumerary wheat plants, and many weeds, 
 greatly impoverish the land, in the common 
 HuSbandry. The land, it is true, is prepared 
 by fallowing and manure ; but, this being 
 done before the feed is fown, much of the 
 effect of them is fpent upon the wheat, while 
 the plants are young and fmall ; but they 
 have no freSh Supply of nourishment when 
 they grow large and want it moSt. This is 
 an unfavourable circumftance to lown wheat, 
 but the drilled is under a quite different ma- 
 nagement: for, 
 
 ?. The
 
 28 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 3. The drilled wheat, while young, re- 
 quires only a fmall (hare of nourifhment. It 
 iubfifts then upon the vegetable food, remain- 
 ing in the foil after harveft, with what it 
 receives from the firft horfe-hoeing. This 
 opens a furrow clofe to the rows of wheat in 
 autumn, whereby they are kept dry in winter, 
 which is of confequence to wheat. Ploughing 
 the earth then from the rows, deftroys the 
 weeds in the intervals ; and by turning and 
 expofing a large new furface, to the influ- 
 ences of the atmofphere, the land receives a 
 new flock of vegetable food. This is an im- 
 portant circumftance, and peculiar to the New 
 Hufbandry. The furface of the land at reft, 
 as before obferved, is made fertile, by ex- 
 pofure to the atmofphere ; but land that is 
 turned up by the plough, being open and in 
 tilth, is much more eafily penetrated by the 
 atmofphere than hard, flale, land at reft ; 
 and is quickly impregnated with the vege- 
 table aliment, in the winter, by rain and froft, 
 and in fpring and fummer by the fun and 
 dews (for well hoed- land is as fine as garden 
 mould), which in the hot weather fall plen- 
 tifully in the night, and are imbibed by the 
 fine ipongv foil, as deep as the plough goes, 
 which is deeper than the fun exhales them in 
 the day. Whether the dews are attracled to 
 the finer parts of the foil, and communicate.d 
 from thence to the roots, or whether the 
 nutritious matter enters the earth, made 
 
 porous
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 29 
 
 porous by the hoeings, and is ahforbed im- 
 mediately by the roots, may be doubtful; but 
 certain it is, that the earth, by the hoeing and 
 expofure, is greatly enriched, to fuch a de- 
 gree, as to give fufficient nourifhment to the 
 wheat ; for the repeated annual crops of it ! 
 have no other fupply of nourilhment. 
 
 Thick fown wheat, that has the benefit of 
 good tillage and manure, is apt to run too 
 much to draw, and though it grows high,, 
 has frequently but fmall ears. Whereas 
 wheat well hoed does not grow fo tall, but 
 tillers or branches much, from five to ten 
 or fifteen Items riling from one grain, and 
 from fome to a greater number ; the ears are 
 alfo almoft' twice the length of fown wheat, 
 
 ____, ^ i - -- - - i ^1,1 T Mil - &~ II -^^^^^^^^hEjifc^^MXJ; 
 
 and the gram much larger. The advantage! 
 of the New Hufbandry over the old, does nut 
 however confift in the largenefs of the crops 
 of vt heat (for they are frequently not greater 
 nor fo great as the fown crops), but in the 
 expence ; the expence of a hoed-crop being 
 commonly no more than about an eighth, and 
 iomitimes no more than a tenth pure of the 
 expence of a fown crop, upon the fame 
 land. 
 
 I have been particular in defcribing the 
 culture of wheat in the New Hufbandry; not 
 only becaufc it is a valuable one to the 
 farmer, but becaule it requires more fkill to 
 cultivate it well, than any other crop of corn. 
 Mr. Tull took great paius to bring it to 
 
 perfection. 

 
 30 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 perfection. And whoever can cultivate a crop 
 of wheat well, in this Hufbandry, will 
 not find much difficulty in railing other 
 crops. 
 
 The old Hufbandry not being ufually con- 
 ducted upon Icientific principles, and the 
 New being founded upon them, has been 
 made an objection to it ; becaufe the objectors 
 ilippole, that common farmers cannot under- 
 fland the nature of the food of plants, and in 
 what manner they are nou rimed by it : but 
 thoie who make fuch objections do not fcem 
 to understand the New Hufbandry, wherein it 
 is not neceflary for farmers to be acquainted 
 with thefe philolophical points. The curious, 
 it is true, have endeavoured to determine 
 them; but the operations of nature* are not 
 the objects of our fenfes, and are too abftrufe 
 to be difcovered by the mod acute philo- 
 ibphers, who differ in opinion concerning the 
 vegetable food or aliment, and in what man- 
 ner plants are nourifhed by it : but the prin- 
 cipal points neceffary to be known are, whence 
 that food is derived, and by what means it 
 may be obtained. Thefe are intelligible to 
 farmers; they may know, that the air or at- 
 mofphere has an influence upon the furface 
 ' of land that is expofed to it; that the air, 
 fun, rain, dews, and froft, enrich land; 
 that the more earth is broken, opened, and 
 expofed, to receive thefe, the richer it will 
 be; and that the roots of plants will receive 
 
 the
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 3! 
 
 the more nourishment from it; particularly 
 if the means of obtaining and communicating 
 that nourishment to them, is continued during 
 the time of their growth as it is found to be 
 by hoeing, and more efpecially by deep or 
 horfe-hoeing : this will be obvious to every 
 farmer: for thefe effects are extremely ob- 
 vious to every pracHfer k of this Husbandry, who 
 gives his land due tillage, hoeing, and ex- 
 pofure. There are feveral methods of hoeing, 
 performed by different inftruments, and that 
 have different effects. The firil is the hand- 
 hoeing, which is praclifed by all gardeners, 
 and now known to moft farmers. It is very 
 ufeful to cut down weeds ; but does not go 
 deep in the ground ; and for that reafon the 
 effect of it is but fuperficial ; particularly the 
 Dutch hoe, which cuts off the tops of the 
 weeds very near the furface, and this hoeing 
 is called fcuffing. 2. The hoe drawn by 
 horles, fome of them intended only to kill the 
 weeds, cutting the tops of them clofe to the 
 furfice, as the (him or (kim of Kent ; which 
 is a hoe made of a plate of iron, the fore part 
 of which is made Ibarp to cut the weeds. 
 This and other plate hoes cut much in the 
 'fame manner as the Dutch hoe ; they fcutfle 
 the furface of the ground, but more expe- 
 ditioufly and cheaper, being drawn by a horfe. 
 Some are made to go deeper in the ground, 
 as the_nidget; which has three triangular 
 faiall hoes fixed in a frame : thefe go deeper
 
 32 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 in the ground than the (him, and ferve to de- 
 flroy the weeds and to break and pulverize the 
 foil fome inches deep ; and in that refpedt are 
 more beneficial than the plate hoeS'. Others 
 are made to go deeper in the land, in the 
 manner of harrow tines ; thefe pull out weeds, 
 and ftir the ground deeper than the nidged ; 
 but do not kill the weeds fo effectually as the 
 plate hoes One of the Gentlemen abroad, 
 the very ingenious M. De Ghateauvieux, who 
 pradtlfed the New Hufbandry, invented a long 
 triangular hoe, larger than thofe in the nidget, 
 which flirs the ground deeper, but goes wholly 
 tinder ground, and raifes the mould as it pafles 
 along ; and as foon as it has pafled, the mould 
 finks down again, where it was before. This 
 inftrument he named the Cultivator. Thefe 
 and other inftruments, drawn by one or two 
 horfes, are by fome called horfe breaks, culti- 
 vators, and horfe hoes. But the horfe hoe is 
 properly a plough ; and hoeing with a plough, 
 is properly the New Hufbandry, and fhould 
 be fo named to diftinguifh that hufbandry from 
 all other methods of tillage. 
 
 The inftrument made ufe of for horfe hoe- 
 ing, is a plough, by fome made with fhafts, 
 but this is not neceifary. The fvving plough, 
 called the Rotheram, or patent plough; or the 
 common fvving plough, made ufe of in Middle- 
 fex, Surry, and fome other counties near 
 London, are proper for horfe hoeing. A fmall 
 fwing plough, withbut wheels, and having a 
 
 notched
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 33 
 
 notched bridle, at the fore-end of the beam, 
 to make the plough go more or lefs deep, and 
 to give more or lefs land, viz. to caufe the 
 plough to go more or lefs to the right or left, is 
 the inftrument proper for horfe-hoeing. This 
 plough is familiar to ploughmen in feveral 
 counties, (and the common fwing-ploughs 
 will do for this purpofe, fo as they are not too 
 clumfy), and provided the earth-boards, &c. 
 ftand a few inches higher than common, is 
 convenient in trench-hoeing, viz. when the 
 plough is drawn twice in the fame furrow, to 
 make it deeper ; for then a high earth or 
 mould-board turns all the earth fairly over to 
 the right, and prevents any or moft of it 
 from running back towards the left fide.-^ 
 The turning of the furrow expofes a new and 
 double furface to the immediate action of the 
 atmofphere : this is neceflary, that thele fur- 
 faces may receive the inriching influences 
 thereof, the air, fun, dews, rain, &t. -as deep 
 as the hoe-plough goes ; which, in trench- 
 hoeing, is to the depth of two common fur- 
 rows, and greatly enriches the land through 
 the whole fubltance of it j the furface being 
 changed at every horfe-hoeing* Thefe ad- 
 vantages of depth and expolure are peculiar to 
 this method of hoeing, which is properly the 
 horfe-hoeing, or New Hufbandry ; no other 
 method of hoeing is of equal advantage to 
 the crop, or to the land. They are only fo 
 
 D far
 
 34 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 far beneficial, as they approach nearer to the 
 horfe-hoeing. 
 
 Another inftrument made ufe of in the New 
 Husbandry is, a double mould-board or earth- 
 board plough, with which furrows between 
 the ridges are deepened at laft, and which 
 clears the earth out of thefe furrows, throws 
 it all up to the ridges, and leaves a clear, deep 
 trench or furrow between the ridges ; this it 
 does at one draught or furrow, that would 
 require two furrows of the hoe-plough. The 
 earth -boards of this plough mould be made 
 pretty high, that they may throw all the 
 earth u|> to the ridges on each fide : and it 
 would be convenient to make the two mould- 
 boards rrjoveable, to be fet wider or narrower 
 one from the other, becaufe the ridges are 
 not always equally diftant ; and, by means of 
 the mould-boards being moveable, the earth 
 may be thrown up higher or lower upon the 
 ridges. This plough may have two fmall 
 fins, one on each fide of the fhare, and is 
 ufeful in the Common Hufbandry, to open fur- 
 rows in level ground, into which beans or po- 
 tatoes are to be dropped, and afterwards co- 
 vered with a harrow or hand hoe. Thefe two 
 ploughs being ufeful in the Common Hufban- 
 dry, and not peculiar to the New, are not 
 .properly chargeable to the New alone. The 
 .only inftrument of confequence, peculiar to 
 the New Hufbandry, is the drill-plough, 
 whereof Mr. Tull's is the befl yet commonly 
 
 ufedj
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 35 
 
 ufed ; and is alfo cheap, if the feed-boxes are 
 made of hard wood. A very fliort ftone- 
 roller, plain or fluted, is alfo fometimes very 
 ufeful to be drawn along between the ridges 
 in ftrong land, to break the clods there in 
 very dry weather ; which it will do very ex- 
 peditioufly, reduce them to powder, and make 
 the earth fine, and in order to be turned up 
 to the ridges. Such a roller may be drawn in 
 a frame with fliafts, by which it is drawn by 
 one horfe. 
 
 Though the New Hufbandry promifes many 
 advantages to the judicious pracYifers of it, 
 and to the public, it has not efcaped the cen- 
 fures of the prejudiced; but it has been cen- 
 fured chiefly by thofe who were not prac- 
 tifers, or did not perfectly underftand it. Of 
 thefe I (hall mention only a few late inftances. 
 
 Mr. Harrifon, author of the Farmer's Com- 
 plete Guide, recommends the Old Hulbandry 
 in general, and condemns the New. He has 
 borrowed a great deal from Mr. Young, who 
 recommends it for beans, and gives the fol- 
 lowing example of it. Three half-acres of 
 the fame land were fown with tick-beans, 
 broad-caft, each with one bumel of beans; 
 and one of thefe half- acres was twice hand- 
 hoed. The other half-acre was laid up in 
 five-feet ridges, drilled with three pecks of 
 beans, three rows of feed, at a foot diftance, 
 upon each ridge. Thefe had three hand- 
 hoeings, and were four times horfe* hoed. 
 
 D 2 The
 
 36 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 Bufhelt. Peeks. 
 
 The broad-caft half-acre, not hoed, produced, 4 i 
 The half-acre, ditto, hand-hoed, produced 8 i 
 The half-acre, drilled and horfe-hoed, produced 13 2 
 
 We have here an inftance, that the New 
 Hufbandry is not generally known in Eng- 
 land, even by curious farmers. Mr. Tull 
 drilled fix feet ridges with three rows of 
 wheat ; but upon narrower ridges he drilled 
 but two rows, at ten inches diftance. It was 
 therefroe very improper to drill three rows 
 upon five ridges, of fuch large plants as beans. 
 The two partitions between the rows, of one 
 foot each, which was hand-hoed, took two 
 feet breadth of the ridge, in the deepeft part 
 pjtp of it; and only three feet, viz. a foot and an 
 half on each fide of the ridge, remained to 
 be horfe-hoed, being the (hallo weft part of the 
 ridge. The middle rows were not likely to 
 receive much benefit by horfe-hoeing fuch 
 fmall quantities of earth on the fhallow out- 
 fides of the ridges ; and had little more aflift- 
 ance than what it received from hand-hoeing, 
 which undoubtedly leflened the crop. To 
 have feen the full effect of horfe-hoeing, there 
 fhould not have been a middle row upon fuch 
 narrow ridges. When Mr. Tull fowed three 
 rows of wheat upon fix-feet ridges, the 
 middle rows were remarkably fliorter and 
 poorer than the outfide rows, though the par- 
 titions
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 37 
 
 titions between the rows were but feven 
 inches each, and the hoe-plough came five 
 inches nearer to the middle rows of wheat 
 on each of them, than it did to the middle 
 rows of the beans ; which mews the impro- 
 priety of drilling three rows upon five-feet 
 ridges. Here Mr. Young adds, " that, on a 
 ' general furvey of experiments, carried much 
 * further than the foregoing, it appears that 
 " the face of the matter is not altered, but 
 * ftill bears the fame complexion, with re- 
 " gard to the different methods of lowing 
 " abovementioned. In a courie of no lefs 
 than nine experiments, the drilled beans 
 " have been found, after the payment of all 
 expences, to be fuperior to the broad-caft 
 ' by full two pounds and three (hillings per 
 acre, befides the difference of the land being 
 ' left in fo much better heart by the latter 
 " than the former. The fuperiority of the 
 " drill culture, as a preparation for wheat or 
 " barley, 1 do not think can be eftimated at 
 " lefs than fifteen millings per acre. Here is 
 " a fuperiority of near three pounds an acre, 
 in favour of drilling. Is it not evident, 
 that this, in a large piece of ground of clay 
 " or loam, will amount to fome hundreds of 
 " pounds per annum ?" 
 
 Several other experiments are related by 
 Mr. Harrifon, alfo from Mr. Young, intended 
 to (hew, that in other crops, the Old Hufban- 
 dry is much fuperior to the New. It would 
 
 D 3 be
 
 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 be unfair to fupprefs the evidence arifing from 
 experiments, as they are our fureft guides, in 
 determining the merits of every mode of huf- 
 bandry ; and no perfon, who impartially en- 
 quires after truth, will decline to allow the full 
 force of fuch evidence. But it is neceffary 
 that the experiments be related particularly, 
 which is not done here, except in one in- 
 flance of a comparative experiment of both 
 forts of hufbandry, and continued for four 
 years, viz. 1764 to 1767, both incluiive, 
 which we (hall confider. 
 
 The BROAD-CAST HUSBANDRY. 
 
 Expences. 
 
 Produfts. 
 
 1. s. d. 1. s. d. 1. s. d. 
 
 1764 Turnips 2 17 o 28 Tons 1114 Lefs 164 
 
 1765 Barley 2 511 33 Bufhels 4 19 o Profit 2 13 i 
 
 1766 Clover i 17 ii 3 Tonsi9C.6 12 o Profit 4 14 i 
 
 1767 Wheat z ii 10 2Bulhels $ 14 o Profit 322 
 
 9 12 8 
 Average 282 
 
 18 16 4 
 4 H i 
 
 10 9 4 
 
 2 12 I 
 
 The HORSE-HOEING HUSBANDRY. 
 
 Expences. Products. 
 
 1. 
 
 s. 
 
 d. 
 
 
 
 1. 
 
 s. 
 
 d. 
 
 5 
 
 
 a 
 
 26 Bufliels 
 
 Profit 
 
 i 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 7 
 
 13 Bufhels 
 
 Profit 
 
 o 
 
 3 
 
 S 
 
 3 
 
 17 
 
 10 
 
 9 Bufliels 
 
 Lofs 
 
 "I 
 
 3 
 
 10 
 
 13 5 7 48 Bufhels 
 
 
 O 2 I I 
 
 Average 3 6-4 42Bu(hek Profit o o 8| 
 
 It
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 39 
 
 It was formerly the general cuftom to fal- 
 low land, intended for wheat, every third or 
 fourth year, and in many places it is fo ftill : 
 but of late years feveral farmers fubftitute a 
 hoed-crop of turnips or beans, or a crop of 
 clover, inftead of a fallow ; and by that 
 means they get a crop in the fallow year, and 
 fave the expence of fallowing. This is a va- 
 luable improvement in the Old Hufbandry ; 
 and with this improved Hufbandry the horfe- 
 hoed wheat crops are here compared. In a 
 comparifon of two methods of Hufbandry, 
 the trial that is to determine the merit of each 
 Ihould be fair and equal, which here it is not 
 a crop of turnips, obtained the fallow year, is 
 allowed by all to be profitable to the farmer; 
 and, if fo, mould not the New Hufbandry 
 have that benefit as well as the Old ? But in- 
 ftead of this, the Old Hufbandry has here the 
 advantage of a crop of turnips the firft year, 
 and the New Hufbandry is charged with the 
 expence of a fallow, or has no advantage that 
 year. It is true, the crop of turnips is charged 
 as a loliug one, and would be really fb to ap- 
 pearance fome years, when the farmer is ob- 
 liged to give the turnip- land two or three 
 ploughing**, harrowings, and feed, extraordi- 
 nary, on account of the turnips being repeatedly 
 deftroyed by the fly : but in the years when 
 that accident happens, and that the expence and 
 rent exceed the value of the turnips, they 
 are not even in fuch years unprofitable, be- 
 
 D 4. caufe 
 

 
 4<D THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 caufe the repeated ploughings and harrowings 
 for the turnips improves the land and follow- 
 ing crops. We are not indeed informed of 
 par iculars, and from what circumftance it 
 happened that this turnip-crop was a Jofing 
 one ; which fhould not have been omitted. 
 
 There is the fame objection to the other ar- 
 ticles, which, had they been related particu- 
 larly, the reafons of the ill fuccefs of the 
 New Hufbandry would have been feen ; for I 
 (hall produce feveral unexceptionable examples 
 of the fuccefs of the New Hufbandry, and 
 the great profit of fucceffive hoed crops of 
 wheat, for many years, on large traces of dif- 
 ferent forts of land. 
 
 But even in the general manner, in which 
 thefe horfe-hoed crops of wheat are ftated, it 
 will be very apparent to thofe who underftand 
 the New Hufbandry, that they were not cultU 
 vated in the proper manner, according to that 
 Hufbandry. For here the expences of the 
 fecond and third crops of wheat (wherein no 
 fallow is concerned J one of them is charged 
 at 3 1. 14 s. 7 d. and the other at 3 1. 1 7 s. 10 d. 
 which are much beyond the real expence of 
 horfe-hoed wheat crops, whereof the tillage 
 and feed is not above fourteen or fifteen mil- 
 lings per acre, and of all expences, harveft- 
 home, they do not commonly exceed feventeen 
 fhilliogs per acre. Now, if the rent of this 
 jand was fo high as eighteen (hillings per 
 acre, and that was included in this charge, the 
 
 expence
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 41 
 
 cxpence might then amount to i 1. 155. but 
 this is not fo much as is charged here by 
 near two pound per acre. What then are we 
 to think of this experiment, brought to deter- 
 mine the merit of the New Hufbandry; 
 where, inftead of about 1 1. 155. per acre, 
 which is the higheft expence it would really 
 coft, it is charged at 3 1. 14 s. 7 d. ? 
 
 Another remarkable circumftance in this 
 experiment is, the decline of the drilled wheat 
 crops ; which the firft year was twenty-fix, 
 the fecond thirteen, and the third but nine 
 bufhels per acre. This, as will be fliewn 
 hereafter, is very different from the crops of 
 the cultivators, experienced in this hufbandry, 
 which are greater than the firft of thefe, and 
 do not decline as they did here ; but, on the 
 contrary, the laft crops at the end of twenty 
 years are as good, and frequently better, than 
 at firft : for this culture duly performed im- 
 proves the land without manure, though it 
 produces every year a good crop of wheat. 
 Probably thefe drilled wheat crops were ma- 
 naged no better than the bean crops above- 
 mentioned were; three rows upon five-feet 
 ridges, and horfe-hoed only four times : but 
 there fhould not be more than two rows of 
 wheat upon each ridge, with a partition of 
 about ten inches, and the ridges four feet 
 eight or nine inches. Experience has proved 
 four horfe-hoeings fufficient to obtain good 
 fucceflive crops from ordinary land thus laid 
 
 out
 
 42 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 out and cultivated. How this land was laid 
 out and cultivated, we are not told, which 
 fhould not have been omitted in the defcrip- 
 tion of experiments that were to decide the 
 merit of any mode of Hufbandry. -When 
 the experimenter found that the crop declined, 
 he mould have given the land five of fix horfe- 
 hoeings, as the author of this Hufbandry di- 
 rects, which would have improved the land : 
 and. he fhould have beftowed 1 fome manure 
 upon it, as a hand-dreffing in the fpring. But 
 here it will be faid, that the author difclaims 
 the ufe of manure for the horfe-hoed wheat ; 
 which has often been faid by thofe who are 
 prejudiced againft this Hufbandry. But the 
 facl: is otherwife, the author directs fbme ma- 
 nure to beufed for drilled wheat in fuch cafes. 
 As in the preface to his Hufbandry, p. 4. 
 *< There may," fays he, * fr be fuch wet 
 c Clayey land, which the plough cannot pul- 
 verize without help of the ferment of dung. 
 if- And in any fort of land, when it is fuf- 
 ' pe&ed that the earth of the partitions was 
 " not well ordered in the fummer, the beft 
 " remedy is,, to .ftrew a fmall quantity of 
 ** malt-dufr, or other fine manure, upon the 
 ** ; rows, about the month of February ; this 
 V will ftrengthen the plants, and enable them 
 ** to fend their roots into the interval the ear- 
 * e lier in the fpring." This appears to have 
 been wholly omitted*; and likewife to give the 
 land any more than four horfe*hoeings, though 
 
 four
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 43 
 
 four was the number given, when only two 
 rows of wheat were drilled on each ridge ; 
 but, when three rows were drilled upon each, 
 it was the author's practice to horfe-hoe his 
 wheat fix times ; and he direfts, that wheat 
 fown in that manner fhould be hoed fo often, 
 or in proportion to its poverty. And there- 
 fore, inftead of concluding with Mr. Harri- 
 fon, p. 406, that this experiment is decifive in 
 favour of the Old Hufbandry ; we may con- 
 clude with certainty, that it was not an expe- 
 riment in the New Hufbandry, but in a me- 
 thod different from it, in feveral eflential cir- 
 cumftances : and therefore proves nothing, but 
 the experimenter's ignorance of the New 
 Hufbandry. 
 
 We have feen, that Mr. Hatrifon acquiefced 
 in the experiment upon beans (though badly 
 performed), though in favour of the New 
 Hufbandry. If the principles upon which the 
 culture of beans fucceeded are right, why 
 fliould not the fame culture fucceed when ap- 
 plied to wheat and o'thcr plants. He makes 
 no reflexion upon this ; but, as others have 
 done, proceeds to condemn the New Huf- 
 bandry, though unacquainted with it, and 
 without any experience of it : for it does not 
 appear that he has made any trial of it him- 
 felf. 
 
 It is obfcrvable in fome modern writers of 
 agriculture, who depretiate the New Hufban- 
 dry, lhat they do not found their arguments 
 
 upon
 
 44 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 upon their own experience, and a pra&ice of 
 that Hufbandry for a feries of years, and on 
 any confiderable extent of land of different 
 forts j which without doubt is neceflary, to 
 form a true judgement of the merit of any 
 Hufbandry ; but being prejudiced againft this, 
 they are eafily confirmed in their prejudices, 
 and endeavour to perfuade others, by referring 
 to fuch fmall detached trials as are too fuper- 
 ficial to convince any who are unprejudiced, 
 efpecially in a matter of fuch confequence, 
 that fo greatly concerns the public. Very 
 different from this was the conduit of the in- 
 genious author of the New Hufbandry ; he 
 difcovered, in the culture of the vines, what 
 the cultivators of them had not perceived for 
 ages, but did not endeavour to fupport his 
 opinion by fmall detached experiments ; but, 
 finding his ideas confirmed by trials upon tur- 
 nips and potatoes, he began trying the fame 
 upon wheat; part of a field at firft, and by 
 degrees extended the fame to great part of his 
 farm, till he had annually from a hundred to 
 one hundred and twenty acres of horfe-hoed 
 wheat; he applied the fame culture to fuch 
 other plants as fuited his land, barley, peafe, 
 and fainfoin. He publimed his Hufbandry at 
 laft, at the follicitation of many who faw his 
 fuccefs ; and he was a gentleman of fuch ac- 
 knowledged probity, that thofe who were pre- 
 judiced againft his Ilufbandry did not prefume 
 to queftion his veracity. It is therefore very 
 
 unfair
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 45 
 
 unfair of thofe who pretend to determine upon 
 the merit of this Hufbandry, that they take 
 no notice of his extenfive and fuccefsful prac- 
 tice of it for many years ; but refer their 
 readers to a few fmall trials, improperly con- 
 du&ed, and which prove nothing, but that 
 the experimenters were unacquainted with the 
 principles and the approved practice of this 
 culture. 
 
 The fame ignorance or inattention is obfer- 
 vable, with regard to the experiments in this 
 Hufbandry made abroad by M. Duhamel and 
 many of his ingenious correfpondents j who, 
 purfuing Mr. Tull's directions, found them 
 fucceed in a manner that much fuprized them; 
 and their experiments have long fince been 
 publifhed in Englifh. They lucceeded re- 
 markably in the culture of wheat, and other 
 cornj alfo of lucerne, fainfoin, turnips, car- 
 rots, and other garden-plants, lettuce, afpara- 
 gus, &c. of hemp likewife ; and remarkably 
 in the culture of vines, much beyond what 
 they attained to from the method of culture 
 for vines common in that country. Is it not 
 therefore very extraordinary, that fome in- 
 conclufive trial upon a few perches of wheat 
 fhould be referred to as of confequence, and 
 not the leaft notice taken of thofe extenfive 
 ones, upon fuch a variety of plants, whereof 
 fome only are here mentioned, and in general 
 fucceeded, as the experimenters declare, much 
 
 beyond
 
 46 THE PRACTICE OF TtitE 
 
 beyond their expectations, though they est- 
 pedtcd much from the author's own fuccefs^ 
 related in his eflay ? 
 
 A late anonymous writer, the author of the 
 Farmer's Kalendar, has endeavoured to (hew, 
 that the principal or only benefit of tillage* 
 and hoeing, is to deftroy weeds ; and that 
 manures are the farmer's only dependence 
 to enrich and improve his land. 
 
 This he exprefles in the introduction to his 
 work as follows. 
 
 " About fifty years ago, a celebrated Eg- 
 " liftman^ Mr. TV/, made many experiments, 
 " in anew method of culture, the great defign 
 " of which was, to fet afide the ufe of manures. 
 " To this day he has had many followers. 
 " With the gentlemen that purfue his fyllem, 
 " tillage alone is neceflary, the plough is all 
 " in all ; and nothing is to be dunged or 
 .** otherwife drefled, but meadows or paftures* 
 w Were fuch ideas to become general, it is 
 " inconceivable how much mifchief they 
 " would occafion : for there cannot be more 
 " falfe principles, than thole whereon they are 
 " built. Throughout thefe iheets, care is 
 " taken, to keep clear of fuch errors ; the 
 " great importance of manures is duly attended 
 " to, and the farmer well inflruded how to 
 * raife as much as poffibie himfelf. This 
 " point of Hufbandry can never be too much 
 " attended to, nor can any have been more 
 ** negleded, by the generality of writers : 
 5 " indeed
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 47 
 
 " indeed except by one or two (who it muft be 
 " owned have treated it in a very mafterly 
 < manner) they have not thought it worthy 
 " their attention." 
 
 Tn difquifitions on controverted points, 
 thofe efpccially of importance, every writer 
 mould adhere ftriclly to facts, or .fpeak cau* 
 tioufly where he is not certain of them. Mr* 
 Tull publimed his Hufbandry in the year 
 1733, wherein he does not fet afide the ufe of 
 manures, but in particular circumftances, and 
 in the culture of particular plants ; neither 
 does he, or his followers, limit the ufe of 
 dung and other dreffings, to meadows and 
 paftures only. He cultivated chiefly wheat 
 and turnips in the horfe-hoeing way; and he 
 manured his turnips, and recommends that 
 practice to others : but to (hew particularly 
 that this author has mifreprefented his fyflem, 
 I mall recite the account he gives of it in his 
 own words. 
 
 Page 19. " But though dung be, upon 
 " thefe and other accounts, injurious to 
 " the garden [giving the roots, : &c a bad 
 " tafte] yet a confiderable quantity of -it 
 ' is fo ; neceflary to moft cornfields^ that, 
 "without it, little good can be done byithc 
 " Old Huibandry. Duu^ is not injurious t?o 
 " the. fields, being there in lefs proportion* 
 * And fucb plants as cabbages, toxuips, 
 * carrots, and potatoes, when they are d- 
 * figued only for fattening of .cattle, will not 
 
 be
 
 48 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 " be injured by dung, tillage, and hoeing all 
 '* together ; which will make the crops the 
 greater, and the cattle will like them never 
 " the worfe. 
 
 Common tillage alone is not fufficient 
 ** for many forts of corn, efpecially wheat, 
 " which is the king of grains. Very few 
 " fields can have the conveniency of a fuffi- 
 " cient fupply of dung, to enable them to 
 produce half the wheat thefe will do near 
 * cities where they have plenty of it : the 
 " crop of twenty acres will fcarce make dung 
 fufficient for one acre, in the common way 
 " of laying it on. Under the name of dung, 
 " we may alfo underftand whatever ferments 
 " with the earth, except fire, fuch as green 
 " vegetables covered in the ground, &c. 
 ' Dung without tillage can do very little; 
 " with fome tillage doth fomething; with 
 " much tillage pulverizes the foil, in lefs 
 " time than tillage alone can do : but the 
 tillage alone, with more time, can pul- 
 ** verize as well." 
 
 Page 211. " Though dung is fo neceffary in 
 " the old Vlrgillan raftering, andy2*/ erit Huf- 
 4< bandry ; yet to moft forts of land, ufed in 
 <c the old and new pulverizing Hulbandry, it 
 ' is not neceflary j as it appears by mine, 
 ' and by the experience of all farmers, who, 
 " being emancipated from Virgilian prin- 
 *' ciples, have made proper trials. They find, 
 " as well as I, that dung may be fupplied, 
 
 by
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 49 
 
 " by an encreafe of tillage. But I never 
 " have faicl any thing againfl the ufe of dung 
 " in the corn fields, except where it cannot 
 " he procured at nil; or \vhcn the whole 
 " expence of it is likely to exceed the prortt. 
 " It is probable, that in fome places, clung 
 " may be had at a lefs price, than the encreafe 
 * of tillage neceflary to fupply the quantity of 
 " dung required. That dung may be ufeful 
 " when properly applied, I believe was never 
 " denied by any author. 
 
 " The Virgilian Hufbandry [of burning 
 " the land, &c] being fhewn, its oppofite is, 
 " not to pulverize land by fire, nor put trull 
 " in dung and harrows, to fupply the place of 
 " the plough; but, on the contrary, to give 
 " to every lort of land, proper and fufficient 
 " tillage (the pooreft requiring moft), and to 
 " ufe only what dung we have, or can rea- 
 " ionably get, in the propereft manner, is 
 " that Huibandry which I call Antivirgilian, 
 *' of which my horfe-hoeing icheme is a 
 " fpecies." 
 
 He fays likewife, in the preface to his eflay, 
 written fix years after he began the horie- 
 hceing of wheat: "The particular icheme 
 " of railing cot.lhint annuitl crops of wheat, 
 ' without dung or fallow, h as yet only upon 
 " probation : but by the fix crops I have btd 
 " in that manner, I fee nothing again It thc-ir 
 14 being continued. This, it is true, requires 
 *' greater care in the management, than any 
 
 E " other
 
 50 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 "other branch of the Hufbandry: but hd 
 '* who can do this without dung or fallow, 
 c may eaftly do it, with one or both of them. 
 " And there may be fuch wet clayey land, 
 " which the plough cannot well pulverize, 
 ' without help of the ferment of dung. And 
 44 in any fort of land, where it is fufpecled 
 tc that the earth of the partitions was not well 
 " ordered in the lummer, the beft remedy is 
 *' to flrow a fmall quantity of malt duft, or 
 " other fine manure, upon the rows, about 
 ' the month of February. This will ftrengthen 
 the plants, and enable them to fend their 
 " roots into the intervals the earlier in the 
 " fpring." 
 
 Here we fee, that Mr. Tull does not fet 
 afide the ufe of manures. He agrees that dung 
 is beneficial for crops of turneps, cabbages, 
 carrots, potatoes, and fuch vegetables as are 
 cultivated for cattle; that dung is abfolutely 
 neceifary for corn and other crops in the old 
 Hufbandry ; and that dang and ether manures 
 are to be ufed, where they can be had at a lefs 
 expence than the tillage proper for hoed 
 crops. From theie paflages and others in his 
 book, it is evident, that he does not fay, as 
 the above-mentioned author afferts-, w that 
 44 nothing is to be dunged, or otherwife 
 ** drolled, but meadows or paftures. 1 * His 
 principal crop was wheat, for which he faid 
 dung was not neceflary, in the hoeing 
 
 culture ;
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 5! 
 
 culture j and this he faid upon good grounds* 
 as will afterwards be (hewn. 
 
 The above author, in feveral places^ en- 
 deavours to eftablifh an opinion, that the 
 only ufe of fallowing is to deftroy weeds; 
 that the land is thereby pulverized* but not 
 benefited by the atmofphere. This he par- 
 ticularly infifts upon, p. 294, as follows : 
 Ipeaking of fallowing, he fays j 
 
 44 The autumnal tillage is abfolutely re- 
 " quiiite, for the mere work of killing weeds, 
 44 without recurring to the attraction of any 
 ' beneficial particles from the air. The latter 
 44 eftedt may appear very equivocal to a com- 
 " mon farmer, never ufed to confider things 
 44 deeper than firft appearances. Unhappily 
 44 this is a part of Hulbandry, on which w ; e 
 44 can only ipeak from idea, and not in the 
 41 leaft from experiment. Of all the volumes 
 *"* that have been published on Hufbandry, 
 " none gives one a clear proof, of the ac- 
 " quifition of manure from the atmofphere. 
 " The benefit of fallowing is no clear proof; 
 41 becaule it is never experienced exclusively 
 ** of killing weeds ; and unlefs fuch effecla 
 44 were known diftin&ly, one cannot with 
 " any precifion attribute a certain degree to 
 44 each. As experiment has not and probably 
 * 4 will not prove this important point, it re- 
 44 mains for the difquifition of rcafon alone, 
 44 which may adopt whatever ideas appear 
 " moft juft to individuals. There are many 
 
 2 4t argu-
 
 52 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 " arguments to be produced, to (hew, that 
 " the great benefit of fallowing, at whatever 
 ' feafon, is the deftruction of weeds, and mere 
 " pulverization, without any reference to fup- 
 pofed acquiiitions from the air : a flrong 
 " one is the equality of crops that fucceeci 
 ** complete fallows and other crops : the 
 " latter, if fufficient care has been taken to 
 ** deftroy the weeds, are generally as good as 
 " fuch as follow compleat fummer fallows. 
 " Wheat, for inftance, after beans well hand- 
 " hoed, is as good : after peafe, if a great 
 " crop, the lame, without any hand-hoeing at 
 all; after clover alib, in which the land is 
 " bound, and matted together with roots : 
 " and the great fertility of new-broken-up 
 ' grafs lands, fhould look, as if the very con- 
 " trary ftate to fallowed lands was moft be- 
 ct neficial. Many writers talk of the benefit 
 " of thick fiiade, and the putrid fermentation 
 ' of thick and luxuriant crops. It may be 
 " all very true; but iurely the whole is 
 " founded on principles extremely different 
 *' irom the acquisition of aerial benefit by 
 <c fallowing ! I know of none in which they 
 ** agree, but the killing of weeds. 
 
 " The acquifition of nitre, fay fome, is well 
 * c known to be greatly effected, by land being 
 " ploughed on to the ridge in winter ; and 
 ' nitre,, fay others, is the principle of vege- 
 <f ration. This fact, of nitre being fo very 
 " beneficial, feems rather to be a dedur.io-n of 
 
 " reaibn,
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 53 
 
 * reafon, than an experimental proof. Salt- 
 ' petre, in every application, has often been 
 " proved rather poilonous than beneficial. 
 " Why, therefore, mould we fuppofe it of 
 " fuch confequence in the air? I am by no 
 means aflerting the contrary ; but only ex- 
 * prefTing doubts of thofe maxims, which do 
 * not feem to have had experiment for their 
 " foundation. Let us, for thefe various rea- 
 " Ions, be Contented with recommending au- 
 " tumnal ploughing to the hufbandman, on 
 " principles that he can underftand, and 
 " effects which are vifible to him, pulveriza- 
 " tton, and the killing of weeds : and not 
 *' periuade them to the practice, for reafons, 
 ** which are Greek and Hebrew to them." 
 
 Here the author has given the fum of his 
 objections to the New Huibandry, relative to 
 the effects of the atmofphere. " Of all the 
 " volumes, fays he, that have been publifhed 
 " on Hufbandry, none gives one a clear proot 
 " of the acquifition of manure from the at- 
 " mofphere." This is a very extraordinary 
 aflbrtion. It is founded upon what lie laid 
 before, * Unhappily, this is a part of Huf- 
 ' bandry, on which we can only ipeak from 
 " idea, and not intheleaft from experiment." 
 But how does this confift with what he faid in 
 the introduction, " that a celebrated Englifh- 
 '* man, Mr. Tull, ma<le many experiments^ in 
 * a new method of culture, the great delign 
 ' of which was to fet> afide the ule of 
 3 ** manure?"
 
 54 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 " manure?" But was not his defign likewilb 
 to prove by thefe experiments, the acquifition 
 of manure from the atmofphere ? and how 
 then can thi? author fay, tnut we cannot in 
 the Jeaft (peak of this part of Hufbandry from 
 experiment? is not this a very diiingenuous 
 manner of treating the author of thefe ex- 
 periments, and the fubjecl, he and others 
 have fince treated upon : and have not 
 they, published their experiments, to prove, 
 that the earth is fertilized by the atmofphere ? 
 and that they have proved it, we mail demon- 
 jftrate. This author recommends to the far* 
 mer, ** autumnal ploughing, on principles 
 ' that he can underitancl, and effects which 
 are vifible to him, pulverization, and the 
 *< ,killing of weeds.*' What is the farmer to 
 nnderfland by pulverization? He knows that 
 ploughing breaks or pulverizes the land ; it is 
 a mechanical action, that adds nothing to the 
 foil, adds no new matter to it : on the con-* 
 trary, by opening the foil, it is made more 
 pervious to the roots of plants to exhauft it ; 
 confeqnently, the more land is ploughed and 
 fallowed, the more it is liable to be im- 
 poverifhed by the- next crop. How then is 
 the land to recover its fertility? This author 
 tells the farmer, that this is to be done by 
 dung and manure; but he alledges, that Mr, 
 TullV defign was to fet afide the ufe of 
 manure ; ihould he not have informed the 
 farmer, what fuccefs he had in this deijgn ? 
 
 That 
 
 7
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 55 
 
 That he cultivated wheat without manure, 
 for thirteen years ; that he raifed fucceffive 
 crops of wheat, every year during that time, 
 upon very ordinary land ; that he obtai..cd 
 good crops, of four quarters and upwards, 
 without manure, and without impoverishing 
 his luid ; and that many perfons abroad hud 
 pralifed his method with fuccefs? How will 
 the author excufe his concealing this from the 
 farmer ? It is a matter of great importance in 
 Hufbandry, and merits the particular atten- 
 tion of every cultivator of 1 nd. 
 
 Mr. Tull, the author of the New Huf- 
 band.y, cultivated a part of his eftate near 
 . Huiigerford in Berkmire, and there introduced 
 the method of horfe-hoeing, which he prac- 
 tifed chiefly upon wheat and turnips. His 
 land was in general a light, poor foil, which 
 he defcribes as follows, p. 227, and 263, 
 
 ' The bulk of the land belonging to this 
 " farm is, on the ibuth fide, for near a mile 
 *' in length, always called Bitbam Hills, and 
 " are, for the mod part, declining grounds, 
 4 a fort of graci/es c/ivi, being all on a chnlk. 
 " In dry weather the whole liable looks of a 
 .** white colour ; it is full of fmall flints, and 
 finaller chalk (tones. Below theie hills is 
 ' a bottom, where are fome grounds, upon ;i 
 " chalk alfo, but had not then [when his 
 " Effay was publimed] been uf;d in hoeing, 
 u having lain with faint foin thirteen or four- 
 " teen years. On the weft fide, all the land 
 
 4 "is
 
 56 . THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 " is called Eaft Hills, being on the eaft of the 
 " farms to which they all formerly belonged. 
 "On the norrh-wefi fide, is a high field, 
 " called CooKs Hi//, and is the only field of my 
 " farm that is not upon a chalk. It is a 
 *' very wet fpewy foil, of very little value, 
 " until I made it dry, by ploughing crofs the 
 " defcent of the hill. This foil is all too 
 " light, and too fhallow, to produce a tole- 
 " rable crop of beans. This farm was made 
 " out of the ikirts of others. Great part of 
 " the land was formerly a meep clown ; and 
 " whiliVthe whole was kept in the Virgilian 
 * 4 management (ufual for iiich land), it had 
 " the full reputation of poverty. The higheft 
 "part of it ufed to be fown (as I am well 
 " informed) with oats once in two or three 
 " years, upon the back Tonce ploughing], 
 " and if the rummer proved dry, the crop 
 * { was not worth the expence of that once 
 " ploughing. The generality of farmers, 
 44 were then of opinion, that if this fhould be 
 6 - thoroughly tilled and pulverized, it would 
 <c become fo light, that the wind would blow 
 " the ilaple away; but the contrary happened, 
 " for it being ploughed free times iuilead-'of 
 "once, it produced, good barley and other 
 At corn, and never has returned to its former 
 4< degree of lightnefs fmce ; and this was 
 < 4 above fifty years ago. And now tillage 
 fi and foreign grades are come into falhion, 
 " iiicloied lands, th'at' : do not rot fheep (as 
 &:' " not
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 57 
 
 5 e not one foot of mine is wet enough, or rich 
 M enough to do) are become of greater value 
 " than formerly. 
 
 " My farm was termed a barley faxin, not 
 " from the good crops of barley it produced, 
 " but becaule the land, being almofl all hilly, 
 " was thought too light for wheat. In a dry 
 " fummer, the barley crop failed for want of 
 " moifture, and of more pulverization, and 
 " was not worth half theexpence. 
 
 " Land is feldom too duy for wheat; and 
 " this dry foil, in the hoeing culture, brings 
 very good crops of wheat, which is the 
 " reafon I have now no barley except what 
 *' is lovvn on the level ; as it always muft be 
 f for planting faint foin and clover amongft 
 " it; were it not for that purpole, I mould 
 ** plant no barley at all." 
 
 Upon this unpromifmg foil for wheat, Mr. 
 Tull began his horfe-hoeing Hufbandry ; firft 
 upon one field, and afterwards upon the reft 
 of his land, ftill encrealing the quantity, till 
 at laft he had one hundred and twenty 
 acres, drilled with wheat, and horfe-hoed ; 
 and part of thefe was annually under wheat 
 crops n fucceliion tor thirteen years, with- 
 out reft, change of crops, fallow, dung, or any 
 kind of manure, during that time; and the 
 land notwithstanding was not impovcrifhed, 
 but improving. 
 
 This he takes notice of in feveral places, 
 
 particularly in the thirteenth year, p. 273, 
 
 ' i where
 
 5$ THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 where he fays, " My field, whereon is now 
 " the thirteenth crop of wheat, has (hewn, 
 * that the rows may fuccefsfully frand upon 
 " any\part of the ground. The ridges of this 
 * field were, for the twelfth crop, changed 
 * from fix feet to four feet eight inches : in 
 " order for this alteration, the ridges were 
 : ploughed down, and the whole field was 
 ploughed crofs-ways of the ridges, for 
 <* making them level ; and then the next 
 f ridges were laid out the fame way as the 
 former, but one foot four inches narrower, 
 ' and the double rows drilled on their tops ; 
 -' whereby of confequence there muft be fome 
 rows (landing on every part of the ground, 
 ' both on the former partitions, and on every 
 *' part of the intervals. Notwithstanding 
 " this, there was no manner of difference in 
 * c the goodnefs of the rows, and the whole 
 field was in every part of it equal, and the 
 " beft, I believe, that ever grew on it. It 
 has now the thirteenth crop, likely to b.<f 
 very good, k though the land was npfc 
 tf ploughed crofsways. 
 
 " The crop of the fix fcore acres of wheat, 
 
 44 that was growing at the time of publiming 
 
 " : my addenda, was much greater than the 
 
 -"jcrop the year before ; it, and would have 
 
 " produced more grain in proportion, if the 
 
 " heavens had been as propitious : but the 
 
 4< heavy rains that fell, when the fir ft planted 
 
 " was in blofibm, diminimed the filling of 
 
 " ths
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 59 
 
 ' the ear, and its grain ; yet not fo much as 
 " of moft fown wheat, efpecially of the very 
 " early fown, which generally eicapes the 
 ** beft in this common calamity. The burnt 
 " baked wheat being always early fown, I am 
 " informed, had next to no grain in it ; and 
 " this is the moft expenfive fort of Hufbandry, 
 ** the tenants pay luch exorbitant fines for 
 " the liberty of ploughing this land. 1 * 
 
 From thefe experiments, and the fuccefs of 
 horfe-hoed wheat upon the author's whole 
 farm, we mufl conclude, that land is enriched 
 from the atmofpheie : for it is evident, that 
 this land had no other afliftance ; and yet, 
 though poor, or very ordinary land, con- 
 tinued year after year, without intermiffion, 
 to produce good crops of wheat, that are ac- 
 knowledged to be exhaufting crops ; fo ex- 
 haufting, that no good farmers will venture 
 to fow wheat on the tame land, for only two 
 years fuccefiively, without manure ; nor with 
 manure, unlefs the land has an intermediate 
 fallow, or a change of fome meliorating crop : 
 fo that horfe-hoeing appears here to be fupe- 
 rior to manure. 
 
 This fertility can be attributed to -nothing 
 elfe but the atmofphere, and to this Mr. Tull 
 does attribute it : for, fays he, p. 63. " If it 
 " (hould be demanded, from whence the foil 
 " can be fupplied with vegetable matter, to 
 ** anfwer what is carried off, by thefe conftant 
 < crops of wheat, that the land be not con- 
 
 " fumed
 
 60 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 " fumed by them ; the foil, in this our cafe, 
 ' cannot be fupplied in fubflance, but from 
 <c the atmolphere" and then he proceeds to 
 
 'fhew, that this fupply is from rain, dews, 
 &c. 
 
 After a thirteen years experience of horle- 
 hoeing wheat, Mr. Tuli concludes ; " the 
 " fame fix fcore acres, that was wheat the lad 
 *' year, is planted with wheat now, and is 
 " all of it as drong, and likely for a good 
 " crop, as in any of the former years ; though 
 " there is but about one acre of it dunged. 
 " The whole is the freed from weeds before 
 " hoeing, that ever was feen, and the fovvn 
 " wheat of the neighbourhood the fulleft 
 *' of them. 
 
 " I can mew at this indant, one of the ex- 
 " periments I have recommended, which 
 * though it be on lefs than two perches of 
 
 ** ground ; yet mud convince every man who 
 " has feen it (and doth not renounce the evi- 
 " dence of his reafon and fenfes) that pulve- 
 lt rization by indruments can vadly exceed 
 " the benefit of common manure. 
 
 41 It is to luch experiments, that I leave the 
 " progrefs of my horfe-hoeit-.g Huibandry ; 
 *' afluring the publick, that in all my practice, 
 " which is now thirteen years, 1 liave never 
 " met with one inftaiice, that gives me the 
 ** lead fufpicion of the truth of the prin- 
 Ct ciples I have advanced ; and that, I believe, 
 J* they have nothing to fear from enemies, 
 
 " but
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 6l 
 
 " but the falfe relation of facts, or fallacious 
 " arguments." 
 
 About two years before Mr. Tull wrote 
 this, he was defined to take an exact account 
 of the product of a (ingle acre of hand-hoed 
 wheat, and of an acre in the middle of a field 
 of twenty -five acres of horie-hoed wheat, in 
 order to know the different quantities pro-" 
 duce by them. 
 
 " The firft was in [a common field, and 
 u planted upon the level, with the fame drill 
 " that planted the other, whereby there was a 
 " fpace of ten inches between two rows, and 
 * a fpace of eighteen inches between thofe 
 " and the next row : fo that each row had 
 fourteen inches of furface for the roots 
 *' to ipread in. It was hand-hoed very well. 
 " The land hath not been dunged in any 
 ' manner iince the year 1719. This crop 
 " was reaped very low, and threfhed out im- 
 c mediately. It produced eleven bufhcls and 
 " a half: the meafure of the land being rifry- 
 " two perches, the product is at the rate of 
 " thirty-fix bufhels and fix gallons to an acre. 
 " It is fituate next the ditch of a meadow, 
 " and is all the land I have in the commori 
 " field. The lands adjoining to it, of the 
 '* fame goodnels, were judged by all gentlc- 
 " men and farmers who viewed them nor to 
 " have above half the wheat -on them, that 
 this had, perch for perch ; and vet there 
 was no difference in the inanagcmcur, except 
 
 lh:3 
 
 "
 
 6i THE PRATICE OF THE 
 
 4 * this being regularly planted, and hand* 
 " hoed, without dung, and the other fowed 
 at random, and dunged (as they always are 
 44 once in three years): the fallowing and 
 ' ploughings of both were the fame. Mine 
 " was laid by feveral of the farmers of the 
 *' place to be the beft land of wheat in the 
 46 parifh. 
 
 44 This indeed otight to be allowed, that 
 < c mine being moftly 'white cone wheat, and 
 44 the adjoining lands of clean lammas^ might 
 44 make fome part of the difference ; but there 
 < 4 being fome of the fame fort of lammas 
 ' amongft this cone, it was obferved to be as 
 44 high as the cone, and the ears of it to be 
 '* of double the bignefs of thofe in the conti- 
 44 guous fown lands. 
 
 44 As to the acre of horfe-hoed wheat, it 
 44 was mcafured eight perches broad, and 
 44 twenty long, which is equal to fixty-fix 
 44 feet in breadth, and fix hundred and fixty 
 44 in length, this being the ftatute meaiure of 
 44 an acre, and we ufe no other for land in 
 44 this country. 
 
 * This acre being laid by itftlf, was, after 
 " fome time threfhed, and yielded twenty - 
 44 nine bumels and fix gallons of clean 
 44 wheat. 
 
 44 Before it was threfhed, it was fomewhat 
 " diminimed by cows that found a hole betxixt 
 ** the boards of the barn, and pulled out fome 
 44 of it ; and poultry eat more of it ; but the 
 
 " moft
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 63 
 
 44 moft extraordinary wafte was made by bad 
 " reapers, to vvhofe lot this acre fell. They 
 " cut it fo high that many of the ears, which 
 u by their great weight bended down very 
 44 low, were cut off and fell on the ground, 
 " and were there left much thicker than is 
 ufual. This wafte was greater than any I 
 " had ever feen: fo that, I believe, if it had been 
 44 as well reaped as moft of the reft of my 
 * wheat was, there would have been thirty- 
 44 two bufhels received from this acre. 
 
 ** The difference of the appearance of the 
 < hand-hoed and of the horfe-hoed, whilft 
 4C they were ftanding, was fo great as to de- 
 ' ceive many who law them, and to induce 
 44 many to imagine, that the product of the 
 " former, would be double to that of the 
 * latter ; though it was really little more than 
 * an eighth part greater. 
 
 ** The horfe-hoed (hews the whole interval 
 44 empty until the grain is almoft full, which 
 44 is a great advantage to the crop : becaufe, 
 < unlels the air did freely enter therein, to 
 4C ftrengthen the lower parts of the ftalk, 
 " they would not be able to fupport fuch pro- 
 44 digious ears (fome containing an hundred 
 44 and twelve large grains a-piece) from fall- 
 tl ing on the ground. 
 
 " When the grains are full, the ears turn 
 ' their upper ends downwards, and are all 
 <* feen in the intervals, and nothing but ftraw 
 44 on the rows: this reverie pofture of the 
 
 ears
 
 64 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 " ears defends them from the injuries of wefc 
 " weather* when ripe : for the rain is carried 
 " off by their beard and chaff, which like tiles 
 " protect the grain from being dilcoloured, 
 * as fovvn wheat always is by much rain, 
 44 when ripe. 
 
 " This difference was fully fhewn laft har- 
 " vert, when all my wheat was in the fame 
 " pofture : none of the ears reached the 
 '* ground, but fome reached within a foot, 
 " others within half a yard of it, and fome 
 4 not fo low. None of the draws were 
 46 broken by the weight of thefe large ears ; 
 " they only bended round at the height of 
 " about a yard, or higher, in a manner that I 
 never faw in any other wheat but the 
 44 horfe-hoed. In thefe intervals, notwith- 
 44 {landing this bending pofture of the ears, 
 44 one may walk backwards and forwards, 
 4i without doing any damage : for the ears, 
 " when thrufb out of their places, will, by 
 " their fpring, return to them again, like 
 44 twigs in a coppice. 
 
 " If a field of fuch whcr.t t for want of a 
 good change of feed, or by any other caufe, 
 mould be Imutty, the fmurry ears will itand 
 upright over the rows, and may, at the 
 expence of -about a (hilling an acre, be cut 
 off with fciflars by women and children, 
 which is the only perfect cure for that ma- 
 lady, when it happens j an. J the damage is 
 nothing but this imall expence, and the lofs 
 
 44 of 
 
 **
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 65 
 
 " of the ears cut off; which, though they 
 mould be but the fortieth part of the crop 
 " (as they are feldom more), would fpoil it : 
 44 but, being thus taken out, leave the remain- 
 " der generally large-bodied, and as fine as 
 " that which hath no fmut amongft it ; ex- 
 41 cept that it is not fit for feed. -There is 
 44 not this convenience either in fown or 
 " hand-hoed wheat. 
 
 " As to the different profit of the hand- 
 44 hoed and the horfe-hoed crops, it will, upon 
 44 examination, appear to be contrary to the 
 opinion of the vulgar. The foil of the 
 < 4 hand-hoed being, at leaft, as good as of the 
 44 other ; let us fuppofe them equal, and alfo 
 " the expence to be equal, though, in gene- 
 41 ral, that of the horfe-hoed is the leaft. 
 
 44 The hand- hoed was planted on a fallow, 
 44 but the other had a good crop of wheat the 
 44 preceding year, drilled in double rows, and 
 44 the year before that had a crop of barley, 
 drilled in treble rows; the ridges always of 
 4< the fame breadth. All thefe crops were 
 * horfe-hoed: but in the year before the firft 
 44 of thefe, the field had a crop of fown black 
 " oats: fo that there were four fucceilive 
 crops, without any fallow or dung; and 
 " there is now growing a fifth crop, being 
 " wheat, likely to be much greater than any 
 44 of the precedent, if the year prove as fa- 
 4< vourable : therefore, here being two crops 
 44 of wheat for one, the profit of the horfe- 
 
 F " hoed
 
 " 
 
 " 
 
 66 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 " hoed is almoft double to that of the hand- 
 " hoed. And as the hand-hoed has but one 
 wheat crop in three years, and one barley 
 crop, which is commonly fcarce half the va- 
 lue of a wheat crop ; and the expence in 
 three years being in feed, tillage, &c. as 
 " much as of the three wheat crops, the pro- 
 " fit of the horfe-hoed will be more than 
 " double that of the hand-hoed. 
 
 " And this, I think, is a ftrong proof of 
 " the efficacy of deep hoeing, which, with- 
 " out a fallow, can (as in this cafe) caufe 
 " one double row to produce as much wheat, 
 " as two double rows of the mallow-hoed 
 ** did, with a fallow, in an equal quantity of 
 *' ground: which could not be, un left each 
 " row of the lefler number did produce more 
 " or greater ears, or both, than each row of 
 " the larger number. Neither could this be, 
 " if the roots did not take the greater part of 
 " their nourifhment from the pulverized in- 
 " tervals ; confidering that the rows that had 
 " no fallows muff.; without the deep pulve- 
 * 6 rization, have produced much fewer and 
 " lefler ears than an equal number of rows 
 " that had the benefit of a fallow 
 
 " Vain therefore is the opinion of thoie, 
 * who fay the roots of wheat do not reach 
 " further than two or three inches from, the 
 44 ftalks : for if they did not, thefe horfe-hoed 
 " rows could have very little or no nourim- 
 " ment from the pulverifation of the inter- 
 
 " vals
 
 " vals not entering into them ; and then mnft 
 " have produced lefs than an equal number of 
 " rows of the hand-hoed (that had a fallow) 
 " did, inftead of almoft twice as much." 
 
 In the year following, he writes, p. 274* 
 " My fingle land of fifty-two perches in the 
 " common field, mentioned in my Addenda* 
 " brought the laft harveft a crop of barley 
 " (in the opinion of all who viewed it) dou- 
 " ble to the land, of the fame goodnefs, cori- 
 " tiguous to it, at the end and fide of it. 
 * This mews, that the benefit of pulverifa- 
 * tion of one good hand -hoeing, performed 
 " half a year after planting the wheat, toge- 
 - ther with -the lefs exhaufticn of half the 
 " feed, and no weeds, vaftly exceeded the 
 " ufe of dunging for the wheat on the con- 
 " tiguous land, there being no oiher difFer- 
 " ence." 
 
 [This example of horfe-hoed wheat (hews, 
 not only the great advantage of that culture 
 beyond the common courfe of Hufbandry, 
 with fallowing ; but likewife its fuperiority 
 to the Modern Improved Hufbanclry of fallow 
 crops, as turnips, cabbages, &c. inftead of a 
 fallow: for while the land is yielding a fallow 
 crop, it would, by horle-hoeing, produce a 
 crop of wheat, which is of more value than 
 any of the common fallow crops, including 
 the expence of the dung or manure beftowed 
 upon them.] 
 
 F ^ Mr.
 
 68 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 Mr. Tull proceeds to give fome account of 
 the reft of his horfe-hoed wheat, whereof the 
 products are not ftated by meafure, as of the 
 acre above-mentioned ; but, as he computed 
 them, his hoed wheat that year, amounting 
 to an hundred and fix acres, yielded nearly 
 two thoufand one hundred and fixteen bufhels, 
 or about twenty bufhels per acre : which 
 confidering the quality of the land, and cir- 
 cumftances of it when drilled, may be rec- 
 koned a good crop : for he relates, that being 
 advanced in years, and in an ill ftate of 
 health, he intended to have let his farm, and 
 had agreed with a tenant, and therefore omit- 
 ted to prepare a confiderable part of his land for 
 drilling with wheat : and the tenant difappoint- 
 ing him, he was obliged to plant it with fum- 
 mer-corn, which put him out of his courfe of 
 Hufbandry, and was an injury to the land. 
 
 " It is true," fays he, " I was at great 
 " lofs by giving attention to that tenant ; but 
 " I was delirous of being out of all bufinefs, 
 c my infirmities increafing upon me." And 
 this to fuch a degree, that, as he takes notice 
 elfewhere, he was frequently confined within- 
 doors, and fometimes to his bed. And ano- 
 ther circumftance was, that his Huibandry 
 was managed altogether by day-fervants. 
 Thefe circumftances, together with the infe- 
 rior quality of his land, being confidered, are 
 much in favour of the New Hubandry, 
 which, under fuch unfavourable circumftances, 
 
 could
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 69 
 
 could fucceed, fo as every year to produce 
 profitable crops ; and no other means ufed to 
 obtain them but hoeing, and once ploughing 
 the land. 
 
 The eftabliflied reputation of this gentle- 
 man, for candour and veracity, leaves no room 
 to doubt the truth of thefe experiments, which 
 were alfo often infpeded by many noblemen 
 and gentlemen. Thefe might have been fuf- 
 ficient to fatisfy the author of the Farmer's 
 Kalendar, that the principles of the New 
 Hufbandry are not falfe, as he aflerts ; and 
 that the general practice of it would not be 
 mifchievous, as he fancies ; but very much 
 the reverfe. It is not, however, neceflary to 
 refer wholly to thefe experiments, for many 
 have been fince made abroad with the fame 
 fuccefs, and publifhed by M. Duhamel and his 
 correfpondents. Alfo that eminent cultivator, 
 Sir Digby Legard, pra&ifed this Hufbandry 
 upon the very poor wolds near Scarborough, 
 where he raifed barley and wheat upon feven 
 acres of land, in the method of drilling and 
 horfe-hoeing for eight years fucceffively, raif- 
 ing crops of barley and wheat every year, 
 without manure, upon fo light a foil, that 
 one horfe was fufficient for the hoeing. Sir 
 Digby, in a letter to the London Society of 
 Arts, relates the particulars of this culture, 
 which he recommends, as fuperior to the 
 Common Hufbandry; and particularly takes 
 notice that his land was improved by it, and 
 
 F 3 pro-
 
 70 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 produced much better crops the laft four years 
 than it did at firft : though in all that time it 
 was neither refled nor manured. 
 
 Another gentleman in Berk/hire % the Rev. 
 Mr r D^ane^ in a letter he wrote fome years 
 fince, fays, s 1 had the pleafure of being ac- 
 " quainted with Mr. 7//, and made him two 
 " vifits at Profperous, and took an experienced 
 ** farmer with me ; where I faw fome excel- 
 c< lent crops, and fome very poor ones, on his 
 " own, and on other people's Jand ; and 
 * was convinced the poor crops were not ow- 
 " ing to his Hufbandry, but to the native po- 
 ** verty of the country ; being a light, poor, 
 c fhallow, chalky foil, fituated near the top 
 " of the Hampfhire-hilh) and very little Jand 
 '* there is proper for wheat; and he advifes 
 * f practitioners, oot to attempt to cultivate 
 *' wheat upoij iuch poor land. 
 
 " In my opinion .Mr. Tull's principles are 
 (t founded in truth, and on the certain laws of 
 " nature. Being convinced of the reafonable- 
 " nefs 'and truth of his principles, I have 
 " pradliled his horfe-hoeing Hufbandry above 
 " twenty years, on the Hime land, with fuc- 
 " ce(iive crops of wheat, with but few inter- 
 '* miffions, and can lee no reafon to queftion 
 " the truth of his principles. 
 
 " My foil is not the beft wheat-land, nor 
 
 " rightly adapted to the Tu/Iian Hufbandry, 
 
 " becaufe we fuffef greatly by the extremes 
 
 ** both of wet and dry feafons ; fometimes our 
 
 i " land
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. fl 
 
 " land being bound up as hard as iron, not to 
 
 " be touched with a plough ; and fometimes 
 
 " all in a pap, not to be trod upon. Fre- 
 
 " quent avocations of my men and horfes to 
 
 " other bufinefs, indocility of fervants, and 
 
 " averfenefs of nifties to be put out of their 
 
 " old tract, have fometimes occafioned neg- 
 
 *' lefts in catching critical feafons for hone* 
 
 " hoeing ; and confequently my land became 
 
 " foul and out of tillage, which was the reafon 
 
 " of my intermitting my annual crops, in 
 
 ** order to clean the land and reftore the tiU 
 
 u lage, which happened about three times 
 
 " fince I began; and in the intermiffion I 
 
 " once gave the field a fummer fallow, 
 
 " ploughing acrofs the lands, to lay them out 
 
 " in a new manner ; at other times, I planted 
 
 " part with peafe, and part with vetches. 
 
 " Part of a field near my houfe has tafted 
 " no dung, or other manure, fince I began, for 
 * experiment's fake ; the other part was fre- 
 ' quently dunged, and the whole field other- 
 ** wife cultivated alike ; but the difterence of 
 " the crops at harveft was fcarce difcernible. 
 ' My fervants, who knew the place, thought 
 " they could perceive the odds; but it would 
 " be very difficult for a ftranger to find it 
 " out. 
 
 " In general my Tu/Iian crops (which are 
 " large and upon various fields) have been 
 " nearly equal to the lown crops of my neigh- 
 44 buurs in the different years. I plant about 
 
 F 4 " three
 
 7^ THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 " three pecks of wheat on a ftatute acre, and 
 " receive from two to four quarters return, 
 " The farmers in the old way ufually plant 
 *' about ten or twelve pecks on an acre, and 
 " receive in return no more than I do, com- 
 " munibus annls" 
 
 Another and very ingenious pra&ifer of this 
 hufbandry, William Craik, Efq. near Dum- 
 fries in Scotland, has pra&ifed the new huf- 
 bandry many years, and thus defcribes his 
 land: " My foil is ftiff and very moift; that 
 is, in the bottom below the ftaple, is a hard 
 and almoft impenetrable till, impervious to 
 water, which of confequence keeps the top 
 poachy, and therefore am obliged to drain 
 " every field with covered drains filled with 
 *' ftone. Add to this, that our climate is ex- 
 " tremely watery, fo that both foil and climate 
 " are again ft me, efpecially in the New Huf- 
 " bandry. 
 
 " About feven years ago, I began to drill 
 " wheat in double rows, on ridges five feet 
 " two inches broad ; but have now reduced 
 * 4 them to four feet ten inches on the laft- 
 <c taken-in fields ; which fize I find anfwers 
 *' every purpofe beft for double rows of 
 " wheat; and fingle rows for turnips and po- 
 4< tatoes. I continue the double rows of 
 " wheat ; and drill a little mort of a Win- 
 " chefter bumel to the Scots flatute acre 
 * [one and a quarter Englifti]. My return 
 *' upon the average is about twenty-five 
 
 " of
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 73 
 
 44 of faid bufhels, fince I firft began ; and the 
 44 total expence, harveft-home, is about a 
 44 guinea, feed included. But the return 
 44 would confiderably exceed this, were it not 
 44 for fome parts in every field, that have 
 44 every year quite failed : in fome occafioned 
 " by a vein of fandy, gravelly foil, that runs 
 "'acrofs two of my fields ; and in all others, 
 44 from the old ridges being very high raifed 
 44 by the former farmers, and at the fame 
 44 time very broad and crooked, which obliged 
 44 me to level the whole ; the confequence of 
 44 which is, that the tops of the old ridges 
 44 continue barren for feveral years, to my 
 44 great lofs. I was for fome time in hopes, 
 44 that frequent cultivation and expofure to 
 44 the air would in time remedy this defect : 
 44 but, finding little alteration in thefe parts, 
 44 I am now applying proper dreflings, fuited 
 44 to the different foils, which I have already 
 " found will anfwer the purpofe, and make a 
 44 very fenfible difference in my profits. 
 
 44 When the crop is off, the ridges are 
 " ploughed up, and formed anew, then 
 44 fmoothed by the drill-harrows, and drilled 
 44 with the drill-plough. When the wheat 
 44 has got three or four leaves, I horfe-hoe 
 44 from the rows, agreeable to Mr. Tull. In 
 4 the fpring, I always deepen the fame fur- 
 44 rows, made before winter ; after which it 
 44 lies till the wheat begins to fpindle, when 
 44 I horfe-hoe back the earth, fo as to earth up 
 
 44 the
 
 74 THS PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 *' the plants two or three inches, to ftrengthea 
 " or lecure them. In this operation a flip of 
 " earth remains untouched in the middle, of 
 " what was ploughed firfl from the rows ; 
 " and as a new furface is expofed by the laft 
 " hoeing, I leave that flip untouched for 
 " fome time, to receive the advantage of ex- 
 " poiure, and till the weeds come, when I 
 " plough up this flip with the double-mould - 
 " board-plough, which covers the weeds, and 
 " leaves a wide, deep, and clean trench. If 
 " the wheat {lands fair, fo as to admit the 
 " horfe-hoe, which with me is feldom the 
 " cafe, 1 hoe a {mail furrow back from the 
 " rows, and return it with the double-mould- 
 " board-plough : but do not think this necef- 
 " iary, if the former operations are properly 
 " executed. 
 
 c Though my foil isftifFand heavy, I only 
 <c ufe tv\o horles to the tingle hoe, and three 
 " to the double-mould board hoe. The {ingle 
 " hoe horfe hoes two and a half Scots acres 
 " per day, and the double-mould board five ; 
 " the full: having a full bout to each ridge, 
 " the other only half a bout. I have tried to 
 ** hoe with oxen, but found they did not 
 ' anfwer in my wet foil ; and now only ufe 
 *' horles, as they poach the land lei's. 
 
 *' I have now [in 1766] the feventh crop 
 " of drilled wheat growing on my fir ft acre 
 " (which I choie as near the average of my 
 * foil as I could), and it at prefent promifes to 
 
 " be
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 75 
 
 n be the beft. This acre confifts of twenty- 
 " two ridges, nine of which were, three years 
 " ago, ftrongly drefled with dung; that fide 
 " being lighter than the other, and generally 
 '* failed : fince dreifing, that part has proved 
 " better, but ftill inferior to the undunged 
 " fide. This acre, as well as all my fields, 
 ' was drefled at firft with (hells, and bore four 
 " broad-caft crops, immediately preceding the 
 " drilled crops. 
 
 " I have only, this year, thirty Scots acres 
 "in drilled wheat; the wet feed time laft 
 " year, having prevented my drilling a ten 
 " acre field, now in turnips and potatoes: for 
 " I dare not touch my foil with the plough, 
 " when wet. 
 
 " The field with the fixth crop of drilled 
 *' wheat, and which had five broad cafl crops 
 " previous to thefe, hath at prefent as full a 
 ' crop as can ftand upon it ; except where 
 " the fandy vein comes in. The field with 
 " the fifth crop is inferior to it, though equally 
 ** good foil. In general, where the foil was 
 '* originally tolerable, and exclufive of the 
 " particular acidents 1 have mentioned, I can- 
 " not perceive hitherto any decline in the 
 crops, even thefe that have not received any 
 " dreifing with dung; but how long this will 
 " goon, time only can determine. 
 
 *' 1 always horfe-hoe from tha rows, whe- 
 " ther double or fingle, at one^bout, half a 
 " bout to each fide ; and could return this 
 
 " bout,
 
 76 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 " bout, with the double mould board, at half 
 " a bout, which was for fome time my 
 " practice : but now find it more profitable, 
 " firft to return the bout by another bout 
 ' of the fingle hoe, which expofes a large 
 * new furfacej and then, when the weeds 
 " are up, clean up with the double mould 
 " board. But at the fecond hoeing from the 
 * rows, which is after the grain is got into 
 " ear, I only take two fmall furrows, viz. one 
 * 6 from each fide ; thefe I return at once, with 
 c the double mould board. 
 
 " I have ufed the white lammas wheat, the 
 " Kenttjh red ; the Zealand, from Holland \ the 
 *' white and grey cone 5 and this year, a fmall 
 " quantity of Smyrna wheat, Spica multiplici. 
 " Yet I find none of them can refifl the vio- 
 " lent ftorms of wind and rain of our climate. 
 " Both the cones ftand the beft ; but our 
 " millers have not art enough to grind them ; 
 *' on which account our bakers are my to 
 " buy. I have moftly fown for the horfe- 
 " hoe, the grey cone. A part of my laft 
 *' year's crop went to the IJle of Man, to Ram- 
 "fay, and was fo large a grain, that our 
 " bakers objected to it on that account. 
 
 *' My crop this year confifts of the grey 
 " cone, the red Kentifh, and the white lam- 
 *' mas, fome of each in the fame field, on 
 *' purpofe to fee which flood beft ; and now 
 ' find, the red Kentifh has fufFered moft ; 
 < 6 and that the white lammas, of a kind I had 
 
 " from
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 77 
 
 * from London, ftands equally well with the 
 " grey cone ; which has determined me to 
 " fow it moftly for the enfuing crop. 
 
 " My drilled wheat is generally, by the time 
 " it gets into bloflbm, To laid over, though not 
 " broke, that I can neither horfe-hoe, hand- 
 hoe, or hand -weed. So that a fecond crop 
 " of weeds never fails to fpring up time enough 
 " to ripen their feed, before the crop is cut : 
 ** and this, with me, is the great and invinci- 
 " ble objection to a fucceflion of wheat crops 
 ** in this way ; at lead in my foil, and this 
 " climate. What I propofe, to remedy this, 
 " is, to take a crop of horfe-hoed turnips, 
 " next a horfe-hoed crop of beans ; next 
 " two or three crops of horfe-hoed wheat; 
 " and then return to the turnips. In this 
 " way, I am fure to extirpate the weeds, 
 * during the turnip and bean crops, and have 
 " reafon to expect my wheat (hall be a full 
 ** crop, after thefe meliorating ones. 
 
 " If the drilled wheat flood fair, it would 
 " be cut down at one half the expence of 
 * broad-caft, at lead : for, even when laid 
 " over, and very much difbrdered, I do it for 
 " two-thirds of the expence of the other. 
 
 " Were it not for the parts that fail in my 
 " fields, my horfe-hoed crops would exceed 
 " four quarters. Laft year, on half an acre 
 * Scots^ 1 had twenty-two Winchefltrs [thirty- 
 ' five bufhels per Englijb acre], but this was 
 * all equally good."
 
 78 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 By this gentleman's ftate of his fncceffive 
 wheat crops, it is evident, that his land was 
 not impoverifhed by them, but improving; as 
 appears by his lalt crops, though it had no 
 manure. And though his tolerable good land 
 was fo much enriched by the horfe-hoeing and 
 expofure, that it produced as good crops every 
 year, as are commonly obtained in the Old 
 Huibandry, with the affiftance of manure; yet 
 it is remarkable, that the influences of the at- 
 mofphere did not penetrate deep enough into 
 the old ridges to enrich them ; but, by open- 
 ing the land by horfe-hoeing, and at the fame 
 time frequently changing and expofing the fur- 
 face, that was fufficiently impregnated with 
 the vegetable aliment, to produce every year a 
 good crop of wheat. 
 
 Thefe drilled crops were remarkably profit- 
 able. The whole expence of the culture and 
 feed, harveft-home, at one guinea, is about fe- 
 venteen millings per Englifh acre ; and there- 
 fore, when wheat is only five millings per 
 bumel, leis than four bulhels of wheat pays 
 the whole expence of the feed and tillage of 
 an acre : and if the tillage and rent together 
 fhould amount to forty Shillings an acre, eight 
 bumels pays all the expence of a horfe-hoed 
 crop of wheat ; and all the crop above eight 
 buftiels per acre is clear profit. The profit of 
 the Old Huibandry does not come near this, 
 though the crops mould be as great or greater: 
 the fallows, or fallow crops, not equal in va- 
 lue to wheat, fo much reduce the farmer's 
 
 profit,
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 79 
 
 profit, that he cannot equal the Drill -Huf- 
 bandry with his corn crops, nor unlefs he 
 fubftitutes the potatoe, cabbage, and carrot 
 Hufbandry, inftead of barley, oats, and prafe. 
 The reader may perceive how different thefe 
 examples of exteniive practice are, from the 
 trifling, inconclufive experiments upon a few 
 perches of ground, referred to by the authors 
 above-mentioned; whereinneither the nature of 
 the land is mentioned, nor the manner of per- 
 forming the culture is mewn; and yet we are 
 referred to thefe inaccurate and plainly-unfkil- 
 ful attempts to imitate this Hufbandry, as 
 conclufive, in determining the merits of two 
 different methods of Hufbandry ; than which 
 nothing can be more trifling and incbnclu- 
 five ; efpecially as it is evident, that thefe ex-' 
 periments were made by perfons who were 
 ignorant of the New Huibandry, or per- 
 formed without fkill or accuracy, and even 
 contrary to the real practice of this Huiban- 
 dry : .the reader therefore of thefe pretended 
 experiments need not be furprized to find the 
 event of them fo entirely different and contra- 
 dictory to the genuine practice of the fkilrul 
 cultivators here quoted: who have fully proved 
 upon their lands at large, and for a continued 
 courfe of many years, that the New is much 
 more profitable than the Common Hulban- 
 tlry; whereof one of the gentlemen, Mr. 
 Craik, can fully juftify what has been litre 
 laid of his iucccfs upon land not the belt 
 
 adapted
 
 80 -N THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 adapted to this Hufbandry, and in a climate 
 very unfavourable to conftant and fucceffive 
 crops of wheat upon the fame land. This 
 excellent cultivator fucceeds alfo in horfe- 
 hoeing beans ; turnips alfo in tingle rows, 
 upon his ridges near five feet broad, in order 
 to clean his land perfectly from weeds. Po- 
 tatoes likewife in fingle rows upon the ridges, 
 which, by horfe-hoeing, produces him greater 
 crops, than is obtained there in the Common 
 Hufbandry. He cultivates alfo fome other 
 crops in the horfe-hoeing method with fuc- 
 cefs ; and even Lucerne for years pair, which 
 produces four cuttings in every fummer, upon 
 his cold moift land. All his crops thrive with 
 him, and have done fo for many years; 
 though both foil and climate are againft him ; 
 an evident /demonftration of the excellency of 
 the New Hufbandry ; as its failing in the above 
 trifling experiments is of their unfkilful ma- 
 nagement. 
 
 Since writing the above, I have perufed a 
 late Treatiie of Hufbandry, entitled The Com- 
 plete Englijh Farmer, faid in the title-page to 
 be written by a Friend of the late Mr. Jethro 
 Tull, Author of the Horfe-hoeing Hufbandry. 
 The author of this is faid to. be a gentleman- 
 farmer, who refided formerly near Hunger- 
 ford in Berkfhire, and fince that in Kent. He 
 appears to be well acquainted with the Com- 
 mon Hufbandry ; and it might beexpected, 
 from the title of his book, that he was alfo well 
 
 informed
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 1 
 
 informed of the New, being a near neighbour 
 and friend of Mr. Tull. But it feems, by his 
 defcription of the New Hufbandry, that he 
 knows only the firft priaclice, which Mr. 
 Tull exploded, and fays nothing of the altera- 
 tions and important improvements made by 
 Mr. Tull, and which he has recommended in 
 the additional parts of his work, the Supple- 
 ment, Addenda, and Concluiion. As thefe 
 were publifhed long fmce, and the Complete 
 Englim Farmer's book not till the year 1771, 
 his readers, who, from the title, may expert 
 a fatisfa&ory account of the New Huflban- 
 dry, will be much difappointed ; and who- 
 ever (hall be perfuaded, by reading this trea- 
 tife, to attempt it, will be raided. But it is 
 prefumed very few, if any, will, from his 
 account, which tends to difcourage begin- 
 ners ; and he raifes feveral objections to that 
 Hufl?andry ; whereof fome of the principal 
 are the following. In his Preface, p. 15. *' In 
 " the horfe-hoeing culture," fays he, " though 
 " the expence of labour may be lefs, the 
 44 wafte of land is out of all proportion 
 < greater [than in the Common Hufban- 
 14 dry! ; for thjere only four inches out of" 
 ** Jeventy-two are planted, the remaining 
 4 fixty-eight are left for the introduction of 
 * the hoe -plough. And will any one lay, 
 * that in the nature of things four inches can 
 44 be made to produce as much grain asfevcn- 
 " ty-tivo, provided the whole fcvemy-ttvd 
 
 G " arc
 
 82 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 " are all in the fame heart before planting ? 
 " From my own experience, I am inclined to 
 " conclude they will not." 
 
 This objection refers to Mr. Tull's method 
 of drilling wheat upon fix-feet ridges (or fe- 
 venty-two inches), and two rows upon each 
 ridge ; which two rows, the author fuppofes, 
 occupied four inches ; and then he afks, will 
 any one fay, that in the nature of things four 
 inches can be made to produce as much grain 
 as feventy-two; feventy-two he means, or the 
 land all fown as thick as it is ufually done. 
 The anfwer is, yes; the four inches can be 
 made to produce as much as the feventy-two 
 commonly does ; and for this we -have this 
 author's own authority: for he acquaints his 
 readers, p. 213, when fpeaking of the alter- 
 nate Hufbandry, " that Mr. Tull had often 
 " upon two rows in fix- feet lands, at the rate 
 " of five quarters of wheat on an acre." 
 This is a great crop, much greater than us 
 commonly obtained by farmers, who cover all 
 the ground with plants. But covering all the 
 ground is no fure way to obtain a full crop : 
 for plants do not produce moft feed when 
 they ftand thick upon the ground, but in pro- 
 portion to the room and nourimment their 
 roots have in it, which the author feems not 
 to have confidered ; nor to have known, that 
 Mr. Tull had left off drilling wheat upon fix- 
 feet ridges. He alfo reckons the horfe-hoeings 
 of wheat as fb many whole ploughings, 
 
 though 
 
 5
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. $J 
 
 though a hoeing is only two furrows, and a 
 whole ploughing four or fix furrows; and 
 though only half the number of the fame 
 horfea is neceflary for hoeing as for ploughing 
 the fame land. 
 
 This author recommends the Common 
 Hufbandry ; but, in eftimating the profits of 
 it, he fays, that a farmer who takes five hun- 
 dred acres of land, whereof two hundred 
 acres are to be always corn, mould be poffefled 
 of a fum to begin with of fifteen hundred 
 pounds; and p. 62, " that the beginner mufl 
 < not flatter himfelf, that lefs than fifteen 
 " hundred pounds will be fufficient." Yet 
 he tells him, p. 204, " that fifty pounds a 
 " year laid by in clear profit is nearly as 
 " much as a farmer can annually accomplim, 
 <e who rents two hundred pounds a year." 
 If this is all the profit he is to expert, there is 
 little encouragement for a farmer to lay out 
 his money in the Common Hufbandry: for 
 this is eight pence an acre clear profit, for all 
 his labour and hazard 3 and from his arable 
 land, meadows, and paftures ; alfo from his 
 fheep, cattle, dairy, hogs, &c. It is but 
 three and one-third per cent, for his money ; 
 which he might employ to much greater ad- 
 vantage in other bufinefs, and at common in- 
 tereft at four or five per cent. Very different 
 from this is the New Huibandry, which does 
 not require near fo large a capital, and, as we 
 have feen above, that land of moderate ferti- 
 
 G 2 Hty
 
 84 THE PRACTICE OP THE 
 
 lity produces profitable crops of wheat, Mr. 
 Tull's twenty bufhels per acre ; Mr. Craik's 
 twenty-five bufhels per acre, at the expence of 
 only a guinea, for expences of feed, culture, 
 and carriage home ; and the author of Rural 
 Improvements has juftly obferved, that there 
 is a profit from only eight bufhels of wheat 
 per acre : fb that an hundred acres of wheat 
 in the hoeing Huibandry is really more pro- 
 fitable than a farm of five hundred acres in 
 the Common Huibandry. 
 
 It will be unneceflary to take notice of all 
 the objections made to the New Huibandry, 
 by the author of the Complete Englim Far- 
 mer ; and may be fufficient to acquaint the 
 reader, that Mr. Tull began his hoeing culture 
 for wheat upon level ground at firft, drilling 
 two, three, or four rows, at feven or eight 
 inches diftance ; and, leaving a fpace of about 
 four feet, drilled two, three, or four rows 
 more as at firft ; the narrow diftances between 
 the rows, called Partitions, was hand-hoed, 
 and the wide or four-feet fpaces, called Inter- 
 vals, was horfe-hoed ; viz. was tilled with a 
 plough, while the crop was growing. But 
 finding upon trial, that drilling upon fix-feet 
 ridges, two, three, or four rows upon each, 
 the ridges were eafier horfe-hoed, and pro>- 
 duced better crops, he left off drilling wheat 
 upon level ground, and drilled only two or 
 three rows upon each ridge. The method of 
 drilling thee rows he continued for fome 
 
 years,
 
 UEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 
 
 years, and then horfe-hoed his intervals ufually 
 fix times, and the partitions were once or 
 twice hand-hoed, according to the weeds, and 
 flate of the Jand. But in this way, the mid- 
 dle row was greatly inferior to the outfide 
 rows ; and then he endeavoured to make it 
 equal to them, by deepening the foil in the 
 middle of the ridge; to do this, the ridges 
 were raifed higher in the middle; but the two 
 outfide rows being deprived of fo much mould 
 thrown to the middle of the ridge, though 
 the produce of the middle row was encrealed, 
 the outfide rows were diminifhed in a greater 
 proportion. This obfervation induced him to 
 leave off entirely the middle rows, and to 
 drill only a doubh row ten inches diftant, upon 
 ridges of about four feet and eight inches 
 broad ; by this method, the intervals to be 
 hand-hoed were nearly of the lame breadth 
 as before, were only four times hoed, 
 and in a different manner, and the rows in 
 the partitions, being wider, could be deeper 
 hand-hoed. This was his laft and beft me- 
 thod of cultivating wheat, and as fuch he re- 
 commends it. I have here taken notice of 
 this particularly ; becaule none have excelled 
 him in the culture of wheat, but leveral have 
 fallen diort of him. The gentlemen abroad 
 did fo, becaufe they followed Mr. Tull's firft 
 method; his improvements not being then 
 published, and t ran dated into French, as his 
 Eflay was; and feveral modern authors in 
 England appear to be unacquainted with the 
 
 G 3 latter
 
 86 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 latter parts of this Hufbandry ; among thefe 
 the author of the Complete Englifh Farmer, 
 by which he has done it a real injury ; as it 
 may be expected, that one who calls himfelf a 
 friend to Mr. Tull would have given an ac- 
 count of his Hufbandry to be depended upon ; 
 and therefore it is hoped that, if his book 
 comes to a fecond ^edition, he will dojuftioe 
 to his friend, and acquaint the public of his 
 lateft and improved practice. 
 
 When the tranfadtions of the patriotic So- 
 ciety of Arts were published, by Robert Dof- 
 fie, Efq; he takes notice in his firft Volume, 
 p. 72, " That when the Society endeavoured 
 *' to procure information and trials requifite 
 " to the deciding the .important queltion, re- 
 ' fpecting the comparative* utility and advan-r 
 tages of the Drill and Broad-caft Hufban- 
 " dry: the public had," p. 78, " very little 
 ' ground, when the Society took that mat- 
 " ter up, of known experiments and calcu- 
 <* lations, on which to form a judgement, 
 ^ how far it was worthy the notice of thofe, 
 who are ready to adopt feafible improve- 
 V ments in Hufbandry." So imperfectly were 
 the merits of the Hoeing Hufbandry then ge- 
 nerally known ; and Mr. Doffie fpeaks doubt- 
 fully of them. 
 
 But, after the Society had received the ac- 
 counts fent them of this Hufbandry, by Sir 
 Digby Legard and Mr. Lowther, Mr. Doffie 
 obferves, p. 386. " Thefe facts furnifh very 
 
 < c con-
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 87 
 
 " conclufive reafons for believing, that what 
 " can be cultivated conftantly, without ma- 
 " nure, even on land not very well fuited to 
 * it, with greater profit than the commoti 
 " crops in the broad-caft, with the aid of fal- 
 " low and manure. But this profit would 
 " neceflarily be found to be much greater 
 " on land that is properly fuited to that grain. 
 " If \ve take the fame view of the actual 
 produce in the experiments of the barley 
 * cultivated in the drill-way, for which this 
 ' land was proper, the fads mew the real 
 " profits equal to thofe we have deduced here 
 " with refpeft to wheat by conclufions." 
 
 Some of the other experiments recited in 
 this treatifc, of long fucceflive crops of wheat, 
 on various forts of land, fuperior to any re- 
 lated by Mr. Doffie, abundantly confirm the 
 merits of this Hufbandry in the culture of 
 wheat. To which, if the improvement of 
 many other crops be added, no doubt can re- 
 main of the fuperiority of the New Huf- 
 bandry. . 
 
 Thefe examples of horfe-hoed crops may 
 be fufficient to fhew, that land is fertilized by 
 the atmofphere, contrary to what the author 
 of the Farmer's Kalendar fays, " that of all 
 the volumes that have been publifhed on 
 " Hu(bandry, none gives one a clear proof of 
 " the acquiiition of manure from the atmo- 
 fphere." This may be admitted in general, 
 of the authors who have wrote upon the Old 
 G 4 Huf-
 
 88 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 Hufbandry; as the acquifitions from the at- 
 mofphere \vere unknown to them, or very 
 imperfectly underftood, till Mr. Tull explain- 
 ed, and proved it ; and therefore this author 
 was not likely to find it proved in their works; 
 but, as he quotes Mr. Tull, he cannot be cx- 
 cufed in advancing this, fo oppofite to the 
 principles of -the New Hufbandry, fully ex- 
 plained and proved by him, as well as by fe- 
 veral foreign authors, vvhofe works have been 
 published many years ago. But, fays he, 
 " the benefit of fallowing is no clear proof, 
 *' becaufe it is never experienced exclufively, of 
 " killing weeds ; and unlefs fuch effects were 
 " known diJllnSily, one cannot with any pre- 
 " cifion attribute a certain Sesree to each." 
 
 J o 
 
 And becaufe we cannot know thefe effects 
 diftinRly and with precijion, the author would 
 perfuade us, that therefore the atmofphere has 
 no effect at all, in enriching land ; but that 
 the benefit of fallowing, is wholly owing to 
 killing the weeds But, in a courfe of tillage, 
 the injury done by weeds is, at an average, 
 nearly the fame one year as another ; and if, 
 as farmers in general allow, fallowing is bene- 
 ficial to land, that muft arife in part from 
 the atmofphere, and is certainly fo in the New 
 Hufbandry, for there no weeds are fufFered to 
 grow, or nearly the fame one year as another ; 
 and yet is the fertility fo much encreafed by 
 Jioeing and expofure, as to nourifti a crop of 
 wheat eyerv year, equally as wjth manure: 
 
 " But
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 89 
 
 " But as, fays he, experiment has not, and 
 " probably will not prove this important point, 
 <* it remains for the difquifition of reafou 
 f< alone." This author appears to be a prac- 
 tical hufbandman, and makes many good ob- 
 fervations upon huibandry ; but his partiality 
 to the common lyflems, and over-rating the 
 value of manure, has led him into an indefen- 
 fible partiality to it. Dung with him is every 
 thing. On the culture of madder, he fays, 
 p. 34.1, " the article of manure is the foul of 
 ** this culture; the plant delights to grow iu 
 " a dunghill, fo that you need not fear over- 
 " doing it ; perhaps one hundred loads an acre, 
 of black rotten dung, may be found the 
 proper quantity for the firft crop of madder. 
 " And for the fecond crop, the earth being 
 ' dug three feet deep, it will be abfolutely 
 " neceflary to mix in with it from fifty to 
 " one hundred loads of rotten farm-yard dung, 
 " a year and half old, that has been twice or 
 " thrice turned over ; this will enrich and 
 " mellow it in a furprifing manner ;" and fb 
 indeed it ought, for this is a furprifing quan- 
 tity. He directs almoft as much for liquorice, 
 and great quantities for ibme other crops. But 
 this author Ihould have known, that much 
 dung is an injury to madder, debafing the co- 
 lour of the dye. And that the liquorice raifed 
 near London is much inferior to that in other 
 parts of England, only becaufe the liquorice 
 grounds about Lopdon are dunged too much. 
 
 With
 
 po 
 
 With regard to what this author advances, 
 that experiment has not, and probably will 
 not prove, the acquifition of fertility, or (as 
 he calls it) manure from the atmofphere ; the 
 above experiments have not only proved it, 
 but he might have eafily fatisfied himfelf of 
 the truth of it, by a fmall experiment of fome 
 plants, of wheat, &c. upon a few perches of 
 ground; and by well cultivating them, and 
 keeping the ground perfectly clean from weeds, 
 he might have difcovered, whether the benefit 
 of a fallow arifes merely, as he fuppofes, from 
 killing of weeds. 
 
 But, to anfwer this objection fully, I mall 
 recite an experiment made by the very inge- 
 nious M. de Chateau vieux. " Repeated ex- 
 " perience, fays he, the effects of which have 
 '* conftantly been the fame, have taught me, 
 " and I can fafely affirm, that extremely bad 
 " lands, which could not fo much as yield a 
 " crop that would pay the expence of tilling 
 " them, have been rendered good and fertile* 
 *' merely by ploughing, and without the af- 
 " fiftance of any manure. This is a ftriking 
 " truth - t it was that firfl determined me to 
 ** practife the New Hufbandry ; and therefore 
 " it was of confequence tome to be certain of 
 " it. To this end, I was refolved to make a 
 " trial on a fmall fpot of ground, which I knew 
 " to be incapable to produce any thing. Some 
 " years before I had dug away the earth three 
 " feet deep, from a fpace of 60 fquare toifes 
 
 " [about
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 9! 
 
 tf [about eight Englifh perches] ; nothing re- 
 " mained in it but "a clofe white clay, fit for 
 " potters ufe. This fpot, thus circumftanced, 
 ** feemed to me a proper one for my experi- 
 " ment. As the fpace was too fmall for the 
 *' plough to work in, I made ufe of the fpade 
 " and hoe : it was made into beds, which 
 ** were afterwards fowed with wheat, and the 
 " fpaces between them frequently ftirred. 
 *' The firft year my plants were very poor, and 
 " branched only into two, three, or four ftalks 
 " apiece ; the fecond year they did much 
 " better ; and the third year they were as large 
 " and as fine as any my garden could have pro- 
 *' duced. This fpot continues to produce 
 *' equally well. 
 
 * We have here a remarkable inftance of 
 " what may be done, by fufficiently pulve- 
 ' rifing the earth : that which I am fpeaking 
 " of, is now like mould ; and, which is very 
 ** remarkable, it has loft its former white 
 * colour, and is now black : let us but allow 
 " the fame with any of our bad lands, and per- 
 *' fevere in ploughing and ftirring them a fuf- 
 '* ficient time, and the fuccefs will not 
 " be doubtful." This one fmall experiment 
 Js a fufficient anfwer to the objection of the 
 above author. 
 
 But fo ready is he to recommend dung on 
 every occafion, that, fpeaking of manuring 
 grafs-Jands, he fays, p. 284. " It is difficult 
 *' to over-manure arable lands, but very eafily 
 
 *' done
 
 g2 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 " done with grafs." A maxim this, the re- 
 verfe of the pra&ice of the beft farmers, ef- 
 pccialiy of arable lands cropped with corn. 
 The following letter from an Eflex farmer 
 will (hew this very clearly. 
 
 " It is now upwards of feven years, that I 
 " have been tenant of a confiderable farm in 
 ** Eflex ; but as there are fome particular cir- 
 " cumftances attending this farm, I muft beg 
 *' leave to fay a few words on the fubjecl. 
 
 " The foil, which is for the moil: part a 
 " mellow loam, or what is in general called 
 *' a good wheat foil, was in very good heart, 
 ' and not impoverished ; yet the laft tenant 
 *' broke on this farm, and the landlord loft 
 '* by him near two years rent : for his crops 
 * of wheat were continually damaged by 
 " fmut, let him take what care he would of 
 the feed, and were befides often laid ; and 
 <( the land got very foul, though he was not 
 " fparing of his fallows, 
 
 *' On the contrary, iince Ihave occupied 
 " this land, it has borne large crops of good 
 " found wheat, with very little fmutty corn; 
 " and barley, oats, peafe, beans, and other 
 " things in proportion. What will appear 
 ** ft ill more furprizing is, that I do not lay on 
 " half fo much dung as he did. 
 
 " It will now perhaps be neceflary to ex- 
 " plain this feeming paradox. At no great 
 *' diftance from the farm lives the land- 
 *' lord, who is a man of fortune, and drives 
 
 " a fet
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 93 
 
 " a fet of horfes. This gentleman keeps no 
 " land in his own hands, fo that he was 
 " for many years obliged to buy all the 
 " ftraw ufed for the litter of his ftables, 
 " which amounted to a very confiderable 
 " quantity : however, when the laft tenant 
 ** of this farm came to it, having been a fer- 
 " vant in the family, he offered to fupply the 
 " fquire with ftraw for his ftables, provided 
 " he might have all the dung except what the 
 * gardener had occafion for. The fquire 
 " thought this a good propofal, and the far- 
 * mer imagined he had the beft of the bar- 
 " gain ; fo the matter was foon fettled. 
 
 ' Now, you are to underftand, that the 
 * fquire kept, befides feven coach-horfcs, a 
 " ftable of hunters, a number of road-horfes, 
 " and a pack of hounds ; fo that there was 
 ' " on his premifes, in a year, an incredible 
 " quantity of rich dung. 
 
 " The farmer imagined he was now in a 
 " fair way of making his fortune ; for his 
 " father had taught him, that the man who 
 " can command dung, is always fure of large 
 " crops : but this did not. prove true^ in the 
 " prefent cafe. 
 
 ' To proceed, my predeceflbr went on 
 " ploughing his land, got his fallows in good 
 *' order, drefled them largely with dung, aud 
 " always fowed them with wheat. 
 
 " His crops of this noble grain, however, 
 *' by no means anfvvered his expectations : -his 
 
 41 wheat
 
 94 E PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 " .wheat conftantly looked well and promif- 
 " ing, in winter and the early part of the 
 " fpring of the year ; but as it advanced, it 
 " grew rank j and at harvefl, was either run 
 all to flraw, and was befides very fmutty ; 
 " or elfe, if a heavy mower of rain happened 
 " to fall, it was lodged, matted, and grew. 
 This was, indeed, a very mortifying cir- 
 " cumftance, but our farmer could find no 
 " remedy for it. He feveral times, without 
 " fuccefs, tried folding fome fheep on his 
 wheat : but this part of Hufbandry, for 
 " want of ikill, he managed fo badly, that 
 " he loft two entire crops : for he had fcarcely 
 " the return of his feed at harveft. This 
 < could never hold long ; fo that, in the end, 
 " he was, as I faid before, broke and ruined. 
 
 " This man never could be perfuaded, that 
 " any part of his lofs was to be attributed to 
 " the dung he laid on his land ; though he coiir 
 < c ftantly manured it with horfe-dung, before 
 " it was half- rotten ; and without any mix- 
 " ture, to allay its great heat. This kept 
 " the foil in a conftant ftate of fermentation, 
 and flocked it with weeds ; infomuch, that 
 when I took pofleflion of the farm, fome of 
 the foil was abfolutely mouldy, and flunk 
 " again, it was fo rank. 
 
 " I will now inform you of my method 
 " ofmanagement, that you may be able to judge 
 " how far I was benefited by the errors of my 
 ' predeceffor. 
 
 I found
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 95 
 
 " I found fixty acres of fallow, ready for 
 " (owing with wheat: thefe, as the land 
 " was rank, I fowed with the winter tare ; 
 " which I knew by experience would choak 
 " the weeds, and abate the ranknefs of the 
 " foil. In fome parts, where the foil was 
 " not fo rank, I ploughed-in the tares, in or- 
 " der to fow wheat over them. In other 
 " parts, I fuffered the tare to (land for a crop ; 
 " which however was not confiderable, they 
 " ran fo much to ftraw or haulm. 
 
 " When the tares were off, I got the land 
 ** inftantly in order, and fowed the whole 
 " with wheat, of which I had a better and 
 " cleaner crop, than had been known upon 
 * the land for upwards of feven years before ; 
 " this all my neighbours acknowleged. How- 
 " ever, it was neither clean enough, nor 
 
 confiderable enough, to fatisfy me. Some 
 " of ydiir readers may perhaps wonder, what 
 " I did with my tares, as but few are fold at 
 " the country markets : but I muft inform 
 " them, that I live within ten miles of a 
 " fea-port town, whither I fent them at va- 
 " rious times, in order to their being carried 
 " by fea to London. 
 
 I am to obferve to you, that I continued 
 " the agreement, of giving the fquire draw 
 44 for his dung : but I made ufe of it very 
 " different from my predeceflbr. 
 
 " I make it a rule, never to manure for 
 " wheat, or fow wheat oil a fallow. I do 
 
 ' not 
 
 It
 
 96 THE PRATICE OF THE 
 
 " not indeed allow many fallows on my land; 
 and when I do, I generally fow my fallow 
 " with barley, to which I allow four or five 
 " ploughings. This commonly yields me a 
 large return, and I have a good crop of 
 " wheat after it. 
 
 44 This, however, is not my general me- 
 " thod : for I am very fond of the Hoeing 
 " Hufbandry ; to pra&ife which in fome de- 
 44 gree, is the only infallible way of keeping 
 4 land clean. To begin then with my me- 
 44 thod; I never lay any dung alone on my 
 44 land, let it be ever fo rotten; but as foon 
 " as I get any long dung from the fquire's, I 
 " carry it to my compoft-heap, where it is 
 " mixed in alternate layers, or beds, with 
 44 frefh virgin-earth (if I can get it), lime or 
 44 chalk, lime-rubbim, icourings of ditches 
 " and ponds, turf, leaves of trees, and all 
 44 the dung and offal of my family, of the 
 4< hog-yard, ^ the poultry-yard, and the dog- 
 * kennel. As to my pigeons dung, I always 
 "'* preferve it to mix with foot, and ufe the 
 ' mixture as a top-drefling for my wheat, 
 " whenever it happens to be too backward in 
 " the fpring. 
 
 ** But to return to my compoft : I have al- 
 ** ways feveral diftinft heaps of different 
 ' ages, and I fometimes leave it three years 
 41 before I ufe it; and never lay on any under 
 '* three years old. 
 
 " When I have got a plot of ground in or- 
 ** der, I give it a thorough-good dreffing of 
 
 44 this
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 97 
 
 this comport, which I immediately plough 
 * 4 in. I then fow it with fome crop that re 
 *' quires hoeing, fuch as horie-beans, broad- 
 44 beans, or white or grey peafe. During the 
 4< whole fummer, I take care to keep thefe 
 4{ crops very clean, by hoeing, efpecially if 
 " the feafon is rainy ; and I am particularly 
 4< cautious in preventing any of the weeds 
 " from perfecting the feeds. 
 
 " When my hoeing-crop, which generally 
 44 more than pays me all my expences, is off 
 44 the land, 1 immediately get it into as fine 
 4< tilth as I poflibly can, by repeated plough- 
 ings ; and then fow it, either with wheat 
 44 or barley, whichever is likely to pay me 
 44 beft : for, little as fome of your readers may 
 ** think of it, barley, when it is fown on 
 4< good land, well prepared, is very frequently 
 44 as profitable as a crop of wheat. 
 
 44 By thus lowing my wheat, after a hoe- 
 44 ing crop with dung, I have always a good 
 44 return of clean corn, often five quarters on 
 44 an acre; and my land will ftill be in heart 
 *' enough, to give me a reafonable crop of 
 " oats; after which, without any fallow, 
 44 comes my hoeing crop, &c. 
 
 44 When I fow barley after the hoeing 
 " crop, I fuffer wheat to follow it; and then it 
 44 is that, if 1 find it necelTary, I give the 
 44 wheat in the fpring a top-dreffing of foot, 
 4 mixed with pigeciis dung. 
 
 H I fome-
 
 98 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 " I fometimes allow only fix pecks of 
 44 feed-wheat to an acre : this is when I fow 
 ' over it, in the fpring of the year, eighteen 
 " bufliels of broad-clover-feed ; which I har- 
 " row in with a pair of very light harrows, 
 " and it does not in the leaft damage my 
 44 wheat -plants. I leave the clover only two 
 " years on the land : for the fecond year after 
 44 I have mown the firft crop for hay, I fuffer 
 44 the fecond to grow very rank (having 
 44 given my land a flight dreffing from my 
 44 compoft dung - hill the preceding year) 
 44 which I plough in, and over it fow wheat, 
 " to be harrowed in at once ploughing. 
 
 44 Thefe crops of wheat are fmaller in 
 44 quantity than any others I get; but the 
 * 4 grain is finer, plumper, brighter, and hea^ 
 4< vier, generally felling for more at market, 
 44 as being always very clean, and clear from 
 44 feeds of weeds. 
 
 " In my method of farming, fome parti- 
 44 culars are to bef noted. In the firft place, 
 46 as my crops fucceeded one the other very 
 " quick, I am under a neceflity of having all 
 44 my ftubble extirpated, before I give the 
 44 land the firft ploughing after the crop is off. 
 44 If it is a wheat or, bean ftubble, I generally 
 44 have it all pulled up by hand by women 
 * 4 and children; barley and oat-ftubbies I 
 44 have torn up by a pair of loaded drags, and 
 44 afterwards gathered into heaps, and carted 
 44 to the compoft heap. This I do to prevent 
 
 <4 the
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 99 
 
 & the ftubble from being buried by the plough* 
 ? and from growing mouldy in the land 
 " from which mouldinefs, I have great reafo 1 } 
 " to think, fmut proceeds. 
 
 " Another thing to be noticed is, that I al- 
 ." low lefs feed to my land than moft of my 
 < neighbours ; my quantity being'from feVen 
 '* to nine pecks of wheat, from nine to twelve 
 ' of barley, and about twelve of oats, to an 
 ** acre of land : but it is ajways to be pre- 
 *' fumed, that the feed I fow is good. If 
 " any farmer (hould imagine, that thefe 
 " quantities are too fmall, let him fuppofe 
 46 every wheat-plant to occupy a fpace of fix 
 ** inches fquare, which is fmall enough ; let 
 ." him then calculate, how many fuch fpaces 
 " there are in a fquare acre. When he has 
 *' done this, let him proceed to count how many 
 " grains of wheat there are in a pint, which 
 * multiply by the number of pints in nine 
 ** pecks, and he will find, by the refult, that 
 ' I, in fact, allow too much feed.*' 
 
 In the third volume of the Mufenm 
 Rufticum, p. 151. an old Norfolk -fa. mer 
 gives a very fenfible account of his manage- 
 ment of wheat crops, refpefting the feeding 
 down wheat in the fpring, with flieep ^ 
 and then concludes, as follows ; 
 
 * We muft not always judge the farmer*? 
 " profits by the produce of his land, which 
 /> fpme of your readers may think odd; but 
 
 tf ? .1 wilj
 
 IOO THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 " I will make it appear by an example from 
 * my own practice. 
 
 " In the year 1743, I had two fields of 
 " twenty acres each in wheat ; one of which 
 " yielded me at harveft, at the rate of four 
 " quarters an acre throughout ; the other 
 " yielded me only twenty bufhels, one acre 
 " with another : yet I got more by the laft 
 " than the firft. The cafe was thus : falling 
 " fhort of dung, I was obliged to buy ; but 
 " it was fo dear, that I only bought enough 
 " for the firft field, giving the other two 
 " ploughings extraordinary, inftead of ma- 
 " nuring it ; and thefe ploughings I reckon 
 " at a mere trifle, as my hories would other- 
 " wife have flood v ftill." 
 
 The importance of manures in the com- 
 mon practice of farming is known, and gene- 
 rally acknowledged : but of late, fome writers 
 on Agriculture have contended forfuch an uni- 
 verfal ufe of them, as feems to refolve this 
 art to the (ingle point of collecting and apply- 
 ing immenfe quantities of dung to their arable 
 land. They endeavour to perfuade their rea- 
 ders in the ftile of the above Eflex farmer's 
 father, " that the man who can command 
 " dung, is always fure of large crops." A 
 very fallacious rule, if adhered to literally ; 
 though of great ufe, when applied with judge- 
 ment : as appears by the different fuccefs of 
 thofe two farmers on the fame land. A dii- 
 tin&ion ought to be made in the culture of 
 
 plants
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. IO1 
 
 plants for feeding cattle : for them dung and 
 manures are particularly ufeful, becaufe they 
 promote a great luxuariancy in thefe plants, 
 which is much for the farmer's profit : but a 
 luxuriancy in wheat, and other corn, is fb far 
 from being beneficial, that it is often hurtful, 
 producing much ftraw, and but little good 
 corn ; fuch grofs crops are alfo the moft liable 
 to diftempers, and to be blighted and lodged. 
 This may be faid in general of all plants cul- 
 tivated for feed; and may be obferved alfo in 
 gardens. 1 have cultivated radifhes in a rich 
 foil, which have grown remarkably large, 
 have fpread greatly, and continued all the lea- 
 fbn to produce many bloflbms and pods, but 
 not one ripe feed. 
 
 The above Norfolk farmer's two fields of 
 wheat (hews the difference of profit of tillage 
 and manure. One that produced but twenty 
 bufhels of wheat pef acre, was more pro- 
 fitable to him, than thirty-two bufhels per 
 acre produced by the other. The difference 
 in the two crops, being twelve bufhels per 
 acre, was in a great meafure owing to the 
 dung, whereof the other field had none. But 
 farmers mould confider, not only the crops, 
 hut the expence attending them. The two 
 ploughings extraordinary might coft about eight 
 or ten (hillings, or the value of two bufheh 
 of wheat, which being djducled from the 
 other greater crop, there remains ttn bu(hei* ; 
 
 H 3 to
 
 io'2 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 to obtain which,' coft the farmer about 2 1. ios'; 
 per acre, or upwards. 
 
 It is indeed remarkable, that two common 
 ploughings fhould, in point of profit, exceed 
 a dunging, and is a ftrong argument in favour 
 of tillage, and of the New Bufoandry : for 
 in that method, the tillage is performed in a 
 manner more advantageous to' the crop, and 
 alfo much cheaper, than common ploughing. 
 
 The common reckoning oF the price of 
 dung per acre, is from three or four to five 
 pounds : but the dung does not advance the 
 crop to that value beyond a drilled and horfe- 
 hoed crop ; as appears from what has been 
 fhewn above of the hoed crops. And it has 
 been alfo (hewn, that horfe-hoed crops of 
 wheat may be, and actually have been, re- 
 peated many years, without intermiffion, and 
 without manure. 
 
 In the old method of farming in Eng- 
 land, a fallow once in three or four years 
 was thought neceffary, and by moft farmers 
 is thought fo llill. But of late years it has 
 been found by the more curious, that fallow- 
 ing is not neceflary ; and that land may be 
 kept in heart by a change of crops only, and 
 without fallowing. This faves the expence 
 of rent and fallow every third or fourth year, 
 and is undoubtedly a great improvement in 
 Huibandry. Yet the Hoeing Hufbandry is 
 iuperior even to this new mode of culture* 
 wherein the farmer's aim is to obtain a crop 
 
 of
 
 tfEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 103 
 
 of wheat every third year, or, at moft, every 
 fecond year; wheat being univerlally by them 
 efteemed to be their principal and moft profit- 
 able crop, to obtain which is the chief intent 
 of fallowing ; and the intermediate crops of 
 beans, peafe, &c. are allowed to be inferior 
 to wheat. But in the New Husbandry, the 
 farmer obtains a crop of wheat every year : 
 or, if he has a mind to change fometimes 
 for any other crop, or is obliged to do fo, as 
 Mr. Craik does, from a peculiarity of foil or 
 climate ; he can do it to as great advantage as 
 the common farmer, or more fb ; hoed crops 
 being generally more profitable than the broad- 
 caft. 
 
 Upon the whole, the reader .may perceive, 
 how groundlefs is the aflertion of the author 
 of the Farmer's Kalendar, that " were fuch 
 " ideas (as thofe of the New Hufoandry) 
 " to become general, it is inconceivable how 
 " much mifchief they would occafion ; and 
 " that there cannot be more falfe principles, 
 " than thofe whereon they are built :" which 
 before any author had prefumed to aflert, he 
 ought to have underftood them, and to have 
 diiproved them by a fair trial ; or acquainted 
 his readers, where they were diiproved by per- 
 lons of character: but this was not in his 
 power to do. Thefe principles are founded 
 upon truth and nature ; they have been proved 
 by the molt accurate experiments, and by ex- 
 
 H 4 tenfive
 
 IO4 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 tenfive practice, on various forts of land, and 
 cannot be dilproved by negative arguments. 
 
 Though the horfe-hoed wheat crops are 
 very profitable, farmers are not advifed to go 
 largely into that Huibandry at fir ft, bccaule 
 it requires more Ikill and attention in the ma- 
 nagement, than other crops that do not conti- 
 nue fo long upon the ground : for which rea- 
 fon the farmer mould begin it at firft upon a 
 fmall quantity of land ; and encreafe it, upon 
 further experience. 
 
 Mr. Tull at firft drilled three or four rows 
 upon fix-feet ridges, afterwards two rows only 
 upon narrower ridges, as mentioned above. 
 But the moft perfect culture in this Huiban- 
 dry, is of iingle rows upon ridges : for where 
 there are two or more rows upon a ridge, the 
 partitions between the rows cannot receive the 
 full benefit of the hqrle-hoeing, and are cul- 
 tivated only with hand-hoes; and it is diffi- 
 cult to get the weeds clean out of the rows. 
 It ieems to have been for thefe reafons, tbat 
 the very ingenious author of this Hufbandry 
 hegan, towards the latter end of his practice, 
 to try the culture of fingle rows of wheat 
 upon ridges ; which he tnought might an- 
 fwer, .if iingle rows of Smyrna wheat were 
 drilled upon ridges three feet and eight inches 
 broad. This wneat has one large middle ear, 
 with fmaller ears growing out from the bot- 
 tom of the middle ear, and all round it ; he 
 was promifed fome of this wheat, but difap- 
 
 poiiitcd ;
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 105 
 
 pointed ; and he thought the white and grey 
 cone (the forts he commonly cultivated with 
 the horfe-hoe) were not large enough to be 
 drilled upon ridges in (ingle rows ; and, I be- 
 lieve, has not been tried in this manner ; but 
 there is another method, that has been tried 
 with fucceis, which the farmer may pradtife 
 with fafety, till he is well acquainted with 
 horfe-hoeing double rows upon ridges. This 
 is, to drill his wheat in lingle equidiftant 
 rows, of two feet or thirty inches afunder, 
 with about two pecks of feed per acre, if fown 
 early. The thirty-inch fpaces mould oe cul- 
 tivated with a fmall fwing-plough, (in the 
 manner the ridges are hoed) the firft hoeing 
 before winter, taking care that the plants of 
 young wheat are not covered with the mould 
 falling upon them. In this way, the wheat 
 mould not be hoed on both fides of the rows 
 at once, for that would leave them too much 
 expofed j as the plough mould go within two 
 or three inches of the wheat : but the rows 
 fhould be hoed alternately, one of the fpaces 
 in autumn, and the next to it in the fpring ; 
 and in this manner during the growth of the 
 wheat. If the land is fo itrong, that it would 
 get ftale and hard before the fpring-hoeing, 
 the wheat may be hoed alternately in au- 
 tumn, on both (ides, which is done by re- 
 turning the earth hoed from one fide, imme- 
 diately, or foon after it was hoed fiomrhe 
 wheat; and then hoe the other iide, which 
 
 may
 
 166 THE PRACTICE OF THE! 
 
 may lie open during the winter, to carry off 
 the rain-water, and keep the wheat dry till 
 fpring. The laft hoeings in fummer mould 
 earth the rows up on both iides> which will 
 help to ftrengthen and fupport the wheat. In 
 this way, there is little occafion of hand- 
 hoeing, except for the narrow flips left by 
 the hoe-plough next the wheat, and the rows 
 are eafily cleaned of weeds. Great crops 
 have been obtained in this method of cul- 
 ture, where the rows were but two feet dif- 
 tant : but if they are drilled at the diftance 
 of two feet and an half, the fpaces may be 
 deeper hoed, which will be more advan-s 
 tageous to the crop and the land : though 
 the two- feet rows are very profitable, and 
 will probably be at firfl preferred by farmers. 
 
 It is proper to prepare land well, that is 
 intended for wheat ; and, if the land will 
 bear to be deep-ploughed, the crop will be the 
 more plentiful. This is a circumftance not 
 fufficiently attended to by many farmers ; and 
 fome writers have been io ignorant, as to re- 
 commend mallow ploughings, as of four or 
 five inches : but plants are nourifhed by their 
 roots, and the more good well-tilled earth 
 they have to fpread in, the more vigorous 
 the plants will grow, and the greater crop 
 they will produce. Many inftances might be 
 given of this .; but it may be fufficieut here to 
 take notice, that, in cultivating madder, very 
 little or no manure is uied, but the land is 
 
 dug
 
 HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 107 
 
 dug three or four feet deep : the land is em- 
 ployed in the preparation and crop of madder 
 three or four years ; and then it is dug up, 
 and well-broken, to get out all the madder- 
 roots, and this digging is alfo about four feet 
 deep : the fame land is not ufually replanted 
 with madder immediately, but with wheat or 
 other crops for four years or more; not 
 being thought proper for madder, till it has 
 been planted with corn, or other crops, for 
 feveral years. Wheat ufually fucceeds mad- 
 der, but the land is iiot dreffed with dung, or 
 any manure, for wheat j yet it is found, that 
 after fuch deep digging, if the feafon is at all 
 favourable, they are fure of a great crop of 
 wheat ; and that the benefit of fuch digging 
 continues for feveral fucceeding crops. 
 
 The crop of wheat, cultivated as above, 
 is reaped at a lefs expence than the broad-caft, 
 and, being perfectly clean from weeds, is foon 
 in order to be carried home,, which is no 
 fmall advantage in a catching harveft. 
 
 Good Hulbandmen begin plowing, their 
 land early in autumn, to prepare it for the 
 next crop, for which three plowings are often 
 neceflary, fometimes more ; but the farmer, 
 who underftands the Hoeing Hufbandry, will 
 not lofe five or fix months, and be at that ex- 
 pcnce, merely as a preparation for a crop next 
 fiimmer. He may have a crop in winter, which 
 will defray the expence of winter-fallow- 
 ing, and bring him fome profit bdidcs. 
 l Land
 
 io8 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 Land is not impoverifhed by a crop, if that 
 crop is well horfe-hoed, as we have (hewn of 
 wheat crops; and as wheat crops, thus culti- 
 vated, do not require manure, the faimer may 
 fpare fome manure for a winter crop. As 
 fuppofc his land, in the prefent cafe, is itrong, 
 it may be ploughed as foon as the wheat is 
 carried off, laid up into five-feet ridges, and 
 immediately planted with a double row of 
 cole-feed plants upon each ridge, the rows a 
 foot afunder, the land being firft well drefied 
 with dung or compoft. The plants being 
 thus difpoled, there will be a fpace or interval 
 between the double rows, of four feet wide, 
 which is a proper diftance to give room for 
 the hoe-plough; and thefe cole-feed plants, 
 well horie-hoed and hand-hoed in the par- 
 tition between the rows, will come forward 
 ;i]?ace, and produce a considerable quantity of 
 good feeding for large cattle and (beep to the 
 beginning of February, about which time 
 the Lnd mould be cleared of all the cols-leed 
 plam?, and immediately planted, five feet 
 each ridge, with a double row of beans, to be 
 horfe-hoed. Once ploughing of the rida.es is a 
 fufficient preparation for the beans : for it is an 
 advantage peculiar to the New Hufbandry, that 
 one crop may immediately fucceed another, 
 without further preparation or expence than 
 ploughing once for a new crop. 1 have pro- 
 poied to plant cole-feed, as Auguft is a proper 
 tiiiie to tranfphnt them for a crop ; a id they 
 
 aie
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 
 
 are very good feeding for cattle, and fo hardy 
 as very rarely to be injured by froft : If the 
 farmer is fituated near a great town, the green, 
 curled favoys, or cabbage plants, &c. for (ale, 
 may be ftill more profitable to him. The 
 beans, well hoed, will yield a larger and 
 more profitable crop than in the common 
 way of planting them ; and as foon as they 
 are cut, the land may be ploughed down level 
 and drilled with wheat, to be cultivated as be- 
 fore. In this method of cultivating wheat, 
 very good crops will be obtained, but the 
 land is not fo much improved as it is by the 
 horfe-hoeing of wheat upon ridges ; and for 
 that reafon it will not be advifeable to attempt 
 railing fuccefiive crops of wheat every year 
 in this method of drilling it upon the level, 
 as may be done upon ridges. Yet in this 
 way the farmer will find it much more profi- 
 table than the Old Hulbandry, and the mod 
 approved courfe of crops in that Hufbandry, 
 viz. turnips, barley, clover, and wheat ; for in 
 this courle the farmer can have but one crop 
 of wheat in four years, whereas in the hoeing 
 method juft mentioned he has two crops of 
 wheat in four years, better crops than he com- 
 monly obtains in the Old Hufbandry, and at a 
 lefs expcnce, befidesthe advantage of the win- 
 ter crop of cole-feed for his cattle. And 
 when he is lo expert in the hoeing, as to un- 
 dertake the culture of wheat in the bcft horfe- 
 hoeing method as dcfcribcd above, he m.ty 
 
 have
 
 110 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 have a crop of wheat every year upon the 
 fame land, to much greater profit than any 
 courfe of crops in the Old Hufbandry, as we 
 have (hewn above. If the land is not very 
 flrong, inftead of beans, the farmer may raife 
 a crop of carroty or potatoes after the wheat, 
 and thus have wheat and potatoes, or wheat 
 and carrots, alternately. 
 
 Having (hewn that wheat and beans are 
 cultivated to greater profit in the New than 
 in the Old Hufbandry, I (hall proceed to fome 
 other crops, and prove the advantage of hoe- 
 ing, by a fair comparifon of both at large, 
 We have an example of this in the culture of 
 turnips by Mr. Wynn Baker, near Dublin, 
 which, in his report to the Dublin Society, he 
 relates as follows. He prepared land for fe- 
 veral different crops, whereof part was tur- 
 nips ; this was five times ploughed, and laid 
 in five-feet ridges. Compoft was laid in the 
 furrows between the ridges, which were at 
 the lafl ploughing turned back upon the com- 
 poff , and a fingle row of turnip-feed was dril? 
 led upon the middle of each ridge over the 
 manure. Half an acre was ploughed fix 
 .times, drefled with the fame compoft as the 
 ridges (but with double the proportion that 
 was given to the land in ridges), and he fowed 
 it with turnip-feed, broad caft; at the fame 
 time the ridges were drilled, viz. the i4th of 
 
 <" The
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED, III 
 
 * The half acre before mentioned," fays 
 
 Mr. Baker, " I manured with at lead double 
 
 " the proportion of compoft that was allowed 
 
 " to the other part of the fallow, as it was 
 
 " flat, and it was necefiary to manure every 
 
 " part of it, being intended for turnips, to 
 
 " be fowq in the prdmifcuous way, or broad 
 
 ' caft: to this piece of ground I gave a fixth 
 
 * c ploughing, as it could not have the benefit 
 
 <c of the horfehoe, when cropped ; and there- 
 
 ' fore I thought it neceflary to reduce it as 
 
 " fine as poflible, in order to give the broad- 
 
 " caft crop of 'turnips every advantage I 
 
 " could. My turnips mould have been iown. 
 
 " at lead three weeks earlier; but the iramo- 
 
 c derate and continual rains of the preceding 
 
 " winter involved me ib much with my fpring 
 
 " fowing, that I could not accomplifh my 
 
 " turnip-fowing earlier. When the drilled 
 
 " turnips were about three inches high, I 
 
 " thinned them by hand, as being much 
 
 '" preferable and more expeditious than any 
 
 '* iiillrumcnt, intending to have them fingled 
 
 *' out to about one foot afunder in the rows ; 
 
 " but, it being fo new a work, the women 
 
 ' could not be brought to do it effectually at 
 
 once, they apprehending that the whole 
 
 *' crop would be loft, and arguing that they 
 
 * c were fure there was already too mucii 
 
 " ground allowed to one ro.v: under thefe 
 
 *' circumftances, I could not get this work 
 
 > <done (juite to my mind this year; as I had,
 
 112 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 44 befides this field, two others fown in the 
 41 fame way, amounting in all to about 
 44 twelve acres. Thefe turnips were horfe- 
 <c hoed upon the 171}} of Auguft, for the firft 
 44 time, by taking off, at one furrow of the 
 4t plough, only one fide of each ridge, clofe 
 " to the plants ; thus they remained till the 
 " 25th, when I run the plough in the fame 
 44 furrow ; by which, with the firft furrow, 
 * 4 I ploughed about twenty-one inches deep. 
 44 This being finifhed, I immediately returned 
 4 the earth back to the plants ; this afforded 
 44 them frefh nourishment ; and, in order to 
 4< give rheir roots time to penetrate this frefh 
 44 earth (which by the horfehoeing was be- 
 44 come very fine mould), I let them remain 
 46 in this ftate till the I2th of September, 
 44 when I horfehoed them again, by taking off 
 44 the other fide of every ridge, and on the 
 t4 2oth deepened the furrow in the fame man- 
 44 ner as the former, and immediately returned 
 44 back the mould to the plants, and on the 
 44 1 8th of October threw up a fmall furrow 
 46 on each fide of every ridge, which finifhed 
 4 the culture of thefe crops, and reftored the 
 * 4 ridges to the form in which they were 
 4< when the plants were put out upon them." 
 This is his defcription of horfehoeing the 
 cabbages he had planted in the fame field ; 
 and he refers to that account for the turnips, 
 which, he fays, were horfehoed in the fame 
 manner, and nearly at the fame times, as 
 
 thefe
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 113 
 
 Jthefe cabbages, ' with this difference only* 
 *' that I deepened the furrows of but a few 
 f ridges of the turnips in another field iy a 
 " fecond ploughing in the fame furrow, 
 " which I did not find to benefit the turnips 
 " much ; for, if the ground is well prepared 
 " before the {owing, the depth of one furrow 
 " will 'be enough for the turnips, provided 
 V that be deep and bold. 
 
 " Thinning the turnips in drills by hand 
 .'* coft me eight-pence an acre ; weeding 
 " them coft me four-pence; and the repeated 
 " horfe-hoeings about fourteen pence an acre 
 " for workmen's wages, exclufive of the 
 " horfes ; of which I generally ufed two, 
 " except in very hot days, and then I found 
 *' three were necefiary. The broad-caft tur- 
 .** nips were carefully thinned by hand, when 
 " they were about two inches high, which 
 " the women did with more courage than 
 " they did the drills ; and fome time after- 
 " wards I hoed them once, and weeded them 
 44 twice. Thinning them by hand colt me 
 four (hillings. Hoeing them afterwards 
 coft eight (hillings, and weeding them coft 
 me two millings and four pence. They 
 were fcarcely half an acre ; this expcnce 
 " being therefore doubled, they coft me a.t 
 ,' the rate of twenty-eight millings and eigbt- 
 " pence an acre, over and above the extraor- 
 " dinary ploughing and double proportion of 
 ,',' manure. In truth, this crop greatly e.v- 
 1 " cccdc4
 
 THE PRCATICE OF THE 
 
 * ceeded my expectations, being by far the 
 ' beft I ever had in the broad-caft way ; but 
 (f I attribute their fuccefs wholly to the thin- 
 " ning them by hand ; for two, three, four, 
 " and often five more turnips will be fo united 
 4t and interwoven, that it would be impoffible 
 ** for the moft dextrous hoer to feparate 
 " them; whereas the fingers and thumb will 
 " preferve the mafter plant, whilft the others 
 ' are moft conveniently drawn from it by the 
 " other hand of the perfon employed. Add 
 * to this, that there is no labour in which we 
 " are more liable to be deceived than in tur- 
 * 6 nip-hoeing. 
 
 " December the 1 7th I meafured out three 
 " fquare perches of the beft of the broad-caft 
 turnips, and alfo ihree fquare perches of the 
 " drilled ; and the produce was as follows : 
 
 C. q. Ib. T. c. q. II). 
 
 " Three perches of the drilled weighed 17 a 21, which 7 
 
 " \sptr Acre - J 47 
 
 " Three ditto of the broad-call 16 i o, which/ * 
 
 is per Acre 5 43 s 3 
 
 " In favour of the drilled 3 16 3 14 
 
 " Thus we fee, that, notvvithftanding the 
 < extraordinary proportion of manure, and the 
 " extraordinary ploughing, which was af- 
 *' forded to the broad-caft turnips, the drilled 
 * ' crop, with intervals of five feet, produced 
 " the greateft quantity upon an a re. 
 
 " It now remains to defcribe the nature 
 < and quality of the land. The land lies 
 
 ** upon
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. II* 
 
 " upon a lime- (tone quarry, which is very 
 " near the furface ; and is natjrally a ftrong 
 ' and ftubborn foil, with an infinite number 
 " of loofe lime-flones in it. With dry 
 " winds, or a parching fun, the ground 
 " unite?, and is as hard as bricks; moderately 
 ' wet, it is reducible by inftruments ; but 
 * f when thorough wet, it runs together; and 
 " is like brick-clay, when rerniered. This, I 
 '* repeat it, is the natural quality of the 
 " land, and is what the writers would call 
 " a barren, grey, ftiff earth, but is not quite 
 ** a cUy. I have found repeated tillage, when 
 '* the land is in a proper ftate of moifture, 
 " will reduce it, and diveft it of its natural 
 " adhefion. Tillage and manure together 
 44 render it capable of producing any thing ; 
 ' as I believe fuch agents will do upon any 
 " land, provided it can be kept moderately 
 " dry. The fields which 1 had under turnips 
 c and cabbages have been in appearance all 
 * the fummer a fine loam, and reallv bore the 
 
 J 
 
 ** complexion of very fine land, abstracted 
 ** from the rich appearance of the crops." 
 Upon this accurate experiment, we may make 
 the following remarks. 
 
 I. He acknowledges a partiality fhewn to the 
 broad-caft turnips, in bellowing upon diem a 
 double quantity of manure, and an extraordi- 
 nary ploughing, which doubtlefs made that 
 crop confiderably greater than it would have 
 
 1 2 been
 
 Il6 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 been with only the fame tillage and propoiv 
 tion of manure. 
 
 2. Ridges four feet broad are fufficient for 
 turnips for feeding cattle, as was experienced 
 by Mr. Tull, and by others fince. Upon 
 four-feet ridges the crop would have been 
 greater than upon thofe of five feet, in the 
 proportion of five to four; and the crop would 
 have been 58 tons, j c. 21 Ib. viz. 2 tons, 130 
 i qr. 1 1 Ib. more fuperiority per acre than 
 computed by Mr. Baker. 
 
 3. The expence of the broad-caft was 
 much greater than of the 1 drill, for the broad- 
 caft coft 1 1. 8 s. 8 d. per plantation acre, and 
 the drilled coft but 43. 2 d. per acre, reckon- 
 ing the horfes at one (hilling a day each, 
 which is a good price there : fo that the ex- 
 pence of cultivating the broad-caft turnips was 
 above fix times as much as for the drilled. 
 This difference is very great, and would 
 amount to a large fum in cultivating turnips ex- 
 tenfively. The drawing up and carriage of the 
 broad-caft cofts alfo more than the other ; and 
 if not drawn all clean up, what is left in the 
 ground will grow, and damage the next crop, 
 efpecially if that is barley. 
 
 4. The land where the broad-caft turnips 
 grow becomes hard and ftale, and will re- 
 quire feveral poughings to bring ijt into fine 
 tilth for another crop : whereas land that has 
 been horfe- hoed is in fine tilth, while the 
 crop of turnips are growing upon it (as Mr, 
 
 Baker
 
 HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 117 
 
 feaker takes notice the cabbage-ground was, 
 with the fame tillage) ; and therefore this 
 land required only once ploughing of the 
 ridges to prepare it for the next crop ; and 
 ridges are alfo ploughed .with lefs labour, and 
 at fewer furrows, than the fame extent of land 
 that lies level. 
 
 5. Land lying in ridges is not only ploughed 
 and prepared for a fucceeding crop in a (horter 
 time, and at a lefs expence, than land that 
 lies flat ; but the earth of the horfe-hoed 
 ridges is likewife much richer, though it 
 produced a larger crop than the level ground 
 fown broad-cart. For the land that is ploughed 
 deep, turned, and a new furface expofed to 
 the air at every horfe-hoeing, is receiving 
 new fupplies of the pabulum, aliment, or food 
 of plants, all the time it is thus cultivated ; 
 and the level ground, not cultivated with the 
 hoe-plough, is loiing the vegetable aliment 
 all that time. If the fucceeding crop requires 
 ridges of the fame breadth, all the cultivator 
 has to do is, to plough back the ridges upon 
 the prefent furrows, and then the middle of 
 the new ridges will be compofed of fine earth, 
 well pulverized by the former horfe-hoeings, 
 and impregnated with nutritious alimest re- 
 ceived from the atmofphere. 
 
 6. We fee, in the prefent cafe, that the 
 horfe-hoeing makes a great faving of manure ; 
 half only of what is given to broad-caft tur- 
 nips was made ufc of here j and, in fomc 
 
 I 3 crops,
 
 Jl8 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 crops, as wheat, no manure is neceflary; hoe- 
 ing alone is fufficient to nouriih the growing 
 cro^, and to enrich the i land for the fucceed- 
 ing one. Many other examples might be 
 given of the enriching effects of deep hoeing ; 
 but tliele may be iufficient as a fpecimen. 
 
 There is a method of culture lately prac- 
 tifed and recommended : which is, in fome 
 rneafure, upon the principles of the New 
 Hufbandry, and faid to be fuperior to it. The 
 invention of this method has been attributed 
 to Dr. Hunter of York, and to Mr. Melvili 
 of Lincolnfhire. I know not which of thefe 
 gentlemen introduced it, but the latter de- 
 fcribes it as follows : 
 
 *' It will be almoft unnecefTary to obferve, 
 " that weak arable lands have been reftored 
 4 by means of a fallow, which the judicious 
 ' hufbandman makes more or kfs frequent, 
 * e in proportion to the poverty of the foil. 
 * Upon the high wolds in this country, and 
 <f in Yorkfhire, where the foil is poor and 
 *' thin, oats and barky are principally culti- 
 ** vated. The ufual Hufbandry is one crop 
 ** and a fallow ; and in fome places, where 
 *' there is a greater poverty of foil, they take 
 " one crop, and then let the land reft for 
 * e fome years, to recover itfelf. This laft is 
 ' fomething lik? the Huibandry of the wild 
 Arabs. 
 
 * Being greatly difllttisfied with the above 
 H rnanner ot cultivation, I employed myfelf
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 119 
 
 " fome years ago in forming another, which 
 ** might be more confident with the laws of 
 " vegetation, as well as oeconomical Huf- 
 " bandry. The fyftem that I have adopted is 
 " as follows, viz. 
 
 " Inftead of having the land laid out in 
 " broad ridges, I order them to be made only 
 " nine feet wide. When the feed-time comes, 
 *' I fow every other land broad-caft, and har- 
 ** row-in the grain in the ufual manner. 
 " The intermediate fpaces, which I fhall call 
 u the fallow-lands, are ploughed two or 
 " three times, at proper feafons, by a light 
 * plough, drawn by one horfe, in order to 
 * make a clean fallow for the fucceeding crop. 
 " Upon thefe lands the feed is (own as before. 
 " The ftubble, in turn, becomes the fallow, 
 " and is treated accordingly. In this alter- 
 *' rrate way, I manage my weak arable lands, 
 **- and I have the fatisfaction to find, that 
 " very little manure is required ; which is a 
 " moft agreeable circumftance, as fuch lands 
 ** are generally remote from a large town. I 
 " dare venture to fay, that the fame field, 
 * fc managed in this alternate way for two 
 44 years, will be found to produce one-third 
 * more corn, than when cultivated in the 
 " ufual manner, by a crop and a fallow, and, 
 ** at the fame time, be attended with much 
 * lefs expence to the owner. 
 
 * This feeming contradiction will be rea- 
 " dily removed, when we reflect, that vege- 
 
 14 " tables,
 
 t2O THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 " tables, no more than animals, can continue 
 " Jong in a ftate of health, without the free 
 *' eiiiovment of air. In a large field, when 
 " the weather is calm, the air remains in a 
 " ftate of ftagnation j whereby the perfpira- 
 " tion of the plants is permitted to remain 
 " too long upon the ears of corn. Hence 
 * c many inconveniences arife to the crop. Oil 
 " the contrary, in the Alternate Hulbandry, 
 '* the air is conftantly in motion; the interme- 
 " diate faUows ferve as funnels to carry it off, 
 " and along with it ah fuperfluous moifture. 
 
 *' In confequence of this freedom of air, 
 " upon which I lay a great ftrels, the ears of 
 " corn are always obferved to be well fed, and 
 " the (talks firm and ftrong. When by fe- 
 " vere weather the corn happens to be laid, 
 " it is thrown upon a clean fallow, where it 
 *' has no chance of being bound down by 
 " weeds. It is confequently fooner raifed by 
 " the current of air v\hich is conftantly paf- 
 ** fmg along the fallows, 
 v *) i uruips, or, when the foil is deep and 
 " fandy, a few carrots or .potatoes, may be 
 " placed upon the intermediate lands. But I 
 * 6 ha\e aKvays found it beft, to keep them as 
 " pcilfcl: fallows. Kvery thing that grows 
 " i kes fomclhing from the foil ; and as cur 
 " land is luppofed to be poor, and not lup- 
 " ported with much manure, we ought not 
 " to fuffer the fmalleft vegetable to take root 
 
 " upon it. 
 
 It the farmer chufes, he may vary his 
 
 46 crops;
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 121 
 
 u crops ; but I am of opinion* and I fpeak 
 " from fbme experience, that the fame grain 
 ** may be cultivated as long as he pleafes 
 " upon lands managed in the manner that I 
 " have recommended. In confequence of 
 ** this happy difpofition of the foil, every 
 " kind of grain may be fuited to the land moft 
 " proper for it. I do. not confine the Alter- 
 " nate Hufbandry to oats and barley; I have 
 ** fuccefsfully followed it upon good wheat- 
 " land ; and, if the farmer attends to his bu- 
 " fmefs, he will find his wheat-crops greatly 
 " to exceed his expectations. Near twenty' 
 " bufhels of wheat may be got annually fr m 
 " one acre of land cultivated in this alternate 
 " way, and with little expence of manure. 
 
 " I acknowledge, that many of theie ad- 
 " vantages are in common with the Drill 
 " Hufbandry ; but I flatter mvfelf, that there 
 '* are others, which that ingenious fyftem 
 " does not enjoy. 
 
 " I know it will be objected, that, in this 
 " manner, the fallows will be loft to the 
 *' fheep during the iummer months. I an- 
 " fwer, fo much the better; if poflible, the 
 *' fallows mould not be permitted to bear 
 " a fingle Kaf. The farmer ought to find 
 " other ways to fupport his thecp; and, if he 
 " is an intelligent man, he will readily do it. 
 " It is an odd kind of Hufoundry, when the 
 " fields bear corn one year for the owner, and 
 ** the next, weeds for his Iheep. 
 
 " When
 
 122 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 " When firft I pra&ifed the alternate Cul- 
 " ture, I was apprehenfive that the pigeons 
 ** and crows would prove my greater!: enemies, 
 " by fettling upon the fallow-lands, and pulling 
 " down the ears of corn. I have now the 
 '* pleafure to aflure the public, that, after 
 " fome years experience, I find my lands no 
 ' more liable to thofe depredations than the 
 " neighbouring ones. 
 
 " The lands cultivated in this way, being 
 -*'' clear of weeds, require confequently but 
 " little manure. They are always in excel- 
 " lent tilth ; and as their furface is frequently 
 " changed, they have every opportunity of 
 *' drinking up the nutritious matter of the at- 
 ** mofphere. 
 
 " I have the fatisfaction to find, that in- 
 <* clofures are begun upon the Lincolnfhire 
 *' and York (hire wolds ; in confequence of 
 " which, a greater quantity of corn will be 
 *< produced for a few years than formerly. 
 H To thofe gentlemen whofe eftates lie in 
 ff thofe countries, or in fimilar ones, I beg 
 f? Jeave to recommend the Alternate Hufban- 
 f * dry. I dare venture to fay, that, in point of 
 f profit and convenience, it will be found 
 ** greatly fuperior to the Drill Hufbandry. 
 *? The implements ufed are thole of the coun- 
 *' try; and the mode of cultivation is within 
 ,<* the capacity of the meaneft ploughman." 
 
 Though
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. I2J 
 
 Though the Alternate Hu&andry is a cheap 
 method of culture, Mr. Melvill is much mif- 
 taken in fuppofing it to be much more pro- 
 fitable than the Drill-Hufbandry ; as will ap- 
 pear from a fair companion. Premifing, that 
 more than twice ploughing is neceflary in fal- 
 lowing, to keep down the weeds, which con* 
 tinue growing ievenor eight months, in which 
 time a fallow fhould be ploughed, at leaft, four 
 times ; and ploughing with oue horfe is quite 
 inefficient to plough the land to a proper 
 depth : but, to give this Hufbandry every ad- 
 vantage, we fhall charge no more to it for 
 thefe than he has ftated. Some manure he 
 acknowledges is neceflary in the Alternate 
 Huibandry, but not how much. A common 
 dreffing with dung, to be carried fbme dif- 
 tanct-, as in this cafe, cofts for the dung, car-? 
 riage to the land, and fpreading, from three 
 to five pounds an acre; and admitting it can 
 be done here at the lowed rate, three pounds 
 per acre, and alfo that a quarter drefling is 
 enough for this land, theexpence of manure, at 
 the loweft, will amount to fifteen (hillings an 
 acre. Let us fuppofe the field to be culti- 
 vated meafures twenty acres. In the Alter- 
 nate Hufbandry, half or ten acres is tallow, 
 and the other half or ten acres produces a crop 
 of wheat every year. The expence in the 
 Alternate Hu(bandry is, for rent of twenty 
 acres, at fuppofe only five (hillings an acre, 
 five pounds 3 twice ploughing the fallow, at 
 
 only
 
 124 THfc PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 only three (hillings an acre, is, for ten actes, 
 thirty (hillings. And feed-wheat for the other 
 ten acres, twenty-five bufhels, at five (hil- 
 lings per bumel, is 61. 5 s. Reaping the 
 wheat, five (hillings per acre, 2!. los. In 
 all, 15 1. 53. The crop is twenty bufhels an 
 acre, which is two hundred bufhels on the teri 
 acres, at 5 s. per bufliel, is 50 1. from which 
 deducing the rent and expences, 15!. 55* 
 there remains 34!. 155. clear profit on the 
 twenty acres. In the Drill- Hufbandry, the 
 whole twenty acres produces every year a 
 crop of wheat ; and the land being deep 
 horfe-hoed, and no weeds, will produce twenty 
 bulhels of wheat per acre at leaft, Or as much 
 as it does with the (hallow ploughing in the 
 Alternate Hufbandry ; and fo much Mr. 
 TulFs ordinary land did produce, on a me- 
 dium of about ninety acres ; and his meafure 
 was the common meafure of that country, 
 viz. nine gallons to the bulhel; fo that his 
 crop was about twenty-two bumels and a half 
 per acre, Winchefler meafure ; though his 
 land that year was not in the bed order, on 
 account of his being difappointed of a tenant^ 
 as was taken notice of above. Now we have 
 (hewn, that eight bumels of wheat paid all 
 Mr. Craik's expences of cultivating an acre of 
 his land, viz. of a~?Scotch acre, which is an 
 acre and a quarter Englifh ; and, if fo much is 
 reckoned here per acre, there will remain a 
 
 profit
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 125 
 
 profit of twelve bufhels per acre, or two hun- 
 dred and forty bufhels upon the twenty acres, 
 at five (hillings per bumel, or 60 1. pound 
 profit upon the twenty acres, by the Drill 
 Huibandry ; and if every article was ftated at 
 the full extent, the profit on the Drill would 
 be double to that of the Alternate Hufbandry. 
 The Alternate Hulbandry, as here ftated, 
 is, without doubt, a very cheap method of 
 culture, and is founded on a practice fomewhat 
 fimilar to that mentioned by Mr. Tull, in his 
 chapter of tillage, p. 21. "It is of late," 
 fays he, " fully proved, by the experience of 
 ** many farmers, that two or three additional 
 " ploughings will fupply the place of dung, 
 << even in the Old Hufbandry, if they be 
 " performed at proper feafons ; and the hiring 
 " price of three ploughings, after land has 
 " been thrice ploughed before, is but twelve 
 " (hillings ; whereas a dunging will coft three 
 pounds. This was accidentally difcovered 
 in my neighbourhood by the practice of a 
 poor farmer, who, when he had prepared 
 " his land for barley, and could not- procure 
 " feed to low it, ploughed it on till wheat feed- 
 < time, and (by means of fuch additional 
 u ploughing) without dung had fo good a 
 " crop of wheat, that it was judged to be 
 " worth more than the inheritance of the land 
 " it grew on." 
 
 This paflage is quoted by Mr. Maxwell, 
 jn his Treatile of the Tranfuftions of the 
 
 Edin- 
 
 .
 
 126 fMB PRACTICE OF 
 
 Edinburgh Society; to which he adds, that a 
 tenant to Sir John Paterfon, near Edinburgh, 
 being in like manner unable to provide feed 
 for his land in the fpring, kept on ploughing it 
 till autumn, and lowed it with wheat ; and had 
 fb great a crop, that he was encouraged to 
 cominue the lame method of culture upon 
 great part of his farm ; which Succeeded fo 
 well, and his circumftances were thereby fo 
 much improved, that in fome years he could 
 have purchased the farm. Thefe are preg- 
 nant inftances of the great advantage of til- 
 lage, without dung ; and juftify the retorting, 
 upon the author of the Farmer's Kalendar, 
 what he fays of the New Hufbandry, and 
 high encomium of dung beyond tillage, " Were 
 fuch ideas to become general, it is incon- 
 " ceivable how much mifchief they would 
 " occafion : for there cannot be more fa lie 
 " principles, than thofe whereon they are 
 " built." 
 
 The examples here given may be fufficient 
 to (hew, that the New Hulbaiidry isapplicable to 
 many different plants ; and it is no lefs certain, 
 that it is io in different climates. It fucceeds 
 when applied to the vines in France and Italy, 
 it has done fo in fome of the northern colo- 
 nies in America, where they cultivate a great 
 deal of maize or Indian corn, by hand-hoe- 
 ing ; but a perfon there, having a mind to 
 try hoeing fome of it with a plough, though 
 not performed in the beft manner, the fuccefs 
 
 was
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 127 
 
 was fo great, that fome farmers who faw it 
 were fo much {truck with it, that they imme- 
 diately attempted to cultivate it in that me- 
 thod, and continue there to do fo. In Ja* 
 maica likewife, and fbme other of the Weft- 
 India Iflands, they are extremely attentive to 
 provide great quantities of manure for their 
 fugar-canes ; fo that they keep there a great 
 number of cattle, for the fole purpofe of pro- 
 viding dung for their fugar-plantations. They 
 likewife employ great numbers of negroes to 
 hand-hoe them; yet, notwithftanding, thefe 
 are all far inferior to horfe-hoeing, an example 
 of which is related by Mr. Miller, in his Dic- 
 tionary, under the article Saccharum. 
 
 " 1 have," fays he, ' been aflu red, by two 
 " of the moft lenfible and judicious planters 
 " in America, that they have made fome ex- 
 " periments of the horfe-hoeing culture for 
 " their canes, which anfvvered much beyond 
 their expectations. One of thefe gentlemen 
 " told me, he planted an acre in the middle 
 " of a large piece of canes, in rows at five 
 ' feet afunder, and the hills were two feet 
 ' and a half diftant, and but one cutting to 
 * to each hill. The ground between the 
 " rows was from time to time ftirred with the 
 * horle-plough, to deftroy the weeds, and 
 44 earth the plants. With this culture, the 
 * canes were double the tize of thofe in the 
 " fame piece, which were cultivated in the 
 " ufual way : and when the canes were cut, 
 
 " thole
 
 128 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 <* thofe which had been thus planted and ma- 
 <* naged were ground and boiled feparately ; 
 '* the produce of fugar was full as great as 
 ' the beft acre in the fame piece, and the ex- 
 *' pence of boiling was little more than a fixth 
 *' part of the other ; and he fold the fugar for 
 " fix (hillings per hundred weight more than 
 *' he could get for the other. Thefe 
 46 canes are planted thin for the conveniency 
 <* of horfe-hoeing them ; for they are cpm- 
 " monly planted a great deal clofer," as Mr. 
 Miller takes notice. " The diftance," fays 
 he, which the planters ufually allow to 
 thejr canes, is from three to four feet, row 
 <* from row, and the hills are about two feet 
 *' afunder in the rows ; in each of thefe hills 
 ** they plant from four to feven or eight cut- 
 " tings ; which is a very great fault, and is 
 " the caufe of moft of their blights, fo much 
 " complained of lately: for, if all thefe grow, 
 " which is frequently the cafe, they rob each 
 ** other of their nourimment ; and, if a dry 
 " feafon happens before they have acquired 
 " ftrength, they are very foon ftinted in their 
 *' growth, fo are attacked by infets, which 
 ** Ijpread and multiply fo greatly, as to cover 
 46 a whole plantation in a little time; when 
 ." this happens, the canes are feldom good 
 " after: therefore it would be the better way 
 " to root them entirely up, when they are fo 
 ' greatly injured, for they very rarely reco- 
 ," ver this perfectly : for although the infects 
 
 .*' arc
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 129 
 
 * are not the caufe of the difeafe, yet they 
 " confirm it, and caufe it to fpread." 
 
 The diftance of the rows being ufually but 
 half what was allowed in this experiment, and 
 from four to eight cuttings commonly planted in 
 each hill, and here but one cutting in each, it 
 appears that the planters fet about ten times the 
 number of canes that is neceflary or is proper 
 to be done in the New Hufbandry ; the great 
 effect of which here is very evident, that deep 
 hoeing with the plough caufes one plant to 
 produce as much fugar, and of a much luperior 
 quality, as ten plants produce in their common, 
 method by hand-hoeing ; and this, notwith- 
 ftanding the great quantities of the richeft 
 manure, with which they conftantly drefs 
 their fugar-plantations. 
 
 The Weft-India fugar-planters are at a very 
 great expence for Negroes, which coft them 
 fifty pounds and upwards each, and an an- 
 nual fupply to keep up the number. A prin- 
 cipal part of their employment in fummer is 
 hand-hoeing their fugar-plantations ; which, 
 though very fuperficial, is all the culture ufu- 
 ally given them. The Negroes, for their 
 keeping and the number neceflary to be pur- 
 chafed every year, amount to an annual ex- 
 pence of above one third part of all the ar- 
 ticles in a plantation ; fo that the fhallow hoe- 
 ing of the canes is an exceeding high expence 
 to the planter, though in effect infinitely more 
 of horfe-hoeing. The firft coft and keeping 
 
 K of
 
 I^O THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 of a great number of cattle, for the fole advan- 
 tage of their dung, is another heavy expence. 
 The firft of thefe, the hand-hoeing, might be 
 entirely faved, the hoe- plough, where it comes, 
 rendering hand-hoeing altogether unneceflary; 
 and a much lefs quantity of dung would do 
 for the canes, -if horfe-hoed. The expence 
 would be fb much reduced, and the crops of 
 fugar fo much advanced by this culture, that 
 every planter who adopts it will be a great 
 gainer, and, if generally praclifed intheiflands, 
 would advance the profits of the planters more 
 than half a million fterling every year, in the 
 article of fugar only ; and, if extended to other 
 plants here, and to tobacco, maize, indigo, 
 wheat, and other crops .on the continent, to 
 which this culture is adapted, the profits to 
 the planters and the public would be im- 
 menfe ; for it appears that the horie-hoeing 
 Hufbandry is highly profitable to very many 
 plants ; and that the principles of the New 
 Hufbandry are not limited to any one kind of 
 Jand, nor any one climate, but that they are 
 univerfal. 
 
 It was for fome time fuppofed to be only a 
 matter of curiofity, to raife annual fucceffive 
 crops of wheat upon the fame land without 
 manure, but it appears to be a matter of great 
 importance ; that the hoeing culture is foun- 
 ded upon general principles ; that all plants 
 are much improved by hoeing, and large 
 plants particularly by the hoe-plough, much 
 
 bevond
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 131 
 
 beyond any other method of culture ; and at 
 the fame time the crops and alfo the land is 
 highly improved by it ; and therefore it is 
 hoped that, now the value of it is better known 
 than formerly, it will become more general 
 in Britain and Ireland. 
 
 It is indeed faid by fpme, the New Hufban- 
 dry is unneceflary when the farmer has great 
 plenty of dung and other manure at a fmall 
 expence ; and it muft be acknowledged fhat 
 this is a very favourable circumftance for the 
 farmer ; but this does not exclude the hoeing 
 hufbandry, which is found to beagreat benefit 
 to manured land and to the crops. Dung and 
 other manures may be laid upon land too li- 
 berally, as was (hewn in the inftance of the 
 Eflex farmer mentioned above ; and, though 
 it is acknowledged that greater crops are fre- 
 quently obtained this way in the Old Huf- 
 bandry than in the New without manure, 
 this does not prove that the Old is the mpft 
 profitable. In this cafe a feries of crops mould 
 be taken for a confiderable number of years to 
 determine this fairly. With high manuring 
 ten large crops may be obtained in fifteen 
 years; butit.may happen, and frequently does 
 happen, that much manure is an injury to the 
 crop, which might do io much damage to the 
 five intermediate crops as would much reduce 
 the profits of the fifteen crops upon an ave- 
 rage. Very few of thofe who have practifed 
 the New Hufbandry have had land that was 
 
 K 2 good
 
 132 fH'E PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 good and favourable to that Hufbandry, as ap* 
 pears in the examples of it given above. Mr. 
 Craik's is not good land, and his climate is 
 very unfavorable ; yet the clear profit of his 
 drilled wheat is to the value of 1 6 or 1 8 bum- 
 els of wheat per acre; the lead of thefe is 
 four pounds an acre : where is the farmer 
 that in the common Husbandry gets fo much 
 as four pounds per acre for the average crops 
 of his lands that he fows once in three or four 
 years with wheat, and the intermediate years 
 with turnip's, barley, and clover ? His crops 
 of wheat may be greater than Mr. Craik's ; 
 but can he obtain thefe crops at fo fmall an 
 expence as the value of eight bumels of wheat, 
 or forty millings ? The more manure he lays 
 upon this land, the greater will be the expence 
 of it, and of the carriage and fpreading of it ; 
 and it is often uncertain, becaufe it depends 
 upon the feafons, whether highly manuring 
 of land mall be a benefit or an injury to a 
 crop of wheat or other corii ; for in very dry fea- 
 fons much dung burns the crop, and in wet 
 feafons it makes the crop too luxuriant, and 
 then it lodges and is blighted. 
 
 In many farms, where manure is fcarce, 
 the farmer's principal dependence is upon his 
 fheep to drefs his land ; but, where there are 
 not extenfive downs and meep-walks, the 
 farmer makes nothing of his poor land, nor 
 attempts to do it, for want of manure : many 
 hundred thoufand acres, thus negleded, let 
 
 for
 
 .NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 133 
 
 for no more than a (hilling an acre ; and many 
 more, at not more than two millings or half a 
 crown an acre, that might by the New Hufbari- 
 dry, be advanced to double and triple their pre- 
 fent value ; whereof we have a pregnant inftance 
 in the high wolds in Yorkfhire near Scarbo- 
 rough, where the land lets at no more than a 
 fnilling an acre, and though poor, light land, 
 Sir Digby Legard found, by an eight years 
 experience, that profitable crops of barley and 
 wheat were to be obtained from it by the 
 New Hufbandry without manure: for his 
 crops were better than by the Old Husbandry 
 with manure, and he recommends the Hoeing 
 Hufbandry, even for that land which is fo 
 light that only one horfe was fufficient to 
 horfe-hoe it ; and by this, heobferves, it was 
 fo much improved, that his crops, in the laft 
 four years, were almoft double to thofe of the 
 four firft. 
 
 Many are afraid to hoe light dry land in 
 hot dry weather, being fearful that the heat 
 and drought would burn up their crop ; but 
 this is for want of knowing the benefit of 
 deep hoeing, of which the farmer may foon 
 iatisfy himfelf by the following eafy experi- 
 ment, viz. dig a hole in the hard dry ground, 
 in the dried weather, as deep as the plough 
 ought to reach ; beat the earth very fine, and 
 throw it back into the hole; after a few 
 alights dews, he will find this fine earth is 
 )>ecome mpift to the bottom, and the hard 
 
 K 3 ground
 
 134 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 ground all round will continue dry. Or till a 
 field in lands, make one land very fine by fre- 
 quent deep ploughings, and let another be 
 rough by inefficient tillage, alternately ; 
 then plough the field crofs-ways, in the drieft 
 weather^ that has continued long dry ; he 
 will perceive, by the colour of the earth, that 
 every fine land will turn up moift, but every 
 rough land will be dry as powder from top to 
 bottom. Hence it appears, that good hoe- 
 Ing, by opening and pulverifing the foil, lets 
 the dews into it, which penetrates as deep into 
 It, as it is well hoed ; and that the rnoifture 
 this communicated to it by deep hoeing, is not 
 exhaled by the fun or drought ; but that it 
 continues to retain ftill moifture fufficient to 
 refrefh the roots of plants that grow in it. 
 
 This great benefit is obfervable in all land 
 that is well and deep-hoed, and is-a fingular 
 advantage to all plants in dry foils peculiar 
 to the New Hufbandry. We find a remark- 
 able inftance of this related in M. DuhameFs 
 Hufbandry, of fome cabbages that were cul- 
 tiyated by deep-hoeing ; which are plants that 
 require 'much moifture : and they were kept 
 fo moift by this hoeing, in dry hot weather, 
 that they Hood upright, and their leaves re- 
 mained juicy and crifp : but at the fame time, 
 fome of the fame cabbages, that: grew in the 
 gentleman's garden who tried this experiment, 
 drooped in tht middle of the day, notwith- 
 ftanding their being carefully watered every 
 
 day
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 135 
 
 day by his gardener. The fame thing is ob- 
 ferved by Mr. Wynne Baker, who fays, that 
 his horie-hoed cabbages continued upright 
 and in health and vigour in the hotteft wea- 
 ther, which had a contrary effet upon the 
 cabbages in gardens in that neighbourhood. 
 
 This effect of horfe-hoeing is of great im- 
 portance in light, dry foils, caufing the crops 
 raifed upon them to grow vigoroufly in hot 
 feafons, that fcorch and burn them in the 
 common Hufbandry : but the farmer mould 
 carefully obferve, that he will not receive this 
 benefit by hoeing land, that is not firfl brought 
 into fine tilth : for a cloddy, rough foil does 
 not drink-in the dews like one that is fine; 
 and, if moiftened by rain, is foon dried again, 
 on a return .of drought and hot weather ; 
 whereas fine mould is moiftened by the dews 
 as deep as it is made fine, and is dried by the 
 fun but a few inches deep. It is likewife a 
 favourable circumftance to the induftrious 
 hoer, that the dews are commonly moft plen- 
 tiful in the nights when the weather is very 
 dry and hot in the day-time. Hence it ap- 
 pears, that the dry, wafte lands, whereof 
 there are many vaft tra&s in the kingdom, 
 which are now looked upon as unprofitable, 
 and of very little or no value to the owner or 
 tenant, may, by this Hulbandry, be brought 
 to bear profitable crops ; and, if any of them 
 are fo poor, that they will not yield profitable 
 crops of wheat without fome manure, a very 
 
 K 4 little
 
 136 THE PRACTICE OP THE 
 
 little manure, with good hoeing, will caufe 
 them to yield wheat, or other valuable crops, 
 where none could before be raifed, and can- 
 not be obtained 'but by this Hufbandry. 
 There are fome lands in every county, and in 
 fome a great deal, that are fo remote from 
 great towns, and from the homefteads of 
 farm-houfes, that they cannot be manured ; 
 and where the prime coft, or the carnage 
 only of manure, would amount to more than 
 the value of the crops. In fuch fituations, 
 the New Hufbandry will be of infinite ufe, 
 and more efpecially fo, if theie wade and un- 
 profitable lands were laid into fmall farms. 
 
 Some have objected to the New Hufbandry, 
 that it cannot be brought into general ufe, be- 
 caufe fome lands lie fo irregularly, that they 
 cannot be hbrfe-hoed ; which in fome in- 
 ftances is admitted j but all lands that can 
 be ploughed in the Old Hufbandry, may be 
 improved by cultivators, or hand-hoeing, to 
 more ad vantage than they are fown broad-caft. 
 Another objection, which is of much greater 
 confequence, is, that clayey, wet lands can- 
 not be horfe-hoed at all ; and, if it be true, 
 what a late author hath afferted, that two 
 parts in three of all the arable land in Eng- 
 land confift of fuch ftrong, ftubborn land, 
 the New Hufbandry for wheat is at once ex- 
 cluded from fuch land, and cannot therefore be 
 of general ufe. To this it may be replied, that 
 thefe heavy, clayey, ftiff lands are of difficult 
 
 tillage
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 137 
 
 tillage in every mode of Hufbandry: but tha 
 they are more fo in the New than the Old, is 
 faid by thofe who are unacquainted with the 
 New Hufbandry ; as will be evident to them 
 who confider both. For, admitting that this* 
 ftrong land in the Old Hufbandry is fummer- 
 fallowed for a wheat crop, whereby it may be 
 brought into tilth, and, being well dunged, is 
 fovvn with wheat in September, the crop hav- 
 ing no further affiftance till harveft, or the 
 beginning of Auguft, fuch ftrong land will in 
 all that time, or above ten months, become 
 very hard and ftale; and a farmer who confi- 
 ders it in this light, as growing ftale, during 
 the growth of every crop, will be ready to 
 conclude, that it will be impracticable, or ex- 
 tremely difficult, to bring the land . into pro- 
 per order, and in .proper time, for drilling and 
 norfe-hoeing. But let thofe confider, that 
 land cultivated in the New Hufbandry is ne- 
 ver fuffered to grow ftale, or out of tilth, as 
 in common fowing. It will not be denied, 
 that the land may be brought in order for the 
 firfl crop of wheat to be town broad-cart ; and 
 that this firft crop may be drilled in Septem- 
 ber, and the land brought into this order 
 upon narrow ridges. When this is done, and 
 the wheat has three or four blades, the earth 
 is not then become fo (tale, but it may be 
 horfe-hoed, turning a furrow from the rows 
 on each iide : in the fp ring the horle-hocing 
 is to be repeated, the plough going in the 
 
 fame
 
 138 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 fame furrow : and then alfo the land may be 
 hand-hoed in the partitions, between the two 
 rows of wheat ; and, as the horfe-hoeings are 
 to be repeated as often as the owner finds ne- 
 eeffary, the land in the intervals cannot be- 
 come ftale ; and upon that part of the land 
 which has been kept in fine tilth, the next 
 crop drilled again with wheat, or is to be 
 planted with a winter-crop, which fhould be 
 done without lofs of time, that the land may 
 carry a crop in winter, to be horfe-hoed ; 
 which may be fome of the cabbage kind, that 
 is moft fuitable to the farmer, for all the 
 plants of thefe kinds will grow well upon 
 iuch land. The farmer mould never allow 
 fuch land to lie idle and grow ftale. It will 
 bear conftant cropping, and the hoeing will 
 keep it always in heart : or it may be conve- 
 niently dreflTed for any crop, by laying the 
 manure in the furrows between the ridges ; 
 upon which the new ridges will fraud, and 
 the crops planted upon thefe ridges will ftand 
 over the manure as upon a hot-bed. Land 
 thus cultivated, being in narrow ridges, and 
 the ploughing and hceings made deep, the 
 corn or other crops {landing high on the tops 
 of the ridges will not be much liable to injury 
 from wet,- which may be carried off by means 
 of the deep furrows The land is foon pre- 
 pared in fpring for another crop, as of beans ; 
 and thefe may be fucceeded by wheat, for 
 which no other preparation is neceflary, but 
 
 once
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 139 
 
 once ploughing back the ridges into the inter- 
 vals, and upon them to drill the wheat. 
 
 A common farmer finds it very difficult to 
 cultivate clays, or other ftrong, ftubborrrfoils, 
 and concludes that fuch land cannot be drilled 
 with wheat a fecond time, thinking it would 
 become hard and ftale during the growth of 
 the firft crop of wheat, which he finds it does 
 in the Common Hufbandry. But the manage- 
 ment of land, in the Old and New Hufban- 
 dry, is fo different, that the arguments drawn 
 from the Old are often fallacious, when ap- 
 plied to the New : and for this reafon, feveral 
 late writers have erred egregioufly, when they 
 pretend to condemn the New Hufbandry, 
 though not experienced in it. Thus clays or 
 very ftrong land become ftale and hard, while 
 a crpp of wheat is growing upon it : but, in 
 the New Hufbandry, land is never permitted 
 to lie uuhoed till it becomes hard ; and the 
 new crop of wheat is drilled upon the laft 
 years intervals ; which are by deep hoeing 
 kept as fine as garden-mould. The only dif- 
 ficulty is in wet feafons, which require at- 
 tention. 
 
 In this method the farmer obtains every 
 year alternately a crop of wheat and beans, 
 and a winter crop befides of cabbage-plants. 
 Or he may have a crop of wheat every 
 year in iucceflkw, which will require no ma- 
 nure, and only about four hoeiugs: and thefe, 
 together with once ploughing, to form new 
 
 ridges, 
 
 4
 
 140 THE PRACTICE OF THp 
 
 ridges, upon which the wheat is to be drilled, 
 are only equal in labour to two common leyel 
 ploughings ; which, confidering that the hoe- 
 ing of lands in tilth requires but two horfes, 
 or only half the itrength that is neceflary to 
 plough the fame land when out of tilth, is 
 undoubtedly a very cheap culture, and a me- 
 thod of obtaining good crops of wheat, at a 
 much lefs expence than the farmer can poffi- 
 bly obtain them in the Old Hufbandry : to 
 this is to be added the expence of dung, which 
 ilrong land particularly requires to ferment in 
 it, and help to keep the foil open in the Old 
 Hufbandry, but is not neceflary in the New. 
 
 If it is laid, that greater crops are produced 
 in the Old Hufbandry than in the New, this 
 is admitted to be fo in fome years ; but in 
 others the weeds do great damage to the 
 broad-cad: wheat; in hot, dry feafons, much 
 dung is hurtful, and greatly fo in wet feafons, 
 making the wheat too luxuriant, to run too 
 much to ftraw, to lodge, and be blighted ; 
 this muft be acknowledged being too common 
 in the Old Hufbandry : and therefore, to make 
 a fair companion, we muft take the crops at 
 an average; and we have fcen, by the account 
 of two experienced cultivators, that the ave- 
 rage crops of wheat in the New Huibandry 
 were as good as the Old: this may be fairly 
 concluded from Mr. Craik's account of his 
 crops,- and Mr. Dean aflhtS expreffly, that 
 his were fo upon his {hong laud, notwith- 
 
 ftandiog
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 
 
 (landing the difficulty he fometimes found 
 in catching the critical feafons for hoeing : 
 but this difficulty was partly owing, as he in- 
 timates, to the circumftance of his men and 
 horfes being then otherwife employed : for he 
 received his tythes in kind, and employed his 
 own men and horfes to bring it home. A 
 fairer trial of the crops than in his cafe can- 
 not be expe&ed; for he had then praclifed 
 the New Hufbandry for wheat about twenty- 
 four or twenty -fiveyears, and continued it to the 
 time of his death, for about four or five years 
 more* in all about thirty years ; and this upon 
 feveral fields. 
 
 The wheat crops in both methods of Hnf- 
 bandy being nearly equal, there would be no 
 great advantage in the New Hufbandry, if 
 they were alfo equal in other refpects, but this 
 is far from being the cafe : for, not to infift 
 at prefent upon other circumtlances, the fav- 
 ing of dung is alone a matter of great confe- 
 quence. From three to five pounds an acre 
 laved in a crop of wheat, is an expence that 
 cannot be balanced by any fuperiority that 
 even the greateft favourers of the Common 
 Huibandry have alledged: but fome may fay, 
 what is to be done with the dung and manure, 
 that farmers take fo much care to obtain, and 
 that they are by all adviled to provide? The 
 anfwer to this is obvious ; wheat and other 
 corn require no manure, or very little, in the 
 New Hufbandry, but potatoes, carrots, cab- 
 bages,
 
 142 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 bages, and in general all plants and roots 
 cultivated for feeding cattle, and that are im- 
 proved by a luxuriant growth ; to them 
 both manure and hoeing are very beneficial: ; 
 to lucerne and fainfoin, and to meadows and 
 paftures : for thefe and fuch crops manure is 
 highly ufeful, and all that the farmer can 
 fave from corn, and apply to thefe, will be 
 extremely advantageous to him. 
 
 Befides the faving in manure, there is ano- ' 
 ther faving made by thofe who pradlife the 
 New Hu(bandry ; in wheat, they fave above 
 two-thirds of the feed commonly fown broad- 
 caft, which is from eight or nine to twelve 
 pecks per acre ; and the quantity of feed- 
 wheat upon ridges to be horfe-hoed is only 
 from two to three pecks per acre. If the 
 wheat crop is drilled upon level ground, to 
 .be hoed with a cultivator or hand-hoe, half 
 the ufual quantity of feed is fufficient ; and 
 the faving in feed by drilling is commonly 
 more than half, and not lefs for other crops, 
 peafe, beans, barley, and oats: a faving of 
 only half the ufual quantity of feed is a 
 matter of fome confequence to the farmer, 
 and amounts to a very large quantity to the 
 public ; who are greatly interefted in promot- 
 ing the New Hulbandry, wherein the crops 
 are raifed from a much fmaller quantity of 
 feed than was thought practicable before this 
 Husbandry was introduced. 
 
 Another
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 143 
 
 Another confiderable advantage is, the clean- 
 nefs of the crops from weeds : a horfe-hoed 
 crop of wheat, if well cultivated, has fcarce 
 any weeds in it at harveft, and is fit to be 
 carried home almoft as foon as it is reaped ; 
 but fown wheat, growing upon land much 
 dunged, is fo full of weeds at harveft, that it 
 cannot be carried home and houfed or flacked 
 iafely till the weeds are withered : the wheat 
 is all that time expofed to the weather and 
 other accidents, and does frequently receive 
 much damage by that delay. Barley and oats 
 fuffer (till more, particularly barley, by the 
 clover ufually fown with it being often da- 
 maged by the clover ; and in catching feafons, 
 the crop is fbmetimes totally loft, and the 
 young clover injured, and this notwithftand- 
 ing a great expence the farmer is put to, in 
 endeavouring to fave this crop : fo that, in 
 wet or very catching feafons, it would be 
 more for his intereft to mow his barley when 
 in ear, which together with the clover would 
 make excellent fodder for his cattle ; and by 
 this means his extraordinary expence would 
 be faved, and his young clover would come 
 forward again apace. 
 
 When thefe and other oircumftances are 
 duly confidered, every experienced huiband- 
 man will be fenfible, that extending the New 
 Ilufbandry will be very advantageous to the 
 farmers who praftife it, and immenfely fo to 
 ithe public : for it evidently appeers by the 
 
 examples
 
 144 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 examples we have produced of extenfive prac- 
 tice, on various forts of land, that it is ex- 
 ceedingly profitable upon them all : fo that 
 it cannot be doubted, that the extending of 
 the New Hufbandry generally will be an ad- 
 vantage to the public of more than one rent 
 of all the arable lands in the kingdom, not 
 only of land under wheat and other corn, but 
 of other crops ; for they are all improveable 
 by the New Hufbandry, and by- every mode of 
 good hoeing, particularly when performed by 
 horfes ; for by them ail hoeing is done in the 
 cheapeft and beft manner. The fuppofition, 
 that the New Hufbandry will be an advantage 
 to the public of more than one rent of all the 
 arable lands in Britain, thus calculated, is 
 very moderate : for we have feen by the fore- 
 going examples of extenfive practice, that 
 much more profit is obtained, where it has 
 been fkilfully pra&ifed on land of very differ- 
 ent qualities, for wheat and other corn, for a 
 fucceflion of years, and wherof the farmers 
 are moft doubtful : but with regard to fingle 
 or annual crops, it is fo evident, that the 
 moft incredulous do not pretend to difpute it : 
 turnips, carrots, cabbages, potatoes, and others, 
 are utterly unprofitable and worthlefs, unlefs 
 fet out thin and hoed ; and in every fair trial, 
 the horfe- hoeing is found to excel every other 
 mode of culture. To this fhould be added, 
 the faving of great quantities of manure, 
 now employed for wheat and other corn : 
 
 which
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 145 
 
 \vhich, if applied to other crops that now 
 have not enough, will be a great additional 
 profit to the farmer, and this he will obtain 
 by cultivating his wheat and other corn ac- 
 cording to the New Huibandry. 
 
 The foregoing inftances of the culture of 
 wheat, and fome others, in this Huibandry, 
 it is prefumed, will be acceptable to all who are 
 deiirous to pradtife it : but as there are others 
 mentioned only in general above, and that 
 have been very lately publifhed, which may 
 be acceptable to the reader, I mall give an 
 account of .fome of them here, as a confirma- 
 tion of the others ; to mew that this Huf- 
 bandry gains ground, notwithftanding the un- 
 merited oppoiition made to it by fuperficial 
 reafoners and unikilful cultivators ; thofe, in 
 particular, who draw general conclufions 
 from fuch fmall trials as cannot be depended 
 upon in general practice, nor be juftly made a 
 flandard in any Huibandry, efpecially by thofe 
 who are evidently defective in the principles 
 of cultivation : for this reafon, the above ex- 
 periments were given, not detached experi- 
 ments, but the continued practice of the New 
 Huibandry at large, and in a variety of foils ; 
 which carry an evidence with them, not to be 
 denied, or fet afide, by the partial deductions 
 that are drawn from fmall or (ingle experi- 
 ments, made by biaffed relators, and who 
 omit circumitances that ought to be particu- 
 larly related. 
 
 L I mentioned
 
 TH? FRACTICE OT THE 
 
 I riltntionsd in general, and from memory 
 Only, Sir Digby Regard's practice of the New 
 f-Juibandry ; but this gentleman having grea* 
 experience in Hufban dryland his letters ta the 
 London Society containing fo many valuable ob* 
 fervations, that, though too long to be all here 
 infer ted , an abftracl of feme principal matters 
 in his letters to the Society of Arts, will witht 
 out doubt be acceptable to the reader. 
 
 In his letter dated from Ganton near Mai- 
 ton, Yorkfhire, Jan. 24, 1767, he write$> 
 ** About nine years ago, I was induced to be* 
 " gin experiments by an accidental perufol of 
 " Mr. Tulles book of Horfe-hoeing Huiban~ 
 " dry* The promife of foch immenfe ad- 
 ** vantages accruing from a particular mode 
 4t of tillage, feemkigly neither difficult nor 
 tfc expenfwe, made by an author of efbblifhed 
 * reputation, demanded at leaft a candid trial. 
 ** If the authors prtncipks were true r why 
 w not adopt them? On the contrary, if falfe, 
 4< it was high time to undeceive ourfelves and 
 " other s> 
 
 *' Though my firft experiments did not an- 
 ' fwer in that degree which I had flattered 
 * myfelf they would, they, however, encou- 
 *' raged me to proceed : neither were the 
 ** faults I committed, nor my ill fuecefs, un- 
 w edifying ; iwice I had the good fortune to 
 ** correct the former, and gain experience 
 " from the latter. Having now practiced 
 * the drill culture conftautly during nine 
 f years, a> well the horfe-hoeing part, as 
 
 " that
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED* 147 
 
 * that branch of it which coniifts merely in 
 ** (owing corn, &c. in equally diftant rows ; 
 * having applied thefe methods of culture, 
 " not only to corn, but to moft of the legu- 
 *< minous plants ; and having extended my 
 experiments very confiderably ; I may ven- 
 * ture, at laft, to recommend zealoufly a 
 " practice I have always found both enter- 
 " taining and profitable. 
 
 " It is true, many writers on this fubjet 
 have given a much more flattering account 
 " of drilling than I am able to give. If their 
 " account be not exaggerated, either they 
 * have been more fortunate than I, in culti- 
 * vating a foil more peculiarly adapted to 
 " horfe-hoeing; or they have conducted their 
 " experiments with fuperior (kill. However, 
 " I have never been able, from a fingle crop, 
 *' in any one year, of any kind of vegetable, 
 ' to obtain a larger produce from the fame ex- 
 ' tent of equally good ground, where the 
 * lai>d was laid out in beds [lands or ridges] 
 " drilled and horfe-hoed, than where the 
 * corn was fown at random. Vegetables of 
 the pulfe kind are the moft improved by 
 ' the horfe-hoe ; poffibly as great a crop of 
 " peafe, bean?, or turnips, may be obtained 
 ' by it. But wheat, barley, or oats, have 
 " ufually yielded me a third more from ran- 
 " dom fowing; that is, if three quaners of 
 " wheat may be produced from one acre in 
 the Common Hu(bandry, the fame ground 
 
 L 2 will,
 
 148 . THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 * will, cateris paribus, produce no more than 
 ' two quarters, when drilled and horfe-hoed. 
 " But the fupertority of one method over 
 another is not to be determined by its ad- 
 ' vantage of a particular crop, but by many 
 " fuccellive ones, deducting the expences, and 
 ' confidering the nett profits : this I have 
 ' done, and the refult is, that I cannot avoid 
 " giving tne preference to the drill fyftem. 
 
 The actual produce of a field of feven acres, 
 horfe-hoed without dung, during eight fuc- 
 
 ceuive years. 
 
 DRILL HUSBANDRY. 
 
 Years. 
 
 A, 
 
 Corn fown. 
 
 Co. reaped. 
 
 Med. Pr. 
 
 Value of the crop. 
 
 
 
 qrs. bufh, p. 
 
 qrs. bufh. p. 
 
 s. d. 
 
 1. s. d. 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 Oats o i 2 
 
 860 
 
 i 6 
 
 55 
 
 *759 
 
 
 5 
 
 Barley 040 
 
 IO 2 G 
 
 2 O 
 
 840 
 
 1760- 
 
 
 4 
 3 
 
 Wheat 013 
 Barley 021 
 
 45 
 
 IO 2 2 
 
 3 9 
 i 6 
 
 6 18 9 
 850 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 Wheat 020 
 
 530 
 
 3 9 
 
 8 i 3 
 
 1761 < 
 
 
 3 
 
 Barley 012 
 
 12 O O 
 
 2 O 
 
 9 12 o 
 
 1762 
 
 - 
 
 4 
 3 
 
 [Turnips i lb.] 
 Barley 012 
 N.B. Turnips 
 tervals of th 
 
 [60 tons.] 
 720 
 were fown i 
 e barley, wo 
 
 2 O 
 
 ti the in- 
 rth 
 
 700 
 
 8 14 o 
 
 > 3 10 9 
 
 1763 
 
 7 
 
 Barley 042 
 
 22 O 
 
 3 O 
 
 24 4 o 
 
 1764 
 
 7 
 
 Wheat 052 
 
 1242 
 
 6 3 
 
 o i 
 
 3 1 o i-y 
 
 1765 
 
 7 
 
 Wheat 062 
 
 10 2 
 
 S 6 
 
 22 O O 
 
 1766 
 
 7 
 
 Wheat 053 
 
 650 
 
 7 
 
 l8 II 
 
 
 56 
 
 4 4 i 
 
 109 6 o 
 
 
 161 ii c' 
 
 Deduft 
 
 for 
 
 the value of the f 
 
 eed - 
 
 
 7 J 4 4 
 
 Remains nett produce of feven acres, in eight years, 153 16 9* 
 
 COMMON
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 149 
 
 COMMON HUSBANDRY. 
 
 "cars. 
 
 A. 
 
 Corn fown. 
 
 Co. reaped 
 
 Med. Pr. 
 
 Value of the crop. 
 
 
 
 
 
 per bufh. 
 
 1. i. d. 
 
 i 
 
 7 
 
 Turnips lolb. 
 
 140 tons 
 
 worth 
 
 14 o o 
 
 2 
 
 7 
 
 Barley 2 qrs. 5 b. 
 
 28 qrs. 
 
 2 S. 8 d. 
 
 22 8 
 
 3 
 
 7 
 
 Clover i Ib. 
 
 1 1 load 
 
 worth 
 
 10 IO O 
 
 4 
 
 7 
 
 Oats 3 qrs. i b. 
 
 3sq rs - 
 
 i s. 5<J. 
 
 19 5 o 
 
 5 
 
 7 
 
 Turnips 10 Ib. 
 
 140 tons 
 
 worth 
 
 14 oo. 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 Barley 2 qrs. 5 b. 
 
 28 qrs. 
 
 3 8. 
 
 33 rz o 
 
 7 
 
 7 
 
 Clover i Ib. 
 
 1 1 load 
 
 worth 
 
 IO IO O 
 
 8 . 
 
 7 
 
 Oats 3 qrs. i b. 
 
 3 5 qrs. 
 
 i s.8d. 
 
 23 6 8 
 
 
 5 
 
 1 1 qrs. 4.b. 2 p. 
 
 1 26 qrs. 
 
 
 147 ii 8 
 
 Dedoft for the value of the feed 9 1. 10 s. 7 d. and 1 
 210 load of dung at 2 s. per load, 21 1. j 3 
 
 Remains nett produce of feven acres, in eight years, 117 
 
 Drill Hufbandry, total produce of feven acres, in 1 
 eight years - J 
 
 j i 
 
 . 
 
 Common Hufbandry, total produce of feven acres, 1 
 in eight years, J *' 
 
 Confequently the Drill is more advantageous by 36 i$ 8| 
 
 Proof 153 16 9 
 
 / N.B. It is prefumed, that the plough- 
 *' ing expences are nearly equal in each me- 
 *' ,thod; and therefore there is nothing 
 " charged here on that account, on either fide. 
 ' [The expence of ploughing is generally more 
 m the Common than in the New Hufban- 
 '^'.dry: for in the New, the land is once 
 " ploughed to form the new ridges for wheat 
 " or other corn, and horfe-hoed four times 
 f ^ftcr.wards,;; not exceeding two common 
 
 L 3 plough-
 
 THE FRACTICE OF THE 
 
 " ploughings in all. But, in the Old Huf- 
 '< andry, all the land is ufually ploughed 
 " three times, often with fourhorfes; vhereas 
 two horfes are enough for hoeing, or half 
 " the number neceffary for common plough- 
 " * n S'l ^"^ e va ^ ue f" f he feed and crop is 
 " fet aown to each, according to the medium 
 c < prices of corn each year. The above feveii 
 acres of experiment have not been feledted 
 ' as being particularly fucce&ful ; but only 
 " as it happened to be the field where they 
 " were begun, and continued to this time, 
 " I was tnereby enabled to relate the feries 
 of feveral years fuccefs. The foil is light, 
 " deep, and dry; a hazle mould, excellent 
 " for barley, but generally thought not of 
 " fuffiqient tenacity for wheat; and worth in 
 " thi? neighbourhood fifteen (hillings per acre, 
 < tythe-free. The beds extend caftand weft ; 
 " and the field lies gently floping to the 
 ' north. 
 
 ' This field has never been manured, as I 
 " obferved before, fmce my expe- riments were 
 '* beguu, nor for many years preceding. It 
 may be remarked, that the firft crops are 
 not the beft ; but, on the contrary, a re- 
 * gular improvement for fome years kept pace 
 * with its cultivation : and the vahje of 
 * c the four laft crops is almoft double to 
 ' the former ones. The greateft fault com- 
 w mitted at firft was, the fowing too little 
 c feed. The land feerm yet ifl perfect heart;
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 
 
 and though the product of laft year was lefs 
 " than in former ones, it was well known, 
 that the wheat crop failed all over Eng- 
 " land ; as is evident by the prefent high 
 ' price of that grain. For I cannot allow, 
 that the dearneis of torn is owing to the 
 ' bounry, as iome pretend ; having ever con- 
 ** tidered that aft of parliament as the Magna 
 * Chartaof Engliflv agriculture, and tending 
 *' on the whole to make grain more plentiful 
 *' and cheap. 
 
 BefiJes the general caufes of a fcanty 
 rop in -my field of experiments laft year, 
 * there were particular ones, occafioned by 
 *' my abfeuce in the fprirtg, and great part of 
 * l the lummer ; whereby the hand -hoeing, a 
 * very material operation, was neglected, and 
 <* the horfe-1aoeings not regularly nor duly per- 
 * 5 formed. 1 perceived, on my firft examin- 
 ing the ridges in June laft, that the parti- 
 " tions were full of weeds, and the intervals 
 *' hard and compact; but k was then too late 
 " to apply an ^ffe&tial remedy, though the 
 44 weeding ad horfe-hoeing were, even now, 
 *' of mamteft fervice. The bad condition of 
 " the beds made me -deter rhine not to fow 
 " wheat again for the next crop, but to give 
 ** the land a thorough ploughing in winter ; 
 ** and I prepared it to be ibwn in fpring. 
 *' The aforementioned field is valued ,at fifteen 
 44 (hillings an acre; 
 
 L 4 con-
 
 152 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 1. S. d. 
 
 confequently the rent of fe-1 
 
 " ven acres, in eight years, is/ 
 * Ploughing expences are, at! 
 
 " moft, 155. per acre, I allow/ 
 
 For the rent and tillage of fe-"l 
 " ven acres, in eight years, J 
 
 <* The total produce of fevenl 
 
 " acres, in eight years, being ! 153 16 9! 
 
 * c valued at J 
 
 " If we deduft for rent and ex- "1 Q 
 
 pences of tillage J 
 
 "There remains clear profit,from "I , , L 
 " fe ven acres, in eight years, J ^ ^ z 
 
 <c which is one pound five {hillings clear annual 
 " profit, from one acre. And though this 
 " profit be not near fo confiderable as I be- 
 '* fore computed, from an adual crop of 
 44 barley, where the land was in fine order, 
 " and every operation of hand and horfe- 
 " hoeing exactly performed ; yet I judge it to 
 " be fuperior to the old method, and fuffi- 
 " cient to demonftrate the advantages of pul- 
 44 verization. 
 
 The
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 
 
 1. s. d. 
 " The total produce of fevenl 
 
 " acres, in eight years, in the f nj I I 
 
 old method, is J 
 
 ' Deduct for rent and expences.l 
 
 i r i_ f 04. O O 
 
 " the lame as above, J 
 
 41 There remains clear profit onl 
 
 \ O O T T 
 
 " feven acres, in eight years, J 3 ^ 
 
 < wfyich is not quite twelve (hillings clear 
 *' annul profit from one acre. Though this 
 " clear profit be much lefs than I calculated 
 " before ; yet, I apprehend, that there are 
 " many farmers hereabouts who do not clear 
 ' more. And, if fome good managers do 
 ** clear twenty (hillings an acre, which I 
 " hope and believe to be the cale; I have 
 " (hewn in my firft calculation, that the irn- 
 " proved Drill Culture is almoft doubly bene- 
 " ficial : and by my laft calculation of a 
 " farmer's profit, who is not at the top of 
 " his profeffion, compared with the actual 
 " produce in a courie of drilling, where 
 * numberlefs faults were committed during 
 * the five years ; the comparative advantage 
 " is as much on the fide of drilling, as where 
 " I reckoned the produce of each method at 
 *' a higher rate ; and the proportionable ex- 
 
 . ff cellence
 
 I 4* THE PRACTICE Of THE 
 
 * cellencc ftill remains annexed to the fyftem 
 of Tull." 
 
 The culture here given is from Sir Digby's 
 laft letter to the Society, as he was then be- 
 come more expert in the New Hufbandry than 
 at firft ; an4 for this reafon, as he oblerves, 
 his drilled Crops the laft four years were near 
 double to what they were the fir ft four years ; 
 and hence it appears, that the impartial com- 
 parifon of the two -methods mould be when 
 both are well executed ; and that the firft four 
 years, " wherein numbei lefs faults were com- 
 mitted," ftvould not be included in the 
 comparifon, as the merits of the Old and 
 New Hufbandry are neither of them to be 
 determined by a few, or fmall trials, unfkil- 
 fully conduced, but by a continued courfe of 
 culture, managed with care, and in the beft 
 manner : for if the New Hufbandry was fb 
 much fuperior, * when numberlefs faults 
 " were committed," the advantage of it over 
 Old Hufbandry, when well performed, is 
 very ftriking, being near doubly profitable to 
 what Sir Digby has ftated it. 
 
 The land is defcribed as being light, deep, 
 and dry ; yet not fo much as Mr. Tull*s was 
 in general, much of whofe land was light 
 and dry, but not deep : yet k appears, that 
 his crops of wheat were much greater than 
 Sir Digby's were, even in the laft years of 
 his practice. One reafon of this appears to 
 be, ^that the land here was twice ploughed, to 
 
 form
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 155 
 
 form the new ridges, which is not neceflary ; 
 but is a real injury to the crop, if one of 
 thefe plough ings is reckoned to be as ad van* 
 tageous a> a horfe-hoeing, which xvas the cafe 
 here ; for it appears by the defer iption, that 
 this land was horfe-hoed but three times for 
 each crop, viz. firft, by turning a fmall fur- 
 row from the rows of corn on each fide; 
 next, by deepening thefe furrows, turning 
 the earth ftill from the corn ; and, laft of all, 
 ploughing the earth back to the ridges. Now 
 though thefe operations were very ufeful and 
 advantageous to the crop, the land did not 
 receive the full benefit of expofure, fo much 
 as it does by four ho He- hoe ings, twice from 
 and twice towards the ridges : for thefe 
 fhould be of a good depth, and anew furface 
 is at each hoeing expofed to the atmofphere ; 
 by which means, the oftcner a new furface is 
 expofed to the atmofphere, at proper intervals 
 of time, the more will the land and crop be 
 improved : but, if time is not allowed for the 
 expofure, and the earth is immediately 
 ploughed back, without allowing it time to 
 lie expofed to the air, it will not be improved 
 by fuch fecond ploughing, any further than 
 twice |^ loughing may be an advantage to land, 
 by breaking and pulverizing it more than 
 once ploughing. Whence it happened that 
 this circuroftance was not attended to here, 
 docs not appear in Sir Digby's letters ; though 
 he was acquainted with the benefits of expo- 
 lure,
 
 156 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 fure, as appears from his letter above quoted, 
 where he fays, " The repeated ftirrings not 
 ** only improve the foil by keeping it in a 
 ** loofe flate, proper to be penetrated by the 
 c roots and fibres of plants, which are thus 
 ** enabled to draw their nourimment from it : 
 " but they expofe every particle, in its turn, 
 * to the influence of the atmofphere ; and 
 " procure an inexhauftible fupply of food for 
 " the purpofes of vegetation.*' This is found 
 to be true from experience : and giving this 
 land but three horfe-hoeings, inftead of four, 
 appears to be the reafon that this gentleman 
 thought, that twelve bufhels of wheat on an 
 acre is about the medium quantity to be ob- 
 tained from moderately fertile ground without 
 dung ; whereas we have feen, that Mr. Tull 
 obtained a great deal more; and that he, Mr. 
 Dean and Mr. Craik, obtained near as good 
 crops, in the way of drilling and hoeing, as 
 was ufually obtained in the common or broad- 
 caft Hufbandry. 
 
 One caufe of the drilled crops falling fo 
 much fhort of the broad-cad has been, that 
 the experimenters have depended too much on 
 the finenefs or pulverization of their land ; 
 which is without doubt neceflary, that the 
 roots may freely penetrate and extend in it; but 
 pulverizing does not of itfelf enrich land : it 
 rather prepares it to be exhaufted, by the roots 
 of plants extending more freely therein ; 
 whereas expofure brings additional riches to 
 
 - * i 
 
 the
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 157 
 
 the land, and ' therefore mould never be 
 omitted, how fine foever the land may be: 
 land finely pulverized is indeed more fufcep- 
 tible of the influences of the atmofphere, 
 than land that is more clofe and comprefled ; 
 but no land, however fine, receives fo much 
 benefit from the atmofphere, as thofe parts of 
 it that are expofed to its immediate action, by 
 being turned and laid open to it, and remain- 
 ing fome competent time to be impregnated 
 by it. By not attending to this circumftance, 
 and fuppofing pulverization to be the fame as 
 expofure, feveral experimenters have been mif- 
 led ; and fome have fancied, that the princi* 
 pies of the New Hufbandry were erroneous; 
 whereof we may have occafion to mew another 
 proof hereafter. 
 
 The firft letter from Sir Digby Legard to 
 the patriotic Society of Arts was in 1763, 
 giving an account of his culture of barley in 
 the New Hufbandry, for which they pre- 
 fented him with a gold medal. He fpeaks at 
 firft with great diffidence of this Hufbandry, 
 but, upon further experience, was clearly of 
 opinion, that it was more profitable than the 
 Old Hufbandry ; and found it was fo, though 
 his drilled crops were not fo large, and were 
 indeed fmaller, for the reafons above affigned, 
 than fome other ingenious cultivators have 
 obtained, as we have fully (hewn. 
 
 " I wifh,
 
 15$ ?HE PRACTICE t>P THE 
 
 " I with," fjys Sir Digby in his firft letter^ 
 ** it were in my power to determine precifely 
 < the moft profitable method of culture: but 
 " fince feveral years experience, and the moft 
 ** careful obfervations I have been abfe to 
 ** make, have not been fufficient to clear up 
 * my own doubts, 1 (hall not prefume to die- 
 " tate to others, or to fpeak very pofitively 
 ** on fo nice a fubjecl:* I would reject the 
 4 * moft plaufible theory, if unconfirmed by 
 * experiments. And even experiments them- 
 * felves, if they are not executed with care, 
 ** often varied in different foils, (ituations, 
 * and circumftances, and repeated feveral 
 c years, are too apt to miflead. It is both a 
 " very important and difficult talk, which 
 ** the advocates for the New Hufbandry have 
 4< undertaken, to overthrow entirely the old 
 ** fyftem of fallowing and dung ; nay, even 
 " the more modern introduction of turnips 
 " and clover (a fyftem which the induftrious 
 *' farmer has long found abundantly fuffi- 
 * cient, if not to acquire riches, at leaft to 
 *' enable him to maintain his family) ; in 
 * order to introduce trie more fafhionable 
 ' fcheme of pulverization ; aflerting confi- 
 detitly, that nothing more is neceflary, in 
 * order to create an immenfe and lafting fer- 
 tility, in almoft every foil, than thorough- 
 * ly to break and divide the earth. But the 
 ** aflertors of a new doctrine are apt to be too 
 ** fanguine. Let Us beware of being impofed 
 
 ** upon
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 159 
 
 ** upon by novelty; or of preferring inge- 
 ** nious to ufeful difcoveries. I am the more 
 * inclined to communicate thefe experiments 
 ** of laft year ; becaufe I think the compari- 
 * fon lefs favourable to the New Hufbandry, 
 * in that than in any other years, wherein I 
 * have made experiments. For I would al- 
 46 low every advantage to old cuftoms, that 
 ** they can naturally or reafonably claim.'* 
 [By this it appears, that Sir Digby was not 
 at firft, nor for fome years, inclined to be 
 partial, or even favourable, to the New Huf- 
 bandry ; upon farther experience, he came to 
 have a more favourable opinion of it, and 
 was at laft fully convinced of its fuperiority ; 
 which was in confequence of a long and cri- 
 tical obfervation of the effects of both me- 
 thods, and this he had opportunity of trying 
 extenfively.] 
 
 Five acres of an inclo&d field, the foil 
 ** of which is naturally pretty rich, but light 
 '* and dry, inclining to a hazle mould, and 
 ** nearly of an equal goodnefs throughout, 
 was deftined to be fown with barley, part 
 " according to the old, and part to the new 
 * 4 method of Hufbandry, in order to afcer- 
 tain the moft advantageous method of CuK 
 ** ture. This land had borne four fucceflive 
 w crops, vix. one of barley, two of wheat, 
 ** and one of turnips; was diipofed in beds 
 ' for ridges] from the firft ; and had been 
 ** hotfe-hoed every year ; but it bad never 
 
 *' had, 
 . ,
 
 ."-THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 " had any manure, except that the turnips 
 * had been eaten off by the fheep. On the 
 26th of April, 1753, half an acre was 
 ' fowu by hand in the random way, and 
 ** took five pecks of feed. Half an acre was 
 " drilled in equally diftant rows, one foot 
 * afunder, and took three pecks. Two acres 
 ' were drilled in ridges or beds, five feet 
 * broad, in double rows, eleven inches afun- 
 * der, and four feet one inch interval, to be 
 " horfe-hoed, and they took fix pecks. Two 
 " other acres were drilled, on five feet ridges, 
 4C in triple rows, feven inches afunder, and 
 14 took four pecks. 
 
 ** N.B. I feared, at the time of fowing 
 ' thefe laft two acres, that the feed had been 
 ** too fparingly difpenfed : but the plants 
 
 branched fo much afterwards, that the rows 
 
 feemed tolerably compleat. 
 
 " The above five acres had but one plough- 
 * c ing: viz. juft before feed-time, after the 
 4C harveft, ^1762. One the goth of May, 
 " the firft horfe-hoeing was performed on the 
 ** four acres fowed in ridges, with M. Duha- 
 * mell's one-wheeled plough. But, on ac- 
 * count of the rows being drilled unevenly, 
 * this could not be done very regularly in 
 " fome places, the plough coming fo near 
 * the rows as to tear out fome plants, and co- 
 **? ver others with mould; and in others 
 " om g at to great a diftance from the corn. 
 " To remedy this in fome meafure, the rows 
 
 "fo 
 
 " 
 '
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED* l6l 
 
 " fo covered had the earth taken off", and an- 
 " other horfe -hoeing was given on the 7th of 
 " June, the earth being very. dry. By this 
 " laft operation, the firft furrow was cut 
 " deeper, and the plough went at a proper 
 " diftance from the rows.*' [It is neceflary 
 to make the ridges and rows of plants to be 
 horfe-hoed, very ftraight at firft ; and they are 
 frequently not made ftraight enough by com- 
 mon ploughmen, which, as in this inftance 
 of Sir Digby's, is inconvenient, and attended 
 with feme extraordinary expence : this may 
 be prevented, and the ground laid out ftraight 
 at firft, by drawing a couple of cart or othec 
 wheels upon the furface of the level ground, 
 after it is harrowed fine -, thefe wheels being 
 connected together by an axle of a proper 
 length, and drawn by one horfe in (hafts, or 
 a couple of poles, will mark the exact dif- 
 tances of the rows, and guide the ploughman 
 to make the ridges equal.] " On the 8th 
 " of June, all the five acres were hand-hoed; 
 " but, by reafon of the dry feafon, not many 
 " weeds had fp rung up. The -effect of the 
 " horfe-hoeing on the four acres was great, 
 *' and the corn feemed to flourifli exceedingly. 
 " The plants were of a deep green, and re- 
 44 markably vigorous. The part drilled in 
 " equally diftant rows without intervals re- 
 " mained always of a paler green. But the 
 " part fovved in the common way was a de- 
 " gree (till paler, though this laft part ripened 
 
 M " the
 
 1 62 THE "PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 " the earlieft, the drilled half-acre next, and 
 " the four horfe-hoed acres laft of all. The 
 " third and laft horfe-hoeing was performed 
 " in the beginning of July. This turned the 
 " eai;th towards the rows, and left a furrow 
 " in the midft of the intervals. 
 
 ' On the 3 1 ft of Auguft, 1736, the half- 
 
 " acre fowed by hand, and the half-acre 
 
 *' drilled in equal diflant rows, were mowed ; 
 
 " and on the i5th of September, the four 
 
 " horfe-hoed acres were mowed : the ears of 
 
 u thefe were far from being equally ripe, be- 
 
 <e caufe the extreme wet feafon had caufed fe- 
 
 * veral frefh (hoots at the time the firfl and 
 
 " principal were ripening. The feed was 
 
 " fowed too thin on the two acres drilled with 
 
 *' triple rows, and in coufequence there 
 
 " were feveral vacant fpaces in the rows ; and 
 
 " this was certainly fome diminution of the 
 
 ie crop. The ears of barley throughout the 
 
 46 four horfe-hoed acres were furprizingly 
 
 " large. Several contained thirty-eight grains 
 
 * each (which is uncommon, at leaft, in my 
 
 *' neighbourhood). I believe the number of 
 
 * grains in an ear were, at a medium, about 
 
 " thirty. 
 
 ' The many florms of wind and rain had 
 " lodged the corn in many places. I had 
 " fome barley this year, fown by hand, on 
 " frefh and good land , which was fo lodged 
 " in thofe places where the land was the 
 " richeft, and the corn the thickeft, that the 
 
 ** great eft
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 163 
 
 *' greateft part was wafted. Neverthelefs, 
 '* though the horfe-hoed barley inclined every 
 " way, owing to ftorms, in various direc- 
 " tions, and entirely covered the four inter- 
 " vals fo that no land could be feen ; yet 
 " were the ftalks only bent, but no Way in- 
 44 jured : and this is one great advantage, 
 44 which horfe-hoed corn has over that fowed 
 44 at random. For, though the ears are very 
 " large, the ftems are proportionably ftrong 
 " and hard, and being conftantly expofed, by 
 " means of the broad intervals, to the iti- 
 44 fluence of the fun and air, they acquire 
 " fuch a degree of firmnefs, as generally to 
 44 refift all attacks of wind and rain. The 
 44 only inconvenience attending thefe bent 
 44 ftalks was, that they were difficult and 
 c awkward to mow ; and, by covering the 
 44 intervals, prevented their being fown, and 
 44 deprived me of a good crop of turnips. 
 For I have generally fown turnips in the 
 intervals, immediately after the laft. horfe- 
 44 hoeing about the beginning of July. The 
 " land is then reduced toexcellent tilth; andno- 
 '* thing more is neceflary than to fow the feed 
 pretty thick. The firft (hower of rain 
 44 wafhes it into the ground, and covers it, 
 4< without the aid of the harrow. The young 
 " plants enjoy the benefit of the frelh-tilled 
 44 earth ; and the corn being reaped foon af- 
 44 terwards, the whole field is left for the tur- 
 ** nips to extend their roots in it. I have had 
 
 Ma 4 near
 
 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 " near as good crops of turnips this way, as 
 " when the land was occupied by that plant 
 " alone. 
 
 qrs. bufh. p. 
 
 " The total nett produce of one"] 
 
 " acre of barley, in the Old ! 5 4 2 
 
 " method, was, 
 '* Ditto of one acre, fown inl , 
 
 ** equally-diftant rows, J 
 
 " Ditto of one acre, drilled and") 
 
 horfe-hoed J 3 
 
 ' The land of both thefe trials was, as 
 " nearly as poflible, of equal goodnefs, and 
 " in equal order, lying contiguous in the 
 < fame field. The feed- corn of both was 
 " exactly the fame, and all fown on the fame 
 " day. So that the difference in the produce 
 of each acre muft be attributed to the quan- 
 " tity of feed fown, the manner of diftri- 
 " buting that feed in the earth, and the cul- 
 " ture beftowed on the plants whilft grovv- 
 *' ing. It is evident, however, that the land 
 " in the Old produced nearly double to that 
 " which was cultivated in the New way. 
 " But the greateft produce was from the land 
 " 'fown with the drill-plough in equally-dif- 
 *' tant rows, one foot afunder. Yet are we 
 M not from thence to determine too ralhly in 
 ** favour of either method-, 
 
 " I own,
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 165 
 
 " I own, from the appearance of the crop 
 *' whilft growing, and even after it was 
 4C reaped, I did expeft that the quantity from 
 " the four horfe-hoed acres would have been 
 ** more confiderable. Indeed I can account 
 4C for fome diminution of the crop from the 
 44 following accidents, viz. the horfe-hoed 
 44 corn ripened unequally, owing, as was be- 
 4 fore obferved, to the exce flive wet feafon ; 
 44 and, as it was later reaped than the other, 
 44 it was more expofed to the depredation of 
 44 fparrows and other birds, which certainly 
 " got part of it. And, being firft carried 
 " into a Dutch barn, and removed fome time 
 44 afterwards into a common barn to be 
 44 thremed, there was not only a lofs by feat- 
 " tered feed in the removal, but likewife by 
 44 pigeons, which devoured a good part, 
 44 having a conftant and free accefs to the 
 44 tops and (ides of the barn where it was firfl 
 4 depofited. Whereas the produce of the 
 44 parts cultivated in the Old way, and drilled 
 44 in equally-diftant rows, was carried into 
 46 the barn, and thremed immediately, and 
 44 therefore not liable to the ravages of ver- 
 4 * min, or to any other lofs. 
 
 44 But it muft be allowed notwithfbnding, 
 44 from this experiment, that the advantage 
 44 appears to be on the fide of the Old me- 
 " thod. On the other hand, although fix 
 44 quarters on an acre is confefledly a very 
 ' large incrcafe from land fown in the common 
 
 M 3 4 ' manner,
 
 l66 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 " manner, yet it is no lefs true, that this 
 " great fertility was, in a confiderable mea- 
 " lure, owing to the excellent culture be- 
 " flowed on it by tb u e horfe-hoeing method. 
 ** Cquftant tillage, during the four preceding 
 " fummers, had undoubtedly fupplied the 
 " plaqe of manure; and four fucceeding crops, 
 " which were none of them bad, were fo far 
 U from having exbaufted the earth, that there 
 " feemed to Le an increafe of vegetable food. 
 V The foij appeared fo thoroughly divided, 
 *f that, fince the harveft of 1 763, the above 
 <? four acres have been drilled with wheat at 
 *' once ploughing, and promife a good crop, 
 <c the ridges being now where the furrows 
 * were Jaft year: but thofe parts which 
 " were fovvn at random, and in rows, have 
 " been manured at the rate of lixteen loads of 
 ?' liable dung to one acre, in order to recover 
 ' their loft fertility: and it was neceflary to 
 tl fow fome kind of meliorating crop, to 
 *' make this part of equal goodnefs with the 
 " reft of the field. |t has accordingly been 
 " ploughed into five-feet ridges, and drilled 
 <* this April with white peafe, a double row 
 " on each bed, and is intended tp be horfe- 
 " hoed. 
 
 " I cannot hejp obferying here, that were 
 
 *' I to follow M. De Chateauvieux' method 
 
 .*' (although, in moft inftances, I am proud 
 
 <' to folio vv the example of fo able an expe- 
 
 * rimenter), and compute the produce of fe- 
 
 <* veral
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. l6; 
 
 * veral years on the footing of the above 
 *' horfe-hoed crop, reckoning the land in 
 <( the Old way to bring a crop only once in 
 * two years, the advantage would be greatly 
 " in favour of the New method, even fup- 
 ' pofing every crop in the old at the rate of 
 " fi^ quarters to an acre. For the expence of 
 " manure and tillage, in the fallow year, are 
 " infinitely greater than the horle-hoeing ex- 
 " pences. But, if England be fo much fu- 
 " perior to SwhTerland in goodnefs of foil ; 
 *' or, if our farmers are fo much more ikilful 
 ** than theirs, that we cdn in the common 
 ** management, I mean, by the culture of 
 *' turnips, clover, rape, &c. have a benefi- 
 44 cial crop every year ; I Ihould be inclined 
 ** to doubt, whether the very fuperior advan- 
 " tages, which fome writers attribute to the 
 *' horfe-hoeing Hufoandry, may not be more 
 ' imaginary than real. Not but that I 
 14 think there are feveral circumftances to re- 
 " commend it, and that it may be followed 
 " in fome fituations to great advantage. As 
 4< where the difficulty of procuring manure is 
 " very great, or where the diftance of the 
 * ploughed field from the farmer's habita- 
 ** tion would make the carriage too expen- 
 " five. There are alfo fome Ibils more pecu- 
 liarly adapted than others to the New 
 " Hufbandry, as requiring an extraordinary 
 ** degree of pulverization j fome vegetables 
 
 M 4 " are
 
 l68 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 < are particularly improved by beftowing a 
 culture on them whilft growing. 
 
 " I mould therefore be concerned to find, 
 " that any one was deterred, by what I have 
 *' faid from making or continuing their expert 
 *' ments in the New Hufbandry. My expe* 
 " Hence is much too fmall to determine ab- 
 " folutely the comparative excellency of the 
 * two methods. I have, however, fo good an 
 * 6 opinion of Mr. Tull's fyftem, that I have al- 
 " ready continued the practice of it for five or 
 " fix years, and have tried it on feveral kinds 
 " of vegetables $ and in a pretty extenlive 
 " manner. I propofe to continue my experi- 
 " ments, to extend, and to vary them. Per- 
 * haps, at lalt, I may be able to afcertain, 
 whether or no the horfe-hoeing fcheme be 
 *' iuperior, and in what degree." [This gen- 
 tleman has hitherto fpoken like an impartial 
 experimenter, with caution and diffidence ; 
 but, after continuing, extending, and vary- 
 ing his experiments for a courfe of years, and 
 finding the New Hufbandry ftill fuperior, he 
 fully declares himfelf convinced of it; though, 
 on account of his hoeing his barley, and allb 
 his wheat, but three times in the feafon, his 
 ploughing fhallow at firft, and giving- his par-^ 
 titions between the rows of- wheat but one 
 hand-hoeing, his crops of horfe- hoed wheat were 
 inferior to what they would have been, had he 
 beftowed a more perfect culture upon them $ 
 which evidently appears from what we have
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 169 
 
 (hewn above, that fome eminent cultivators 
 obtained much larger crops, from land of in- 
 ferior quality, or not fo well adapted to the 
 hoeing hufbandry. To this alfo may be added, 
 that Sir Digby's crops were late in ripening, 
 which is attended with feveral inconveniences, 
 and may in fome meafure be prevented by 
 early fowing. Hoed crops are longer in ripen- 
 ing than thofe not hoed ; as the hoeing con- 
 tinues to furnifh them longer with nourifh- 
 ment, whereby the plants, and feed, are brought 
 to greater perfection : It is therefore the ui- 
 tereft of the cultivator, to haften the blowing 
 of the plants, and to protraft their ripening ; 
 early fowing is a means of obtaining both thefe 
 advantages.] 
 
 " There is one prejudice," continues this 
 gentleman, " commonly adopted againft this 
 ' method by the inexperienced, viz. that it 
 " is very expenlive ; which is entirely ground- 
 ' lefs, as will appear by attending to the fol- 
 " lowing particulars. The two-wheeled drill 
 " plough, invented by Mr. Tull (which I can 
 " recommend as a good inftrument, having 
 " had feverai years experience of it, and fome 
 " hundreds of acres drilled with fuccefs), may 
 44 be made com pleat, with wooden feed-boxes, 
 " for fifty (hillings. Mr. Duhamel's one- 
 ' wheeled plough, for horfe hoeing, cofts 
 ' thirty (hillings. But this laft, though very 
 ' ufeful, is not abfolutely ncceflary. For the 
 " common plough without wheels will per- 
 
 " form
 
 170 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 " form all the operations of horfe-hoeing ;" 
 [and much better than any plough that nas 
 a wheel ; which, as it goes upon the fide 
 of a (loping ridge, is apt to draw the plough 
 too much to the right.] 4< Thofe two inft.ru- 
 * 4 ments may be eafily made, and repaired, by 
 " a country wheelwright. I have feveral 
 44 made in the yjUage where I live, at the 
 * 4 aforefaid prices, which were very perfect, 
 " and have laded feveral years. It is true, I 
 * 4 make ufe of fome other inflruments, which 
 " may be faid to be appendages of the Ne\v 
 44 Hufbandry, as they have been contrived by 
 * 4 the practitioners of it. But the five-coul- 
 44 tered plough, the fingle and double-culti- 
 44 vators, &c. though extremely convenient to 
 * 4 thofe who pradtife this method in a very 
 *' extenfive manner, are by no means necef- 
 ** fary in making trials, or fmall experiments.** 
 [Thete two cultivators are the invention of 
 M. De Chateauvieux ; and may be uleful in 
 fome particular cales, but are by no means 
 proper to be fubltituted for the hoe-plough ; 
 as we mall have occafion to fhew, in treat- 
 ing of Mr. Wynn Baker's experiments upon 
 wheat.] 
 
 44 After the firft year, that is, when the 
 " 'land is reduced to fine order, one horfe is 
 * 4 generally furficient to turn a furrow either 
 44 to or from the rows : and as a man and 
 ** Jiorfe can, with eafe, horie-hoe four acres 
 ** in a day, it cannot cofl more than one (hil- 
 
 44 ling
 
 KEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 171 
 
 ' ling to horfe-hoe an acre, even including 
 f the repairs of the inftruments. Nor are 
 * more than four hoeings commonly required. 
 M So if we reckon four millings for ploughing 
 ?* the ground once over, or forming frefh 
 < ridges ; four (hillings more for horfe-hoe-r 
 * ing ; two (hillings and fix-pence for hand- 
 < hoeing; two millings for weeding; and 
 " fix-pence for drilling; thirteen millings is 
 ' the whole expence of managing an acre in 
 f the new method. 
 
 " Such therefore being the cafe with 
 *< which this celebrated method is performed, 
 *' fo great the improvement of the land by it, 
 " and fuch the extraordinary effects produced 
 *f by merely {lining the earth ; one would 
 " think every hufbandman (hould be induced 
 ' to give it a fair and candid trial; and as 
 * there needs not the exaggerated encomiums, 
 44 which its partizans have affected to teftow 
 upon it, ori the one hand ; fo, on the other, 
 f k the inveterate prejudices, which prevail in 
 " many againft this iyftem, as they have no 
 44 foundation in 'truth, mud prove fubverfive 
 * of the interefts of agriculture.'* 
 
 Sir Digby's next letter is dated the rft of 
 November 1765. *' The experiments,*' fays 
 he, " that I had the honour to lay before you, 
 " in 1763, in order to determine the mod 
 beneficial method of cultivating barley, were 
 f I fear, not entirely fatisfa&ory ; at lead they 
 {* were not fo to me ; I mud beg leave therefore, 
 
 " to
 
 172 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 " to add the following, as a fupplement to my 
 " former letter. 
 
 " However doubtfully I might exprefs my- 
 " felf, in that letter, with regard to the ex- 
 ' cellence of the drill, and horle-hoeing cul- 
 " ture, (not having, as I thought at that time, 
 44 fufficient experience to determine a point 
 " of fo much importance) two years careful 
 " obfervations have fince enabled me to fpeak 
 " more pofitively, and have made me incline 
 " much more to the fide of the drill fyftem. 
 44 Nor have my experiments been confined to 
 " barley. I have cultivated wheat for feveral 
 " years with fucceis, and have applied the 
 *' horfe-hoeing hufbandry to beans, peafe, 
 " oats, turnips, potatoes, fainfoin, and lucern ; 
 *' and the erlecls of horfe-hoeing have been 
 " Ib conflant and uniform in the cultivation 
 " of all thofe vegetables, that I have no doubt 
 " but that this method, if executed with care, 
 " attention, and perfeverance, during a term 
 44 of years, will prove much more advan- 
 " tageous than the old method. 
 
 " The fame field in which the experiments 
 " on barley were made (as before related in 
 
 " ] 7^3> ls uow ^ own w i tn wheat, the eighth 
 " fucceffive crop, of which four crops iiave 
 " been wheat. The two lait of thefe have each 
 " produced two quarters of wheat per acre; and 
 " the land is fo far from being exhaufted by 
 *' fo many burdens, that it leems/yet in per- 
 *' feel heart, though uo manure has ever been 
 " Jaid upon it. 
 
 i ' I
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 173 
 
 ' I have now praclifed the drill culture 
 " about eight years, and, from the mod care- 
 " ful obfervations I have been able to make, 
 " I judge, that twelve bufhels of wheat on 
 " an acre is about the medium quantity to be 
 64 obtained, from moderately fertile ground, 
 during at leaft fix fucceffive years, without 
 * dung. I reckon eight bufliels to the quarter, 
 " and nine gallons to the buihel. Now if this 
 " be a true pofition, I think it will not be 
 " difficult to prove, that the drill culture is 
 c more beneficial to the farmer than any 
 other method hitherto invented." 
 
 If SirDigby's twelve bufhelsof wheat per acre 
 were more profitable than the Old Hufbandry, 
 how much greater was Mr. Tull's, who had 
 nearly twenty bumels (alfo nine-gallon mea- 
 fure) upon the acre in double rows alfb, from, 
 about ninety acres of his \vorft land; and his land 
 poorer and much (hallower than Sir Digby's? 
 This fhews plainly, that there was a defect in Sir 
 Digby's tillage, and that his land, inftead 
 of three, fhould have had at leaft four horfe- 
 hoeings, deep hoeings from the rows of wheat, 
 and clofe to them. And Mr. Craik fays, 
 Were it not for the parts that fail in my 
 * fields, my horfe-hoed crops would exceed 
 * four quarters;" that is, his crops would ex- 
 ceed four quarters Winchefter meafure, upon 
 the Scotch acre ; which is twenty-five and a 
 half Winchefter bufhels, upon an Engli(h fta- 
 tute acre.] 
 
 After
 
 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 After I have related the two laft years ex- 
 " periments on barley, I (hall give a compara- 
 " tive view, of the expences and profits attend- 
 " ing the cultivation of the land, in the old and 
 new way ; and I (hall calculate the profit in 
 < the old way, not according to the management 
 " in uie in the time of our anceftors, but accord- 
 " ing to the beft modern improvements, taking 
 " the account from fome celebrated modern 
 * practitioners, as related by themfelves. 
 
 ' A comparifon of this fort is not fo properly 
 " made betwixt the Old and New Hufbandry, 
 ' as betwixt the modern improvements adopt- 
 " ed by the common farmer, and the benefit 
 < peculiarly arifing from the drill and horfe-hoe- 
 " ing fyftem. That the latter is founded on juft 
 " principles, I am convinced ; and that the 
 6 practice of it (if any credit be due to the ac- 
 " tual experiments of its profeflbrs) ought to be 
 t( efteemed one of the moft considerable im- 
 " provments in agriculture. 
 
 On the 26th of April 1764, two acres and 
 " a half were drilled with barley on ridges 
 " four feet and a half broad, viz. a double row 
 " ten inches diftant on the top of every ridge, 
 <c the intervals for horfe-hoeing three feet eight 
 'inches broad; and took two bufhels two 
 *' pecks of feed. One acre adjoining, and of 
 " equal goodnefs, was on the lame clay drilled 
 " with barley, in equally difiant rowb, ne foot 
 " afunder, and took two bufhels of iced. One 
 " other contiguous acre was, at the lame time,,
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. I? 
 
 " fown in the broad- caft manner, and took two 
 " bufhels one peck of feed. All the land was as 
 near as poflible of equal goodnefs, of a light 
 ' and dry nature; viz. a good hazle loam, 
 " worth fifteen (hillings per acre. This field had 
 ' borne a good crop of oats, viz. fix quarters pet* 
 " acre, the preceding year, on once ploughing. 
 
 " N. B. It had been twenty years in grafs. 
 
 ' Two ploughings had been performed fince 
 " the oat crop, viz. one in the autumn, and 
 " the other in the fpring. The horfe-hoed part 
 " had three hoeings given at proper times, and 
 " was once hand-hoed. The one acre drilled 
 " level could not be hand-hoed, becaufe fain- 
 " foin had been fown in the partitions, betwixt 
 *' the rows of corn; and it is to be oblerved, the 
 " Want of this hand-hoeing deprived the barley 
 " of a very material advantage. The acre ibwn 
 *' broad-cad was alfo laid down with fainfoin, 
 * 4 and was not weeded. 
 
 '* The horfe-hoed corn, as well as the level- 
 ** drilled, and broad-caft, were cut on the i8th 
 " of September, and produced, 
 
 qrs. bufii. p. 
 *' The two acres and a half horfe-1 
 
 " hoed, when threfhed, J 5 
 
 " The produce of one acre drilled! 
 
 " in equally-diftant rows, J 
 And of the one acre fown \ 
 
 " broad-caft, J 
 
 The
 
 1^6 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 44 The horfe-hoed crop may be efteemed a 
 " great one, as it produced four quarters and 
 44 three bufhels to an acre. The corn was alfo 
 4t fuperior in fize and goodnefs to the other; 
 44 and was fold immediately for one pound five 
 " millings per quarter ; fome ears contained 
 44 thirty-eight grains. This crop fuffered a 
 *' diminution from fome horles breaking into 
 ' the field, and eating leveral rows, juft at the 
 41 time of its getting into ear. But as the two 
 44 other acres of experiment were injured by the 
 44 corn being lodged, in fome places, by ftorma 
 *' of wind and rain, thefe accidents might 
 44 nearly balance each other. 
 
 " On the 4th of May 1765, the two acres 
 
 44 and a half, juft mentioned to have been horfe- 
 
 " hoed the preceding year, were again drilled 
 
 " with barley, after two ploughings, to form 
 
 " the ridges, and took two bufhels one peck 
 
 " of feed. Thefe were horfe-hoed, and hand- 
 
 44 hoed; and, in fhort, managed in every refpect 
 
 44 as in the former year. This. crop was reaped 
 
 44 on the i ^th of September, and threlhed the 
 
 44 22d of October. The produce was ten quar- 
 
 44 ters of fine and clear corn, fold at one pound 
 
 44 two millings and fix-pence per quarter. The 
 
 *' adjoining land, where the laft years experi- 
 
 44 ments .were made, could not be fown this 
 
 44 year with corn, by reafon of its being occu- 
 
 " pied by a crop of fainfoin; which now looks 
 
 " very promifing. But I obferve, that this year 
 
 44 my. crops of barley in general do not produce 
 
 cj " more
 
 NEW ttUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 177 
 
 " more than four quarters four bufhels per 
 
 " acre. But taking my barley crops at a me- 
 
 " dium for the laft three years, the produce 
 
 " has been four quarters on an acre, in my 
 
 " bed fields, fown broad-caft; and taking the 
 
 *' horfe-hoed crops at a medium for the beft 
 
 ' three years, the produce has been three quar- 
 
 ** ters fix bumels and three pecks. In the fdl- 
 
 " lowing comparifon therefore I mall calcu- 
 
 " late each year's crops, both in the old and 
 
 * new way, on the above footing. 
 
 ( It is impoflible to be very exac~l in this 
 
 " kind of calculations ; but I fincerely believe, 
 
 '* that there is greater probability of reaping 
 
 " four quarters on an acre in the horfe-hoeing 
 
 " hulbandry, than five quarters in the com- 
 
 " mon way, on fuch a foil as I have made 
 
 ' my experiments on. It has been ufual to 
 
 " reckon, that the farmer ought to make three 
 
 ' rents of his land : one third of which goes 
 
 ' to his landlord, another to the expences of 
 
 ,< cultivation, and the remaining third to the 
 
 maintenance of himlelf and family. But we 
 
 ' will allow that the art of husbandry is fo 
 
 * much improved, that an intelligent farmer 
 
 " may receive above a third clear profit. One 
 
 <f cannot preciiely determine what the profit 
 
 is, which varies probably in every county, 
 
 ' and depends Ib much on circumttances and 
 
 ' fituation. 1 (hall therefore fet down a courfe 
 *' of hufbandry frequently obferved by farmers 
 " in my neighbourhood, where the fields are 
 . N " inclofed,
 
 i;3 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 " inclofed, and let for fifteen (hillings an acre 
 tit he -free. 
 
 An eftimate of the expences and profit of one 
 acre, in four years. 
 
 I. s. d. 
 " For turnips nVft year, four") 
 
 " ploughings, at 4 s. each, J l6 
 
 Harrowing and feed, 2 s. hoe- 1 
 " ing 6s. rent 155. j 
 
 " 
 
 15 
 
 Fifteen loads of dung, at 
 " 2s. 6d. per load, 
 
 * 3 
 
 \ 
 
 j l J 7 6 
 
 *< The firft year's produce of tur-1 
 ' nips, worth j 
 
 o 
 
 The fecond year barley, pro- 1 
 
 " duce4qrs. at i8s. perqr. J 3 I2 
 ** Two ploughings and narrow- "j 
 
 " ings 10 s. three bufhels feed I 
 
 " and weeding, 8 s. and rent | 
 
 " 15 s - J 
 
 '. The third year clover, 14 \b.\ 
 
 " feed, and rent j o 19 o 
 
 *' Two crops of clover, worth j 10 o 
 
 Fourth
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 179 
 
 1. s. d. 
 " Fourth year wheat, 3 qrs. at") g 
 
 * 1 1. i6s. per qr. J 5 
 
 * One ploughing and harrow-"! 
 
 ^ ing 7 s. three bufhels feed I ^ 
 
 * and weeding 16 s. and rent f 
 
 " 15 s. J 
 
 44 Total produce of an acre, in") 
 
 r t I 2 IO O 
 
 " four years, J 
 
 u Total expence of an acre, in 1 
 
 " four years, J 
 
 ** Clear profit in four years 
 
 " I have not computed the value of the ftrnw, 
 ** becaufe it is fuppofed, that the expences of 
 *' reaping, threftiing, and carrvirg to mar- 
 '* ket, will be nearly equivalent in this 
 ** neighbourhood. In other places, \> here the 
 " value of ftraw may be thought greater or lefs 
 ** than the expences, the calculation may be 
 " made accordingly. 
 
 N 2 NEW
 
 i8o 
 
 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 NEW METHOD. 
 
 Three quarters fix bufhels and"| 
 " two pecks of barley, on an I 
 " acre, at 18 s. per quarter, j 
 "is worth 
 
 Deduct for expences, viz. two 
 " ploughing*, 8s. three horfe- 
 *' hoeings, 3 s. hand -hoeing, 
 " 2 s. 6d. feed, 2 s. I d. f, 
 " rent 155. 
 
 1. s. df 
 
 71 
 
 i 10 71 
 
 " Remains clear profit in onei 
 
 } i 18 
 year J 
 
 Confequently the clear profit 1 
 
 " on one acre in four years, > 7 12 
 
 " is 
 
 (C 
 
 " It appears frorn the above eftimares, that 
 " the profit is confi -lerably greater in the drill, 
 " than in the OH Husbandry ; yet I have' 
 " luppoied the fourth crop in the old way to 
 < be wheat. Whereas it is much more com- 
 " mon hereabouts, where the land is not 
 * c perfe<fHy ada ted to the culture of wheat, 
 for the farmer to fow oars, or lome other 
 faring crop, afrer the clover; and thus is 
 the profic reduced. But I proceed to the 
 " calculation of others. 
 
 " A 
 
 < 
 

 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. l8l 
 
 *' A letter in the third volume of the Mu 
 *<- feum Ru/fauw, page 332, figned V, reckons 
 * the clear profit of land i.i tillage near Bury 
 " at about fifteen (hillings per acre. According 
 <f to mv calculation, as alove, the clear an- 
 ' nual profit is one pound one (hilling, in my 
 " neighborhood, in the old way. But a 
 '.' ve4-y ingenious t r e tife, in the fifth number, 
 * in the Foreign Eflays on Hufbandry, page 
 ** 322, recommending the culture of tainfoin 
 " and clover, with intermediate crops of corn, 
 " written by M. De L'Harpe, eftimates the 
 * clear profit of one acre at one pound (even- 
 " teen (hillings. Therefore, as his method 
 " feems a very good one (though it is cer- 
 *' tainly the higheft calculation of any I ever 
 " met with), I (hall compare the clear profit 
 *' to be expected in the drill culture with his 
 ** calculation. 
 
 1. s. d. 
 44 Mon De L'Harpe reckons"] 
 
 " the annual produce of fixty 1 1 70 o o 
 
 ** acres to be worth J 
 
 * From which he deducts for^j 
 
 "'expences ten (hillings perl , 
 
 " acre, and rent ten millings J 
 
 " per acre J 
 
 * Clear annual profit on 69 acres 1 1 o o o 
 
 N 3 Drill
 
 l82 THE PRACTICE OF. THE 
 
 1, S. d. 
 
 " Drill culture 3qrs. 6bufii. 2p.1 
 
 " of barley, at 18 s. per [205 17 6 
 " acre, and for 60 acres J 
 edudl: for rent, 4.5 1 
 expeuces the fame 
 
 Clear annual profit out of 60 1 
 
 > 1 1 
 
 acres 
 
 5 17 
 
 J ' 
 
 ". Hence it appears, that fixty acres in the 
 *< drill culture is more advantageous than the 
 V higheft calculation of profit made by mo- 
 " dern improvers. But this is not all, For 
 * the above is calculated from a horfe-hoed 
 e crop of barley; whereas, in many foils, I 
 '* am convinced, it is more profitable to cul- 
 * tivate wheat in that manner. I have had 
 " feven fuccefllve crops from the fame land 
 << without manure, and the foil is yet unim- 
 " poveriflied, and fown at prefent with wheat, 
 * the eighth crop. 
 
 1. s. d. 
 4< I have had fometimes twol 
 
 44 quarters of wheat on an \ i 12 o 
 
 1 V, 
 
 " acre, J 
 
 " V/titrcas I eftimate the crop! , 
 
 kC of barley at no more than J ^ ' 
 
 * Put the clear profit from one^j 
 
 " acre of drilled wheat may f 2 p o 
 
 << be J 
 
 ^ ^ 
 
 " Thus
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 183 
 
 " Thus have I, with candour, endeavoured 
 " to give a clear and comparative view of the 
 " Old and New Hufbandry. During the 
 " eight years that I have praclifed the latter, 
 <c I have been careful to obierve the peculiar 
 " advantages and d fetfs of each method: 
 
 C* 
 
 * 8 and if, upon the whole, I at laft declare in 
 ** favour of Mr. TulFs fyftem, it is with- 
 ** our prejudice, and merely from conviction. 
 
 " That the old method, with the affiftance 
 " of the more modern improvements by tur- 
 f nips and clover, and by the .alternate ufe 
 ** of the leguminous planrs, vvliich require 
 ** hand-hoeing, is very advantageous, I allow. 
 " Perhaps the farmer, who purfues this me- 
 *' thod in its greateft perfection, judges wifely 
 " in preferring a fyftem he is matter of, and 
 " can confide in, to another whofe principles 
 '* may be juft, but the practice of which is 
 " totally different from his own. But the 
 v farmer, who is ignorant of thefe modern 
 4 improvements, furely ought not to hefitate 
 ** ,to adopt the drill culture, which a few years 
 * v pratice would render habitual, and which 
 " he would find to be much more beneficial. 
 ' For it is certain, that this is lefs expenfive 
 " than th$ pld method ; and, when once 
 ' adopted, caller in the execution.'* 
 
 Sir Digby then proceeds to relate his prac- 
 tice in cultivating wheat according to the New 
 Husbandry, and recommending it without rc- 
 (crvc as much fuperior to the Old. I have 
 
 N 4 iuiittcd
 
 184 THE PRACTICE OF 
 
 infifted more minutely upon his nrft experi- 
 ments than at firft intended, in order to give 
 the reader a full view of this gentleman's 
 practice, and the judicious remarks he makes, 
 on~a comparative view of both the Old and 
 New methods. It is, however to be re- 
 gretted, that Jie did not more perfectly follow 
 the New, as laid down by the author of it, 
 by doing which his drilled crops would have 
 been larger, and the fuperiority of the New 
 Hufbandry would have been (till more appa- 
 rent. This gentleman defcribes his land to be 
 " light, deep, and dry, a hazle mould, ex- 
 ?' cellent for barley ; but generally thought 
 44 not of fufficient tenacity for wheat." This 
 was the opinion of the common farmers, and 
 they were probably right : but they judged 
 from their ideas of the Old Hufbandry, which 
 cannot be fafely made the ftandard for the 
 New. This land was prepared by feverai 
 ploughings in the Old Hulbandry, previous 
 to (owing it with wheat, and, if it happened 
 to be a dry fummer, the wheat fuffered fqr 
 want of rnoift'ure ; but, in the New Hufban- 
 dry, this, could not happen, if the land was 
 well and deep-hoed j becaufe, when the days 
 are dry, .there are generally plentiful dews in 
 the night; and theie dews penetrate into land 
 as deep as the plqugh goes. This is found 
 in a!I land tilled deep rpr madder, or other 
 fuch croj. s ; they produce great crops of wheat, 
 after the madder, &c. is carried off, being 
 
 mbiftened
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 185 
 
 moifteFied by the dews to a gret't depth, and 
 by thefe the land is inriched : for no manure 
 is laid upon thefc dcep-plougl ed land* for 
 wheat or other corn. Mr. Tail's land was all 
 of it light land, fhallow, and very dry, ex- 
 cept one held. ** I am lorry," (ays he, p. 65, 
 " that this farm, whereon I have only pra&i(ed 
 " horle-hoeine, bung tiruate upon a hill, that 
 " confifts ot chalk on one nMe, and heath- 
 * ground on the other, has been ufually 
 * noted for the poo- eft and (hallowed ioil in 
 " the neighbourhood" And p. 263. ".My 
 *' farm was termed a Barley -farm, not from 
 " the good crops of barley it produced, but 
 u becaufe the land, being almott all hiliy, 
 " was thought too light for wheat ; for in 
 *' their old management it was often de- 
 " ftroyed by poppies and other weeds, and 
 " leldom was there a tolerable crop of wheat. 
 " In a dry iummer, the barley crop failed for 
 ' want of moidure, and of more puUeri- 
 * zation, and was not worth half the expence. 
 *' Land is leldoai too dry tor wheat, and this 
 " dry foil, in the hoeing culture, brings very 
 ' good crops ot wheat; wl^ich ii> the reufon I 
 have no'.v no barLy, except what is Ib'.vn 
 *' upon the level, as it always mud be for 
 f* planting faiutoin and clover am mgit it; 
 '* were it not for that purpole, I ihoul.l plant 
 * no barley at all." Hence it appears, that 
 Mr.'Tu 1's la.id was b^th very dry and fh..l- 
 lovv ; 'yet he pLuiud it ail with wheat, and 
 
 horfo
 
 l86 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 horfe-hoed it. Alfo it appears, that he had 
 good crops of wheat, as appears from the ac- 
 count of his crops given above, much fuperior 
 to Sir Digby's wheat crops, though his was 
 deep land. Mr. Toll alfo horie-hoed his 
 wheat ' four times, and deep ; whereas Sir 
 Digby's was horle-hoed only three times. 
 He lays indeed (as before-mentioned), <* nor 
 " are more than four hoeings commonly re- 
 " quired; fothat, if we reckon four millings 
 * for ploughing the ground once over, or 
 " forming frefh ridges, four fhillings more 
 " for horfe-hoeing, two millings and fix- 
 * 4 pence for hand-hoeing, two (hillings for 
 " weeding, and fix-pence for drilling; thir-r 
 " teen millings is the whole expence of ma-' 
 *' naging an acre in the New method." But 
 though four horfe-hoeings are charged here, 
 as generally neceffary for a crop of wheat, yet 
 this land was horle-hoed but three times (for 
 what realon does not appear), and thefe 
 horfe-hoeings were performed with only one 
 horfe ; which, as the land was defcp, might 
 have been deeper ploughed with two horfes ; 
 this would have kept the land rnoifl; to a good 
 tlepth, would have enriched it more, and 
 caufed it to produce much greater crops. 
 
 Having given Ib full an account of this 
 gentleman's barley and wheat crops, 1 mall be 
 the fhbrter with rtfpecl: to the ether horfe- 
 hoed crops. The ninth crop upon the fcven 
 acres was in the year 1/67, fix acres lentils, 
 
 and
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 187 
 
 and one potatoes, in order to deftroy the weeds, 
 which by neglect greatly abounded ; but the 
 feafon continued fo long rainy, that the lentils 
 fprouted, and the crop became mouldv when 
 houied, and was of little value ; and the acre 
 of potatoes was alfo an inferior crop ; thefe 
 deficiencies were not, however, owing to the 
 New Hufbandry, but to an uncommon bad 
 feafon. 
 
 1. s. d. 
 
 The lofs is reckoned at 480 
 
 Yet including this lofs, there re-1 
 
 j I c e f 20 4. O 
 
 mained a clear profit or J 
 
 The profit from thefe feven acres") , 
 
 . r . f oC Q o 
 
 in nine years was J J y 
 
 which is an advantage of more than 28!. over 
 the Old Husbandry : and * it is very pro- 
 '* bable," fays Sir Dighy, " {hat when the 
 " prefent wheat crop, now growing, and in 
 ** a flou riming condition, (hall be added to 
 the account, the excellence ot the Horfe- 
 *' hoeing Huibandry will be more evident. 
 
 '* That part where the potatoes grew makes 
 " the beft appearance at prelcnt ; and there 
 " fore I can particularly recommend this 
 " plant, as an excellent preparative for wheat. 
 " Of the other exclulivc benefits attending 
 
 o 
 
 " the potatoe culture, I can gtve the follow- 
 " ing inftance. October 31 it, 1765, an acre 
 *'. ot potatoes, planted in a rich dry io.l, pio- 
 
 ** duced
 
 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 duced thirty- fix quarters; which, at three 
 *' pence per peck fa very law price), were 
 " 14 1. 8 s. Another acre the preceding year 
 " was planted with potatoes on five-feet 
 *' ridges, viz. a (ingle row on every ridge, 
 " and each plant a foot diftant. Thefe were 
 " well weeded and horfe hoed, and the crop 
 *? was thirty feven quarters five bufhels, 
 " which, at three pence per peck, comes to 
 ** 15 1. 4 s. But here the land was very rich. 
 * Though can there well be a more profit- 
 " able culture ? 
 
 " I have had very great crops of fainfoin- 
 <* feed this way ; and once, in particular, I 
 " meafured a {ingle row on a three-feet ridge, 
 '* and one hundred yards in length produced 
 " five pecks; and confequently an acre would 
 *< yield feven quarters tour bufliels, an afto- 
 <c nifhing quantity ! But the rows were per- 
 *' felly weeded, and the feed gathered by 
 hand, fo that fcarce a grain was loft ; 
 ** whereas, in the common way of mowing 
 " and threfiiing, there is generally immenle 
 ** wafte, probably amounting to half the 
 " quantity. But, on the other hand, the 
 " expence of gathering the feed of one acre, 
 '" by women, calculated from the row above- 
 <c mentioned, would amount to three pounds." 
 (But, if the tops were cut off with a reap- 
 hook, and in the dew, it vviil not be liable to 
 fted-j and the feed may be faved this way at a 
 imall expence---Sir Digby feems to incline to 
 
 the
 
 &EW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. l8<? 
 
 fhe opinion of many farmers, that the fLlks 
 of large fainforn are hard and pip^y, and for 
 that reafon not fo agreeable to c ltd?, a> the 
 fmall leafy lore: but this is l>ecsu(e they are 
 apt to let it grow too old before they cut it ; as 
 they are in regard to broad clover alfo, and 
 other grafles. But large fainfoin is the rich- 
 eft and molt juicy, if cut before it bloflbms ; 
 which for hay, or to be fed green, it fliould 
 always be, before any of the bloflbms appear. 
 And lucerne mould be cut ftill earlier, viz. not 
 only before any bloflbms appear, but even be- 
 fore the bloflbm-buds are formed. In this 
 there is no lofs ; for the earlier thefe plants 
 are cut, the fucceeding crop grows the 
 quicker.] 
 
 44 I own, I have feldom found that horfes 
 46 leave any, not even the grofleft part of 
 " the fainfoin plant. They will eat the (talks, 
 where the feed has ripened. Sheep are 
 4 more delicate : for, though they are excef- 
 *' five fond of fainfoin both in grafs and 
 <r hay, Jrou may frequently fee the thickeft 
 44 of the ftems left untouched, where they 
 44 have been foddered." [But give them 
 farinfoin in grafs or hay, that is cut before it 
 bloflbms, they will eat the largeft ftaiks clean 
 up, and make no wafte.] 
 
 ' 4 Though I do not altogether approve of 
 4< drilling lainfoin, to be horfe-hoed, I prefer 
 4 * the drilling x>f it in equally diftant rows to 
 44 fowing it by hand. Ikcauie the drill fows 
 
 44 more
 
 190 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 " more regularly than the haud ; and you 
 ' fave half the quantity of feed. I am lure, 
 " I have not lefs than one hundred acres of 
 " drilled fainfoin. Some of it in rows at one 
 " foot, and the reft at half a foot di fiance. 
 " The greateft quantity I ever fovv is three 
 " bumels to an acre. The leaft, and which 
 " I generally fow, is one bufliel and ail 
 ** half to an acre. . I have many fields, where 
 *' the plants are quite regular, and ftand 
 " as thick as one- would wi(h, producing very 
 ". good crops. 
 
 *' I have feveral thoufand acres on the 
 " wolds, that do not let for a {hilling each 
 * acre. The foil is generally dry, fhallow, 
 ' and fioney. This, after being reduced to 
 " fine tilth, by repeated ploughings, and 
 " nanured by the fold of a large flock of 
 " Cheep, which I keep for that purpofe, has 
 " been gradually and fucceffively laid down 
 " with ail the various kinds of grafs-feeds in 
 " common ufe ; the principal of thele are 
 " fainfoin, and all the clovers, burnet, tre- 
 <c foils, lucerne, rye-grafs, rib-grafe, and corn- 
 mon hay-feeds; of all thefe, iainfoin has 
 *' made the moft general and greateft im- 
 *' provement. This plant, whilft grow- 
 '* ing, is grateful to all kinds of cattle ; 
 " and the hay is excellent. The produce 
 **. from this land is, in a good year, about a 
 " ton to an acre, taking the whole crop of a 
 " large field together. It is true, I have had 
 
 " three
 
 NEW HUSBAND&Y EXEMPLIFIED. 
 
 ' three ton to an acre in rich land. But one 
 " ton from fuch poor land appears to 'be 
 " a more extraordinary produce : and betides, 
 " the hay is finer, Tweeter, and more nou- 
 " riming than from the former. [This pro- 
 bably, becaufe the fainfoin from the poor 
 land was cut earlier than the other: for other- 
 wife, and the hay equally well-made, the rich 
 land produces the belt hay.] 
 
 " As to lucerne, 1 could never get it to 
 " fucced on fuch a foil ;. but muft now do juf- 
 " tice to its merit : for I have cultivated it 
 " with fuccefs in a rich, deep, and dry foil. 
 " I have about two acres in beds, of three and 
 " four feet breadth, in fingle and double 
 ' rows, part tranfplanted, and part ibwn, 
 * which 1 keep carefully weeded, and which 
 * yields me generally three, and fometimes 
 " four, crops in a fummer. The firft crop 
 ** is now (the i3th of May) ready to cut, 
 " being a foot and half high." [By this ac- 
 count, it feems, that Sir Digby's lucerne was 
 very imperfectly and very (hallow hoed j for, on 
 fuch land as this, rich, deep, and dry, if well 
 horfe-hoed, it is ready to cut earlier than the, 
 1 3th of May in many parts of England ; and 
 rifes much higher than a foot and a half, and 
 even to twice that height, frequently higher. 
 The quality of this lucerne (hews alio, that it 
 was poor : for Sir Digby fays] " 1 find it a very 
 * great faving of corn. I give it to my coach 
 " andfaddle-horfes regularly every day, frc(h as 
 
 " it
 
 1^2 THE PRACTICE OP 
 
 < it is cut : and I think it, in fome meafurc, 
 *' fupplies the place of oats. I have fre- 
 " quently fed fome of my horfes with half 
 *< lucerne, and half their ufual allowance of 
 " corn, and found that thofe horfes were in 
 " higher flefh and fpirits than the others, 
 * which had their ufual food, viz. hay and 
 * corn." [But there are many inflances, that 
 horfes, fed with good lucerne, require no hay or 
 corn, though hard -worked.] " Either in 
 " {ingle or double rows, with three or four 
 c feet intervals, tranfplanted or fown, it may 
 * do extremely well, provided you weed care - 
 " fully ; but that is effential. With fuch 
 * care and 6xpence, often repeated, viz. three 
 " times a year, you may have good lucerne 
 " on almoft any foil ; and, without it, the 
 ** moft proper foil in the world will not fup- 
 " port lucerne above a year or two." 
 
 Sir Digby concludes, as before-mentioned, 
 with a full approbation of the Horfe-hoeing 
 Hufbandry in preference to the Common ; and' 
 his fuccels would have been ftill greater, had 
 he employed two horfes to hoe his deep land, 
 and given it at lead four horfe-hoeings with 
 two horles, inftead of three only with but 
 but one horfe. This was the leaft given, or 
 directed, for wheat by the author of this Huf- 
 bandry ; and none have yet excelled him in 
 the practice of it. 
 
 In 1 763 the rev. Mr. Lowther communi- 
 cated to the London Society of Arts his ex* 
 
 periments
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPI IFTED. 193 
 
 periments in the Drill Cu ] tnre of wheat in 
 Cumberland, compared with the common 
 coude of crops in that country, viz. the frit 
 year turnips, with the full quantity of ma- 
 nure; the flcond year fallnv; and the third 
 year a crop of wheat, without manure. '1 his 
 courfe continued every three years. In the 
 Drill Culture, the fuft year turnips, with half 
 the quantity of manure, as the broad-^aft; 
 the iecond year, barlev ; and the third year, 
 wheat. The barley and wheat repeated the 
 fourth and fifth years, and then the manuring 
 and turnips to take place again. It does not 
 appear, that any manure was ufed for the 
 crops of corn. The land, on which the expe- 
 riments were made, was a heavy, moift foil, 
 with a clavey bottom, and deemed too ftifF 
 for barley. It was tilled out of hay, and had 
 borne a crop of oats. The rent eight (hil- 
 lings per acre. 
 
 The courfe of crops here mentioned is an 
 uncommon one, and by no means the befr. 
 Mr. Lowther drilled three rows of wheat on 
 each ridge, which were too many, and his 
 ridges were but five feet and a half broad, 
 which for three rows mould have been fix 
 feet ; u on the whole, he reckons the drilled 
 crops were more profitable than the broad-cad 
 in that country, by eight millings two pence 
 and eight- fifteenths per acre; but thele ex- 
 periments were not lb fatisfa&ory by much 
 as thofe made by Sir Digby Legard : and 
 
 O therefore
 
 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 therefore it is not neceffary to relate them more 
 particularly. 
 
 Mr. Doflie has likewife particularly related 
 the experiments made by Mr. Cox of Wall- 
 hampton, near Lymington in Hampfhire, in a 
 field of twenty-three acres, divided into fixteen 
 parts, and drilled on the level, fome parts 
 with red, and others with white wheat, the 
 rows one foot afunder, and hand-hoed ; fome 
 were manured with lime, and the other parts 
 not manured. The above parts produced con- 
 fiderably more than the common broad-caft 
 fown wheat in that country. The land of 
 this field was nearly of the fame quality, viz, 
 a mallow mould on a gravel. The quantity 
 of feed drilled was one bumel per acre. The 
 quantity ufually fown there broad-caft is from, 
 two to two bumels and a half per acre. And, 
 as Mr. Doflie obferves, that at the rate at 
 which wheat is now fold (in 1767), there is 
 a clear faving, in the drill method of fowing, 
 of near the rent of the land, viz. twelve (hil- 
 lings and fix-pence per acre. This is, reckon- 
 ing the produce of all the experiments at an 
 average, and after deducting for the hand- 
 hoeing, and all other expences ; and is a full 
 proof, that drilling on the level, in rows a 
 foot diftant, and hand-hoed, is more profit- 
 able than the common broad-caft fowing; but 
 drilling the wheat upon ridges, and horfe- 
 hoeing it in the proper manner, is ftill much 
 more profitable than level drilling and hand- 
 i hoeing,
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 195 
 
 hoeing, or than any other way hitherto prac- 
 tifed of cultivating wheat. 
 
 Mr. Doflie concludes this head with a quo- 
 tation from Mr. Wynne Baker, wherein Mr. 
 Baker reckons, " that in the broad-cad, con- 
 " fitting of afucceflion of fallow, wheat, and 
 " oats every third year, he charges nine bar- 
 44 rels of wheat per acre produce from each 
 44 crop. The fallow year is loft: and the 
 " oats, yield in value to the wheat, only as 
 " four to nine. In the drill way, he obtains 
 44 fix barrels of wheat every year, in a con- 
 " ftant fucceffion." It is proper to obferve, 
 chat this is on the plantation acre, which con- 
 tains 7840 fquare yards. The total expence, 
 including rent, communibus annis, in fifteen 
 years, iszl. los.inthe broad-caft; and 2!. 53. id. 
 in the drill culture, according to his ftate of 
 them j which is 4 s. 1 1 d. annually, in favour 
 of the latter. But the difference of the value 
 of the produce, which is to be added to this 
 faving, is fo great, that it appears, as he fays, 
 according to his ftate, " a farmer, having forty 
 44 acres of tillage, fuppofing him to direct his 
 44 attention to bringing it to the Drill Cul- 
 44 ture, would make, in fifteen years, 
 44 969!. los more than he can in the Com-. 
 44 rrfon Hnfbandry: which is fuch an advan- 
 " tage, that the greater profit in the drilling 
 u acre will purchafe the fce-fimple of that 
 44 in the Common Hufbandry at twenty-ftven 
 44 years purchafe, valuing the land at eighteen 
 
 O 2 (hillings
 
 196 THE PRACTICE OF THfi 
 
 " (hillings an acre: Thus it appears, that, irt 
 " every fifteen years the fee-limplc of all the 
 " tillage-lands in the kingdom is loft to the? 
 *' community by the common courfe of til* 
 lage." 
 
 Mr. Baker was a very accurate experimen- 
 ter, and had experience of horte-hoeing feveral 
 crops, turnips cabbages, &c. in whi-h lie 1uc- 
 ceeded ; but had not then experienced the 
 h( rfe-hueing culture of uheut* for a fuccefllon 
 of years: and, a> it kerns from a quotation 
 he makes, that he depended, for information of 
 the noting culture of wheat, upon an edition 
 of Mr. Tull's Hufl>andry* made by a perfon 
 employed by the late Mr. Millar the book- 
 feller, who feems not to have fully under- 
 ftood Mr. Tull ; Mr. Baker appears to have 
 been led into a miftake, viz. to fir pofe, that 
 pulverization was the great principle in the 
 New Hufbandry ; which without doubt is in- 
 difpenfably neceflary, and wiUgo far in obtain- 
 ing good crops of fuch plants and roots as are 
 thus cultivated for one year: but drilled 
 wheat crops have feldom any manure be- 
 flowed upon them, and are repeated every 
 year for many years in fuCceiSon : and, as 
 the wheat crops draw nourilhmcnt every year 
 from the foil, this continual exhauftion re- 
 quires Tikewife a conftant recruit of vegetable 
 nourilhment: other/wife the earth will be 
 impoverished, and the crops muft decline. 
 
 The
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED 197 
 
 The tillage, breaking, hoeing, and pul- 
 verizing the (oil, are operation* performed 
 . by ploughs and hoes : but thefe opera- 
 tions do not add any nevv matter to the 
 foil ; they reduce the foil into fine tilth ; but 
 mere pulverization does not, or itfelf, increafe 
 the vegetable nourishment, which has been 
 taken no ice of abcve : tor earth made ever 
 fo fine in vacuo, and where no air is admitted, 
 will never be enriched, in the lrnalleft degree, 
 by meie pulverization; it muft come in con- 
 tadt with the air, or atmofphere ; from whence 
 alone it can be recruited with vegetable nourim- 
 ment. The not being informed, and attend- 
 ing to this, was the reafon that Mr. Baker 
 faikd in the hoeing culture of wheat, as will 
 appear hereafter. - 
 
 Mr. Doflie fpeaks doubtfully of what Mr. 
 Baker luppofes the drilled crops of wheat 
 would produce annually, as he had not then 
 feen many authentic experiments of drilled 
 and horlerhoed wheat crops in Britain ; and 
 Sir Digby Legard's being the moft clearly 
 related, he had fta r ed his average of wheat 
 crops at only twelve buljiels per acre, inftead 
 of aoout lixfctq bulhels computed by Mr. 
 Paker. Yet Mr. Baker's was a moderate com- 
 juta ion. His hi It years horfe-hoed crop was 
 creater than he h .d computed ; and he might 
 Fiavc r ali/.c hi , computation, or higher, had 
 h,o cious uLv.ii cultivated in the bed manner. 
 O 3 To
 
 THE PRACTICE QF THE 
 
 To underftand his eftimate, it may be pro- 
 per to obferve, that the Irilh plantation-acre is 
 to the Englifh flatute acre, as 7840 fquare 
 yards to 4840 ; or nearly as 8 to 5. The Irilh 
 flone is 14 pounds. 
 
 Their barrel of wheat is 20 ftone, or 280 
 pounds ; which is four Englifh nine-gallon 
 bufhels. Their barrel of oats is 14 ftone, or 
 196 pounds, 
 
 Mr. Baker being experimenter to the Dublin 
 fociety, he was directed by them to make a 
 comparative experiment of the drill and broad- 
 caft methods : and he allotted one plantation 
 acre to be drilled annually with wheat, and 
 horfe-hoed for a courfe of years ; and he fowed 
 two contiguous half-acres, of the fame foil as 
 the other, broad-caft ; the feed of one half- 
 acre to be covered with the plough, and of the 
 other with the harrow. 
 
 Thefe two acres were drilled with turnips 
 in 1764 upon five-feet ridges, which were 
 horfe-hoed. And in 1765 they were fown 
 with barley, which was drilled, two rows 
 upon each ridge ; the beft part produced a good 
 crop, the reft was inferior ; the barley being 
 fown too late, and the feafon unfavourable. 
 
 In
 
 MEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 199 
 
 fa 1765. The one acre was ploughed once, to 
 
 form the new ridges, coft, 
 O&ober 5, Harrowed the ridges, 4^d. and 
 
 drilled 6lt $lb of red lammas wheat, 6s 1 1 !d. 
 November 20, Winter horfe-hoeing, with two 
 
 horfes, 
 1766. March 15, Spring- hoeing with the fingle 
 
 cultivator clofe to the rows, 
 Ditto with doable cultivator once along 
 
 the intervals, 
 joth, Horfe hoeing the intervals a fecond 
 
 time, turning them to the rows, 
 May 12, Weeding the partitions, 
 June 17, Third hoeing the intervals towards 
 
 the rows, 
 Deepening the middle of the interval 
 
 with double cultivator, 
 Auguft 28, Reaping, 33 4d. Threming ybar. 
 
 1 1 ft $.lb. at 9d. per bar. r,s. 7d. 
 September jy, One year's reut, 
 
 Total expence, of the horie-hoed acre of 1 
 t, the firit year, J 
 
 As dated by Mr. Baker in his report to the Dublin Society. 
 1766. The produce of the drilled acre, 
 
 1. 8. d. 
 
 Wheat, ybar. ift. clb. at 305.! . 
 
 * * VII OT 
 
 per bar. J ' 
 
 Straw, 3Qcwt. iqr. and 22lb. 1 106* 
 . at 9d. per cwt. 
 
 1. 
 
 d. 
 
 s. 
 
 o 
 
 10 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 7 
 
 4 
 
 o 
 
 I 
 
 7 
 
 o 
 
 I 
 
 *i 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 8 
 
 o 
 
 I 
 
 5 i 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 7* 
 
 o 
 
 I 
 
 S 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 8 
 
 .0 
 
 8 
 
 i : ! 
 
 o 
 
 1 8 
 
 O 
 
 2 
 
 la 
 
 2 4 
 
 Produce of this acre, 
 Expences as above, 
 
 12 16 7 
 
 2 12 2 
 
 Profit on this acre the firft year, 10 4 4^ 1044* 
 
 1767.
 
 300 
 
 THE PRACTICE OF THB 
 
 1767. The fccond year it was drilled ; 
 in double rows and five ket 
 ridges, with 5ft. and 2lb. of 
 red lammas wheat, the i6th. 
 of October, 176% and culti- 
 vated exaclly in the fame 
 manner as the firft crop; 
 weeding coft 8d. reaping 35. 
 threfhing 8d. per bar. and the 
 whole expence was, 
 
 Auguft 20. The crop was reaped 
 and produced, 
 
 Wheat 5 bar. 1 2 ft. 
 ylb. at 25$. 
 
 Straw 29cwt. 2qrs. 
 27 Ib. at c;d. 
 
 Profit the fecond year. 
 
 1768. The third year. The culture" 
 was the fame as the two pre- 
 ceding years, and coft 75. j| 
 It was drilled the 1 8th of Oc 
 tober, 1767, With 5ft. and 
 alb. of feed, at 255. per bar. 
 coft 55. i^d. Reaping, 27 
 Auguft, coft 35. 6d. and 
 threfhing, 25. o|d at 8d. per 
 ftone ; the total expence, 
 
 Produced, Wheat \ 
 3 bar. i ft at2?s. J 
 
 Straw, i6cwt. and ? 1 
 at gd. ] 
 
 3 l6 3 
 
 o 12 
 
 2 II 
 
 1*2 
 
 II 
 
 4 8 
 
 Profit the third year, 
 
 The annual decreafe of the crops, deter- 
 mined Mr. Baker to g ; ve up the Ichtme of 
 fucctffive crops of wheat, drilled upon five- 
 feet ridge- s ; and he fupj>oies, that by drilling 
 a double row upon fix- feet ridge s, fome ot the 
 
 incort-
 
 NEW tiUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 2OI 
 
 inconveniences which he found mi^ht poflibly 
 be avoided. He then dates his objections to 
 drilling on five-feet ridges; and aifigns t .eie 
 as the reaions why he did not fucceed. 
 
 ** His fird objection is, that upon poor 
 " cold ground the wheat is too late in ripen- 
 " ing, efpecialiy in fb moid a climate as Ire- 
 " land, and where there is io little fun " 
 This objection relates to drilled wheat, which, 
 by the nourifhment it receives from the hoe- 
 plough, is fomewhat longer in ripening than 
 wheat fown broad-cad ; but the difference is 
 not fo great as wholly to exclude drilling there, 
 as is intimated in this objection : for, as men- 
 tioned above, Mr. B^ker drilled one acre; and 
 contiguous to it he lowed two half-acres 
 broad-cad, all of them were iown the lame 
 day, viz. the ^th of October. Thefe two 
 half-acres were reaped the 2^d of Augud; 
 and the drilled acre was reaped the a8th of 
 Auguft, which was only five days later: this 
 was fo fmall a difference as ought not to ex- 
 clude the hoeing culture of wheat, if other- 
 wife the mod profitable. Befides, it is to be 
 obferved, that this wheat was not fo\vn till 
 the 5th of October; which, had it been (own 
 earlier, would have been earlier ripe: lo that 
 this is 'no valid objection againd drilling of 
 wheat in Ireland, even upon fo cold laud as 
 this was. 
 
 2. Mr. Baker objects next, * that after 
 ** taking four oJr five crops in this way, the 
 
 '* partitions
 
 202 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 " partitions throw up fuch a quantity of weeds, 
 *' poppies, hog-fennel, &c. particularly upon 
 " poor land, and in a wet feafon, that no 
 " labour (confident with profit) can eradicate 
 ' them, but fallow and turnips. And that, 
 " if the corn is flrong, fo that the hoe-plough 
 *' cannot operate after June, the like weeds 
 
 " rife wonderfully in the intervals." It is 
 
 certainly difficult to eradicate weeds in thefe 
 circumftances. Yet we find that Mr. Tull 
 conquered the weeds in his poor land : and he 
 adviles, when the hoe-plough happens to be 
 fhut out, to give the land a light hand-hoeing, 
 which would keep down the weeds ; and this 
 hoeing would be well repaid, by the improve- 
 ment it would make in the land. Befides, it is 
 found, that a good horfe-hoeing in June, be- 
 fore the wheat bloffoms, canfes the ears to be 
 fuller of grain, than deterring it till after the 
 wheat has done blowing ; though without 
 doubt hoeing then, and alfo after the blowing, 
 do both contribute to improve the crop, But 
 admitting that four or five crops can be taken 
 of hoed wheat, and there mould then be a 
 neceiiity of fome intermediate prop to be taken, 
 pf ttiruips, beans, &c. to clean the land; the 
 fol low-ing four or five crops may then be drilled 
 wheat; as was the cafe with Mr. Craik; but 
 he does not for that reafon give up drilling pf 
 wheat. 
 
 3. Thefe ridges were five feet broad; but ? 
 if made fix feet broad, he thought the hoe- 
 plough
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 203 
 
 plough might be introduced oftener, as there 
 would be more room in the intervals : but Mr, 
 Tull's ridges were narrower than five feet, as 
 were thofe of other cultivators who have fuc- 
 ceeded in this culture. " It has, fays he, 
 *' been after the culture of the intervals was 
 ' finifhed [after June, as above] that they 
 *' have (hot up, and formed their feed ; and 
 f* which I conceive to be produ&ive of them 
 *' in the fucceeding year," and this may be in 
 (bine meafure prevented as before mentioned. 
 
 4. That, in ploughing thefe five-feet ridges 
 after harveft for the fucceeding crop, the 
 ftubble mixed with the mould of the in- 
 tervals ; and he fays he found by infpection 
 that this was the cauie of the third crop being 
 fo finall. The ftubble interfered with the 
 coulters of the drill plough in its paffage, and 
 cauled the ground to remain hollow about the 
 feed in many places ; and the winter's rain, 
 lodging in thefe hollows, perimed the plants; 
 whence, fays he, a g-eat diminution of our 
 (third) crop. Six-feet ridges may remove this 
 objection alfo; becaufe in ploughing the ground 
 for a fucceeding crop, the ftubble of the pre- 
 ceding one will not be fo apt to approach the 
 middle of the new-made ridges, as when ths 
 culture is carried on with narrower ridges. 
 Removing the ftubble would be a troublefome 
 and expenfive buiinefs, to clear a large quan- 
 tity of land, belides robbing the ground of fo 
 
 much manure as the -Hubble would make. 
 , t- >*< 
 
 The
 
 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 The two great furrows are thrown up firft in 
 a high r.dge, the plough going near the rows 
 pt (Kibble, lo that the two next furrows do 
 flo,t rife lo high, as to make the ftubblc interr 
 fere with the drill plough. Other cultivators 
 have not found this inconvenience upon nar- 
 rower ild^es ; nor, it feems, did Mr. Baker 
 find it till the third crop, and .therefore was 
 pot a iufficient reafon for dilcontinuing this 
 hufb.tndry ; the next objection Appears to be 
 \fae principal realon of it. 
 
 5. " Though it feems to have been the 
 t 6 . ppiivo,n of many writers upon this huk 
 a bandry, that fuch coirfant production of 
 t. crppa without intermifh'on does, not im- 
 U poyerKh, but ou the contrary improves the 
 u ground by the culture be flowed upon it in 
 ^hib hufbaudry ; but I find this not to be the 
 cafe : for certain it is, that the capabil.ty 
 <', of the ground to, feed plants, is every year 
 a lefs, after- it has produced a crop of turnips, 
 t< I am afraid this objection will be found in- 
 if ponteftably true in practice, with five-fee^ 
 a ridges ; ho,w far thofe of fix feet may remove 
 t it, 1 fhall wait until my experience (r^all in- 
 
 " forrp rne/'rr If this argument \vas to be 
 
 Depended upon, there was np occafion to bring 
 any other objection againft the New Hulr 
 bandry t Mr- Baker fpeaks here incautioufly, 
 and oppoles his one unlucceisful experiment 
 tp |(ie continued practice and fuccels of th<? 
 aullipr of t(iis huib^ndry ; and of the other 
 ^ gentlemen.
 
 MEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED; 265 
 
 gentlemen of character ab;o.id, who have cbri- 
 firmed its principles upon large tracts of land 
 of various kinds. But it is plain that Mr; 
 Baker fell into an error that others haVe done* 
 by luppoiing that pulverization and ex(x>fur 
 were the fame. Mr. Baker mould ha"ve culti^ 
 vated his wheat with the hoe-plough* whicll 
 anfwers both thefe pUrpofes : but he liibftituted 
 cultivators inftead of the hoe- plough ; ths(e ' 
 were invented by M. De Chatea'vieux, as iife- 
 ful mftruments in lottle particular cafes. They 
 are not ploughs, they haVe neirher coulters not 
 earth-boards * and do not turn the toil and ex- 
 pole a new furfade to the air, or atmofphefe"* 
 as a plough does. M. De Chatc-avieux called 
 the tingle cultivator a mintr, becadfe ,f works 
 wholly under ground, railes the mould a little* 
 which (inks down again where it was before 
 as fo^n a-; the cultivator is part ; but does ^dt 
 turn the mould, nor expole a new furface to 
 the immediate aftion of the air, which is ef- 
 fenti il in this huibandry ; as this is the prin- 
 cipal means whereby the Idnd is recruited of 
 the vegetable rood, or nourifhment, whereof 
 it is partly exhaufted by the growing crop. 
 Breaking or pulverizing the earth makes it 
 lighter and more open, whereby the celeftial 
 influences can more eafily penetrate into it 
 than when it is clofe and hard ; but the foil is 
 not by any other means fo effectually and im- 
 mediately enriched, as by tufning and expofing 
 it to the immediate a&ion of the atmolphcre, 
 
 as
 
 206 
 
 as we have taken notice of before, and is di* 
 reeled by the author of this hufbandry ; efpe- 
 cially as neceflary in cultivating land for fuc- 
 ceffive crops of wheat : for thefe crops have 
 not any aififtance from manure, nor is the land 
 recruited of its fertility by any other means 
 than by pulverization and expofure. Land 
 that is rich, and already much impregnated 
 with the vegetable food, will bear a good crop 
 l>y good hoeing, or pulverizing only, without 
 much expofure, for a (ingle crop, efpecially if 
 allb manured ; this feems to have miiVd many 
 who were not well acquainted with the prin- 
 ciples of the New Hufbandry : they generally 
 recommend hbeing and pulverizing the land, 
 and to thefe they attribute the fuccefs of the 
 hoeing huibandry ; but though this will do 
 for one crop, it is evident, from the hoeing 
 culture of wheat, that thefe alone will not do 
 for a fucceffion of crops ; but they will gra- 
 dually decline every year, becaufe the earth 
 is not recruited by pulverizing, unlefs a new 
 furface be alfo ex poled to the air, or atmof- 
 phere. It is this that recruits tht earth of the 
 vegetable food: the pulverizing prepares the 
 earth to receive the new vegetable food, when 
 duly expofed to the air. The fmgle cultivator 
 is a triangular hoe, and refembles one of the 
 triangular hoes of the nidget, only larger and 
 longer; the double cultivator confifls of two 
 lingle cultivators placed fide by fide in a frame: 
 they m:.y be run along in light loofe mould, 
 
 but
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 2O/ 
 
 but are by no means proper to be fubftituted 
 for the hoe plough ; and here appears the 
 error of Mr. Baker's culture. His winter or 
 firft horfe- hoeing, he takes notice, was per- 
 formed the 20th of November with the hoe- 
 plough, which turned the earth from the 
 rows of wheat. The fecond horfe hoeing with 
 the hoe- plough was not performed till the 
 3oth day of March, and then the earth was 
 turned back again towards the rows of wheat. 
 The third h'orie-hoeing with the plough was 
 not performed till the iyth of June, and then 
 the earth was not again ploughed away from 
 the rows, as the author of this hufbandry di- 
 redls, and that the plough fhould go clofe to 
 the wheat ; but, on the contrary, fome looib 
 earth was thrown up from the intervals, the 
 1 7th of June, up to the ridges; fo that inftead 
 of four hoeings with the plough, two of them 
 clofe to the wheat, here was only one hoeing 
 performed in that manner the 2oth of No- 
 vember ; and after the earth was turned to 
 the wheat by the hoe-plough, it was no more 
 ploughed and turned from the wheat after- 
 wards, as fhould have been done ; and what 
 other tillage was given in the intervals was 
 wholly performed by the cultivators, not pro- 
 per to be iubihiuted for the plough. 
 
 Indeed the land here was properly horfe-' 
 hoed only twice, inftead of four horfe^hoeings 
 that ought at the lead to have beei> given it. 
 Mr. Tull at firft gave his wheat fix horie- 
 
 hoeings,
 
 208 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 r 
 
 footings, and directed fo many to be given 5 
 and when he had reduced his ridges from fix 
 feet broad to four feet eight or nine inches, 
 he found four fuch hoeings were fufficient to 
 nourim the crop, and enrich the land for the 
 fucceeding crop : but direcls, that when the 
 hoer finds, by a decreafe in his crops, that the 
 land had not been Sufficiently improved the 
 preceding Icafon, he mould hoe it oftener, or 
 give the rows a dreffing of fine manure about 
 the month of February ; neither of which was 
 done here, though the crop evidently declined. 
 Yet it was reafonable to have followed the di- 
 rections of the father of the New Hufbandry, 
 who had long experience in it : for no novice 
 in this Hufbandry fhould rafhly depart from 
 the rules laid down, from experience, by fo 
 able a cultivator. The examples above given 
 are a fufficient confirmation of the principles 
 of this Hufbandry, and cannot be invalidated 
 by the ill fuccefs of thofe who depart from 
 the eftablifhed rules of this culture. 
 
 I have been particular in reciting this mif- 
 carriage. Mr. Baker afted in a public ca- 
 pacity, was a very accurate experimenter, and 
 had iucceeded admirably in railing fingle crops 
 of different forts ; and it was a misfortune that 
 he deviated from approved rules in the culture 
 of drilled Wheat, a plant of fo general ufe ; 
 his being fo fanguine of luccefs (before he 
 had pradlifed this culture), as appeared from 
 the calculation he had published, and referred 
 
 to
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 209 
 
 to by Mr. Do (He, of the great advantage to 
 be made in Ireland, from fuccellive hoed crops 
 of wheat, compared with the common courfe 
 of culture there (of a crop of wheat, one of 
 oats, and the third year fallow), his failing of 
 fuccefs w r as very difcou raging to others; al- 
 though the drilled crops he ftates are not 
 more than may be really obtained in the New 
 Hufbandry duly performed. Some, who fa- 
 voured the drill hufbandry, wifhed him fuc- 
 cefs j but others, as he takes notice, hoped 
 otherwife ; and his not fuccceding may have 
 iome effecT: in Britain, but has fo difcouraged 
 mofr. in Ireland, that probably the hoeing cul- 
 ture of wheat will not again be attempted 
 there in a long time. 
 
 Since writing the above, I have feen a 
 treatife on Hufbandry, entitled Rural Improve* 
 menfs, very lately publifhed. The author is 
 a gentleman of practical knowledge, and the 
 work contains many valuable and judicious 
 obfervations : he has alfo pradtifed the hoeing 
 hufbandry, and recommends it. The author 
 fets out with this general propofition, that 
 landed eftates may be improved to doulle 
 their prefent value. 44 This,'* fays he, 4 * it 
 44 feems, has been thought by many an ex- 
 *' travagant notion, without any reafonable 
 44 ground or foundation in the nature and 
 44 reafon of things." 
 
 44 Strange as this opinion may feem to 
 44 many, it is not the mere creature of a 
 
 P " warm
 
 Ifo THE PRACTICE OF TITE 
 
 4 warm imagination, but founded on a feriei 
 *' of experiments and obfervations, made on 
 44 an extenfive fcale by the author, who in 
 44 numbers of inftances could confirm his 
 " doctrine by his practice* and produce the 
 44 cleared evidence that thofe improvements 
 44 are capable of being carried much higher, 
 44 and to much greater advantage, on the 
 44 author's principles, &c. by the fame means 
 h6 ufed." 
 
 P. 47. " My idea of improvement does 
 " not only comprehend the increafed value of 
 44 the thing to be improved, but that the im- 
 " provement be more than equivalent to the 
 44 expence which attends the obtaining it. 
 44 For I can have no idea of any thing being 
 44 an improvement which is attended with 
 44 lols. Suppofe a gentleman poflefied of an 
 44 eftate of 500!. per annum, and that he has 
 44 locol. in the flocks, which brings him 
 * 4 ~4ol. per 'annum. Should he convert his 
 44 flock into money, and expend the fame in 
 44 improving his eftate, which when effected 
 44 only produced 30!. per annum; this fare ly 
 " could never be thought an improvement. 
 44 But mould the expending the icool. add 
 44 -ool. per annum to the value, it might 
 * 4 then with great propriety be called an im- 
 46 provement. And with refpeet to the tenant; 
 44 iuppoling in his farm he has 100 acres of 
 46 land, which are considered as little better 
 4t than wafle, and not valued to him at more 
 
 44 than
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 211 
 
 " than a milling an acre, and which perhaps 
 " he does not make half a crown an acre of, 
 " being only applied to the run of a few 
 " young cattle in the fummer; if a method 
 " could be pointed out, by which fuch land 
 " might be made to produce 10 s. an acre 
 " befides paying the expence, it is very clear, 
 " the improvement would be in the propor- 
 4< tion of four to one, or 400 per cent. 
 " Now this is the improvement we propole, 
 " and have no doubt of pointing out the 
 " means by which it may be certainly 
 " effected. " 
 
 '* Few Hufbandmen have any notion of 
 " improvement, independent of manures of 
 <( fome kind or other : but, in many places, 
 " they are not to be obtained at any rate : 
 ' and many lands are fo fituated and circum- 
 " ftanced, that the expences of manuring (if 
 " manures could be got, would far exceed all 
 " advantages ; and therefore would ter- 
 " minate in lofs. But I maintain, that 
 *' fuch lands may be improved, independent 
 " of any manure but what may be raifed 
 " from the land itfelf. Indeed there is land 
 " fo barren, as to be incapable of any im- 
 " provement ; fuch as abfolute bog, before it 
 *' is drained ; rock, and pure fand ; but land 
 " that will bear furze, fern, broom, thirties, 
 " or weeds of any fort, may be cultivated to 
 " ufeful purpofes, without the expence of 
 * carrying manure to the fame. 
 
 P 2 I by
 
 212 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 44 I by no means mean to decry the ufe of 
 " manure; I too well know its value; and 
 44 that fdrrner mud be very indolent, or ig- 
 ' norant, whofe lands are not fertile, if he 
 " can have it in plenty upon moderate terms, 
 " if he neglects it ; but the quantity of it is 
 64 limited, and not to be purchafed in the 
 44 quantities deiired : therefore, if land is not 
 " to be improved without manure, fome hun- 
 44 dred thoufands of acres can never be im- 
 " proved at all. 
 
 ' It may be faid, attempts of this kind 
 44 have been formerly made without fuccefs ; 
 44 and that much land, which has been in tillage 
 44 heretofore, now lies neglected, in the con- 
 44 dition above reprefented. This is certainly 
 44 true, and what I have frequently feen -, 
 " but proves nothing againft this plan of im- 
 44 provement, though a forcible impeachment 
 ** of the avarice or weaknefs of the occupier. 
 44 If men will facrifice all future advantage to 
 " a little increafed prefent gain, the fault is 
 44 their own, and not the lands they poflefs. 
 
 " Suppofe a farmer fhould fpade and burn- 
 46 beat a tract of fuch land as above defcribed, 
 44 and reap a middling crop of wheat the firft 
 * 4 year, a thin crop of barley the fecond, and 
 44 a very poor crop of oats the third, not 
 '* enough to pay the expences of tillage; can 
 44 it be a wonder, that fuch land fhould for a 
 * 4 long feries of years be confidered as ab(b- 
 44 lutely barren and worthlefs ? Such a prac- 
 
 44 tice
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 213 
 
 *' tice would beggar any land ; and yet this 
 ** is the practice commonly purfued. Whereas, 
 " had the farmer contented himfelf with 
 " one crop of corn, and fucceeded that by an 
 " ameliorating crop, inftead of impoverifhing 
 " and reducing his land to a ftate of beg- 
 " gary, it might have been in a ftate of 
 " conftant improvement. The art required 
 " is, to raife a tolerably good crop at firft ; 
 " that being obtained, he muft be a poor 
 *' manager who cannot keep-on with ad- 
 " vantage. 
 
 " This is not a mere matter of opinion. 
 " I have a moor of 120 acres, which, for 
 " fifty years back, never let for more than 
 " eighteen pence an acre. Some of the old 
 " people there remember its bearing as good 
 " corn and clover as any land in the parifh* 
 " though I have fome of four pounds an 
 * acre. I have it now in hand, and laft year 
 " had a field of wheat of about five acres, 
 " which had been fpaded and burnt the fum- 
 " mer before. This produced (ixteen bufhels 
 " to the acre, which, at five millings a 
 " bufhel, amounts to four pounds ; and af- 
 * forded a nett profit of forty millings an 
 " acre, or near it. The land is now in fuf- 
 " ficient heart to produce a good crop of 
 " Barley ; but that I will difpcnfe with, and, 
 " inftead of it, take an ameliorating crop of 
 " turnips, clover, or fome hoeing crop, that 
 " may improve it. The raifing large crops 
 
 P 3 "of
 
 214 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 * of corn by dint of manure, at a very heavy 
 " expence, comes not within my idea of 
 " improvement ; and in this the moft va- 
 " luable part of improvement confifts, at 
 f* leaft fo far as arable lands are the fubjecl: 
 " thereof." 
 
 The author's method is undoubtedly right, 
 of taking but one exhauiting crop from burn- 
 beat land ; but, though he is a favourer of 
 the New Hufbandry, he does not introduce 
 it here, though very proper to do fo ; his 
 practice feems to have been more in hoeing 
 fingle crops of beans, peafe, turnips, &c. than 
 in cultivating wheat in fucceffive crops by 
 horfe-hoeing, which, in the ftrict fenfe, is 
 properly the New Hufbandry, and, in the 
 prefent cafe, might have been introduced 
 upon this land for the firft crop after burn- 
 beating,- the land being firft well pulverized ; 
 and, if the crop had been even lefs than fix- 
 teen bufhels, the expence would have been 
 fmall; and, what is moft material, the land 
 \vould not have been impoverifhed by a crop 
 of wheat, but would have been certainly im- 
 proved ; and no occafiori to think of an ame- 
 liorating crop of turnips, &c. to fucceed the 
 
 wheat, : but to continue everv vear to obtain a 
 
 j * 
 
 crop of wheat, which is much more profitable. 
 Another inftance of thfc author's improve- 
 ment without manure, is of a general na- 
 ture, and deferves to be well confidered ; and 
 Jjere likewiib the Drill Huibandry may be of 
 
 lingular
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 0,1*$ 
 
 fmgular ufe. * I proceed," fays he, p. 90. 
 *' to the confideration of the improvement of 
 *' fuch la.nds that are fo circumftanced as not 
 " to be within the reach of the common or 
 " ufual method of improvement. 'Moft large 
 " eftatcs have very large quantities of land, 
 * that lie remote from the farm-yard ; fome- 
 ' times feveral miles, and often very difficult 
 " of accefs, on account of fteep hills and bad 
 " roads: therefore fuch lands have no chance 
 " to be manured with dung, afhes, lime, or 
 " any fuch thing, the carriage of which 
 44 would come high: and therefore they are 
 " considered as wafte lands, not worth more 
 " than half a crown an acre, and are there- 
 " fore fuffered to be over-run with brambles, 
 *' broom, or furze, from one generation to 
 44 another, though very capable of bearing 
 44 very good corn, if proper methods were 
 * purfued. I have, at this time, feveral 
 44 hundred acres exactly thus circumftanced, 
 " which ferve to no other purpofe, but to 
 44 fummer a few (heep and young cattle. 
 44 Thefe are the ufes thofe lands have been 
 44 put to for a great number of years ; and, as 
 44 their condition is no better than formerly, 
 44 no body confiders them of mere value; and 
 44 confequently I can get no more rent for 
 * 4 them. I have therefore taken feveral of 
 * 4 them into hand, with a determined refo- 
 " lution to improve them, ifpoflible; which 
 1* I have not the leaft doubt of effecYing. I 
 
 P 4 " cannot
 
 2l6 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 " cannot convey an idea of my method better, 
 " than by an account of the courfe I am now 
 " purfuing. 
 
 " My firft eflay was on what is called an 
 " over- land (that is, land without a tenement 
 " belonging to it) of above fixty acres ; 
 '.' thirty of which lay on the north fide of a 
 " fharp valley. The defcent on one fide, and 
 46 the afcent on the other, are fo quick, that 
 " it is not practicable to carry any manure to 
 *' the faid thirty acres, but on horfes backs ; 
 " the expence of which would be too great 
 " for it to anfwer. The laft tenant had left it 
 in woeful plight ; having, as he faid, 
 << ploughed it as long as he could get two 
 " corns for one ; miferable condition indeed ! 
 " The firfl two years I left it to the manage- 
 6 ment of my hind, who cleaned it, and 
 ** fowed it with every fort of grain ; but the 
 " return was fuch as left nothing for rent. 
 " At length, he told me, it was to no pur- 
 *< pofe to plant it any more, unlefs I would 
 ** be at the expence of beftowing a good dref- 
 *' fing upon it, to improve it. This I re- 
 " folved not to do : for I have no idea of 
 ' any thing being an improvement, that 
 u does not pay the extra expence, and increafe 
 f the nett profit. Indeed, you may increafe 
 " the quantity of produce, and put the 
 64 land into better condition: but if, to efFect 
 ! this, you are at more expence than the 
 *< improvement will repay, I muft call this 
 
 c meafure
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 21^ 
 
 meafure the reverfe of improvement ; for, 
 " though your land may be improved, your 
 " fortune is impaired; this indeed would be 
 * buying gold too dear. 
 
 < I therefore told him, I faw clearly, it 
 would never anfwer the expence of carrying 
 " manure into it : I would try another me- 
 ' thod, from which I hoped better fuccefs 
 " than he had met with : he anfwered, he 
 " wiflied I might, with a fmile that plainly 
 " denoted his incredulity. So averfe are 
 " mod of thefe people to every method they 
 " have not been accuftomed to. 
 
 " However, he was to follow my direc- 
 * tions. I faid to him, You fee, here are the 
 " two upper fields (about eleven acres) have 
 " now lain above a year (ince the crops were 
 " got off; they have nothing growing upon 
 " them but ftrong weeds, which are the na- 
 < c tural produce of the foil, as thirties, horfe- 
 " daifies, brambles, &c. thefe are firft to be 
 " eradicated : therefore fet a couple of ftrong 
 <c ploughs to work, fix oxen to each, and 
 " plough the two fields deep and well ; then 
 " let them, as foon as proper, be well* 
 " dragged, rolled, and harrowed, and the 
 " ploughings, &c. repeated, until the land is 
 " clean, well-opened, and pulverized. This 
 " was repeated at proper intervals through 
 " the winter, and until the following May. 
 " By that time, they were got tolerably clean, 
 * and in good condition. The foil of each 
 
 "of
 
 2lB THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 *' of thefe fields were very different, though 
 *' no larger ; they each confifted of fome very 
 *' dry land, and iome altogether as wet. The 
 " firir. was a poor, lean, flatey ground ; the 
 ** latter a tough, moory, clofe earth, mixed 
 *' with an imperfect marie, which held water 
 *' like a difh, I had a pit funk in the moft 
 l depending part, to drain off the water ; and 
 <t ordered the earth to be fpread on the flatey 
 *' ground at a proper time. As I faid, the 
 ?'_land was ' m good order the May following; 
 *' I therefore ordered the moid: parts of the 
 <f fields to be fown with rye-grafs, and the 
 ** dry part with trefoil and burnet; which, 
 *' as fbon as pretty full blown, I ordered to be 
 ' mowed, made into hay, and fet up in a 
 *' rick, in a comer of the upper field. The 
 *' fields to be then laid up until O^ober, or 
 * 6 until the grafs had done growing ; then to 
 *' turn into the faid fields half-a-dozen mares 
 * and their foals, which I had at that time, 
 " with Tome young cattle, to have the run of 
 *' the laid thirty acres during the winter. I 
 " alfb ordered a li'nny, or hovel, to he creeled 
 " in the moft fheltery part of the fields, large 
 ** enough to fhelter a dozen horfes under it, 
 " for them to go inro at pleafure ; a rack to 
 * be put up; and, when the grafs was nearly 
 " eat up, to cut the rick, and fill the rack 
 *' once or twice a-day, as might be neceffary; 
 *' alib to- carry ilr.uv to litter the hovel, 
 < 4 which (hould be -cleaned out once in a week 
 
 or
 
 FEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 219 
 
 or ten days, and a dung-heap formed of the 
 " fame. In this manner the cattle ihould re- 
 44 main until the end of February, or until 
 44 "the grafs began to fpring. 
 
 44 Whilft this is doing, another of the fields 
 44 fhould be ploughed and got ready to fow in 
 " like manner the following May. As the 
 44 extent of the pafture will be increafed, fo 
 44 may the number of cattle to be wintered on 
 44 it; and, at the beginning of the fecond win- 
 44 ter, there will be dung enough to manure 
 44 one of the fields, which I would have 
 44 fpread on the upper field in December or 
 44 January at farthefl ; by which means, I 
 44 hope to have another good crop of grafs. 
 44 Thus are you to go on year after year, and 
 44 field after field, until the whole has been 
 '" well cleaned, cultivated, and drerTed. 
 
 " I do not expect it will anfwer to let it lie 
 44 fgr grafs more than two or three years ; 
 " therefore, iii the winter after the fir ft year, 
 4 I would have dung fpread on the field or 
 44 fields that were mowed, which will give en- 
 4< couragement to the next crop, and leave it 
 44 fufficiently in heart to bear a crop of barley 
 44 or oats, with which I would have you 
 44 fow, either clover, rye-grafs, or trefoil, as 
 4 beft fuits the land, taking but one crop of 
 " corn to two of grafs, which cannot tail 
 14 of improving thote lands, as 1 would have 
 4 them con (tan tly fed in the winter as above 
 * directed ; and the dung that is made hy the 
 4 44 cattle
 
 22O THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 " cattle to be ufed for manuring that land 
 " only : for it is a kind of injustice, if one 
 " may fo fpeak, to carry the produce off, and 
 " not leave the manure that arifes from it, 
 " and is its natural due ; a robbery that is 
 *' too frequently committed, which keeps fuch 
 '* land in a perpetual ftate of poverty. 
 
 " Thefe thirty acres, in the condition I fir ft 
 " found them, were not worth more than 
 " half a crown an acre; but, by the above 
 * c management, are well worth ten millings 
 " at leaft ; and by the fame means are capable 
 " of much more improvement. This, in my 
 *' own opinion, is a fpecies of improvement that 
 " deferves the clofeft attention ; as perhaps 
 " there is not another to be found, which 
 " may in general be made fo advantageous and 
 " extenfively ufeful. It comprehends every 
 " kind of land that is capable of improve- 
 " ment ; and the diftance from the farm-yard 
 *' is no very great inconvenience, as all the 
 " labour it requires on that account is, a boy 
 " going once a-day to give the cattle fodder, 
 *' and Spread fome litter, and this not until 
 *' the grafs is gone, and the weather fevere ; 
 * 4 then the litter is neceflary to increafe the 
 " quantity of dung, as well as to be of ufe to 
 the cattle. By iuch management, land that 
 " is very indifferent in its natural ftate may 
 " very loon be made very good corn land, to 
 " the great advantage of the owner." 
 
 This
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 221 
 
 This is an uncommon and very valuable 
 fpecies of improvement, not only in regard to 
 the value of the improvement, which is very 
 great, but with refpect to its exten(ivenefs,as there 
 is not a county only, but fcarce a parifh in the 
 kingdom, but this may be of great ufe to: and 
 it is here inferted at length, not only for that 
 reafon, but alfo becaufe this method may be 
 improved by the hoeing huibandry. 
 
 The author propofes to take a crop of corn, 
 barley, or oats, once in three years, after the 
 land is made clean, well pulverized, and fer- 
 tilized, with the dung of the cattle fed upon 
 it, and there is no doubt but this may be ob- 
 tained; but a better crop may be obtained by 
 drilling the feed in equidiftant rows a foot 
 afunder, and well hand-hoed; fome inftances 
 of this have been taken notice of above, and 
 many more might be produced to prove it 
 much fuperior to fowing broad-caft: for half 
 the feed at lead is laved by drilling, the land 
 is cleaned by the hoeing, and at the fame time 
 is improved. It might indeed have been ex- 
 pected that the author would have taken fome 
 notice of this, as he recommends the drilling 
 and hoeing hufbandry much ; but his practice 
 feems to have been more in other crops thus 
 cultivated than corn. However, it is certain 
 from experience, that this is a much more 
 profitable method than fowing broad-caft ; the 
 clear profit is much greater, after paying the 
 expcnce of once or even twice hand-hoeing. 
 
 Uut
 
 THE? PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 But there is another advantage, that in fome 
 circum fiances may he obtained in this way \ 
 the land that commonly, and in the Old Huf- 
 bandry, is thought proper only for barley or 
 oats, will produce good crops of wheat, which 
 is much' more profitable than fummer corn : 
 this is found true, not only in horle-hoeing, 
 but alfo in hand-hoeing, if well performed. 
 Land that lies with fo great a declivity, as 
 fome of thefe defcribed by the author, cannot 
 indeed be horfe-hoed ; the plough cannot turn 
 tip the furrows againfl fuch a fteep bank : but 
 all land that can be ploughed and fdwn broad- 
 caft, may alfo be drilled and hand- hoed, to 
 the great benefit of the occupier. But all land 
 thus circumftanced, worth no more than half- 
 a-crown an acre, and improveable to ten mil- 
 lings, may in general be cultivated with the 
 hoe-plough, to a greater advantage than they 
 can by hand-hoeing ; not mould they be put 
 in the horfe-hoeing culture, while worth half- 
 a-erown an acre, but may to good profit when 
 worth ten millings, if the land is dry and 
 healthy, it may be improved in the author's 
 method with fheep, and their dung faved in 
 winter to drefs the land: but in whatever 
 method it is done, the hoeing will make the 
 improvement the more expeditioufly, and, by 
 fav-ing the manure from the arable land, will 
 make fuch improvement more extenfive. 
 
 44 The great ufefulnefs," fays the author, 
 p^ 6a r " and benefit of the New Husbandry, 
 
 <* is
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 223 
 
 is no where fo fenfibly felt and experienced, 
 *' as in lands that are fo fituated as not to ad- 
 " mit of manure, but at fo heavy an expence 
 * { that their crops would by no means anfwer; 
 * the great advantage of this culture is in this 
 " cafe felf-evident, where a crop, at lead 
 44 worth from forty (hillings to three pounds, 
 " is obtained at the expence of fifteen millings 
 44 beftowed in tillage, and five (hillings in 
 44 feed: a very handfome return for land, 
 44 which, under fuch circumftnnces, cannot 
 44 be valued at more than five or fix (hillings 
 * an acre. Immenfe quantities of land are 
 44 thus circumftanced, and by this method are 
 44 capable of incredible improvement, provided 
 44 the owners or occupiers could provide a 
 44 competent number of workmen and horfes 
 44 for the purpofe." 
 
 The number of men and horfes, neceflary 
 for the New Huibandry, are not to be com- 
 puted from the number that is neceffary in the 
 Old Huibaudry, for the lame extent of land ; 
 for, whatever number of horfes are ufed in the 
 Common Hufbandry, one half that number is 
 fuificient for horie-hoeing the fame land ; Mr. 
 Craik ufed but two horfes for hoeing, and Mr. 
 Baker but two in his ilirF land, except in un- 
 commonly hot days : and one man is fufficient 
 to drive a team of four horfes ; but \\here only 
 two horfes are employed, a driver is not ne- 
 ceilary even in the Old Hufbaudry, much Ids 
 in the New; in which the Itraight ridges guide 
 
 the
 
 224 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 the horfes to go ftraight, and are foon brought 
 to it, as 1 have experienced; nor is more than 
 about half the number of horfes necerTary for 
 hoeing, as for common ploughing. 
 
 " The New Hufbandry is an improvement 
 " of the old, and, notwithftanding all oppo- 
 " fition, great as it is, it do^s advance though 
 " {lowly. Planting beans and peas in rows, 
 " and hoeing turnips, is pretty generally 
 * 6 practifed in many counties ; but is not of 
 " very long Handing in the field culture, at 
 " leaft in many places. 
 
 " The principal intention of this method of 
 " culture is to keep the land in perfect tilth, 
 '* and to keep it clean from weeds. In order 
 tl to this, the land at firft fetting off mould 
 ** be deep and well ploughed, harrowed, &c. 
 " and made as clean as you can. The in- 
 *' tervals between the drills I would advife 
 " to be of a good width, according to the fize 
 " of the plant you intend to- fow. One is 
 " apt to grudge fo much ground, which at 
 " firft appears unoccupied, but, before the crop 
 46 arrives at maturity, one always finds the 
 '* fpaces too little; this occafions a good deal 
 " of trouble and vexation,, and prevents your 
 *' ufing the horfe-hoe fo effectually, or fo long 
 " as you ought. I have drilled beans, peas, 
 " wheat, barley, carrots, potatoes, and lu- 
 *' cerne, and have always found before harveft 
 " I wanted more room. For beans and peas, 
 " the diitance mould not be lefs than three 
 c " feet
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 225 
 
 *' feet : for wheat, barley, and potatoes, two 
 44 feet and a haJf ; lucerne and carrots, two feet. 
 " I likevvife prefer (ingle rows to double, or 
 " treble, efpecially until the land is got very 
 44 clean and in good order : for, when planted 
 44 in fingle rows, the horie-hoe may be worked 
 44 near the rows, and the weeds difplaced to 
 44 the bottom; but, if planted in double rows, 
 44 the fpace between being narrow, the weeds 
 " cannot be difplaced without the ufe of the 
 44 hand-hoe, and then not deep enough to de- 
 4 ftroy them ; and fo much of the ground lies 
 " uncultivated. Double rows, I believe, afford 
 4C larger crops than fingle, in beans, wheat, 
 44 and barley ; and, when your land is in good 
 44 tilth and very clean, double rows may be 
 44 pra&ifed to advantage ; but, if ufed before, I 
 4< am perfuaded your land will never be clean. 
 
 ' I have obfervcd before, that the general 
 44 opinion is, that the expence of inftruments 
 44 neceflary for this practice is more confider- 
 44 able than it really is ; which probably has 
 44 in fome meafure prevented many from 
 44 making fome trials of its fuccefs. I will 
 44 therefore enumerate and defcribe all fuch 
 44 as I have found neceflary for this work. 
 
 44 Every farmer muft be provided with 
 44 ploughs, harrows, drags, and a roller, for 
 44 cultivating his land according to the old 
 44 method : therefore thefe are not to be con- 
 44 iidered as an extra expence, occafioned by 
 44 the new practice. All the inftruments that 
 
 " arc
 
 226 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 " are neceflary to this culture are four in 
 *' number ; and two of thefe are equally ufe- 
 " ful for the Old as for the New Hufbandry : 
 " therefore thefe cannot be fairly charged as 
 " and extra expence on the New. 
 
 " The firft is a fmall patent or Rotheram 
 " plough, which may very conveniently be 
 ' worked very near the rows ; and, if the land 
 is in tolerable tilth, one horfe, and that not 
 " a large one, will be very able to manage 
 " fuch a plough. This is my hoe-plough, 
 " and in all refpedts greatly preferable to every 
 " thing I have feen called by that name ; 
 44 with this you may go fix, nine, or twelve 
 " inches deep, as you pleafe, and will pul- 
 " verize the foil, in which confifts the great 
 < advantage of this method of culture. The 
 " fecond is the fame plough with two mould 
 " boards; this, in narrow intervals, throws 
 " the mould up to the rows of plants on each 
 " fide at once going. Another ufe 1 put it to 
 " is, to make clean open furrows of any 
 " depth, and at any diftance, the grain or 
 "roots I have to place, may require. With 
 " this inftrument I make my drills for beans, 
 " peas, wheat, potatoes, or whatever ieed I 
 " have to fow : with it I can go any depth, 
 " from two to eight or ten inches ; and it 
 " makes but one furrow at a time, like a 
 " common plough ; they may be made at any 
 " diftance, one furrow from another, that 
 your intended crop may require. This re- 
 
 " a u ires
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 227 
 
 4< quires no nicety, no ingenuity ; any man 
 ** that can plough a tolerable ftraight furrow, 
 " can do all that is required." [The author 
 feems here to refer wholly to fowing upon 
 level ground, and not upon ridges ; which 
 are in general much preferable to level 
 ground to fow upon, or to be horfe hoed. 
 The double-board plough here mentioned 
 is very proper to open furrows into which 
 potatoes are to be dropped by hand, or 
 beans; and in fuch rows as are at a con- 
 (iderable diftance, and require no great ex- 
 actnefs to plant the feed in regard to 
 diftance and depth ; but, where that is re- 
 quired, a drill-plough is much preferable to 
 fowing feed in thefe open furrows, and co- 
 vering it afterwards, as it muft be, by the 
 plough, or by a hand-hoe ; and the feed 
 in this way is not fo certainly covered at an* 
 equal depth, as with a drill-plough. -Nei- 
 ther can corn or any feed be thus fown 
 ftraight, as of wheat at a foot diftance, to 
 be hand-hoed. The drill-plough is in every 
 refpecl: the beft inftrument by much to fow 
 regularly, ftraight, at an equal diilance 
 and depth, and mod expeditioufly ; and 
 horfe-hoeing wheat, and many other plants, 
 is much preferable upon ridges to level 
 ground.] 
 
 " The third inftrument is what the in- 
 44 ventor [Mr. Baldwin] calls, I think, a horfe- 
 *< Koe ; it is little more than au harrow, fo 
 
 lhaped 
 
 '
 
 228 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 '< maped as to pafs eafily between two rows 
 " of corn. It is about four feet and a half 
 " long, and fixteen inches wide, and the tines 
 " are made ftrong and eight or nine inches in 
 " length, with a couple of handles for the 
 " ploughman to guide it. It is a very ufeful 
 " mftrument to break down and crumble the 
 " lumps, and to drag out and clean away the 
 *' weeds, and may eafily be drawn with one 
 " horfe. It alfo well prepares the land in the 
 " intervals to receive a crop of turnips, cab- 
 " bages, or any thing elfe you may think 
 " proper to plant, before you have got the 
 " crop off the ground. This is not very often 
 " pradtifed, but ibmetimes may with good 
 44 fuccefs. 
 
 " The fourth and laft inftrument, that is 
 <* neceflary to this practice, is the drill ; with 
 " which I fow in rows the feeds of whatever 
 " crops I have to plant ; this requires no more 
 ** fkill, ingenuity, or ftrength, than to drive a 
 " very light wheelbarrow along the furrows 
 " the plough with the double mould-boar,d has 
 " made. The only care it reqnites is, before 
 " you begin, to fet it to the iize of the feed 
 " you have to fow, and to lupply it with 
 " more feed as occaiion may require : which 
 " may be four, fix, or eight times in fowing 
 " an acre,- juft as you chufe. 
 
 " This is the whole apparatus that is necef- 
 " fary in this method of practice ; the expence 
 " of which cannot exceed fifty millings or 
 
 " three
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 229 
 
 ** three pounds; which muft be allowed to be 
 " a mere trifle, efpecially if it be confidered 
 " that the two ploughs are equally ufeful in 
 " the old as well as in the new method." 
 
 [It has been obferved above, that a pair 
 of wheels are convenient, to mark the in- 
 tended diftance of the rows, or ridges, very 
 ftraight; a mort ftone roller likewife, plain 
 or fluted, though not abfolutely neceflary, 
 is fometimes very ufeful, to break and crufh 
 the large clods in the intervals in very dry 
 weather, efpecially in ftrong land. Such 
 a roller in a pair of (hafts, and mort enough 
 to be drawn along the intervals, will effec- 
 tually crum thefe hard clods, without wait- 
 ing for rain, or hindering the hoeing. One 
 horfe is enough for this roller : and, if the 
 earth in the interval lies in a (harp ridge, it 
 will be convenient to open that ridge firft, 
 that the horfe may walk, and draw the 
 roller after him, in the interval. This is 
 fometimes of great fervice, as it prefently 
 and effectually pulverizes the earth in the 
 intervals ; but mould be ufed only when 
 the earth is very dry.] 
 
 " Prejudice and intereft, fays the author, 
 <{ frequently warp the judgement, and make 
 " men violent in the defence of one fcheme, 
 '* to the utter clcftruftion of another; though 
 '* perhaps equally ufeful and delirable, under 
 " different circumflances. The truth of this 
 " obfcrvation appears no where in a ftronger
 
 230 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 " light, than in the conteft between the ad- 
 vocates for the Old and New Hulbandry. 
 " They cannot be contented to ufe either as 
 *' circumftdnces may require, and render fit 
 " and ufeful; but one muft be eftablilhed 
 " univerially, to the utter extirpation of the 
 " other, or all is not right. In the foregoing 
 " part of this work, I have (hewn that both 
 " may be ufed occafionally to advantage ; and 
 *' that it is very wrong for a farmer to refpeft 
 ' either, becaufe it is new or old: the only 
 " confideration that (hould weigh with him 
 ' is, which is moft likely to be attended with 
 <c fuperior advantage ; and that only fhould 
 " determine his choice. I have known the 
 " drill method decried from the fmallnefs of 
 " the crop, when compared with the broad- 
 < caft on the fame land ; but that is an erro- 
 " neous way of judging. Such a comparifon 
 " affords no criterion to diftinguifh the fu- 
 " perior method; for it is not the quantity of 
 " produce, but the net profit the farmer 
 cc (hould be governed by. One field may pro- 
 " duce twenty bufhels of wheat to the acre, 
 " another but ten; the firft may be a lofing 
 " crop, the latter a gaining one. This I have 
 "*' known happen more than once; and fo muft 
 * c many others who refide in counties where 
 " a farmer cannot drefs and manure an acre 
 " properly, for wheat, under four pounds, and 
 ** where twenty bufhels is deemed a good crop. 
 " Here, if, in the drill method, a farmer can 
 2 " get
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 231 
 
 " get only eight bufhels by dint of horfe-hoe- 
 " ing, without the expence of manure, he 
 " will get more (hillings toward the rent of 
 ' his land by the latter method of culture, 
 " than he can do by the former. 
 
 " This correfponds with what I obferved 
 " of Mr. Craik's crops, and expences of 
 " tillage : where it was (hewn, that eight 
 bumels of wheat upon an acre were, at the 
 " price of five (hillings per biifhel, fully fuf- 
 * ficient to pay the rent and expences of a 
 " hoed-acre, even reckoning the rent high; 
 ' and all above eight bufhels per acre was 
 " clear profit. The author allows here that 
 * even eight bumels may be a profitable crop; 
 " which may feem incredible to a common 
 " farmer, though certainly true. 
 
 ** I am certain, continues our author, from 
 *' experience, that the drill culture may be 
 pracVifed to a great comparative advantage 
 in many articles, and under many circum- 
 " trances ; and I am forry to obfervc, that 
 '< fome of the oppofers of this practice have. 
 " treated the memory of the late ingenious 
 " Mr. Tull, to whofe labours the world is 
 " much indebted, with great want of candour 
 '* and unfriendly reflection. That he did not 
 " die in very affluent circumftances, is no 
 " impeachment of his method of culture, nor 
 " ot his honour and veracity. I had not the 
 *' pleafure of his perfonal acquaintance, but I 
 ** am acquainted with Ibme that had. I have 
 Q 4 " been
 
 232 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 " been informed his eftate was much too 
 *' fmall to maintain a family gcnteely, and 
 " grow rich; betides, continual ill health many 
 " years before his death muft help to impair 
 " his fortune. This however is difingenuoufly 
 " imputed to his obftinacy, in profecuting a 
 " method of culture, which greatly hurt, if 
 " not ruined him. 
 
 *' From all accounts, he was a man of un- 
 c doubted veracity : he tells us, he praclited 
 " the drill huibandry upon a large fcale ; hav- 
 ** ing fometimes one hundred acres of wheat 
 " in a year; that he followed the practice 
 " upon lome lands twelve or thirteen years; 
 " that his crops were larger at laft than at 
 * firft ; and his land not only in finer, but in 
 richer condition than when he began the 
 *< practice. Struck with hi fuccefs, and the 
 ' advantages of his method, and convinced 
 " and iatisfied by the reafonablenefs of his prin- 
 * 6 ciples, many perfons of great note and re- 
 tte fpetable characters have been induced to 
 *' make trials of his method ; which, in num- 
 *' berlefs inftances, Succeeded beyond the moft 
 ** fanguine expectation. Thefe are the late 
 " Lord Vifcount Townfend, Sir Digby Le 
 < c Gard, M. Duhamel, M. De Chateavieux, 
 46 Mr. Miller, and Mr. Baker a gentleman 
 ** of Ireland. This is a very mort lift to 
 Ct what might be given, but is furely abun- 
 " dantly lufficient to outweigh interefted ex- 
 ** p cnmeiits, though made by thoufands. Ex- 
 .* ,.,- ;.- :'. ,,, " periments
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 233 
 
 " periments made on the poor narrow fcale of 
 " a rood of ground are unworthy of the 
 " name; indeed they have little elfe, and can 
 " ferve no other purpofe but to talk about, in 
 " the ample fpacious field of a moft heavy 
 ' voluminous work." [Meaning Mr. Young's, 
 as elfewhere mentioned]. 
 
 " I cannot on this occafion help taking no- 
 " tice, of the moft unwarrantable partiality, 
 '* exercifed by fome writers, in conftantly re- 
 " ferring and appealing to fuch paltry experi- 
 " ments, as to the touchftone or ftandard of 
 ' truth. I would beg leave to afk all fucb, if 
 " the pretended experiments of owe, who 
 " manifeftly wrote with interefted views, 
 " ought to be (et in competition with, or Can 
 * be deemed evidence of equal force with, 
 " thofe of the refpedla^le difmterefted gentle- 
 *' men above mentioned ? Were the experi- 
 * ments made by Lord Town lend, on the cul- 
 " ture of turnips, tiue and genuine? or were 
 " they fraudulent and deceitful? Were the 
 ** extenfive experiments made by Sir Digby 
 " Legard honell and fair, or were they in- 
 ' tended as impofuions on the public? I re- 
 " peat the fame queltions with rcfpet to the 
 * reft of the gentlemen, particularly Mr. 
 k< Miller (\vhofe veracity 1 think equal to any 
 " man*s); and Mr. Bakt-r, vvhofe experiments 
 ** were very numerous, extenlive, and con- 
 " ducked with great (kill and care. If thefe 
 " gentlemen's veracity (land unimpeached, 
 
 " how
 
 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 * how dare any man place the (ingle tefti- 
 " mony of an interefted hafty writer in oppo- 
 ' iition to them, and make his conclufions the 
 ' teft of truth ? If they are impeached or 
 " fufpe&ed of difhoneft practices, let the ac- 
 " culer ftand forth, and make good his charge 
 " againft them. Until that is done, no re- 
 * gard ought to be paid to conclufions, de- 
 " duced from experiments, which in many 
 " inftances militate againft, and invalidate each 
 " other. 
 
 " Notwithftanding all that has been faid to 
 " the contrary, by the interested experimenter, 
 " and by thofe who on certain occafions en- 
 " deavour,to fupport him; it is a moft certain 
 " truth, that there are few plants or vegetables 
 " cultivated in England for the ufe of man or 
 *' beaft, but receive great encouragement and 
 benefit from the earth in which they grow 
 ' being well pulverized and broken j and the 
 " moft efFetual way to do this, is by the horfe- 
 " hoe, or hoe-plough, whilft they are grow- 
 " ing ; and this is not to be done unleis the crop 
 " is planted in drills or rows. Thefe articles 
 " are not a few ; lucerne, and all the various 
 * 4 kinds of cabbages, beans, peale, the turnip- 
 " rooted cabbages of both forts, carrots, par- 
 46 fnips, potatoes, and I will venture to add 
 ' turnips 3 and I am clearly of opinion, that 
 ** fainfpin and burnet will in time be found 
 to be of the number." 
 
 We
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 235 
 
 We have given fuch a number of authentic 
 inftances of the fuccefs of the New Hu(bandry, 
 that it appears unneceflary to give more par- 
 ticulars from this author, or from the foreign 
 gentlemen he mentions, \vho were the difciples 
 of Mr. Tull, and do him great honour; their 
 experiments were extenfive and very accurate, 
 and much might have been taken from them; 
 but it was thought moft fuitable to give prin- 
 cipally the experiments made in Britain, and 
 fuch as were extenfive, and made in a great 
 variety of different kinds of land. Thefe ex- 
 periments demonftrate the great advantage of 
 the New Hufbandry, and will direct thofe, 
 who are defirous to learn it, to the fuccefsful 
 practice ; and this more particularly than they 
 will find ellewhere in one view. 
 
 Thofe who are defirous to be informed of 
 the practice of this huibandry, as conducted by 
 feveral ingenious perfons abroad, may confult 
 M. Duhamel's Hufbandry [a very curious 
 French gentleman], who has collected their 
 experiments, and publifhed them together 
 with his own ; whereof fome have been tranf- 
 lated into Engliih, by the ingenious John 
 Mills Efq; and Mr. Miller author of the 
 Gardeners Dictionary. Thefe experiments were 
 numerous and accurate ; but neither fo ex- 
 tenfive, nor of near fo long continuance, as 
 thele I have recited. And it is further to be 
 obferved, and will be obvious to thofe who 
 (hall perufe this treatife, that M. Duhamel and 
 
 his
 
 236 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 his correfpondents were not fully matters of 
 the New Hufbandry : as they were acquainted 
 only with the firft part of Mr. Tull's work ; 
 but had not feen the latter parts that he pub- 
 limed afterwards, containing feveral improve- 
 ments of importance, that he made in the 
 courfe of his practice ; yet were they fo fen- 
 lible of the advantages of his Hufbandry, and 
 fo much furprifed at the effeOs of hoeing and 
 good tillage, that many focieties have, in con- 
 lequence thereof, been eftablifhed in France, 
 for the encouragement of agriculture ; and 
 thefe gentlemen have particularly recommended 
 the New Hufbandry, which had fucceeded 
 with them much beyond their expectation, 
 which they have very fully acknowledged. 
 
 The great advantage of this culture has 
 been experienced, not only in Britain, Ireland, 
 France, and Italy, but has been introduced 
 likewife into America, whereof we have an 
 inftance from the ingenious Dr. Elliot of New 
 England, in the culture of maize, there called 
 Indian corn, which he relates as follows : 
 
 * The land," fays he, " being previoufly 
 * c prepared, and the corn come up, we plough 
 " a furrow off from the corn on each fide, 
 " and the next time plough up to the corn ; 
 * fo that this tillage is nearly the fame as is 
 * propofed for wheat, or whatever we would 
 " plant: only, by the way, I would ob- 
 * ferve, that the ploughing between the 
 * rows of Indian corn is fo (hallow, that 
 
 " one
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 237 
 
 " one would be apt to think it intended for 
 " nothing more than merely to kill the grafs 
 4< and weeds ; whereas it is found by ex- 
 perience, that, though there be neither 
 " grafs nor weeds, the ploughing and hoeing 
 * will make the corn grow ; and that the 
 " more the land is ploughed and hoed, the 
 " better and longer it will refift the drought, 
 " and yield the better crop : and, what is iHll 
 " more remarkable, if the Indian corn be well 
 " tilled, the next crop, whether it be oats 
 " or flax, will be proportionably greater and 
 " better : fo that the land muft have gained 
 ' ftrength and richnefs. If it were not fo, 
 " why did not the Indian crop exhauft and 
 " and fpend the ftrength of the land, efpe- 
 " cially when \ve coniider how large that 
 " corn is made to grow by good tillage ? But 
 " we find the contrary ; the better the crop 
 " of Indian corn, the better the crop will be 
 " of oats. There is no fort of Huibandry, 
 " wherein the fuperior force and virtue of 
 " tillage doth more evidently appear, than 
 " in the railing of Indian corn : for if you 
 " mould plough and harrow the beft luul, 
 " and fow or plant the corn, and never do 
 44 any thing more to it, there will be lefs 
 " corn, than if you fhould plant poor land, 
 " and cultivate it well : the poor land well 
 " ploughed and hoed (hall bring a greater 
 " crop than the rich land. We hereby ice 
 " the efficacy and advantage ^i this repeated
 
 238 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 " tillage, which falls in fucceflively accord - 
 " ing to the exigency and want of the plant 
 " in its feveral degrees of growth ; and keeps 
 ' the land in a proper ftate. Why mould it 
 " not have the fame effect upon wheat, and 
 ** every other plant, that is fufceptible of the 
 " like culture?" 
 
 Here it is to be obferved, that maize or In- 
 dian corn is very generally cultivated in 
 North America, and particularly in New- 
 England, where it is efteemed to be a great 
 impoverimer of land ; yet we lee, that the 
 Hoeing Husbandry not only improves the 
 crop, but the land alfo, to fuch a degree, that 
 it is fo far from being impoverifhed by this 
 corn, as in their Common Hufbandry, that 
 it is enriched fo much by the hoeing, as to 
 produce a better crop of maize, and likewife 
 a better fubfequent crop of oats or flax. This 
 is the more extraordinary, as the hoeing was 
 fo mallow, and but once repeated; and 
 Ihews, that fucceffive crops, even of this ex- 
 haufting plant, may be obtained in this Huf- 
 bandry ; as we have fhewn, that fucceffive 
 crops of wheat have been obtained in Britain 
 for a long courfe of years, though found im- 
 practicable in the Common Hufbandry. It is 
 likewife juftly obferved here by the Doctor, 
 that this culture may be applied with fuccefs 
 to other plants : for, " why," fays he, " (hould 
 " it not have the fame effect upon wheat, and 
 every other plant, that is fufceptible of the 
 
 " like
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 239 
 
 " like culture ?'* And, in fact, it is found 
 to have the fame effect upon wheat and other 
 plants, upon beans, peafe, cabbages, turnips, 
 potatoes, carrots, &c. and, if properly ap- 
 plied, would have the fame upon many others, 
 as hops, madder, &c. and upon feverai plants, 
 to great advantage, hitherto wholly appro- 
 priated to garden-culture ; as I may hereafter 
 have an opportunity of mewing. 
 
 It may indeed feem unaccountable to many, 
 who are not well acquainted with this Huf- 
 bandry, that is has not made greater progrefs 
 in Britain ; which has been owing to feverai 
 caufes. It could not be expected that com- 
 mon farmers would come into it, till in- 
 formed of the principles, and convinced of 
 its utility, by the experience of gentlemen 
 fully (hewn them. It was oppoled at firft by 
 fome prejudiced perfons, who had an intereft 
 in fo doing ; and has been much prejudiced 
 by feverai modern writers on Huibandry, who 
 neither underftood it, nor had practifed it with 
 judgement and perfeverance. To (hew how 
 ilrangely it was oppofed may be feen in Mr. 
 Miller's Gardeners Dictionary, under the 
 article Triticum, where he lays, that ct the 
 " Horfe-hoeing Hufbandry, which was prac- 
 < tiled by Mr. Tull, has been almoft univer- 
 ** fally rejected by farmers in every country, 
 " it being fo oppofite to their accuftomed 
 44 practice. And indeed, by the abfurdity of 
 " the author in a few particulars, he has dif- 
 
 " couraged
 
 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 " couraged many from engaging in it, but, 
 " upon finding Mr. Tull positively aflerting, 
 " that the fame land would nourifh the fame 
 fpecies of plants, without changing the 
 " crops, for ever, and this without manure, 
 " which, being contrary to all experience, 
 *' led them to believe his other principles had 
 " no better foundation. And he praclifed 
 " this method of lowing the fame fpecies 
 upon the fame ground, till his crops failed, 
 *' and were much worfe than thofe of his 
 " neighbours, who continued their old me- 
 ' thod of Hulbandry." 
 
 The prnctifers of the New Hufbandry find, 
 that manure is not in general neceflary for 
 wheat, even upon ordinary land, if Well and 
 fufficiently hoed: for, if both well hoed, and 
 alfp manured, the wheat would grow too 
 rank and lodge. But, in cultivating turnips, 
 cabbages, and fuch as are intended for feed- 
 ing cattle, manure is ufeful, and contributes 
 to enlarge the crops to advantage, and with- 
 out danger from their luxurancy. 
 
 Mr. Tull took the firft hints of his Huf- 
 bandry, as he mentions himfelf, from the 
 low vineyards in the fouth of France, where 
 the vines have been cultivated for ages by 
 hceing only, and without manure; which 
 Mr. Miller had not well confidered, or he 
 could not have fuppofed a fucceffion of the 
 fame plants without manure, to be contrary 
 to experience ; and he too implicitly believed 
 
 the
 
 VEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 241 
 
 the reports induftrioufly fpread againft this 
 Hufbandry, and of Mr. Tull's ill fuccefs, 
 which was void of foundation, as he might 
 have known upon enquiry. Yet Mr. Miller 
 very much recommends the Hoeing Hufban- 
 dry, and gives inftances of wheat-crops there- 
 by obtained, much greater than any men- 
 tioned by Mr. Tull. 
 
 But notwithftanding the vulgar prejudices 
 againft this hufbandry, it now gains ground, 
 even among fome farmers, who will undoubt- 
 edly adopt it more generally, as it is their 
 interefl to do, when made more fully ac- 
 quainted with it, of which it is the intention 
 of this treatife to inform them, and by what 
 follows to render the practice of it ealy and 
 familiar to them, not only in the culture of 
 wheat, but of many other plants. 
 
 The above experiments, and fuccefsful prac- 
 tice of this huibandry, will, it is prefumed, be 
 acceptable to our readers; and they, who defire 
 to know the hi (lory and progrefs of it from 
 the beginning, are referred to Mr. Tull's work 
 above mentioned, whereof a new edition will 
 foon be offered to the public. 
 
 A late writer, and favourer of the common 
 hu(bandry, has neverthelefs owned, " that it 
 " muft be acknowledged, that even the Old 
 " Huibandry has received no fmall improve- 
 " ment by the difcovery of the genuine prin- 
 " ciplcs of the New. The advantages of 
 ** meliorating and pulverizing the earth arc 
 R *- better
 
 242 THE PRACTICE OF THE 
 
 better underftood, and I believe more ge* 
 " nerally pra&ifed than formerly ; and the 
 grand principle of all, that of frequently 
 " ftirring, expofing, and enlarging the luper- 
 <* ficies, in order to fu.ply in fome meafure 
 " the place of dung, is a difcovery of vaft im- 
 " portance. And, fays he, the memory of 
 f* Mr. Tull ought to be held in the higheft 
 *< reverence by every hufbandman, for his 
 " improvement of the art of agriculture. It 
 f is from him we have leirnt the great benefit 
 " of frequent plowings to pulverize the foil, 
 f which in fome fituations" fqpply the place 
 of dung. To him the farmer owes the ad- 
 ! vantages arifing from cleaning and pre- 
 f paring his ground by fowing turnips, and 
 f c improving them by hoeing. It was Mr, 
 46 Tull who firft introduced the drilling of 
 " peas, beans, vetches, fanfoin, &c. into field 
 f * culture, and mewed the advantages of hoe- 
 ?' ing, and keeping them clear from weeds ; 
 " and it is from him that the whole kingdom 
 '* have learnt tp raife more corn from lefs 
 '< feed than ever was thought poffible before 
 f he fet the Example. Thefe are folid and 
 " fubftantial advantages, which have intro- 
 ** duced an unjverfal reform in hufbandry." 
 
 Thefe and other great advantages are owing 
 to this great Hufbandman, who has raifed a 
 fpirit of improvement upon a rational lyftern 
 of agriculture, unknown to former ages. He 
 has refcued this moft valuable art from thq 
 
 ll.i'- : \ ' > J i - .1 . , . _ 
 
 darkneis
 
 NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 243 
 
 darknefs and errors of ignorant rufticlcs, and 
 eftablifhed it upon fuch clear principles, that 
 thofe of the firft rank in his own and other 
 countries of Europe are now convinced of its 
 great utility, and are emulous to advance im- 
 provements, that before his time were neg- 
 lected, or thought beiow the notice of gentle- 
 men. Such is the merit of the Father of the 
 New Hufbandry, whofe memory deferves to 
 be celebrated, not only by the curious, but 
 likewife that a ftatue (hould be erected for 
 by his grateful country. 
 
 K 2 APPEN-
 
 [ 244 1 
 
 APPENDIX, 
 
 IN the foregoing treatife, the methods of 
 feveral eminent pra&ifers of the New Huf- 
 bandry are recited, which differing in feveral 
 circumftances may render this hufbandry ob- 
 icure to a beginner, efpecially in cultivating 
 wheat by the horfe-hoe. I have therefore 
 added this Appendix, to guard him againft mif- 
 takes in that culture, and bring into one view 
 the method that he may depend upon at his 
 entering upon the practice. 
 
 The late Sir Digby Legard, who was an 
 eminent hufbandman, and extenfive improver, 
 near Scarborough in Yorkfhire, pra&ifed the 
 New Hufbandry for eight or nine years, cul- 
 tivating barley and wheat upon afield of feven 
 acres : he likewife cultivated in other fields 
 moft of the other common plants in this me- 
 thod ; for, befides wheat and barley, he cultivated 
 in that manner oats, beans, peafe, turnips, 
 potatoes, and lucerne j and communicated the 
 refult of his practice for a courfe of years in 
 feveral letters to the London Society of Arts, 
 and concludes his laft letter, of the 1 2th of May 
 1768, with a recommendation of the drill and 
 horie-hoeing hufbandrv, as follows, viz. " I 
 * can fay with truth, that, after ten years con- 
 '* ftant and very extenfive practice, after the 
 *f experience of a great variety of foils and 
 
 ** leafons.
 
 APPENDIX. 245 
 
 ** feafons, I can recommend the drill and 
 " horfe-hoeing culture, as founded on reafon 
 " and on truth. I have conftantly attended,with 
 " all the impartiality I am mafter of, to the 
 <e peculiar advantages, inconveniencies, ex- 
 " pences, and benefits, both of the Old and 
 " New Hufbandry, and I cannot avoid giving 
 * my verdicT: in favour of the latter." 
 
 He had before given his opinion, with re- 
 gard to the farmers pra&ifing this hufbandry, in 
 the following judicious manner. *' That the 
 " old method, fays he, with afliflance of the 
 " more modern improvements, by turnips and 
 ** clover, and by the alternate ufe of the le- 
 " guminous plants, which require hand-hoeing, 
 *' is very advantageous, I allow. Perhaps the 
 '* farmer, who purfues this method in its 
 *' greateft perfection, judges wifely, in pre- 
 " ferring a fyftem he is mafter of, and can 
 " confide in, to another, whofe principles may 
 " bejutt, but the practice of which is totally 
 *' different from bis own. But the farmer, 
 " who is ignorant of thefe modern improve- 
 * ments, furely ought not to hefitate to adopt 
 " the drill culture, which a few years prac- 
 " tice would render habitual, and which he 
 " would find to be much more beneficial. For 
 " it is certain, that this is lefs expenfive than 
 ** the old method, and, when once adopted, 
 ' eafier in the execution.'* 
 
 This culture has made hitherto but a flow 
 
 progrefs ; the great farmers cannot adopt it in 
 
 R 3 general,
 
 246 APPENDIX. 
 
 general, as their fervants are not acquainted 
 with it : but the little farmers might more 
 eafily come into it ; they do great part of the 
 hu(bandry work themfelves, and the whole is 
 under their immediate direction ; fo that, after 
 they have attained to the knowledge of it, they 
 could ealily put it in practice ; and the little 
 farmers in the neighbourhood would readily 
 adopt it likewife, for it is not only more eafily 
 performed, but it is likewife more profitable 
 than the common hufbandry. 
 
 Suppofe, for example, fuch a farmer rents 
 nearly 80 acres of land, for which he pays 50 /. 
 a year; it has been ufual to reckon, that a 
 farmer ought to make three rents, one for his 
 landlord, one to pay the expeuces neceflary to 
 be laid out upon the farm, and the remaining 
 third to pay the expences of houfe-keeping, 
 &c. and to fave fome for his family. But, 
 as this has been the general eftimate a long 
 time, and before clover became fo general, and 
 the hoeing culture of turnips fo well under- 
 (tood as it is now ; likewiie before the mo- 
 dern practice, of the moft Ikilful farmers, of 
 introducing hoed crops of beans, peafe, cab- 
 bages, &c. inftead of a fallow, whereby the 
 expence of fallowing every third or fourth 
 year is faved, and a hoed crop obtained every 
 fallow year ; thefe are fo great improvements 
 in the common huibandry, that now it is 
 reckoned the farmers make a greater profit 
 of their arable Unds than three rents ; and 
 2 fome
 
 APPENDIX. 247 
 
 fbme have reckoned it fo high as four rents ; 
 which it may be in fome particular cafes and 
 fituations, though in general not fo high. 
 
 This profit includes all that is made from 
 the crops of corn and grafs, cattle, dairy, hogs, 
 poultry, and every other produce of the farm ; 
 for, with regard to the crops of corn, and other 
 vegetables generally cultivated, they fall much 
 Ihort of thefe eftimates. 
 
 Sir Digby Legard, being fully fatisfied of 
 the advantage of the New Hufbandry, from 
 experience, compares the fame with the com- 
 mon IJufbandry ; obferving, that a letter in the 
 3d volume of the Mufeum Rufticimi, p. 232, 
 figned Y, reckons the clear profit of land in 
 tillage, near Bury in Suffolk, at about 155. per 
 acre. He then gives the courfeof huibandry 
 frequently obferved by farmers in his neigh- 
 bourhood, where the fields are inclofed, and 
 let for fifteen (hillings an acre, tithe-free ; the 
 courfe for four years being, firft year turnips, 
 iecond barley, third clover, and fourth wheat. 
 The total produce in four years is i2/. 18 s. 
 and the total expences in four years is 8/. 6s. 6d. 
 and the clear profit of an acre in that time 
 4/. 3*. 6d> or near a guinea an acre clear 
 profit a year. Whereas the clear profit a year, 
 upon the acre cultivated by himfelf in the 
 New Huibandry, is i /. 1 8 s. od. ; where it is to 
 be obferved, that he reckons the profit of the 
 New Huibandry, from barley cultivated in that 
 method ; which he acknowledges is not fo pro- 
 
 R 4 fi table
 
 248 APPENDIX. 
 
 fitable as wheat fo cultivated, alfo that he 
 had fuppofed the fourth crop in the old way 
 to be wheat; whereas, fays he, " it is much 
 " more common hereabouts, where the land is 
 " not perfectly adapted to the culture of wheat, 
 44 for the farmer to fow oats, or fome other 
 * fpring crop, after the clover ; and thus is 
 44 the profit reduced," of the common Huf- 
 bandry in that neigbourhood. But he proceeds 
 to compare his barley crops in the New Huf- 
 bandry with an efrimate in the foreign eflays 
 on hufbandry, p. 322. where M. De L'Harpe 
 eftimates the clear profit of one acre in Swif- 
 ferland at one pound feventeen millings ; this 
 is from crops of fainfoin and clover, with in- 
 termediate crops of corn ; which, Sir Digby 
 fays, is certainly the higheft calculation of any 
 he ever met with ; yet even that is not fo 
 profitable as Sir Digby's barley crops in the 
 New Hufbandry, and would be (till more in- 
 ferior to his wheat crops cultivated in that 
 manner. It is likewife to be obferved that this 
 calculation of M. De L'Harpe is upon a fup- 
 pofition that only half the land is under corn, 
 and the other half is every year clover and 
 iainfoin, which is a large proportion of the land 
 in cultivated grafles,beiides meadow andpaflure. 
 Sir Digby was fo far from being partial in fa- 
 vour of the New Hufbandy, that, as he writes 
 in his firft letter to the London Society, ' 4 I 
 44 am the more inclined to communicate to you 
 44 thefe experiments of laft year, becaufe I think 
 i the
 
 APPENDIX. 249 
 
 " the comparifon lefs favourable to the New 
 " Hufbandry in that than any other years 
 " wherein I have made experiments. For I 
 * would allow every advantage to old cuftoms, 
 " that they can naturally or reafonably claim." 
 And, agreeably to this, he reckons the profit 
 of his horfe-hoed crops as above, not according 
 to thofe crops that he obtained after he had 
 experience in that method of Hufbandry, but 
 his firft crops are alfo included, though much 
 inferior to thole he had afterwards from the 
 fame land : for he committed feveral errors at 
 firft, as he frequently mentions : " My former 
 " experiments, fays he, began in 1763, and 
 " ended in 1765, and they were confined to 
 " the culture of barley. But, I think, it will 
 " fet the advantages of the horfe-hoeing, or 
 * Tullian Hulbandry, in a clearer light, if I 
 " give you the produce of the fame field,' 
 ** cultivated during eight fucceflive years (in- 
 " eluding the three I before gave you an ac- 
 " count of), according to the principles of 
 " the New Hufbandry, without dung, or any 
 " other amelioration but what the plough 
 " alone has obtained. In communicating to 
 " you my firft attempts, I am fenfible, that 
 " my inexperience will appear to be the caufe 
 ' of much lofs. Neverthelefs, my errors may 
 " ferve as leflbns to others ; and, in calcu- 
 '* lating the profit of a certain portion of land, 
 " at a medium of eight years, as I include the 
 " firft and leaft profitable ones,l (hall be fcarcely 
 I " iufpcded
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 ** fufpe&ed of any prejudice in favour of the 
 " horfe-hoeing fyftem." 
 
 Sir Digby cannot indeed be charged with 
 any partiality in this refpedr, and without doubt 
 his ftating the errors of his firft practice of this 
 Hufbandry was giving a fair and candid ac- 
 count of his fuccefs ; yet, in a comparative 
 view of the Old and New Hufbandry, it is much 
 to the difadvantage of the New, to include 
 thele imperfect beginnings ; for, as the Old 
 Bufbandry is ftated in the beft and mod ap- 
 proved methods of that huibandry, the beft 
 method in the New fhould likewiie be ftated, 
 the errors having beenfeen and rectified in the 
 future practice of it. This field, fays he, 
 < (the feven experiment acres) has never been 
 " manured, as I obferved before, fince my 
 * experiments were begun, nor for many 
 < years preceding. It may be remarked, that 
 that the firft crops were not the beft ; but, 
 * on the contrary, a regular improvement for 
 *< fome years kept pace with its cultivation, and 
 * the value of the four laft crops is almoft 
 *< double to the former ones. The greateft 
 ' fault committed at firft was the lowing 
 * too little feed. The land feems yet in per- 
 * feet heart, and though the product of laft 
 " year was lefs than in former ones, it was 
 well known that the wheat crop failed all 
 over England.'* 
 
 By this it appears, that, by a few years prac- 
 tice, this method of Hufbandry was fo much 
 
 improved,
 
 APPENDIX. 451 
 
 improved, fo well attained to, that the profit 
 was almoft doubled in four years; and there- 
 fore the crops of the firfr. four years, before 
 the method was well underftood and pactifed, 
 fhould not be included in a comparative example 
 of thefe two methods of Hulbandry, where one 
 was fo imperfectly pradlifed, and the other 
 performed in the beft manner ; and an impartial 
 comparifon of both, where both are well per- 
 formed, is ftill more in favour of the New 
 Hufbandry, than appears in the above ftate of 
 them. 
 
 There is likewife another circumftance, 
 
 greatly in favour of the New Hufbandry, ari- 
 
 iing from another error in the practice of 
 
 this gentleman ; for Mr. Tull, the author of 
 
 this Huibandry, in his firft practice of it, gave 
 
 his wheat fix horfe-hoeings, beiides once 
 
 plowing the land, to form it into ridges before 
 
 the leed was drilled ; and he recommends fix 
 
 horfe-hoeings as neceifary : this was when he 
 
 drilled wheat in two, three, or four rows, upon 
 
 fix-reet ridges ; but upon further experience he 
 
 found that narrower ridges, viz. thofe of four 
 
 feet eight or nine inches broad, and only two 
 
 rows of wheat upon each ridge ten inches af- 
 
 fuuder, was better than the fix-feet ridges with 
 
 more than two rows ; and alfo, that four 
 
 horle-hoeings of thefe narrower ridges, and 
 
 deeper hand- hoeing between the double ten- 
 
 inch rows, produced him as good or better 
 
 crops, and at a lefs expence, than the fix -feet 
 
 ridges;
 
 252 APPENDIX. 
 
 ridges ; the pradtifers therefore of this huf- 
 
 bandry have adopted his latter method in the 
 
 breadth of their ridges, and number of horfe- 
 
 hoeings. SirDigby takes notice that fourhorfe- 
 
 hoeings were the number proper to be given 
 
 to a hoed crop of wheat : " After the firft 
 
 *' year, fays he, that is, when the land is re- 
 
 ** duced into fine order, one horfe is generally 
 
 " fufficient to turn a furrow either to or from 
 
 " the rows : and as a man and horfe can with 
 
 *' eafe horfe-hoe four acres in a day, it can- 
 
 * not coft more than one milling to hoe an 
 
 * acre, even including the repairs of the in- 
 
 ftruments ; nor are more than four hoeings 
 
 * commonly required. So, if we reckon four 
 
 " millings for ploughing the ground once over, 
 
 c or forming frefh ridges, four millings more 
 
 " for horfe-hoeing, two millings and fix-pence 
 
 * for hand-hoeing, two millings for weeding, 
 
 '* and fix-pence for drilling, thirteen millings 
 
 " is the whole expence of managing an acre 
 
 ' in the new method. Such therefore being 
 
 the cafe with which this celebrated me- 
 
 thod is performed, fo great the improve- 
 
 " ment of the land by it, and fuch the ex- 
 
 * traordinary effects produced by merely ftir- 
 
 " ring the earth; one would think every huf 
 
 " bandman fhould be induced to give a fair 
 
 " and candid trial." 
 
 Here Sir Digby ftates the proper tillage at 
 once plowing, to form the new ridges, and 
 four horfe-hoeings afterwards, which are agree- 
 able
 
 APPENDIX- 253* 
 
 able to Mr. Tull's lateft practice and direction ; 
 yet it appears from Sir Digby's account of his 
 tillage, that, in forming the new ridges, he 
 ploughed the land twice, and gave it after- 
 wards but three horfe-hoeings. It does nol; 
 appear why he thus deviated from Mr. Tull's 
 practice and direlions ; but it feems pretty 
 evident that this deviation was the caufe of 
 leffening the crops : for Sir Digby, defcribing 
 the quality of his land, fays, " the foil is 
 " light, deep, and dry, a hazle mould, excel- 
 *' lent for barley, but generally thought not 
 " of fufficient tenacity for wheat, and worth 
 '< in this neighbourhod fifteen (hillings per 
 '* acre, tithe- tree." Not of fufficient tenacity 
 for wheat, this was the opinion of the farmers 
 there, who were probably right in their opi- 
 nion concerning this land, as cultivated in the 
 Old Hufbnndry; but in the New it was other- 
 wife : land is feldom too dry for wheat, if 
 well and frequently horfe-hoed ; for that pul- 
 verizes the land, and opens it to admit the 
 dews, which keep it moift, an advantage it 
 has not in the Old Hufbandry. Sir Digby fays, 
 " wheat, barley, or oats, have ufually yielded 
 " me a third more from random fowing, than 
 " if drilled and hofe-hoed ; that is, if three 
 * quarters may be produced from one acre in 
 ** the common Hu(bandry, the fame ground 
 * will, wteris paribtts, produce no more than 
 two quarters when drilled and horfe-hoed.'* 
 Jie fays, he had fome years two quarters of 
 
 wheat
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 wheat (nine gallons to the bufhel") per acre 
 drilled and horfe-hoed ; but that ne judged, 
 ' that twelve bumels of wheat upon an acre 
 *' is about the medium quantity to be obtained 
 " from moderately fertile ground, during at 
 * f lead fix fucceffive years, without dung. Now, 
 * c if this be a true portion, I think it will 
 * not be difficult to prove, that the drill cul- 
 c ture is more beneficial to the farmer, than 
 *< any other method hitherto invented." 
 
 Sir Digby is undoubtedly right, that twelve- 
 bufhels per acre is very profitable to the farmer, 
 who can obtain fo much from moderately 
 fertile ground without any manure, as in 
 this inftance; but much more may be ob- 
 tained per acre in fuch land, by the New 
 Huibandry, than twelve bumels of wheat ; and 
 from thence we may conclude with certainty, 
 that there was an error in his culture of wheat 
 by the New Huibandry. 
 
 To (hew this, it might be fufficient to refer 
 to Mr. Tull's fuccefs, who had commonly 
 much more than twelve hufhels of wheat 
 per acre from land that could not be properly 
 called moderately fertile ground, but was 
 really poor ground, as defcribed by himfelf, 
 and by others who viewed it on purpofe to 
 know the quality of his land, which lying on 
 chalk is very dry, and, befides its poverty in 
 quality, is alfo moft of it a mallow foil, fa 
 that it appears to be much inferior to Sir 
 Digby Legard's land., upon \yhich he cultW 
 
 vate4
 
 APPENDIX 255 
 
 Vated barley and wheat by the New Hufbandry : 
 yet Mr. Tull, by an actual trial, had near 
 four quarters, or thirty-two bufhels (nine-gal- 
 lon meafure), of wheat per acre upon his befl 
 land ; and upon about eighty acres, he had 
 near twenty bnfhels of wheat per acre upon 
 an average, of his ordinary land, moft of it 
 inferior to Sir Digby's feven experiment acres. 
 Others have (ince had nearly as good crops of 
 wheat in the hoeing culture, as have been 
 obtained the fame years in the neighbourhood 
 jn the Old Hulbandry, where the land has 
 been of equal goodnefs, and the hoeing cul- 
 ture (kill fully performed, in the manner di- 
 rected by Mr. Tull, and according to his lateft 
 practice. 
 
 The reafon that Sir Digby did not obtain 
 better crops of wheat in the New Hufbandry 
 was his giving his wheat but three horle- hoe- 
 ings, and one of them a very (hallow one, 
 inftead of four deep horfe-hoeings : for no no- 
 vice in this Hufbandry fhould beftow fewer 
 hoeings than Mr. Tull gave and directed, but 
 rather more, and as deep and near to the 
 plants as lie did, tor he was perfect mafler of 
 the New Hufbandry particularly in the culture 
 of wheat. The wheat plants, when* upon to- 
 lerable land, branch much when well horfe- 
 hoed, and for that reafon three pecks of feed 
 wheat is generally fufficient to drill : ueithcrMr. 
 Tull, nor any of the molt expert cultivators lrill 
 , even, if the feed is planted late ; but if 
 
 planted
 
 256 APPENDIX. 
 
 planted early in the feafon, and upon good 
 land, about two or between two and three 
 pecks is found enough. If more is drilled, 
 the wheat being too thick is apt to lodge ; 
 and hence likevvife appears a defect in Sir 
 Digby r s method of hoeing ; for he drilled a 
 bufhel of wheat upon an acre, which was 
 certainly too much upon fuch good land, if 
 the culture had been performed in the beft 
 manner : for then his wheat would have been 
 apt to lodge. 
 
 What has been faid with regard to 'Sir 
 Digby's culture of wheat, is not by any means 
 intended to depreciate that gentleman's prac- 
 tice of agriculture, who was an excellent huf- 
 Landman ; but to guard the farmer from fall- 
 ing into an error which he might be led into 
 from a miflake of that eminent cultivator. 
 And if, as he has fhewn, twelve bumels an 
 acre is more profitable than the Old Hui- 
 bandry, how much greater muft the farmer's 
 profit be, who can raifefrom (ixteen to twenty 
 bumels an acre, from ordinary land, without 
 manure, and at the expence of only fifteen 
 {hillings an acre, for the culture beftowed upon 
 it in the New Husbandry? And that, upon 
 good wheat land, he may, in that Huibandry, 
 raife from twenty to thirty bumels and up- 
 wards per acre, without the expence of ma- 
 nure, and with very little more expence of 
 culture than in ordinary land ? 
 
 The
 
 APPENDIX. 257 
 
 The little farmers, having but fmall capitals 
 to begin farming, muft be content with fmall 
 farms j and it is of great coniequence to them, 
 to obtain inch as do not require much money 
 to ftock them. In this refpect the New Huf- 
 bandry is peculiarly fuitable to them, as that 
 requires much lefs flock than the common 
 huibandry, which, for a farm of fifty pounds 
 a year, may require four or five horfes to cul- 
 tivate it. Thefe are a heavy expence upon therrij 
 horfes being very expenfive to keep : for which 
 reafon many of them find it neceflary to em- 
 ploy their horfes in carrying timber, flone, or 
 other articles, for hire, and to bring dung or 
 other manure for their land, though feveral 
 miles diftant, which employs themfelves and 
 horfes a confiderable part of their time : and 
 the article of manure in particular is fo in- 
 difpenfably neceflary, that, without a large 
 quantity of it, many fuppofe that no fuccefs 
 can be expected in farming, and to procure 
 enough of it becomes a heavy expence upon 
 the poor farmers in particular. This is a 
 matter of great importance, as the little far- 
 mers are extremely ufeful to the community 
 in many refpecls ; and a method of culture, 
 that will be greatly afilfting to them, is on 
 that account particularly valuable. 
 
 It may feem inci edible to many, that the 
 
 New Hufbandry can be carried on at a lefs 
 
 expence than the Old. The nectffiry of fb 
 
 much hoeing, of men and cattle often in the 
 
 S field
 
 258 APPENDIX. 
 
 field at work, after the work in the Old 
 bandry is finifhed, has made many conclude, 
 \vho are unacquainted with the New Huf- 
 bandry, that the tillage is much more expen- 
 five in the New than in the Old ; and feveral 
 modern authors have fuppofed it fo, and others 
 have roundly afTerted it, though entirely con- 
 trary to facT: and experience, and though it 
 plainly appears that they neither had expe- 
 rience in this huibandry, nor underftood the 
 principles of it. 
 
 But admitting that, in a courfe of crops in 
 the common hufbandry, the land is ploughed 
 twice only for each crop at an average ; and 
 that each fucceflive wheat-crop in the hoeing- 
 culture requires alfo twice ploughing, once 
 to form the new ridges, and four horfe-hoe- 
 ings afterwards, which are equal to another 
 ploughing; the whole tillage in the new way 
 does not exceed, in labour and expence, two 
 common level-ploughings of the land, which 
 is therefore nearly equal to the tillage ufually 
 given to land in the old way : and thus the 
 tillage may feem equal in both methods ; but 
 is really very different, becaufe the land in 
 the New Hulbandry, if properly cultivated, 
 is always in high tilth, kept loofe, light, and 
 open, by the repeated hoeings ; fo that half 
 the ftrength of cattle is fufficient to till fuch 
 land as the farmers ufe in common plough- 
 ing : for, if the land is ftrong, and ufually 
 ploughed with four horfes, two fuch horfes 
 
 are
 
 APPENDIX. 259 
 
 are fufficient to till the fame land in the hoe- 
 ing hufbandry ; and in light land, which is 
 ploughed with two horfes, it is hoed with 
 one : and thus in general the hoeing hu 
 bandry is performed with about half the 
 ftrength, or half the number of the fame 
 horfes that are commonly employed to plough 
 the fame land ; which greatly reduces the price 
 of the hoeing tillage. 
 
 In the common hufbandry, a ploughman, 
 driver, and four horfes, ufually plough an acre 
 of land a day ; but in the New Hufbandry 
 for wheat, a ploughman horfe-hoes four acres 
 a day with two horfes without a driver. 
 Sir Digby Legard ufually ploughed four acres 
 a day of his light land with one horfe. 
 
 There is, befides, another faving in this re- 
 fpect ; a ploughman and driver is commonly- 
 employed with every plough team, of three or 
 more horfes, in the ufual way of ploughing land ; 
 but in the hoeing- huibandry a driver is not 
 neceflary : for in the New Hufbandry, wheat 
 is drilled upon ridges (being much better 
 than upon level ground, more conveniently 
 horfe-hoed, and keeping the wheat dry in the 
 winter) ; and cattle, horfes, or oxen, after a 
 very little ufe, are very tractable in hoeing, 
 being guided by the ridges to go flraight with- 
 out a driver. The faving in this refpecl, and 
 only half the number of cattle employed in 
 hoeing as in common ploughing, renders the 
 tillage a great deal cheaper in the New, than 
 in the Old Hufbandry. 
 
 S 2 Some
 
 A P P N D J X. 
 
 Some of the pra&ifers of the New Huf- 
 bandry having, as we have feen, deviated from 
 the moft fuccefsful method, and fome of thofe 
 who oppofe or do not underftand it having 
 obfcured it ; a farmer, who is defirous of prac- 
 tifing this hufbandry. may be at a lols to 
 know the beft method, and upon which he 
 can rely : the following defcription may there- 
 fore be of ufe to fuch, and is offered to thofe 
 who defire to pra&ife it with fuccefs, particu- 
 1 larly in the culture of the wheat, which is 
 the farmer's principal crop ; and thofe who can 
 cultivate wheat well in the hoeing hufbandry, 
 may foon attain to the beft culture of other 
 crops in the fame manner. 
 
 The farmer is advifed to begin at firft with 
 a fmall extent of ground ; an acre or two laid 
 up in ridges to be horfe-hoed, about the fame 
 quantity to be drilled in equidiftant rows upon 
 level ground, and another piece to be fown 
 broad-caft; all thefe pieces of land to be con- 
 tiguous to each other, to be as near as pofTible 
 of the fame quality, and fown at the fame 
 time, and with the fame feed : thefe different 
 methods will not only be amufing, but of real 
 life to the cultivator. 
 
 It may be proper to winter and fummer 
 fallow the whole, and is the beft method of 
 extirpating the weeds, and making the land 
 very clean; this is abfolutely neceflary for the 
 piece to be horfe-hoed, for that muft be made 
 very clean, and brought into good tilth, before 
 
 it
 
 APPENDIX. 261 
 
 it is drilled with wheat. If this is omitted at 
 iirft, it cannot be made clean nor kept fb after- 
 wards but at a great expence, efpecially land 
 that is fowed with a double row, for it will 
 be extremely difficult to get the weeds and 
 natural grafs out of a double row of wheat. 
 The beft way of fallowing, is to lay the land 
 up at firft in high narrow one-bout ridges. 
 By laying the land up in this manner, it is 
 expofed to the immediate influences of the 
 weather, and is eafily ploughed, and at a fmall 
 expence, at one bout; or a double mould-board 
 plough will fplit thefe narrow ridges in the 
 middle at one draught, and form new ridges. 
 If they are harrowed down level between the 
 ploughings, the weeds will foon come up ; 
 and being ploughed again into thefe narrow 
 ridges, to remain fo a few weeks, and alter- 
 nately ploughed down and harrowed fine, the 
 land may be thus expofed to the atmofphere, 
 the weeds harrowed out, and the young weeds 
 deftroyed; by which means the land will alfb 
 be brought into fine tilth in a winter and 
 fummer; nor will the expence be fo great in 
 this as in the common way of fallowing, but 
 much more effectual for the purpoles intended. 
 The land for thefe trials mould be of a 
 middling quality, not very rich, nor poor. 
 The ploughings ftiould be performed when 
 the land is dry ; and no dung (hould be laid 
 upon it, nor any other manure, 
 
 S 3 When
 
 262 APPENDIX. 
 
 When the ridges are leveled the laft time, 
 harrow the land fine, the contrary way to 
 the intended bearing of the ridges to be horie- 
 hoed ; then with a pair of light narrow wheels, 
 fet to the diftance of the ridges (as of four 
 feet ten inches), mark the breadth of the 
 ridges; which the wheels will plainly do, if 
 drawn acrofs the harrowing : the marks will 
 guide the ploughman to make the ridges of 
 that breadth, and" very ftraight, which they 
 fhould be made. Ridges of the common 
 height are proper to be drilled ; but in very 
 ftrong land they mould be laid up high, to 
 throw off the rain water, and keep the wheat 
 dry, which is neceffary. Ridges of four feet 
 ten inches broad give room to drill a double 
 row of wheat at ten inches diftance upon the 
 middle of each ridge (called the partitions), 
 and intervals of four feet between the double 
 rows, to be horfe-hoed, four feet being a 
 proper diftance, and room for the hoe-plough 
 to work and turn the earth to. or from the 
 rows. 
 
 The tops of the ridges mould be fmoothed 
 with light harrows before the wheat is 
 drilled ; and the horfe or horfes that draw 
 the harrows mould walk in the furrows be 
 tween the ridges. 
 
 The farmer, who intends to praclife the 
 hoeing hufbandry, fhould have a drill-plough 
 to fow the feed, for that is the moft exaft 
 way of doin.g it. Sir Digby Legard had Mr. 
 
 Tull's
 
 APPENDIX. 263 
 
 TulFs drill-plough made with wooden feed- 
 boxes, which performed well, and coft fifty 
 fhillings. But if he has not a drill- plough at 
 firft, he may mark two parallel channels upon 
 the top of each ridge very ftraight, and upon 
 the middle of each ridge, and ten inches dif- 
 tant. The drill-plough makes the channels, 
 drills the feed (about three pecks to an acre), 
 and covers it about two inches deep, all at one 
 operation ; but, if there is no drill plough, the 
 feed may be fprained thin into the channels 
 by hand, and covered with a rake or light 
 fhort-toothed harrow, about the fame depth, 
 two inches; and when the wheat comes up, 
 and probably will be too thick, the plants 
 ihould be thinned to about an inch diftance, 
 with a very narrow (harp hand-hoe ; but it is 
 much the bed way to do this by hand, and as 
 regularly as can be done. 
 
 It is ufual to brine and lime fed-wheat, to 
 prevent the crop being fmutty, which fome 
 years it is very apt to be, and to damage the 
 crop. If the feed is very clean, found, and 
 from a good change, it will not produce a 
 fmutty crop : but brining is the lureft way to 
 prevent it. Full plump wheat is the moft apt 
 to produce a fmutty crop: for which realbn, 
 farmers prefer thin Imall-bodied wheat for feed, 
 particularly the burn-beat wheat. The fmall 
 feed, if found, produces as full-bodied wheat 
 as any : for the crop is not large-grained 
 wheat from the fize of the feed, but from the 
 goodnefs of the land, and the tillage. 
 
 S 4 The
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 The intervals mould be horfe-hoed in No* 
 vember or December, before the froft fets in, 
 and the earth ploughed away from the rows 
 pf wheat ; the hoe-plough to be brought 
 within about three inches of the rows : if any 
 earth runs over the left fide of the plough 
 upon the rows, the wheat mufr be uncovered; 
 but where it runs only upon the three-inch 
 narrow flips, it mould remain there till the 
 next hoeing in the fpring; for the fine earth 
 which falls upon thefe flips will give fhelter 
 to the wheat in winter. 
 
 The fecond hoeing is to be given the begin- 
 ning of March, or as foon as the great frofts 
 are gone off. The hoe plough is, at this hoe- 
 ing, to go in the fame furrows as it did at the 
 firlt hoeing, but deeper and nearer to the 
 wheat : this loofens the earth next the wheat, 
 and, the furrows being at the fame time made 
 deeper, give? the roots of the wheat liberty tq 
 extend every way, the effeft pf which will be 
 foon vifible : the wheat will grow more luxu- 
 riant, and of a deep green colour. The plough 
 ihould at this fecond hoeing go deep and very 
 near the rows of wheat, and cannot be brought 
 too near, fo as it does not difplace or tear out 
 the plants. Several, who have praclifed this 
 Husbandry, have been afraid to hoe fo clofe 
 to the rows, left the wheat mould be injured 
 by the plough breaking or tearing off the roots 
 of the wheat: but this is a great error. Hoe- 
 ing fo clofe does not injure the wheat ; but is 
 
 a gret
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 a great benefit to it, breaking off the ends of 
 the roots, caufes new roots to fpring out at 
 the broken ends in much greater numbers 
 than before, and thefe young roots being por 
 rous auiorb more vegetable nourifhment, fo 
 that the plants are fed more plentifully. The 
 earth is likewife by the deep ploughing opened 
 and made penetrable to the roots, to a greater 
 depth than it was before ; and the bank next 
 the rows left there at the firft hoeing, being 
 hardened by the weather in winter, confines 
 the roots that they cannot fo eafily fpread and 
 extend fide-ways till that cruft of earth is 
 removed by the plough; which, when the 
 earth is in a fit temper for this hoeing, may 
 be done near the rows, even within about an 
 inch of them, efpecially if care has been taken 
 to drill the rows very ftraight, and upon the 
 jniddle of the ridges. 
 
 In about ten days or a fortnight after this 
 hoeing, the earth is to be hoed back to the 
 rows ; but if the mould mould be fo crumbly 
 and dry as to fall down, and expofe the plants 
 too much, the earth mould be immediately 
 hoed back to the rows to fupport them, and 
 the earth being now all well tilled and loofened 
 next to the rows, the roots will freely fpread 
 and extend therein ; and though lome may 
 doubt the caufe, none can difbelieve the bene- 
 fit and effects of thefe hoeings, who may ice, 
 in a fhort time after they are performed, that 
 fhe wheat will grow remarkably luxuriant,
 
 266 APPENDIX. 
 
 and of a healthy deep-green colour, in confe- 
 quence of them. 
 
 The partitions or narrow ten-inch fpaces be- 
 tween the too rows of wheat, (hould be well and 
 deeply hand-hoed, and alfo the narrow flips on 
 the outfides of the rows ; which may be done 
 before the intervals are horfe-hoed, or before 
 the earth is turned back to the rows, accord- 
 ing as the weeds are more or lefs advanced ; 
 and at the fame time the weeds and natural 
 grafs (hould be carefully drawn up out of the 
 rows by hand. Once hand-hoeing the partitions 
 is generally fufficient to keep down the weeds, 
 and the wheat growing up and fpindling (hades 
 thejweeds fo much, that they cannot make much 
 progrefs afterwards. It is, however, a matter 
 of importance to keep the land very clean, and 
 that the weeds (hould never grow up high, 
 much lefs (hould they ever be fuffered to run 
 to feed ; to prevent this, it may be advifeable, 
 when weeds grow faft, to give the partitions a 
 fecond deep hand-hoeing, with a common 
 hand-hoe, and another hand-weeding of the 
 partitions, and the narrow flips may be hoed 
 with a Dutch hoe, which is called fcuffiing, 
 and kills the weeds by cutting them off near 
 the furface of the ground. A fecond hand- 
 hoeing is of more advantage to the crop and 
 to the land than the expence of it, and par- 
 ticularly if deeply hand- hoed, for that loolens, 
 turns, and improves the ground betwixt the 
 rows, which has no other affiftance during 
 the growth of the crop ; but the intervals be- 
 tween
 
 APPENDIX. 267 
 
 tween the double rows have the benefit of hoe- 
 ploughing, which improves the land, and fub- 
 dues the weeds there. 
 
 The rime to give the third hoeing is not 
 limited; only the farmer fhould be careful not 
 omit hoeing till the earth becomes ftale and 
 hard, and till the weeds get a head and grow 
 luxuriant. It is likewife neceflary to obferve 
 the ftare of the land ; that it be dry, and will 
 brenk into fine parts by the hoeing, which 
 fhould not be done when the earth is wet. 
 A good horfe-hoeing is very ferviceable when 
 the wheat begins to bloflbm, or a little before; 
 for this ftrengthens the plants and bloflbms, 
 fo that they produce more grain than if not 
 aflifted at this critical time : for ears of wheat 
 are formed at firft to produce above double the 
 number of grains that are found in them after- 
 wards ; as may be feen, if examined, when 
 they begin to blow, either by the eye, or better 
 by a magnifying glafs ; and by this examina- 
 tion it will be plainly feen that more than half 
 the bloflbms are abortive for want of nourifh- 
 ment, and that this happens even after the 
 grains begin to be formed : it is therefore of 
 great importance to affift the plants by a good 
 and deep horfe-hoeing when they begin, or a 
 little before they begin, to blow. It is not nc- 
 ceflary that this hoeing fhould be performed 
 by turning the earth towards the rows, for 
 the plants are nourifhed by turning the earth 
 to or from the plants, as we fliall lee beknv.-^- 
 
 The
 
 268 APPENDIX. 
 
 The horfe-hoeing is neceflary at this time for 
 another reafon, viz. that, in iome years and in 
 fome climates, the weather may become rough 
 and boifterous after Midfummer, and when the 
 wheat-ears become heavy ; for then the draws 
 bend, and are fometimes fo difordered, that 
 the wheat cannot then be fafely horfe-hoed, 
 and its mining of a hoeing then will be an 
 injury to the crop and to the land ; but this 
 will not be fo injurious, if it has been well 
 hoed at the time of its beginning to blonom. 
 If the earth is ploughed from the rows at 
 bloffoming, the hoe-plough mould go clofe to 
 the rows, as clofe as at the fecond hoeing : 
 this may feem too near, and fo Mr. Tull him- 
 felf thought at firft ; bur, upon further ex- 
 perience, he found that his wheat throve the 
 better for bringing the hoe-plough clofe to the 
 wheat at every hoeing from the rows. The 
 third hoeing, given when the wheat begins 
 to blow, will be of great fervice, in caufing 
 the ears to produce a greater number of grains. 
 '. And if the wheat (lands fair, the next hoe- 
 ing after the wheat has done bloflbming will 
 allo be very ferviceable, to nourifh the wheat 
 
 
 
 well then, and caufing the grain to be large, 
 plump, and full of flour. 
 
 It was before obferved, that Mr. Tull's lateft 
 practice was, to give his wheat four horfe-hoe- 
 ings : the firft was before winter from the 
 wheat ; the fecond was in the fpring alfo from 
 
 the wheat, only deeper, and nearer to it ; the 
 
 ... 
 
 third
 
 APPENDIX. 269 
 
 third hoeing was to fill the grain, turning the 
 earth towards the rows; and the fourth and 
 lad hoeing turned the earth from the wheat, 
 and the hoe-plough was then brought clofe to 
 the rows, as clofe as at the fecond or fpring hoe- 
 ing. It is very remarkable, that ploughing the 
 earth away from the wheat while it was ripen- 
 ing fhould then nourifh and ripen it; but he was 
 very clear, from full experience, that it did 
 fo ; and I have feen wheat hoed in this man- 
 ner with fuccefs, the earth ploughed away 
 from the wheat and remaining fo till harveft. 
 It is not, however, neceflary to hoe the earth 
 from the rows the lad time, and in general 
 it is not fo convenient as turning the earth to- 
 wards the rows at the lad hoeing ; becaufe, 
 if the next crop of wheat is drilled upon the 
 former intervals, as is commonly done, more 
 ploughing is neceflary to form the new 
 ridges ; for which reafon 1 would advife the 
 young farmer to hoe the earth the lall time 
 towards the wheat, and in this way he will 
 hoe three times from the rows, and twice to- 
 wards them, which may be called five hoeings; 
 but the fecond or fpring hoeing from the rows, 
 being only to deepen the winter furrows, and 
 bring the hoe-plough about two inches nearer 
 to them, is not properly a full-hoeing ; and, not 
 reckoning that, the whole is only four hoeings. 
 I am fenfible that the fpring hoeing from the 
 rows is ufually reckoned ; but the great error 
 of thofe who have tried this Hulbandry unfuc- 
 
 celsfully
 
 2 ;o APPENDIX, 
 
 cefsfully, having been their hoeing too fuper* 
 ficially, and giving but three inftead of four 
 or more hoeings, the Farmer, when he begins 
 this Hufbandry for wheat, mould give it five 
 hoeings as above ; and when he has experience 
 in the practice, and finds his land in order for 
 it, he may then abate one hoeing : however, 
 even if five hoeings were continued, the ex- 
 pence of one hoeing is but a trifle and will 
 be no lofs, for the wheat will tiller or branch 
 more, and the lefs feed will do. 
 
 From the beginning of March to about 
 Midfummer is the principal time for the fpring 
 and fummer hoeings ; which being liable to be 
 obftru&ed by accidents of rainy and rough 
 weather, the farmer mould not omit the pro- 
 per opportunities of performing them about 
 once a month when the earth is dry ; their not 
 attending to this has been the caufe of feve- 
 ral beginners not fucceding well, for there is 
 no lofs in often hoeing, but an advantage 
 both in the crop and land ; and after the land 
 is brought into good tilth, once or twice hoe- 
 ing extraordinary cofts but a trifle ; and is no 
 damage, unlefs they make the corn too luxu- 
 riant, which happens moft commonly by fow- 
 ing too much feed, or the plants {landing too 
 clofe. 
 
 It is not eafy to determine the moflproper quan- 
 tity of feed; for if drilled too thick, or it branches 
 very much, it will be apt to lodge, for the fame 
 reaibn that wheat fown broad-cail is apt to 
 
 do
 
 APPENDIX. 271 
 
 do fo ; namely, its {landing fo thick as to 
 exclude the air and fun from the roots and 
 items, whereby the ftems become weak and 
 fpungy, unable to ftand upright againft wind 
 and rain, and fall down to the ground before 
 they are loaded with the weight of the ears, 
 and even before the ears are filled with grain ; 
 but, if the drilled wheat is not too thick, it 
 will generally ftand and the ears not touch 
 the ground, though by their weight they hang 
 down and bend the ftraw that fupports them 
 in a manner not common to any other but 
 the horfe-hoed wheat ; the diftance to which 
 the plants are to be thinned at firft depends 
 upon the quality of the land and the hoeing. 
 
 Brining and liming the feed is ufeful, to 
 prevent the fmut, but is attended with one 
 inconveniency, that the land fhould be moid 
 when fown or drilled ; for fteeping the feed, 
 cfpecially if done as frequently directed for 
 many hours, caufes the corn to fwell and im- 
 bibe fo much moifture that a vegetation com- 
 mences; and if then fown in dry earth, and 
 no rain falls foon, the vegetation is checked, 
 which kills or much weakens the feed. Other 
 feeds in general, both in farming and garden- 
 ing, are fown when the earth is dry ; and the 
 reafon that wheat is an exception to this, is 
 its being fo long fteeped in brine ; for which, 
 however, there is no neceflity, for it is the 
 fmutty powder adhering to the ieed-corn that 
 caufes the crop to be fmutty. If no fuch 
 
 powder
 
 ^z A P P E Kf D I X. 
 
 powder adheres to the feed, the crop is generally 
 free from fmut ; or if the fmutty powder is 
 wafhed off the feed by brifldy {lining it with 
 a ftick in fair water only, and all the fmutty 
 powder fkimmed off the top of the water, 
 this will prevent the fmut, as has been found 
 by experience, and the fmutty powder is by the 
 fame mean*; Itill more eafilv feparated from the 
 corn if it is biifkly ftirred among brine and 
 well ikimn^ed ; in either way, there is no 
 Decertify to let the feed lie foaking any time, 
 but may be taken out of the liquor and dried, 
 and fown immediately after it is dry, which 
 is much better than {owing it wet, and if the 
 feed is from a good change and free from 
 fmut, it may be fown without being fteeped 
 at all and while the land is dry* it then is not 
 forced, but vegetates gradually and according 
 to the order of nature. 
 
 If the crop fhould happen to be fmutty by- 
 very unkind feafons or otherwife, it is a damage 
 to the crop, and leffens its value at market, 
 and for this the farmer has no remedy when 
 fown broad-caft ; but when the feed is 
 drilled, the crop may be intirely cleared of 
 the fmutted corn before it is reaped. For 
 horfe-hoed wheat, having large earSj full of 
 heavy grain, bends and turns downwards be- 
 fore harveft ; but the fmutty or blighted ears, 
 being light, ftand upnght, and are eaftly dif- 
 tinguilhed, and may then be ail clipped off by a 
 woman, and carried away in a bag at a trifling 
 
 expence J
 
 APPENDIX. 273 
 
 expence - f the crop being thus freed from fmut, 
 will fell at a full price, being as fit to make 
 bread as any other, only not fo proper for 
 feed to be (own without being warned in brine, 
 as fome of the fmutty powder may have been 
 blown upon the found corn before the fmutty 
 ears were cut off. 
 
 There is a great advantage in keeping all 
 crops clean from weeds, and particularly hoed 
 wheat crops ; for horfe-hoed wheat, being fup- 
 plied with abundance of nourifhment till it is 
 fully ripened, is ufually feveral days later in 
 ripening than fown wheat, for which reafon 
 it is advifeable to drill wheat early, as fuppofc 
 in the beginning or by the middle of September, 
 for by that means it will be the fooner ripe. 
 Some feafbns are early, and fome fo late, that 
 it may not be proper to drill fo early as the 
 beginning of September ; but when the weather 
 is Tuitable and the land in order, it is molt 
 advifeable, to drill early ; the early fown has 
 another advantage befides its ripening early, it 
 tillers or branches before fpring ; and its roots 
 being thus multiplied, it is the better able to 
 refift the cold and froft in winter. 
 
 Many farmers, however, do not choofetofow 
 early, becaufe they fay the wheat grows win- 
 ter-proud, that is, fhoots up before winter fo 
 luxuriantly, that the plants are liable to be 
 killed by the froft ; but though the blades are 
 iometimes killed, yet the roots furvive (if the 
 land is dry .and healthy), and they produce 
 T new
 
 2 74 APPENDIX. 
 
 new and ftrong (hoots after the frofts are over, 
 as has been frequently obferved, and produce 
 a good crop; whereas, if the wheat has but 
 few and weak roots, it is -liable to be totally 
 deftroyed by great frofts. In the long and 
 fevere froft in the year 1740, much cf the 
 wheat above ground was killed ; and many 
 farmers, thinking their wheat was wholly de- 
 ftroyed, ploughed it up, and fowed the land 
 with fpring corn ; but others, finding upon ex- 
 amination that the roots of the wheat was 
 alive, fuffered it to remain, and it (hot up 
 again, and in many places produced great 
 crops. 
 
 A remarkable inftance of this is mentioned 
 by Mr. Tull, p. 262. " It happened once, 
 " fays he, that my white cone being planted 
 *' early, and being very high, the blade and 
 " ftalk were killed in the winter ; yet it grew 
 " high again in the fpring, and had the lame 
 " fortune a fecond time ; it lay on the ridges 
 " like ftraw, but fprung out anew from the 
 " root, and made a very good crop at harveft ; 
 " therefore, if the like accident mould happen, 
 " the owner need not be frighted at it." 
 
 Lammas wheat is as hardy as cone, if the 
 ground is dry ; and it does not often happen 
 to be hurt by the cold in winter ; and, if the 
 danger was greater than it is, there are fuch 
 advantages in fowing early, that the farmer 
 fhould not negled it when the feafon is fa- 
 vourable. 
 
 If
 
 APPENDIX. 275 
 
 It was cuftomary formerly to let the wheat 
 grow till it was very ripe, as then it makes 
 moft meafure, and parts more freely from the 
 ftraw ; but of late years feveral good fanners 
 cut their wheat Iboner, and while the knots of 
 the draw are green, for fuch wheat looks fait 
 to the eye, handles well and flippery, and 
 coming tboner to market fells at a good price. 
 Wheat, cut before it is dead-ripe, is fmooth, 
 and the grains lie clofein the buihel ; fo that it 
 weighs as much per bumel as wheat that ftands 
 till it is thorough-ripe, but more grains go to 
 fill the bumel, and it is more difficult to 
 threm out clean. Thefe inconveniencies are^ 
 however, anfwered by the advance in price. 
 Cone wheat is not ufually cut till full-ripe. 
 
 Drilled wheat mould be reaped low, that 
 the ftubble may not obftruct the hoeing of the 
 next crop ; it ftands fo fair to be cut, and no 
 weeds, that it is reaped at half the price of 
 broad-cad wheat, and being clean from weeds 
 it is foon fit to be carried home. 
 
 It is ufual to raife the new ridges for the fuc- 
 ceeding crop upon the former intervals, which 
 is alfo moft convenient, becaufe the mould, 
 whereof thefe new ridges are compofed, is in 
 fine tilth, and the new ridges are made at once 
 ploughing. In hoeing the earth up to the 
 ridges the laft time with the hoe-plough, if 
 done as it mould when the earth is dry, fome 
 of the dry mould will be apt to run back into 
 the interval, after the hoe-plough is paft ; and 
 T 2 then
 
 2-6 APPENDIX. 
 
 then a plough with a double mould board 
 may be ufed, to clear the interval of the loofe 
 mould. This is bed done fometime after the 
 lafl hoeing with the hoe- plough ; for if any 
 weeds fhould in the mean time ipring up there, 
 the earth raifed by the double board plough 
 will be thrown to the right and' left up ta 
 the ridges, and will cover and fmother thefe 
 young weeds, will quite clear, widen, and 
 deepen the furrows in the intervals, and by 
 that means the new ridges will be deeper in 
 fine loofe mould. The double mould board 
 plough is very convenient to be ufed for this 
 lafl operation, but mould not be made ufe of 
 inftead of the hoe-plough, as fome do for the 
 greater difpatch ; but this is an argument 
 againft the ufe of it at other times, for it is 
 eiTential to expofe the earth for fome time to 
 the influences of the atmofphere, which is not 
 done fo fully when it is turned up at once to 
 both ridges by the double board plough, as it 
 is when turned up in two furrows feparately, 
 and at different times by the hoe-plough, by 
 ufmg which conftantly the furface is more en- 
 larged and expoied, and the land more im- 
 proved, than by uiing any other iniirument, 
 cultivators, or any others, that have been hi- 
 therto fubftituted in the room of the hoe- 
 plough. 
 
 The flubble is a guide to the plough- 
 man, to make the new ridges ftraight, and if 
 brought near the rows of ftubble, the plough',' 
 i at
 
 APPENDIX. 277 
 
 at two large furrows, will raife the middle of 
 the new ridges high enough to be above the 
 ftubble, when that is turned to the ridges, at 
 two furrows more : this mould be carefully 
 attended to, that the ftubble may not obftrudt 
 the drilling of the feed. Four furrows are 
 commonly enough to plough all tlie mould, 
 and form the new ridges ; but, if the plough- 
 man finds any difficulty in making the mid- 
 dle of the new ridges properly at two large 
 furrows, he may raife them at four; taking 
 care that they are high enough, and that the 
 ftubble does not rife fo high as the top of the 
 ridges, and obftrucl the drilling. When three 
 or more rows were drilled upon each ridge, 
 it was found neceflary to raife the ridges high, 
 in order to obtain a greater depth of mould, 
 for the benefit of the middle rows : but 
 ridges of the common height are moft pro- 
 per, when only a double row is to be drilled 
 on each ridge, 
 
 Thefe ridges are to be drilled, and the 
 wheat cultivated, in the fame manner as in 
 the firft year ; and thus every fucceeding year 
 the land will produce good crops, ib long as 
 it is thus cultivated, without manure or ral- 
 Jow. But if any or" the hoeings (hould hap- 
 pen to be omitted, or the wheat feems not 
 vigorous enough in the fpring, let ionie fine 
 m.tnurc, as allies, foot, malt-dufr, &c. be 
 Iprmkled upon the rows in February, which 
 will itrcngthen the plants. 
 
 T 3 The
 
 278 APPENDIX. 
 
 The foregoing account of the hoeing 
 culture of wheat, being particular, may to. 
 fome appear tedious ; but to thofe who in- 
 tend to practife the New Hufbandry, will, . 
 it is prefumed, be acceptable; as not only the 
 beft method, but the reafons alfo, in moft 
 cafes, are here afligned for the rules laid down ; 
 which was the more neceffary for a learner, 
 as moft of the modern accounts tend more 
 to perplex, than inform, a beginner. Dril- 
 ling wheat in equally-diftant rows, and 
 hand-hoeing it, is a method that farmers 
 like much better than horfe-hoeing it, and, 
 though more advantageous than broad-caft 
 fowing, is not by much fo profitable as horfe- 
 hoeing. The hand-hoeing does not improve 
 the land fo much ; and the wheat-crops can- 
 not be repeated every year in fucceffion, upon 
 the fame land, even with the affiftanos of 
 manure. The land is, however, improved 
 by hand-hoeing; and there is a confiderablc 
 laving in ieed, for a bufhel of wheat is the 
 proper quantity to drill upon the level in 
 equidiftant rows, and one foot diftant. This 
 leaves room for the hand-hoe between the 
 rows; which is performed in the fpring, and 
 the weeds cut down, before the wheat fpindles, 
 for then the hoe is (hut out. But as the hoe. 
 ing both improves the land, and deftroys the 
 weeds, twice hoeing would improve it more 
 than once, or deep hoeing, and a fcuffling, 
 to which the only objection is the expence. 
 
 if
 
 APPENDIX. 279 
 
 If the wheat is drilled upon the level, in 
 rows, at two feet diftance, it may be hoed 
 with a fmall plough, and will produce better 
 crops in that way, than by hand-hoeing ; and 
 if, at the lad hoeing, the plants are earthed 
 up by the hoe, they will the better dand up- 
 right againd the dorms of wind and rain. 
 Large crops may be obtained in this method; 
 but there is no other, befides the horfe- 
 hoeing of wheat upon ridges, by which con- 
 ftant annual crops are obtained lb cheap, and 
 without manure or fallow. 
 
 Mod farmers will think that more than 
 two rows of wheat may be planted to ad- 
 vantage upon a ridge, and the author of this 
 Hufbandry was at fird of that opinion : for 
 which reafon he then drilled four rows, and 
 for fome years three rows, upon each ridge, at 
 leven inches didance : but, when three only 
 are drilled, the roots do fo entangle and in- 
 terfere with each other, that the crop of the 
 two outfide rows are leflened, and the middle 
 row fo much dinted, that it does not grow 
 near fo tall, nor produce half the crop of 
 cither of the two outfide rows, occafioned 
 by the obdru&ion of its roots, and that the 
 {even-inch partitions cannot be hand-hoed fo 
 \vcll and deep, as the ten-inch partition be- 
 tween the double rows ; and therefore no 
 more than two rows (hould be drilled upon a 
 ridge. It would indeed be better to drill only 
 one row upon a ridge, and then the wheat 
 T 4 might
 
 might be horfe-hoed to the row on both 
 fides, which is much more beneficial than 
 hand-hoeing. Ridges of four feet broad 
 would be broad enough, if only one row 
 was planted : but common wheat, in fingle 
 rows at fo great diftance, would not produce 
 a fufficient crop ; and four feet is the proper 
 breadth to hoe the intervals well with a 
 plough : and though an inftrument might 
 be contrived to hoe intervals of a lefs breadth 
 than four feet, yet the farmer is advifed, not 
 to drill his wheat, to be horfe-hoed, clofer than 
 with ten-inch partitions, and about four feet 
 intervals, thefe having by long experience 
 been found the proper diftance for wheat ; 
 and the hoe-plough the proper inftrument for 
 obtaining good fucceffive crops of wheat. 
 When the farmer has learned to raife good 
 crops in this manner, he may try to improve, 
 beginning with fmall experiments ; for other- 
 wiie he may fail of fuccefs, as has happened 
 to fome perfons, who attempted improve- 
 ments before they were acquainted with this 
 Hufoandry, and to others, who have ufed 
 ibme foreign inftruments, inftead of the hoe- 
 plough. 
 
 For large plants to be horfe-hoed, fingle 
 rows upon a ridge are moft advifeablej as for 
 turnips, cabbages, potatoes, &c. for thefe 
 may be hoed alternately, and prcduce much 
 better crops than double rows, becaufe they 
 be hoe-ploughed very near the plants on 
 
 both
 
 APPENDIX. 281 
 
 both fides. This is to be underflood, when 
 it is intended to take lucceffive crops, and to 
 improve the land: for when only a (ingle 
 crop is intended to be taken, a double row of 
 plants may, in fome cafes, produce a larger 
 crop than a iingle row : but, in general, the 
 farmer will fmd it moft for his intereft to 
 plant the larger plants in fingle rows, both, 
 on account of improving the land, which is a 
 confideration of great importance, and like- 
 \vife to keep the land clean, which is ealier 
 done with fingle rows, and at a lefs expence, 
 than when the rows are double : and in all 
 cafes it is proper to leave an interval between 
 the rows, whether fingle or double, of about 
 four feet, that breadth being necetfary to hoe 
 them properly with a hoe-plongh. 
 
 There is one advantage peculiar to the 
 horfe-hocing Hufbandry, whicli the common 
 Farmer cannot obtain, and delerves to be well 
 confidered. When a crop of broad-call 
 wheat is harvefted and carried home, the 
 land is become flale, and not in order to be 
 lowed with wheat for a fecond crop ; but the 
 land muft be ploughed and winter- fallowed, 
 to prepare it for a crop of fummer corn : 
 but, if the hoeing farmer is defirous to change 
 his crops, he is not under the neceflity of 
 winter fallowing, but may lave that expence, 
 and allb obtain another crop before the fp'ring 
 ieed-time. Molt forts of common cabbies, 
 and Lkewile the turnip-cabbage and turnip- 
 rooted
 
 282 APPENDIX. 
 
 rooted cabbage, planted in Autumn, will grow 
 and produce a profitable crop in winter and 
 fpring, will then be good food for his cattle, 
 and fave hay. This is a matter of much im- 
 portance to all farmers, many of them being 
 diftreiled to find fufficient food for their cat- 
 tle in winter and fpring: for this purpofc 
 much land is employed to obtain a good crop 
 of turnips; whereof, however, the farmer is 
 too often difappointed by the fly in fummer, 
 and the froft in winter ; and if the land is 
 very flrong, it is not the moft proper for 
 turnips : but the hoeing farmer may raife a 
 fufficient quantity of the cabbage kinds on a 
 fmall fpot of ground and a very little feed, 
 as an ounce or two will produce plants enough 
 for an acre of ground ; and being transplanted 
 in autumn will furnifli a great deal of good 
 food for his black cattle, (heep, and hogs, in 
 {he winter and fpring. Land that is w t ell 
 hoed is always in good tilth to receive fuch 
 plants; which, if planted upon ridges, may 
 be horfe-hoed in the winter, and produce 
 good crops on light land, or ftrong ; and the 
 hoeing will not only keep the land in heart, 
 without impoverifliing it, but will alfo, keep 
 it in fine tilth for the Succeeding crop. When 
 this is confidered, the health of his cattle, for 
 fatting them, and for the dairy ; likewife the 
 great quantity of good manure that may be 
 thus raifed ; it will be evident to every ex- 
 perienced farmer, that this is an advantage of
 
 APPENDIX. 283 
 
 great confequence to him, and cannot be fa 
 eafily obtained in any other way, as it may by 
 the New Hufbandry. 
 
 In this huibandry there is a faving in feed 
 and in labour ; but the principal article faved 
 in cultivating wheat is in manure. We 
 have (hewn above how neceflary manure is in 
 the Common Hufbandry, a.nd how great depen- 
 dance farmers have upon manure for wheat, 
 their principal crop : as this is the cafe in the 
 Common Husbandry, a method of culture 
 wherein this expenfive article may be faved, 
 muft be of great confequence to every farmer, 
 who is at the expence of no lefs than from 
 fifty (hillings to five pounds for every acre of 
 wheat, and is wholly faved in the New Huf- 
 bandy, which in general requires no manure 
 for wheat, except a light hand-drefling in the 
 fpring ; and this only in fome particular cir- 
 cumftances, where there has been fome neglect 
 in hoeing, and is not neceflary where the cul- 
 ture is duly performed. Now if a farmer 
 raifcs annually twenty five or thirty acres of 
 wheat, and he faves only three or four pounds 
 an acre in manure, it will be an article of 
 great confequence to him; but when it is con- 
 iidered that the manure faved in his wheat 
 enables him at the fame time to drefs his 
 other lands with it, either for his crops of 
 turnips, or others for feeding his cattle, and 
 to drcfs his cultivated grafles, meadows, and 
 paftures ; every experienced farmer mud be 
 
 fcnlibie
 
 284 APPENDIX. 
 
 fenriMe how highly beneficial the New Huf- 
 banJry is to thofe who practice it with Ikill 
 and perfeverance. 
 
 The hteft accounts of the practice of the 
 New Huibandry, related in Mr. DoflieY me- 
 moirs of agriculture, are the experiments above- 
 mentioned, made by Sir Digby Legnrd and 
 Mr. Lowlher ; and he concludes, page 377, 
 " There are, fays he, however fuch accounts 
 " of experiments already made, which have 
 " been laid before the public, or the Society 
 " for the encouragment of Arts, &c. as gives 
 " the greateft room to believe, that through 
 " the increafe of produce in quantity or value, 
 " or the diminution of expence, the profit 
 " of tillage may, in a term of fevcral years 
 " taken together, be rendered a third greater 
 " or perhaps even doubled to the farmer, by 
 " the fubftitution of the drill culture in the 
 " place of the common or broad-call. This pre- 
 " ference appears from experiments alfo in 
 " fome degree to hold good of indifferent, as 
 *- well as rich foil j and of other kind of 
 44 cultivated plants as well as corn, and to 
 " have many other advantages.'* 
 
 If fuch are the advantages from this Huf- 
 bandry when executed imperfectly, how much 
 greater will it be to the Farmer, who performs 
 it in the beft manner, and according to the 
 dire&ions of the Author of it? He had near 
 four quarters of wheat by mcafure, upon twen- 
 y five acres of his beft land ; and about twenty 
 
 bufhels,
 
 APPENDIX. 285 
 
 bufhels at an average upon his whole farm, 
 nine gallons per bufhel. The extenfive prac- 
 tice hkewiie of Mr. Dean, continued many 
 years, and of Mr. Craik, in a foil and climate 
 unfavourable to the New Hu(bandry, fhew 
 plainly the profit of it much beyond what Mr. 
 Doffie has faid ; and what may be expefted, 
 when performed with the fame care and judge- 
 ment, as the induftrious Hulbandman beftows 
 upon his land in the Common Hufbandry. 
 
 This has been proved by experience by 
 that eminent huibandman Sir Digby Legard, 
 who has (hewn the New Hufbandry to be 
 more advantageous, not only than the com- 
 mon hufbandry in his neighbourhood, but 
 alfo to the moft improved modern hufbandry 
 here or abrqad ; and, upon a full view of both, 
 he concludes as follows. '* But the farmer," 
 fays he, " who is ignorant of thefe modern 
 " improvements, furely ought not to heiitate 
 " to adopt the drill culture; which a few 
 " years practice would render habitual ; and 
 " which he would find much more beneficial. 
 " For it is certain, that this is /eft expenfive 
 " than the old method ; and, when once 
 adopted, taper in the execution?' 
 
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