Part 19

To avoid this Dilemma, a Person who happen’d to have a great Crop of Seed on One hundred and Fifty Acres together (and being by Weather delay’d ’till Wheat-harvest came on, so that most Labourers went to Reaping) was forc’d to a Contrivance of getting it in as follows; _viz._ Three Waggons had each a Board with an Hole in, fix’d cross the Middle of each Waggon, by Iron Pins, to the Top of the Rades or Sides: There was a Crane which a Man could lift, and set into the Hole in the Board, and, having an Iron Gudgeon at the Bottom, which went into a Socket in the Bottom of the Waggon, would turn quite round: The Post of the Crane was Ten Feet Four Inches long, its Arm Four Feet Eight Inches long, brac’d; having a treble Pulley at the End of it, and another to answer it with an Hook.

About Forty Sheets were provided, capable of holding each One hundred and Fifty, or Two hundred Pounds Weight of it; these had Knots or Buttons at the Corners and Middles, made by sewing up a little Hay in these Knots, as big as Apples, into Part of the Sheet; for if any Buckle, or other thing, be sew’d to a Sheet plain, it will tear the Sheet. Half these Buttons have Strings ty’d to them; these Sheets are spread among the Cocks, fill’d by Two, and ty’d up by Two other Persons: There is also a light Fir Ladder, wide at Bottom, the Top of it fasten’d by a Piece of Cord to the brace of the Crane: they hitch the Hook of the lower Pulley to a fill’d Sheet, and by a little Horse at the End of the Pulley-rope, draw it up sliding on the Ladder; ’tis up in a Moment: Then the Man who is below, hitches the Crook of the Pulley to the lower Round of the Ladder, and the Loader above pulls up the Ladder from the Ground, till the Waggon comes to another Sheet. The Waggons are lengthen’d by Cart-Ladders before and behind, for the more easy placing of the Sheets. When about Twelve or Fifteen of them are loaded, they have a Rope fix’d to the Fore-part of each Waggon, which they bring over the Top of all the loaded Sheets, and wrest it at the Tail, to hold on the Sheets fast from falling off with Jolting. Then the Loader pulls out the Crane, and puts it into the next Waggon in the same Manner. One Waggon is loading whilst another is emptying in the Barn, by treble Pulleys likewise; because ’tis inconvenient to take it out of the Sheets by Prongs; but the Pulleys will easily draw off Two or Three Sheets together. One Waggon is always going to the Field, or coming home. This Contrivance makes more Expedition than one would imagine: Three Loads have been loaded, and sent off, in the same Time this way, that one Load of Hay has been loading, binding, and raking off the Outsides of it, in the next Ground, in the common Way.

I will not relate the manner of making a Rick of this Seed in its Hay, of monstrous Dimensions, by a sort of Mast-pole Forty-four Feet high, with a Ten Feet Crane at the Top, which made the same Expedition; because I think, that where such a Quantity is, _Dutch_ Barns with moving Roofs are better. Such a Rick is troublesome to thatch, and the Wind has more Power to blow the Thatch off so high in the Air, than if it were lower. Neither would I advise any one to reserve much more St. Foin for Threshing, than his Barn will contain; because tho’ sometimes it brings the greatest Profit by Threshing, yet some Years ’tis apt to be blighted.

I have been told by my Neighbour, that he had a Crop of Five Quarters of St. Foin Seed on an Acre; but the most Profit that ever I took notice of, was on half an Acre, which was drill’d very thin, and had no Crop of Corn with it; by which Advantage it produc’d a good Crop of Seed the next Year after it was planted, and the Third Year this Half-Acre produc’d (as was try’d by a Wager) within a Trifle of Two Quarters of Seed, which was sold for Two Pounds and Ten Shillings: The thresh’d Hay of it was sold in the Place for One Pound, and Two Quarters of Chaff sold for Twelve Shillings; in all Four Pounds and Two Shillings. There was also a very good Aftermath, which was worth the Charges of Cutting and Threshing: So that the clear Profit of the One Year of this Half Acre of Ground amounted to Four Pounds Two Shillings: And it was remarkable, that at the same Time the rest of the same Field, being in all Ten Acres, had a Crop of Barley sown on Three Plowings, which (the Summer being dry) was offered to be sold at One Pound _per_ Acre.

I believe the greatest Part of the St. Foin that is sown, is spoil’d by being indiscreetly fed by Sheep[188]; which Damage is occasion’d merely by suffering them to continue feeding it too long at a Time, especially in the Spring; for then the Sap moves quick, and must be depurated by the Leaves; and as the Sun’s nearer Approach accelerates the Motion or Ferment of the Juices, more _Pabulum_ is receiv’d by the Roots; but for want of Leaves to discharge the Recrements, and enliven the Sap with nitro-aereous Particles (the Sheep devouring the Buds continually as fast as they appear), the St. Foin’s vital Flame (if I may so call it) is extinguish’d; the Circulation ceasing, the Sap stagnates, and then it ends in Corruption[189]. But let the Sheep eat it never so low, in a short time, without continuing thereon, or cropping the next Buds which succeed those they have eaten, the Plants will recover and grow again as vigorously as ever, and if with a Spade, in the Winter you cut off the St. Foin Heads an Handful deep, and take them away, together with their upper Earth, the Wound in the remaining Root will heal, and send out more Heads as good as those cut off, if those second Heads be preserv’d from Cattle, until they attain to a Bigness competent to bear Leaves sufficient for the Use of the reviving Plants: Nay, I have seen Plants of St. Foin cut off in the Winter a Foot deep, and the Earth of that Depth taken away; and the remaining Root recover’d, and grew to an extraordinary Bigness: But this was preserv’d from Cattle at first.

[188] I never suffer Sheep to come upon St. Foin, except betwixt Mowing-time and _All-Saints_. And there is so much Danger of spoiling St. Foin by the Fraud of Shepherds, that I knew a Gentleman that bound his Tenant never to suffer any Sheep to come thereon; and by this means his St. Foin continued in Perfection much longer than is usual, where St. Foin is suffer’d to be fed by Sheep.

[189] Natural Grass is not kill’d by constant feeding, because no sort of Cattle can bite it so low as to deprive it of all its Leaves; and ’tis, like Eels, more tenacious of Life than the rest of its Genius, and will send out Leaves from the very Roots when reversed, as is too often seen where turffy Land is plow’d up in large Furrows.

I esteem St. Foin to be much more profitable than Clover, because St. Foin is never known to do any perceivable Damage to the Corn amongst which ’tis planted; but Clover often spoils a Crop of Barley[190]; and I have known, that the Crop of Barley has been valued to have suffer’d Four Pounds _per_ Acre Damage by a Crop of broad Clover’s growing in it in a wet Summer: In a dry Summer both Sorts of Clover are apt to miss growing; and if it does grow, and the next Summer (wherein it ought to be a Crop) prove very dry, it fails on most sorts of Land, tho’ it was vigorous enough to spoil the Barley the Year it was sown; at best, ’tis of but very short Duration, and therefore is not to be depended on by the Farmer, for maintaining his Cattle, which the broad Clover will also kill, sometimes by causing them to swell, unless great Care be taken to prevent it. The broad Clover is esteem’d a foul Feed for Horses. The Hop Clover is gone out of the Ground sooner than the broad Clover; I never knew it cut more than once: Indeed Cattle are never swollen by feeding on it; but then it affords but very little Feeding for them, except the Land whereon it grows be very rich.

[190] But this Damage may be prevented by drilling the Clover after the Barley is an Handful high or more; for then the Barley will keep it under, and not suffer it to grow to any considerable Bigness till after Harvest; nor will this Drill, being drawn by Hand, do any Damage to the Barley.

St. Foin is observ’d to enrich whatever Ground ’tis planted on, tho’ a Crop be taken off it yearly.

Poor Slate Land[191], when it has borne sown St. Foin for Six or Seven Years, being plow’d up, and well till’d, produces Three Crops of Corn; and then they sow it with St. Foin again.

[191] The Poverty of this sort of Land, lying upon Slate or Stone, generally proceeds from the Thinness of it; and, if it were thicker, it would be good Land: Much of this Earth, being dispersed among the Crannies or Interstices of the Slate and Stone to a great Depth, is reach’d by the Tap-roots of the St. Foin, but cannot be reach’d by the Roots of Corn; and therefore, when constantly kept in Tillage, is of small Value: Upon which Account such Land is greatly improveable by St. Foin, even when sown in the common manner.

Rich arable Land was planted with it, and mow’d annually with very great Crops (’twas drill’d in Nine-inch Rows, with Six Gallons of Seed to an Acre; One Crop of it was sold at Four Pounds _per_ Acre): This, after about Seven Years, and in full Perfection, was plow’d up by a Tenant, and continued for many Years after so rich, that, instead of dunging or fallowing it for Wheat, they were forc’d to sow that upon Barley-stubble, and to feed the Wheat with Sheep in the Spring, to prevent its being too luxuriant.

But ’tis to be noted, that the Land must be well till’d at the breaking up of old St. Foin, or else the First Crops of Corn may be expected to fail: For I knew a Tenant, who, the last Year of his Term, plow’d up a Field of St. Foin, that would have yielded him Three Pounds _per_ Acre; but, thinking to make more Profit of it by Corn, he sow’d it with White Oats upon once Plowing; and it proving a dry Summer, he lost his Plowing and Seed; for he had no Crop of Oats, and was forc’d to leave the Land as a Fallow to his Successor.

Many more Instances there are of this Failure of the Crop of Corn after St. Foin has been broken up, and not well till’d.

When St. Foin is grown old, and worn out, as ’tis said to be when the artificial Pasture is gone, and the natural Pasture is become insufficient for the Number of Plants that are on it, to be maintained; and is so poor, that it produces no profitable Crop, so that the Ground is thought proper to be plow’d up, and sown with Corn, in order to be replanted[192]; the most effectual Way to bring it into Tilth speedily, is, to plow it up in the Winter, with a Four-coulterd Plough, and make it fit for Turneps by the following Season; and if the Turneps be well ho’d, and especially if spent by Sheep on the Ground, ’twill be in excellent Order to be sown with Barley the following Spring; and then it may be drill’d with St. Foin amongst the Barley.

[192] Or if you perceive, that there is a competent Number of Plants alive, and tolerably single; be they never so poor, you may recover them to a flourishing Condition in the following manner, without replanting: Pulverize the whole Field in Intervals of about Three Feet each, leaving betwixt every Two of them Four Feet Breadth of Ground unplow’d. When the Turf of these Intervals, being cut by the Four coulter’d Plough, is perfectly rotten, one Furrow made by any sort of Plough will hoe one of these Intervals, by changing the whole Surface of it. The poorer the Land is, the more Hoeings will be required; and the oftener ’tis ho’d, with proper Intermissions the first Year, the stronger the St. Foin will become, and the more Years it will continue good, without a Repetition of Hoeing.

The Expence of this cannot be great; because the Plough, in hoeing an Acre in this manner Nine Times, travels no farther than it must to plow an Acre once in the common Manner.

I need not tell the Owner, that the Earth of these Intervals must be made level, before the St. Foin can be mowed.

To return to the Benefit Land receives by having been planted some Years with St. Foin: All the Experienc’d know, that Land is enriched by it; but they do not agree upon the Reason why.

They agree as to the Οτι, but not the Διοτι.

Some are of Opinion, ’tis because the St. Foin takes a different Sort of Nourishment to that of Corn: But that I think is disprov’d in the Chapter of _Change of Species_, where ’tis shewn, that all Plants in the same Soil must take the same Food.

Mr. _Kirkham_ thinks St. Foin has no collateral or horizontal Roots in the upper Part of the Ground where the Plough tills for Corn; and therefore has no Nourishment from that Part of the Soil which feeds the Corn. This would be a very good Account for it, were it not utterly contrary to Matter of Fact, as every one may see.

But so far it is right, that large[193] St. Foin draws the greatest Part of its Nourishment from below the Reach of the Plough; and what Part it does receive from the Staple is overbalanc’d by the Second Crop, or After-lease, being spent by Cattle on the Ground; different from Corn, which is very near wholly maintain’d by the plow’d Part of the Earth, and is all carry’d off.

[193] For large St. Foin, being single, has large Roots, and very long, which probably descend Twenty Feet deep: Now, if we allow Four or Five Inches the Depth of the Staple, to afford a Supply equal to Two Feet below it, taking the lower Nineteen Feet Seven Inches together, upon this Computation, the Part below the Staple gives the St. Foin about Nine Parts in Ten of its Sustenance.

For tho’ the under _Stratum_ of Earth be much poorer than the upper; yet that, never having been drain’d by any sort of Vegetables, must afford considerable Nourishment to the First that comes there.

And besides, in such Land whose Poverty proceeds from the Rain’s carrying its Riches too quickly down through the upper _Stratum_, the under _Stratum_ must be the richer[194] for receiving what the upper _Stratum_ lets pass unarrested.

[194] In light poor Land the Water carrying some impregnated Earth along with it down lower than it does in strong Land, that is more tenacious of such impregnated Particles, the under _Strata_ of strong Land are likely to be poorer than those of light Land.

’Tis well known, that many Estates have been much improv’d by St. Foin; therefore there is no occasion to mention Particulars. Only I will take Notice, that the First in _England_ was one of about One hundred and Forty Pounds _per Annum_, sown with St. Foin, and sold for Fourteen Thousand Pounds; and as I hear, continues, by the same Improvement, still of the same Value. This is, I suppose, the same that Mr. _Kirkham_ mentions in _Oxfordshire_.

Another Farm of Ten Pounds _per Annum_ Rent, which, whilst in Arable[195], was like to have undone the Tenant; but being all planted with St. Foin by the Owner, was lett at One hundred and Ten Pounds _per Annum_, and prov’d a good Bargain.

[195] These Estates consisted of thin Slate Land; which before it was planted with St. Foin, was valued at two Shillings _per_ Acre, and some Part of it at One Shilling _per_ Acre (as I have been inform’d); and yet Oxen are well fatted by the St. Foin it produces.

If it should be ask’d, Why St. Foin is an Improvement so much greater in _England_, than in other Countries? it might be answer’d by shewing the Reason why _English_ Arable is of so much less Value than Foreign[196] where the Land is of equal Goodness, and the Corn produc’d of equal Price.

[196] ’Tis doubtless from the extraordinary Price of _English_ Labour above that of other Countries, occasioned by _English_ Statutes being in this Respect different from all other Laws in the World.

CHAP. XIII.

_Of_ LUSERNE.

_La Luserne_ is that famous _Herba Medica_ so much extoll’d by the Antients.

The high Esteem they had of its Use appears by the extraordinary Pains they bestow’d on its Culture.

Its Leaves resemble those of Trefoil: It bears a blue Blossom very like to double Violets, leaving a Pod like a Screw, which contains the Seeds about the Bigness of broad Clover, tho’ longer, and more of the Kidney-shape.

The Stalks grow more perpendicular than any of the other artificial Grasses that I know, slender, full of Knots and Leaves: ’Tis of very near an equal Bigness from Bottom to Top: When cut, if vigorous, the Stalks will spring out again from the Stubs, immediately below where the Scythe parted them; which makes them the sooner ready for another Mowing; an Advantage which no other Grass has.

It has a Tap-root that penetrates deeper into the Bowels of the Earth, than any other Vegetable she produces.

Tho’ one Luserne-root be much more taper than another towards the upper Part of it, ’tis sometimes seen, that a single ho’d Plant of it has many of these perpendicular Roots, some of them springing out from the very Branches of its Crown.

Its Roots are abundantly longer than the Roots of St. Foin: I have One that measures very near Two Inches Diameter: Those which are higher than the Ground have a Bark like a Tree. Upon this account, and by its Stalks springing again just below the Place where cut off, and by the woody Hardness of its Stalks, when they stand too long without cutting, it seems that Luserne is of a Nature nearly approaching to that of a Shrub.

Luserne is the only Hay in the World that can pretend to excel or equal St. Foin. I have known Instances of the pinguefying Virtue of this _Medica Hay_, that come up to the highest Encomiums given it by the _Romans_; which being to the Vulgar incredible, I forbear to relate, but leave to be confirm’d by the Experience of others, when it becomes frequent in _England_.

Luserne in Grass is much sweeter than St. Foin, or any other artificial or natural Grass. This, when ho’d, may be given to Cattle cut green, for Six Months; but then Care must be taken to[197] prevent their Swelling by its Lusciousness, and not to give them too much at once, until they be accustom’d to it.

[197] The Swelling of Cattle by eating too much green Luserne, Clover, or Turnep-leaves, happens only to such as chew the Cud, because they swallow more in less Time than other Cattle do; and a large Quantity of such luscious Greens being swallow’d by a Beast, fermenting to a great Degree, heats and rarifies the internal Air, which by its Spring becoming too strong for that Column of the Atmosphere that enters at the Trachea, it presses the Lungs against the Thorax so closely, that the Weight of the external Column is not of Force to open their Vesicles, and then the Circulation of the Blood is stopt, and the Beast is strangled.

Most Farmers know how to prevent the Swelling, so that now-a-days it seldom happens; but when it does, there is an effectual way of curing it, if taken in Time: They cut a Hole into the Maw near the Back in a proper manner, whereat the rarified Air rushes out, and the Lungs again perform their Action of Respiration.

The Quantities of Luserne Seed annually imported, and sown without Success, not discouraging People from continuing its Importation, shews there is more need of a successful Way of Planting, than recommending it in _England_.

I shall take Notice of some of the Reasons why I conclude there is no Hope of making any Improvement by planting it in _England_, in any manner practis’d by the Antients or Moderns.

I wonder how any one should attempt to plant it here, who has seen in _Columella_, and other Authors, the Description of the manner the old _Romans_ planted it in. They chose out the very best Land, that was both _pinguis_ and _putris_; they dung’d and till’d it to the greatest Perfection, and laid it out in Beds, as we do for Onions or Asparagus; they sow’d it very thick, for that miserable Reason of enabling it by its Thickness the better to kill the Grass. The Beds being harrow’d very fine before Sowing, which was in the End of _April_; the Seed required to be speedily cover’d, lest the Sun’s Heat should spoil it. But with what Instrument must it be cover’d? For, after Sowing, the Place must not be touch’d with Iron. _At medica obruitur non aratro, sed ligneis rastellis._ ‘_Medica_-feed is cover’d, not with the Plough, but with little (or rather light) wooden Harrows.’ Two Days Work (of a Team) were spent on this Harrowing of one Acre. Some time after it came up, they scratch’d it again and again with the same wooden Instruments: This was call’d Sarrition: Then by Runcation they weeded it over and over, _Ne alterius generis herba invalidam medicam perimat._ ‘Lest other Grass should kill it whilst it was weak.’ The First Crop they let stand till some of the Seed shatter’d, to fill the Ground yet fuller of Plants: After that they might cut it as young as they pleas’d; but must be sure to water it often after cutting. Then after a few Days, when it began to spring, they repeated their Runcation: and so continuing to weed out all manner of Grass for the First Two or Three Years, it used to bring Four or Six Crops a Year, and last Ten Years.

_English_ Gardeners make Forty Pounds of an Acre of Asparagus, or Cabbage-plants, with half the Labour and Expence that was bestow’d on an Acre of _Roman Medica_.

We know not the Price Hay and Grass were at in _Italy_, while the _Roman Empire_ was in its Glory, and _Rome_, then the Metropolis of the World, drew the Riches of all Parts thither; its Price must be then very high.