Part 25

Thus, when an Acre brings a Crop worth _Four Pounds_, and the Expences thereof amount to _Five Pounds_, the Owner’s Loss is _One Pound_; and when an Acre brings a Crop which yields _Thirty Shillings_, and the Expence amounts to no more than _Ten Shillings_, the Owner receives _One Pound_, clear Profit, from this Acre’s very small Crop, as the other loses _One Pound_ by his greater Crop.

_The usual Expences of an Acre of Wheat, sown in the_ old Husbandry, _in the Country where I live, is, in some Places, for Two Bushels and an half of Seed; in other Places Four Bushels and an half; the least of these Quantities at_ Three Shillings per _Bushel, being the present Price, is_ Seven Shillings _and_ Six-pence. _For Three Plowings, Harrowing, and Sowing_, Sixteen Shillings; _but if plow’d Four times, which is better_, One Pound. _For Thirty Load of Dung, to a Statute Acre, is_ Two Pounds Five Shillings. _For Carriage of the Dung, according to the Distance, from_ Two Shillings _to_ Six-pence _the Load_, One Shilling _being the Price most common, is_ One Pound Ten Shillings. _The Price for Weeding is very uncertain; it has sometimes cost_ Twelve Shillings, _sometimes_ Two Shillings per _Acre_.

_l._ _s._ _d._

_In Seed and Tillage, nothing can be abated of_ 01 03 06 _For the Weeding, one Year with another, is more than_ 00 02 00 _For the Rent of the Year’s Fallow_ 00 10 00 _For the Dung; ’tis in some Places a little cheaper, neither do they always lay on quite so much; therefore abating_ 15_s._ _in that Article, we may well set Dung and Carriage at_ 02 10 00 _Reaping commonly_ 5_s._ _sometimes less_ 00 04 06 ------------ _Total_ 04 10 00

_Folding of Land with Sheep is reckoned abundantly cheaper than Cart-dung; but this is to be questioned, because much Land must lie still for keeping a Flock (unless there be Downs); and for their whole Year’s keeping, with both Grass and Hay, there are but Three Months of the Twelve wherein the Fold is of any considerable Value; this makes the Price of their Manure quadruple to what it would be, if equally good all the Year, like Cart-dung: And folding Sheep yield little Profit, besides their Dung; because the Wool of a Flock, except it be a large one, will scarce pay the Shepherd and the Shearers. But there is another thing yet, which more inhances the Price of Sheep-Dung; and that is, the dunging the Land with their Bodies, when they all die of the Rot, which happens too frequently in many Places; and then the whole Crop of Corn must go to purchase another Flock, which may have the same Fate the ensuing Year, if the Summer prove wet; and so may the Farmer be served for several more successive Years, unless he should break, and another take his Place, or that dry Summers come in time to prevent it. To avoid this Misfortune, he would be glad to purchase Cart-dung at the highest Price, for supplying the Place of his Fold; but ’tis only near Cities, and great Towns, that a sufficient Quantity can be procured._

_But, supposing the Price of Dunging to be only Two Pounds Ten Shillings, and the general Expence of an Acre of Wheat, when sown, at Three Shillings_ per _Bushel, to be Four Pounds Ten Shillings, with the Year’s Rent of the Fallow_;

The Expences of planting an Acre of Wheat in the Hoeing-Husbandry, is Three Pecks of[226] Seed, at _Three Shillings_ _per_ Bushel, is _Two Shillings_ and _Three-pence_. The whole Tillage, if done by Horses, would be _Eight Shillings_; because our Two Plowings, and Six Hoeings[227], are equal to Two Plowings; the common Price whereof is _Four Shillings_ each; but this we diminish half, when done by Oxen kept on St. Foin, in this manner; _viz._ Land worth _Thirty Shillings_ Rent, drill’d with St. Foin, will well maintain an Ox a Year[228], and sometimes Hay will be left to pay for the Making: We cannot therefore allow more than _One Shilling_ a Week for his Work, because his Keeping comes but to _Seven-pence_ a Week round the Year.

[226] Sometimes half a Bushel is the most just Quantity of Seed, to drill on an Acre.

[227] But we sometimes plow our Six-feet Ridges before Drilling, at Five or Six Furrows, which is a Furrow or Two more than I have reckoned: But we do not always hoe Six times afterwards. But it is better for successive Wheat-crops to bestow the Labour of as many Hoeings as amount to three plain Plowings in a Year, it being a greater Damage to omit one necessary Hoeing, than is the Expence of several Hoeings.

[228] Or an Ox may be well kept Nine Months, with an Acre of indifferent Horse-ho’d Turneps; and if we value them only at the Expence and Rent of the Land, this will be a yet cheaper Way of maintaining Oxen. Upon more Experience it is found, that St. Foin Hay alone, or with a small Quantity of Turneps, is best for working Oxen in the Winter; but a Plenty of Turneps with the same Hay is better for fatting Oxen that do not work.

In plain Plowing, Six Feet contains Eight Furrows; but we plow a Six-feet Ridge at Four Furrows, because in this there are Two Furrows cover’d in the Middle of it, and one on each Side of it lies open. Now what we call one Hoeing, is only Two Furrows of this Ridge, which is equal to a Fourth Part of one plain Plowing; so that the Hoeing of Four Acres requires an equal Number of Furrows with one Acre that is plow’d plain, and equal Time to do it in (except that the Land, that is kept in Hoeing, works much easier than that which is not).

All the Tillage we ever bestow upon a Crop of Wheat that follows a ho’d Crop, is equal to Eight Hoeings[229]; Two of which may require Four Oxen each, One of them Three Oxen, and the other Five Hoeings Two Oxen each. However, allow Three Oxen to each single Hoeing, taking them all one with another, which is Three Oxen more than it comes to in the Whole.

[229] But the Number of Oxen required will be according to their Bigness and Strength, and to the Depth and Strength of the Soil, which also will be the easier Draught for the Oxen, the oftener the Intervals are hoed.

Begin at Five in the Morning, and in about Six Hours you may hoe Three Acres, being equal in Furrows to Three Rood; _i. e._ Three Quarters of an Acre. Then turn the Oxen to Grass, and after resting, eating, and drinking, Two Hours and an half, with another Set of Oxen begin Hoeing again; and by or before half an Hour after Seven at Night, another like Quantity may be ho’d. These are the Hours the Statute has appointed all Labourers to work, during the Summer Half-year.

To hoe these Six Acres a Day, each Set of Oxen draw the Plough only Eight Miles and a Quarter, which they may very well do in Five Hours; and then the Holder and Driver will be at their Work of Plowing Ten Hours, and will have Four Hours and an half to rest, _&c._

The Expence then of hoeing Six Acres in a Day, in this manner, may be accounted, at _One Shilling_ the Man that holds the Plough, _Six-pence_ the Boy that drives the Plough, _One Shilling_ for the Six Oxen, and _Six-pence_ for keeping the Tackle in Repair. The whole Sum for hoeing these Six Acres is _Three Shillings_, being _Six-pence_ _per_ Acre[230].

[230] But where there is not the Convenience of keeping Oxen, the Price of Hoeing with Horses is One Shilling each time.

When a Roller is used, which is less than a Hoeing, because one Person to lead is enough, and that may be a Boy; and once in an interval may suffice; then ’tis less Labour than half a Hoeing; and for this we may well abate One Hoeing of the Eight.

They who follow the old Husbandry cannot keep Oxen so cheap, because they can do nothing without the Fold, and Store-sheep will spoil the St. Foin. They may almost as well keep Foxes and Geese together, as Store-sheep and good St. Foin. Besides, the sowed St. Foin cost Ten times as much the Planting as drill’d St. Foin does, and must be frequently manured, or else it will soon decay; especially upon all sorts of chalky Land, whereon ’tis most commonly sown.

The Expence of drilling cannot be much; for as we can hoe Six Acres a Day, at Two Furrows on each Six-feet Ridge, so we may drill Twenty-four Acres a Day, with a Drill that plants Two of those Ridges at once; and this we may reckon a _Peny Half-peny_ an Acre. But because we find it less Trouble to drill single Ridges, we will set the Drilling, at most, _Six-pence_ _per_ Acre.

As every successive Crop (if well managed) is more free from Weeds than the preceding Crop; I will set it all together at _Six-pence_[231] an Acre for Weeding[232].

[231] This is when the Land has been well cleansed of Weeds in the preceding Crop, or Fallow, or both.

[232] This may be enough, if the Land be well cleansed the Year before, and considering that several Years in such there is no Occasion for Weeding at all: And as this Calculation is comparative with the old Way, we should examine the Price of weeding the sown Corn, which by the best Information I can get, was in the Year 1735. about 4_s._ _per_ Acre for Weeding of Barley; and of Wheat, round about where I live, about 6_s._ and in _Wiltshire_, 15_s._ _per_ Acre for their Wheat, amongst which much Damage is done by the Weeder’s Feet, and yet some Weeds are left.

For a Boy or a Woman to follow the Hoe-plough, to uncover the young Wheat, when any Clods of Earth happen to fall on it, for which Trouble there is seldom necessary above once[233] to a Crop, _Two-pence_ an Acre. _One Peny_ is too much for Brine and Lime for an Acre.

[233] But this Expence being so small, ’tis better that a Person should follow at every Hoeing, where we suspect, that any Damage may happen from any Earth’s falling on, or pressing too hard against some of the Plants.

Reaping this Wheat is not worth above half as much as the Reaping of a sown Crop of equal Value; because the drill’d standing upon about a Sixth Part of the Ground, a Reaper may cut almost as much of the Row at one Stroke, as he could at Six, if the same stood dispersed all over the Ground, as the sowed does; and because he who reaps sowed Wheat, must reap the Weeds along with the Wheat; but the drilled has no Weeds; and besides, there go a greater Quantity of Straw, and more Sheaves, to a Bushel of the sowed, than of the drilled[234]. And since some Hundred Acres of drilled Wheat have been reaped at _Two Shillings_ and _Six-pence_ _per_ Acre, I will count that to be the Price.

[234] One Sheaf of the latter will yield more Wheat than Two of the former of equal Diameter.

_The whole_ Expence _of an Acre of drilled Wheat_.

_l._ _s._ _d._ For Seed 00 02 03 For Tillage 00 04 00 For Drilling 00 00 06 For Weeding 00 00 06 For Uncovering 00 00 02 For Brine and Lime 00 00 01 For Reaping 00 02 06 ---------- Total 00 10 00 ---------- The Expence of an Acre of sowed Wheat is 04 00 00 To which must be added, for the Year’s Rent of the Fallow 00 10 00 ---------- Total 04 10 00

If I have reckoned the Expence of the drilled at the lowest Price, to bring it to an even Sum; I have also abated in the other more than the whole Expence of the drilled amounts unto.

And thus the Expence of a drilled Crop of Wheat is but the Ninth Part of the Expence of a Crop sown in the common Manner.

’Tis also some Advantage, that less Stock is required where no Store-sheep are used.

II. _Of the different Goodness of a Crop._

The Goodness of a Crop consists in the Quality of it, as well as the Quantity; and Wheat being the most useful Grain, a Crop of this is better than a Crop of any other Corn, and the ho’d Wheat has larger Ears (and a fuller Body) than sow’d Wheat. We can have more of it, because the same Land will produce it every Year, and even Land, which, by the Old Husbandry, would not be made to bear Wheat at all: So that, in many Places, the New Husbandry can raise Ten Acres of Wheat for One that the Old can do: because where Land is poor, they sow but a Tenth Part of it with Wheat.

We do not pretend, that we have always greater Crops, or so great as some sown Crops are, especially if those mention’d by Mr. _Houghton_ be not mistaken.

The greatest Produce I ever had from a single Yard in Length of a double Row, was Eighteen Ounces: The Partition of this being Six Inches, and the Interval Thirty Inches, was, by Computation, Ten Quarters (or Eighty Bushels) to an Acre.

I had also Twenty Ounces to a like Yard of a Third successive Crop of Wheat; but this being a treble Row, and the Partitions and Interval being wider, and supposed to be in all Six Feet, was computed to Six Quarters to an Acre. And if these Rows had been better order’d than they were, and the Earth richer, and more pulveriz’d, more Stalks would have tillered out, and more Ears would have attained their full Size, and have equall’d the best, which must have made a much greater Crop than either of these were.

But to compare the different Profit, we may proceed thus: The Rent and Expence of a drill’d Acre being One Pound, and of a sow’d Acre Five Pounds; One Quarter of Corn, produced by the drill’d, bears an equal Proportion in Profit to the One Pound, as Five Quarters, produced by the other, do to the Five Pounds. As suppose it be of Wheat, at Two Shillings and Six-pence a Bushel, there is neither Gain nor Loss in the one nor the other Acre, though the former yield but One Quarter, and the other Five; but if the drill’d Acre yield Two Quarters, and the sow’d Acre Four Quarters at the same Price, the drill’d brings the Farmer One Pound clear Profit, and the sown, by its Four Quarters, brings the other One Pound Loss. Likewise suppose the drilling Farmer to have his Five Pounds laid out on Five Acres of Wheat, and the other to have his Five Pounds laid put on One dung’d Acre; then let the Wheat they produce be at what Price it will, if the Five Acres have an equal Crop to the one Acre, the Gain or Loss must be equal: But when Wheat is cheap, as we say it is when sold at Two and Six-pence a Bushel, then if the Farmer, who follows the old Method, has Five Quarters on his Acre, he must sell it all to pay his Rent and Expence; but the other having Five Quarters on each of his Five Acres, the Crop of One of them will pay the Rent and Expence of all his Five Acres[235], and he may keep the remaining Twenty Quarters, till he can sell them at Five Shillings a Bushel, which amounts to Forty Pounds, wherewith he may be able to buy Four of his Five Acres at Twenty Years Purchase, out of One Year’s Crop, whilst the Farmer who pursues the old Method, must be content to have only his Labour for his Travel; or if he pretends to keep his Wheat till he sells it at Five Shillings a Bushel, he commonly runs in Debt to his Neighbours, and in Arrear of his Rent; and if the Markets do not rise in time, or if his Crops fail in the Interim, his Landlord seizes on his Stock, and then he knows not how it may be sold; Actions are brought against him; the Bailiffs and Attorneys pull him to Pieces; and then he is undone[236].

[235] Or suppose a drill’d Acre to produce no more than One Third of the sow’d Acre’s Crop, whose Expence is Five times as much as of the drill’d, ’tis much more profitable, because a Third of Five Pounds is One Pound Thirteen and Four-pence; and a Fifth of the Rent and Expence being only One Pound, such drill’d Acre pays the Owner Thirteen and Four-pence more Profit, than the other which brings a Crop treble to the drill’d.

[236] Tho’ only Five Acres and one Acre be put, yet we may imagine them Two hundred and Fifty, and Fifty to enrich the one, or break the other Farmer.

III. _The Certainty of a Crop._

The Certainty of a Crop is much to be regarded; it being better to be secure of a moderate Crop, than to have but a mere Hazard of a great one. The Farmer who adheres to the old Method is often deceiv’d in his Expectation, when his Crop at coming into Ear is very big, as well as when ’tis in Danger of being too little. Our hoeing Farmer is much less liable to the Hazard of either of those Extremes; for when his Wheat is big, ’tis not apt to lodge or fall down, which Accident is usually the utter Ruin of the other; he is free from the Causes which make the contrary Crop too little.

A very effectual Means to prevent the failing of a Crop of Wheat, is to plow the pulveriz’d Earth for Seed early, and when ’tis dry. The early Season also is more likely to be dry than the latter Season is.

1. _The Advocate for the old Method is commonly late in his sowing; because he can’t fallow his Ground early, for fear of killing the Couch, and other Grass that maintains his folding Sheep, which_

2. _are so necessary to his Husbandry: And when ’tis sow’d late, it must not be sow’d dry, for then the_

3. _Winter might kill the young Wheat. Neither can he at that time plow dry, and sow wet, because he commonly sows under Furrow; that is, sows the Seed first, and plows it in as fast as ’tis sown. If he_

4. _sows early (as he may if he will) in light Land, he must not sow dry, for fear the Poppies and other Weeds should grow, and devour his Crop; and if his_

5. _Land be strong, let it be sown early, wet or dry (tho’ wet is worst), ’tis apt to grow so stale and hard by Spring, that his Crop is in Danger of starving, unless the Land be very rich, or much dung’d: and then the Winter and Spring proving kind, it may not be in less Danger of being so big as to fall down, and be spoil’d._

6. _Another thing is, that though he had no other Impediment against plowing dry, and sowing wet, ’tis seldom that he has time to do it in; for he must plow all his Ground, which is Eight Furrows in Six Feet;_

7. _and, whilst it is wet, must lie still with his Plough. When he sows under Furrow, he fears to plow, deep, lest he bury too much of his Seed; and if he_

8. _plows shallow, his Crop loses the Benefit of deep plowing, which is very great. When he sows upon_

9. _Furrow (that is after ’tis plowed) he must harrow the Ground level to cover the Seed; and that exposes the Wheat the more to the cold Winds, and suffers the Snow to be blown off it, and the Water to lie longer on it; all which are great Injuries to it._

Our Hoeing Husbandry is different in all of the fore-mentioned Particulars.

1. We can plow the Two Furrows whereon the next Crop is to stand, immediately after the present Crop is off.

2. We have no Use of the Fold; because our Ground has annually a Crop growing on it, and it must lie still a Year, if we would fold it, and that Crop would be lost; and all the Good the Fold could do to the Land, would be only to help to pulverize it for one single Crop; its Benefit not lasting to the Second Year. And so we should be certain of losing one Crop for the very uncertain Hopes of procuring one the ensuing Year by the Fold; when ’tis manifest by the adjoining Crops, that we can have a much better Crop every Year, without a Fold, or any other Manure.

3. We can plow dry, and drill wet, without any manner of Inconvenience.

4. He fears the Weeds will grow, and destroy his Crop: We hope they will grow, to the end we may destroy them[237].

[237] For, before they grow, they cannot be killed; but if they are all killed as soon as they appear, there will be no Danger of their exhausting the Land, or re-stocking it with their Seed; and ’tis our Fault if we drill more than we can keep clean from Weeds by the Horse-hoe, Hand-hoe, and Hands; the First for the Intervals, the Second for the Partitions, and the Third for the Rows: By the Two former, as soon after they appear as they can; but by the last, when they are grown high enough to be conveniently taken hold of.

5. We do not fear to plant our Wheat early (so that we plow dry), because we can help the Hardness or Staleness of the Land by Hoeing.

6. The Two Furrows of every Ridge whereon the Rows are to be drilled, we plow dry; and if the Weather prove wet before these are all finished, we can plow the other Two Furrows up to them, until it be dry enough to return to our plowing the first Two Furrows; and after finishing them, let the Weather be wet or dry, we can plow the last Two Furrows. We can plow our Two Furrows in the Fourth Part of the Time they can plow their Eight, which they must plow dry all of them, in every Six Feet; for they cannot plow part dry, and the rest when ’tis wet, as we can.

7. We never plant our Seed under Furrow, but place it just at the Depth which we judge most proper; and that is pretty shallow, about Two Inches deep; and then there is no Danger of burying it.

8. We not only plow a deep Furrow, but also plow to the Depth of Two Furrows; that is, we trench-plow where the Land will allow it[238]; and we have the greatest Convenience imaginable for doing this, because there are Two of our Four Furrows always lying open; and Two plowed Furrows (that is, one plowed under another) are as much more advantageous for the nourishing a Crop, as Two Bushels of Oats are better than one for nourishing an Horse: Or if the Staple of the Land be too thin or shallow, we can help it by raising the Ridges prepared for the Rows the higher above the Level.