o KSfsryii JTsWl a OQBffiffiffi^i ) A Ur^ Arthur Young's China and x JxnTirs.— 'A correspoDflent writes ;-^" I should 1; * to ixvh^ to ' the notite of the general public an interesting s&ie to . bo held at Messrs. Ct 'stne's on thft 19th inst. of old .' QJi^a and miniature ii. the early part 'f this ce jf^ ihb name of Arthur Young, F.K.S., agriculturi/^ •'•^p y iaveller, was well known. He is nftt yet quj^ for-' -? gotten, and still is often quoted. It is his coUc'ction o . ; china and his family rniniiturcs that are to be.i entire of good hufbandry, the book proves me to be faulty in my management, I may fay, at leaft, as often as judicious: (hould a man he ridiculed fcr being can- did ? Is there no ufe in trying experiments, which a man thinks cannot poflibly anfwer ? None, fay the reviewers ; but the practical farmer, who reflects bn the recommendations, which feveral writers throw out, nay, on the trials for which focieties ofFef premiums, will be of a very different opinion ; and will not be long in comprehending, that thofe experi- ments, which -prove the notions of fome men to be really romantic and abfurd, and fuch as cannot poffiblv anfwer, may be as ufeful to the world as the moft brilliant regiilers of unvarying fuccefs. — Having tnentioned thefe critics, I fhall jull requcft mv readers, when they fee my writings and myfelf abufc'd in an illiberal manner, to refledl, that thofe who Vol. I. b i,T xviii PREFACE. entire ftrangers to me, having requefted my extending further fome of the fubjefts on which I had written; thefe inducements contributed to make me form my Effays into regular volumes, which I publifhed at dif- ferent times, under the titles oi the Farmer^ Letters^ and Rural Oeconomy. Upon my leaving Suffolk, in 1767, and fearching for a farm (in confe- quence of an advcrtifement I had thrown out for one) viewing I believe an hundred, and hiring two, formed a train of bufinefs, which really gave birth to the Farmer'*^ Guide in Hiring and Stocking a Farin^ for I made in an office, at beft ungracious, Ihew a thorough want of candour, and an inclin.ition only to find fault, will be very keen in the difcovery of error; a book therefore that is fo reviewed, muft either have uncommon merit, or the fapls of the au- thor, will be proved in general falfe, and his reflec- tions abfurdj bad language, harfh cxpreflions, fmall errors and abfurdities, thefe are the foibles of Alci- h'lades^ not his vices. And the ir^onthly critics will much fooner efpy the lofs of my dog's tail, than the weak part of my hulbandry ; for I could in two minutes point out more blunders, than thefe miferable cavillers c.an in twice as many years. They can dwell upon their ifs and and^ ; but. will not be quick to tell me, if in' this dry feafon ray barley fnould be ploughed or harrowed in ? Pray, Mr. Revletver^ fhall I fow my Pondjield on one earth or two ? I have an excellent farming man now with me, and we are in difpute. PREFACE. xlx I made numerous minutes, and memoran- dums of points to be attended to, which I found of no flight ufe to me, and I hope that work may be of fome to others. As to my 'Tour through the North of England^ the prefent work, and the Six Weeks Toury they require very little apology in the point I am fpeaking of at prefent : they carry proof in every page of the time when they were written : the principal part is executed during the journey, recording intelligence on the fpot, and at the moment; or minuting at night the tranfadlions of the day : indeed the method in which thefe journeys are executed is fo very fimple, and have fo little appearance of author- craft, of writing journeys in a garret ; or engaging in the expence and abfence of journeys for profit, that I fhall never through fuch caution (while my private affairs allow it) omit any opportunities of completing my plan of travelling the three kingdoms ; a bufinefs which I have now made fo much progrefs in, that I am eager" to conclude it. Thus have I run through my various publications, and endeavoured to Ihew, that b 2 although XX P R E F A C E. although they are more numerous thail h will be in my power to make them in uture, ftill are they not thofe fugitive produclions of a day, which uncandid critics would wifh to have them appear. If it is aiked, why I take the trouble of replying to objedlions ftarted by the Lord knows who, I reply, that my defign is to be of fome fervice to Britifi agriculture, an object I cannot poffibly fucceed in, except by publilhing ; and it is very clear, that whatever imputations are thrown on me of this fort, can only tend to countcrad the efFed I wifh : it is merely for this reafon that I enter into details of fo uninterefting a nature, which a man, who looks only to lite- rary reputation, will ever avoid : but I never v/ill be backward in the caufe I think right, nor ever flinch from thoroughly explaining thofe points, which invidious criticifm may lay to my charge. To come to particulars ; my candudt in the Northern 'Tour has met with objec- tions, of which it is neceffary I fhould take fome notice, before I make the fol- lowing one publick^ FirJ, PREFACE. xxl Firji. That there fhould be no defcrip- tlons of houfes or gardens ; — this has been remarked by various of my friends, while others have been of the diretSt contrary opi- nion, thinking them a means of rendering the papers more general, and of courfe more iifefLil. I think the fame ; but what has decided me in this matter is, thefe defcriptions having introduced me to fome of my moft valuable hufbandry articles ; much intelligence in agriculture in this work, which the reader will allow to be important, would not have been there had I rejected all matters foreign to agriculture : however, that each fubjedl may be unmixed with the other, I have thrown all fuch defcriptions into notes, that they may not the leaft interrupt the mere farming reader. Secondly, That I inferted the parti- culars of too many farms. — It would be too m.uch to publifli a work that confifted of nothing elfe; but I will venture to aflert, that fuch an one would be a moft impor- tant object, and difplay the ftate of the kingdom in every thing concerning the foil and agriculture. If the particulars of every farm in the nation were thus known, b 3 the xxii PREFACE. the political world would not be in the dark concerning the value and income of the land, its producils and population. However, in this article I have a6hed contrary to my own opinion, and inferted fewer farms than in the former, though I have retained a great number for my private ufe. Thirdly. That I formed too many calcu- lations and tables at the end of the jour- ney, whcfe only character was prolixity, — This objection has not come from any perfons, of whofe judgment I have the leaft opinion ; but on the contrary thofe dedudlions have been efteemed as neceflary to render the work ufeful by the greatelt part of my readers. I mention it here chiefly to obferve, that a very confiderable part of the common intelligence is taken merely with a view to drawing the averages atlaft, and comparing them with attendant circumftances ; without fuch dedudiions, the work would be, to me, much eafier ; for that part is much more difficult than any other. Thefe are the principal objections made to "di^T^our through the North: a more artful writer might have pafled over the wholej without PREFACE. xxln without notice ; this might be political, but it is not candid ; and he who, with a good caufe, means well, will not fly from defence into recrimination. In profecuting my laft journey, the intelligence I received from nume- rous gentlemen much furpafled my ex- pedations, and has been in itfelf fo very valuable, that I am little m.ore than the channel that conveys it to the publick. My Northern Tour was unavoidably unequal, from travelling fome hundred miles in the return- without communications from gentlemen ; but in the prefent I have been fo fortunate, that throughout the Vv^hole journey I have feldom travelled thirty miles without fuch advantages ; the confe- quence of which is, that I have received m.ore numerous experiments and obferva- tions than before, and been in moil places able to gain fuch valuable accounts of com- mon management, as I could with. While fo many gentlemen have done every thing In their power to promote the undertaking, if the work does not prove of real utility, all the blame refts on me, and I muft have b 4 deferved XXIV PREFACE. deferved every reprehenfion in the power of criticifm to beftow. The reader will perceive, that in feveral points I have enlarged my enquiries; the principal is in refpedt to the profit of plant- ing, in which I have had fome very va- luable information. In the article of implements I have been particularly fortunate, having met with many admirable tools, of which engravings had not been taken before. I believe the reader w^ill find them executed in a more fatisfa(3:ory manner than in my former Tours, having been favoured with fome accurate drawings ; and thofe which I took myfelf are better, as cuftom inakes me more accurate in an art, which convenience alone induced me to pradtife. It is here necelTary to mention a remark* that has been made to me more than once in the courfe of the Tour, viz. that I pafs through certain diftrids much quicker than I ought — that I fhould forbear mention of any fiich tracts, unlefs I had been more particular. But in anfwer to this, I mufl: beg leave to explain the nature of the un- dertaking, which thofe who make this objedtion PREFACE. XXV objccflioa do not feem perfcd:ly to com- prehend. In anfwer to the advertlfement of an intended tour, I receive many letters; a great number from certain counties, and very few from others. Before I fet out, I minute all the gentlemen, from whom I receive invitations. Who can fuppofe* that I do not allot my time in proportion to fuch minutes ? I confequently pafs thro' fome quicker than others, and thus draw on myfelf the imputation of hafte, which is certainly no fault of mine. I receivedfeve- ral letters from Derbyfiire and Nottingham- JJjire ; of courfe I make a longer ftay, and give a better account of their hufbandry, than of the following county of Lincoln^ from whence I had but one or two. In Norfolk, I had particular advantages of the fame fort : I there dwell on nume- rous particulars ; whereas, receiving but one or two letters from Kent and SiiffeXy I pafs haftily on to Ha??2pjhtre and Dor- fetjlnre^ from whence there came a dozen ; and in this manner I was obliged to ma- nage throughout the whole. But had I fpeut as much time in Sujfex^ from whence I had XXVI PREFACE. 1 ad only two letters, or SomerfetJJjire, from whence I had but one, or J-Viltfmre, from whence I had none, as in others that afforded me numerous ones, what would have been the confequence ? Why, undoubtedly, I ihould have employed fo much of my time in thofe places which afforded few previous invitations, that little would have remained for others that I was certain yielded numerous ones ; which would have been utterly improper. From hence, I hope, thofe gentlemen, who think I haftened too quickly through certain parts of the tour, will not attribute it to me, but rather to themfelves, as I fhould certainly have al- lotted a due portion of time, if, inftead of perfonal invitations, after my route was fixed, I had received letters from them ; then I fhould have named fewer counties for tie tour, as my chief intention is to examine perfedly thofe I travel ; and ac- cordingly, when I found numerous letters in anfwcr to my advertifements, I cut off fix or eight I originally defigned, fore- feeing that there would not be time for all. But they who fuppofe I mud be filent on all counties, which, I do not traverfe in every PREFACE. xxvii every part, fhould recolle£l, that it has never been my pra(Stice to fpeak of tradls of country which I do not view ; and although I offer, on fome occalions, gene- ral remarks on the agriculture of particular counties, it is only of thofe, concerning which my intelligence is very complete, and through which I travel many miles. If I pafs diredily through part of a county, I confine my minutes to the part I fee ; never prefuming to praife or condemn in general, but when I have feen much, and had good information. Thus much in explanation to thofe, who think I divide my attention unequally. Thcfe are the principal points, Avhich have required my fpeaking.to here; there only remains the pleafmg taflv of acknow- ledging my obligations to thofe, who have aiTifted me in the undertaking, by giving all the information in their power. I am much obliged to George Ash BY, Efq. for the particulars I gained through his means of the management of the rich grazing parts of Northamptonjljire • as well as the friendly reception I met with ^t Hazelbeach. Sir xxviii PREFACE. Sir James Lang ham, Bart, favoured me with an account of the cuhure of woad, which has been much pradifed on his eftate. I am indebted to James Booth, Efq. for the hufbandry about Glendon^ and the particulars of feveral valuable experiments. I am obliged to Shukbrugh Ashby?. Efq. for a much better account than I could otherwife have gained, of the hufbandry around ^enby^halL Mr. Ayer, of Tilton^ gave me feveral particulars in grazing, for which he has my thanks. The uncommon value of the intelligence I received from Mr. Bakewell, jun. of Dijhley^ merits every return in my power to make : I cannot but obferve that the incomparable ftate of his farm, in almoft every particular of good hufbandry, does him great honour. Cope, Efq. of Arnold, will allow me to thank him for the valuable minutes he gave me of fome experiments on carrots. It is with the utmoft fatisfadion that I acknowledge the friendly politenefs of Colonel PREFACE. xlxx Colonel Pole J no pcrfon could wlfh better to my undertaking, or intereft himfelf more in gaining me the beft accounts of huf- bandry around Radhurn. I fhall not ceafe to remember, with pleafure, the week I agreeably Ipent at that houfe. I beg leave to thank Mundey, Ei'q. for the civilities I received at Marton. I am indebted to Sir RobertBurdett, Bart, for an account of the North American cabbage, which rifes to 60 and 80/^. It is a curioiity in hufbandry which is but coming into culture. I hope the Earl of Scarsdale will allow me to exprefs my acknowledgments for his favouring me with a catalogue of the paintings, and other particulars, in his magniticent edifice at Keddlefion. The particular attention, with which Colonel St. Leger promoted my under- taking, demands every return I can make. Befides the friendly reception I met at Park- billy he omitted no care that was requifite for gaining me the beft intelligence of common hufbandry ; and I need not add, that his own experiments are truly valuable. I am XXX PREFACE. I am indebted to friend Eddison, of Gateford^ for a very curious account of improving a bog, and other particulars. He is an excellent farmer. I am much obliged to the Earl of Scar- borough for fhewing me hi&fine feat and grounds at Sandbec, William Mellish, Efq. muft allow me to acknowledge how much indebted I am for his very obliging attention, to render the article of Blythe as complete as pof- fible. He omitted nothing to gain me the beft information. The noble fpirit with which he has improved and adorned extenfive waftes, by numerous plantations, new farms, and good hufbandry, demand a more flattering tribute than I can give — the gratitude of his country. The extenfive farms, which Anthony Wharton, Efq. keeps in his own hands, enabled him to favour me (which he did in the moft friendly manner) with feveral curious experiments. His crops on the rich fands of Doncajler^ I believe, are as great as any in the kingdom ; and his culture of potatoes complete. James PREFACE. xxxi James Stovin, Efq. oi Doncajier^ gave me the particulars of fome trials, for which I am much obliged to him : that on the oil compoft is the only one yet laid before the publick ; and his experiment to decide the value of carrots, by fattening pigs, is very accurate. I am indebted to Cook, Efq. of Wheatley, for the particulars of fome ex- periments. The Rev. Mr. Hall muft allow me to thank him for the minutes of feveral very important hiifbandry undertakings ; his culture of lucerne, and of white clover, his original praire. John Culme, Efq. Tot hill, near Plymouth. John Lloyd, Efq. Smithjieldy War'wkkjhire, Samuel Garbett, Efq. of Cajile Bromwich^ near Birmingham^ David Roberts, Efq. So?2ily, in Den- bigh/hire. Thomas Hall, Jun. Efq. of Candover, in Ha?npjkire ; and from Mr. John Bailey of Peterborough ', to all whom I beg leave to return fmcere thanks ; the places were much out of my route; but I fhall efteem myfelf happy in waiting on them in ray next Tour, with which I hope to complete the kingdom. I fhall xlvi PREFACE. I fhall conclude this preface with reqiieft- ing the candid reader to excufe thofe inac- curacies of flile, almofl; unavoidable in the regifter of fuch a journey ; perhaps there may be found other errors, though I think not many that are material ; but in travel- ling near three thoufand miles, minuting above five hundred experiments, and perpe- tually fhifting the fcene of common intelli- gence, fome excufe for fmall miftakes may be admitted. The great intention of the undertaking 18 to make public as much ufeful know^ledge as poffible ; by bringing various cultivators, fcattered about the kingdom, acquainted with what is executing by their brother farmers ; my Tours Ihould therefore be confidered as an office of intelligence ; for 1 pretend to be nothing more than the vehicle of ufeful information : that I may, even in this capacity, have committed many errors, is certainly probable, but an exemption from them, is what I am far enough from pretending to; nor can I think that a book fhould be condemned for errors and abfurdities, if it contains other matter that is ufeful. It is human na- ture PREFACE. xlvii ture to produce fuch inequalities, and that compofition which is perfedly free from them, muft be the production of a man who aimed not at great utility. Let me here repeat what 1 mentioned on a former occafion, that the mere return of thanks is too trivial for the numerous obli- gations I am thus laid under. I wilh my fituation in life would allow me to be of the public ufe I defire ; but whatever is in my power, either in giving intelligence, not fufficiently minute in the regifter of the Tour — procuring implements — men, &c. — as far as my ability reaches, I Ihall always efteem myfelf happy in fuch op- portunities of promoting the good caufe in which I think I am embarked. *• * * In order that the Tours through this king- dom may, when completed, pafs through every part of it, that the averages of the particulars may come the nearer to the exadt medium of the whole, it is next intended to fet out towards Tunbndge\ from that part of Kent^ to turn off tow^ards Petersfeld ia xlviii PREFACE. m HampJJjire -y then to BaJingJloke^-^Sali/- bury and Exeter^ to the Land's Eiid; returning through the northern parts o^ Cornwall and Devonfilre^ to Brijlol and Gloucejler-y then through Herefordjhire and ShropJhiretoCheJiery &c. Returning through Warwickjhire^ crofs Northamptonfiire to the counties of Kutland^ Huntingdon^ and Cambridge ; which hne will cut through all the parts of the kingdom not yet travelled. The Author begs leave to requeft all perfons who intend him the honour of communica- tions, to inform him of it as early as con- venient, that he may have a clear idea of his route before he fets out, and be able to portion his time accordingly. North Mims, March i, 1771. THE farmer's tour THROUGH ENGLAND. THE plan I have laid down for con- tinuing my Tour through England^ is to travel as different a rout as I can from that of the former journies ; fo that they may in general include as many and various trails of country as poflible : by this means the whole kingdom will be travelled, and the conclufions drawn from the particulars of the journies, come the nearer to the exadt averages of the whole nation. I now fet out to profecute the defign firft through the central counties. From North Mim, pafTmg through Sf, Albans^ I took the road fo Berkhamjlead by Hempjiead, This line of country is pretty rich, and well cultivated, and lets on an average at lox. an acre. The hufbandry Vol. I. B arour^i THE FARMER'S TOUR around Hempjiead is very good, I believe the beft in Hertfordfiire : the farms rife from 20/. to 400/. a year. The foil various, and not ill defcribed by Rllis in feveral of his works. There are fome clays, chalky loams, and alfo flony loams, with fome of the round blue pebbly land, which they juftly reckon the worft foil a farmer can occupy. The rents rife from 5J. to 10 s. an acre, but the average is about ioj. Their courfe of crops» various; among others, 1. Turnips 2. Wheat 3. Peafe 4. Oats. Alfo, Alfo, Likewife, 1 . * Turnips 2. Barley 3. Clover 4. Wheat. 1. Turnips 2. Wheat 3. Tares. 1. Tares 2. Turnips 3. Wheat In one year. 4, Peafe THROUGH ENGLAND. 3 4. Peafe 5. Oats 0. Clover and ray grafs. And I. Fallow 2. Wheat 3. Turnips, &c. They plough four times for wheat, when fown on a fallow, but after turnips only once, the turnips being always fed off by flieep for this purpofe ; and this hufbandry is very common here. They fow 2^ bufhels, or 3, from a week before M/r/^^^/- mas to Chrijlm'as^ and gain on an average about 25 bufliels ; rye is almoft unknown to them. For barley they give three or four earths, fow 4 bufhels, generally in March, and gain upon an average 5 quarters. For oats they ftir according to circumftances once or twice, fow 4 bufhels, and reckon the mean produce at 6 quarters. They plough but once for peafe, fow 3 bufhels, never hoe, and get in return about five and twenty. They cultivate very few beans ; and know but little of rape or cole-feed. B 2 For 4 THE FARMER'S TOUR For turnips they plough three or four times, hoe them once, and feed them all by fheep. Two guineas per acre the aver- age felling price. Qover they fow with barley or oats ; always mow it, and gener- ally twice ; get at two mowings from 3 to 4t loads of hay per acre, ( 1 8 Cwt.) The beft farmers make it a rule to fpread about 50 bufhels per acre of afhes from London over it in March, Three loads an acre have been known the firfl mowing ; afhes they find, from long experience, to be the beft manure for this grafs; and they are well perfuaded that no hulbandry anfwers better than fo to ufe them. Tares, which they call Thetches, and Vetches, are a very capital crop with them. They ufe both the winter and fpring tare, but reckon the former better; they both feed and mow them ; fometimes for horfes in the liable, and at others for hay ; a good acre they reckon will keep 5 horfes above a month from the i ft of May, Of hay, an acre will yield 2 or 3 load. The beft farmers fpread 50 huihtXs per acre oi London aftics over them in March, and find the im- 3 provement THROUGH ENGLAND. 5 provement very great : after the mowing they are fed, or broken up for turnips. Upon this hufbandry let me remark, that it is undoubtedly excellent. To fow tares on one ploughing at Michaelmas on thofe fallows defigned for turnips, to fow alhes on them, the beginning of Marchy and by the end of April or beginning of May^ to have a tolerable fwarth ready for foiling horfes at the rate of 5 to an acre, to continue this for a month, and then throw in a good ftrength of teams to get the land ready for turnips, are all together a moft admirable fyftem of hufbandry, and ought to be ftrongly recommended to the attention of all the farmers in the kingdom. Thefe intelligent men juftly obferve, that the mowing the tares in May^ cuts off numerous weeds before they feed, and leaves the land in as clean order for turnips as the moft coftly fallow. Five horfes a month, at 2j, td. 2l. week, are 50 j. an acre^. a very dif- ferent account from the barren expence of a mere fallow. Sainfoine is fown in this neighbourhood in confiderable quantities : I walked into B 3 feveral 6 tHE FARMER'S TOUR feveral fields and made particular enquiries concerning this valuable article of our huf- bandry : they find it thrives well on all light loams on chalk; but what is much more worthy of remark, they fow it like- wife with great fuccefs on their ftony loams on clay : fome of the fields I faw were peculiar in foil ; a dark loam full of brown dirty looking flints, i8 inches deep; and then a ftrong red clay i o feet thick, before you come to the chalk. On this foil they fow fainfoine with great fuccefs, get above a load an acre the firft year, the fecond year two loads, and afterwards from two to three. About the third year they manure it with coal afhes from London, 50 bufhels fer acre, which they fpread in March: after mowing they feed it with horfes : it lafts 20 years. When worn out, they plough it up for oats, of which they get very large crops, and then fow turnips. The principal point in this hufbandry is the foil ; it is very different from what is generally fuppofed requifite for this grafs : for although the farmers here fow it on their chalky foils, yet the ven- turmg THROUGH ENGLAND. 7 turing it in a loam on a ftifF clay, is ut- terly contrary to all the common ideas we have heard concerning fainfoine. Eighteen inches of furfacc are nothing : the roots prefently get deep into the clay, and it is very evident from this experience that they receive no damage by fo doing. Hence it appears that the hufbandmen in many parts of the kingdom might cultivate fain- foine on foils often efteemed improper. In manuring their lands, the farmers around this place depend chiefly on ti:^ir farm-yard dung, and the fheep-fold ; but they bring coal allies from London for their clover and fainfoine, and foot for their wheat, w^hich they fow over it, 30 or 40 bulhels per acre, in Marchy and find it a very great improvement. The fences throughout this country con- fift of plafhed hedges, with fcarcely any ditches : thefe are excellently worked ; they have a moft neat and hufband-Iike appear- ance, and would, with the afTiftance of good ditches, form moft impenetrable fences. As to grafs lands, the quantity of meadow and pafture is very trifling, but they have B 4 fome 8 THE FARMER'S TOUR fome which lets from 20 to 40 j. an acre; they ufe it chiefly for cows, which they generally fuckle. The flocks of fheep rife from fmall par- cels to 2, or 300 ; they reckon the profit about 1 4 J. a head, feed them in winter on turneps. In their tillage five horfes are neceflary for 1 00 acres of arable land : they ufe 4 or five in a plough, and do an acre a day; fometjmes an acre and an half. The price 7 J. an acre, and the depth about 5 inches. The annual expence of a horfe they calcu- late at 15/. Their ftubbles they do not break up till after Chrijimas, The only plough they in general ufe, is the great Hertfordjhire wheeled plough. The hire of a cart, four horfes, and a driver, 10/. a day. In the hiring and flocking farrr^s, 400/. they reckon neceffary for one of an hundred a year. Land fells from 26 to 30 years purchafe. Tythes in general compounded. Poor rates irom I J. to i j. 6 d, in the pound. The employment of the poor people chiefly lacc jnaking ; tHROUGH ENGLAND. 9 making ; which has much incrcafcd withla the laft ten years. LABOUR. In harveft, 2 x. a day and board. In hay-time, i /. 6d. and beer. In winter, i s. and ditto. Reaping, &c. wheat, 7 J. to 8j, an acre. Mowing barley, 2 J". ■ Oats, I J. 8 ^. — — Grafs, 2 J-. 6 ^. to 3 x. Hoeing turnips, 4/. to ^s. an acre. Plafhing a hedge, 2 ^. t and 3 ^. a pole. Thrafhing wheat, 2 /. a quarter. — . barley, i J. 3^. and is. (3d. ditto^ Making hedge faggots, 3 ^. a fcore. Amount of a labourer's annual earnings, 18/. Head-man's wages, 8/. to 10/. Next ditto, 5/. Maid's, 4/. 10 J", to 5/. Value of a man's board, wafhing and lodging, 12/. IMPLEMENTS, A waggon, 20/. A cart, \oh A plough lo THE FARMER'S TOUR A plough complete, 2 /. 2s, A fcythe, 3 x. 6^. A fpade, 3 s. Bread, Clieefe, Butter, Beef, Mutton, Veal, Pork, Candles, PROVISIONS. I ^. a pound, - - 4t - - 7 4 4 4 7 Labourer's houfe-rent, 45 j. The following are the particulars of fe- veral farms in the neighbourhood. 600 Acres in all 540 Arable 60 Grafs ;^. 250 Rent 16 Horfes 6 Cows 4 Young cattle 300 Sheep. He has 100 Acres wheat 100 Turnips 80 Fallow 200 Barley and oats 80 Peafe, beans, thetches, &c. 8 Men 6 Labourers. Another : THROUGH ENGLAND, ii Another : 200 Acres in all 20 Fallow 180 Arable 40 Turnips 20 Grafs 20 Peale, beans, £. 100 Rent and thetches 10 Horfes 3 Men 6 Cows I Maid 200 Sheep I Boy 50 Acres wheat 2 Labourers. 50 Barley and oats Another : 120 Acres 60 Sheep 100 Arable 20 Acres wheat 20 Grafs 20 Barley, &c. £. 80 Rent 20 Turnips 6 Horfes 20 Fallow 2 Cows 20 Pulfe. Another : 160 Acres in all 80 Sheep 150 Arable 30 Acres wheat 10 Grafs ' 40 Barley jT. yo Rent 10 Oats 8 Horfes 40 Turnips 3 Cows 20 Fallow 2 Young cattle 10 Thetches. 2 From 12 THE FARMER'S TOUR From Hempjlead to Tringy the foil con- tinues in general a loam on chalk, and lct& at 10 A an acre. Towards the latter place, farms rife from 20/. to 300/. a year ; they have fome clays, and various loams, avcp'^ age rent i o /. Among other courfcs they purfue the following : i» Fallow 2, Wheat Oats 4. Peafe. A5if>, 1. Turnips 2. Wheat 3. Barley 4* Peafc. Likewife, I. Turnips 2. Barley 3. Clover 4. Wheat. And I* Thetches ^ r ^„^ ^^^ . > In one year. 2. Turnips J 3. Wheat. For wheat they plough thrice ; fow 2 7 bufhels of feed per acre, about Mkhaelmasy and reap upon an average twenty-five. For barley. THROUGH ENGLAND. 13 iiricy, they ftir two or three times ; fow 4 buflieis an acre in Marchy and gain 3 quarters at a medium. They give but one earth for oats, fow from 3 1 to 4 bufliels before barley feed time ; the mean produd 6 quarters. For peafe they plough but once, fow 4 bufhcls in March^ and gain upon an aver- age twenty. The better fort of farmers ufe Marlborough greys, which they fow in -drills equally diilant, 2 feet afunder ; hand hoe them twice, and get in this manner from 30 to 40 bulhels, befides cleaning the land fo well, that wheat always follows. This contrail to the common pea culture, both in crop and preparation, fhould induce them to extend tlie drilling of peafe. For beans they alfo give but one earth, fow three bufhels of feed the beginning of Marchy never hoe, and reap thirty. It is aftonifhiag that thefe farmers fhould fee the excellence of hand-hoeing peafe, and yet never extend the culture to beans, a crop that requires it much more. They plough thrice for turnips, hoe them once, and feed them off with ilieep ; the average value 2/. 10 s. per acre. Clover 14 THE FARMER'S TOUR Clover they fow with barley and oats, generally mow twice for hay, of which they get very great crops ; up to 5 loads fer acre, at two mowings, often four. Tares they cultivate for mowing green for their horfes, reckon them extremely profit- able, and that one acre of good ones will feed 5 horfes a month ; they manure them with afties in the fpring, about 50 bufhels an acre, and find the utility of it great. Sainfoine they commonly fow on their chalky hills ; it lafts from 1 2 to 15 years, mow it every year, and get from 2 to 3 load of hay an acre. In the management of their manure, they have merit ; they foot their green wheat, 20 bufhels fer acre, in March ^ and fow that quantity of afhes on their clover ; their hay they fl:ack all at home ; and litter their yards well with wheat Hubble. Grafs inclofures let at 20J". an acre : they ufe them for cows, but they are fcarce. The profit of flocks of fheep they reckon at 10 J. a head: feed them in winter on turnips ; 4 pound the average fleece. In THROUGH ENGLAND, i^ In tillage, they reckon 5 horfes necefTary for 100 acres of arable land; life 4 in a plough, and do from i acre to i -i in a day, ftir from 5 to 8 inches deep : The price />^r acre ^s. Their ftubbles they do not break up till Chrijimas. They ufe both wheel and fwing ploughs. In hiring and flocking their farms, 400/. they think fufficient for 100/. a year; but fome ufe 450/. LABOUR. In harveft, 35/. a month, and board. In hay-time, i s. 6d, b. day, and beer. In winter, is. and beer. Women, in harveft, 6 coulter, 5 d. PROVISIONS. Bread, - ~ id, per pound. Cheefe, - - 4^ Butter, - -7-1 Beef, - - 4 Mutton, - - 4 Veal, - - 4 Pork, - - 4 Bacon, - *" 7 Milk, - • \d. 2i pint. Candles, - - 7 i per pound. Labourer's houfe-rent, 2/. 2s. ' firing, I /. 10^. ——tools, 15 J. BUILDING. I THROUGH ENGLAND. 17 BUILDING. Bricks, i^s.per 1000. Tiles, i/. 10 5, per ditto* Oak, per foot, 2 J. Afli, ditto, isf. 4^. Elm, ditto, IS, 6d. Beech, ditto, u. A carpenter a day, i /. 6 ^. A mafon, ditto, i j-. 6d. A thatcher, ditto, i /. 6d, The following particulars of farms v/ill fhew the general oeconomy. 60 Acres in all 10 Turnips 50 Arable 10 Pulfe 10 Grafs I Boy jf 40 Rent I Labourer 3 Horfes i Waggon 2 Cows 3 Carts 100 Sheep I Ploughw 25 Acres wheat Another : 600 Acres 8 Cows 100 Grafs 4 Young cattle 500 Arable 300 Sheep £ 300 Rent 100 Acres wheat 17 Horfes 50 Barley Vol. L C 40 Oats i8 THE FARMER'S TOUR 40 Oats 3 Boys 100 Pulfe 2 M^ids 100 Turnips 12 Labourers 60 Clover 2 Waggons 40 Fallow 6 Carts I Man 4 Ploughs. From Tring to the conclufion of the chalk hills, about four miles from Aylejhiiry^ the foil and hufbandry continues the fame ; but in the vale it becomes richer ; ir is a good clay, but all in open field land ; many beans, but all full of weeds, and none hoed. Here I firft remarked the broad croQJied ridges arched up in the middle : It is alfo to be remarked, that in this ftrong clay vale, the great Hertjordjhire wheeled plough is quite changed for a light fwing one ; of a better conftruction than common, for the mould-board is curved ; but the ear or head for regulating depth, has the com- mon fault ; and the junction of the fhare to the front of the plough forms a fharp angle, which is another common fault : fuch angles increafe the fridtion of the plough greatly. From the point of the fhare to the beam, lliould be a gentle curve. From Through England. 19 From Aylejbury I took the road to Buck- highaniy going thro' a part of the vale ; for four or five miles from the town, the foil ranks among the richeft I ever faw ; it is a black, putrid clay, quite mellow, and crumb- ling when in tillage. I made feveral en- quiries into the hufbandry of it, and, from, the produds, found it almoft as bad as the land is good. Nearly the whole country is open field land ; and all lies in broad high crooked ridges. Lets all at 14J. The courfe pretty general, is, 1. Fallow 2. Wheat 3. BeanSi Alfo, i.^ Fallow 1. Barley 3. Beans. They fold the wheat fallows, arid manure the barley ones with farm-yard dung. But their tillage is miferable, fcarcely ever ftir* ring above 3 or 4 inches deep, and fome- times not more than 2, although they plough with four or five horfes at length, with a fwing plough, and never ufe lefs than three : they give from thre^ to five ftirrings. C 2 Th? 20 THE FARMER'S TOUR The farm-yard dung they fpread on the barley fallows in 'June, Of wheat, their crops have of late years been very bad : but the general average is not above 15 bufhels fer acre : fome farmers alTerted not more than 12. Of barley, they get at a medium j6, and of beans, 3 t quarters. This crop they never hoe, but feed off the weeds with flieep. Their flocks do not pay them above 3/. 6^. a head dear profit. In no part of the kingdom have I met with hufbandry that requires greater amend- ment than this : fuch products are, their foil confidered, contemptible. Improvement muft be treated under two heads : firft, the management while the land is in its prefent ftate, which is the farmer's bufmefs : and fecondly, the inclofmg it, which is the landlord's. The poverty of the crops is chiefly owing to a want of draining ; for the country being totally flat, and very few ditches in it, the water fettles in the deep furrows, fo that the tops of the ridges are the only part of the land in a proper Hate for yielding corn. THROUGH ENGLAND. 21 corn. Thofe fields in which property is very much intermixed, would be difficult to drain, but wherever one man had feveral pieces contiguous, or only two, he might certainly dig a drain between them ; covered ones would be moil advifeable ; this con- dud: is abfolutely neceflary, for the idea of paying I4j-. an acre for land, much of which, crop and all, are foaked in water throughout the winter, is itfelf one would think fufficient, without any argument. Next to draining, I fhall t-ecommend a change of courfe by common confent ; let them fubftitute the following : 1. Fallow 2. Wheat 3. Beans 4. Wheat; and fo on for 7 years at leafl; a fallow oftener would be abfolutely ufelefs. The land is excellent for beans, which crop generally pays them better than any other, notwithftanding it is the laft in the courfe, and never hoed : What therefore would it do under a better management? Let the beans be at leafl hand-hoed well, twice or C 3 thrice; 22 THE FARMER^s TOUR thrice ; but fo as to keep them as clean as ?i garden : if they would drill and horfe-hoe them, the crops would be greater, and the expence lefs. Let all their dung be laid on for them, either at Michaelmas, or in hard frofts : their prefent fyftem of laying dung on in June for a crop that is not fown till April following, is a piece of abfurdity : fo managed, dung is a mere pulverifer. By ploughing it in at Michaelmas, the land would work at bean fowing admirably mel- low ; the fucceeding hoeings would kill all weeds, and the wheat then could not fail of being excellent. It is folly to talk of the neceffity of fallowing every third year ; I know juft fuch land, in more places than one, that has never been fallowed at all. But if they will not change their courfe, at leaft let them hand-hoe their beans ; if they would keep them perfedily clean, their crops would be much greater,, and the wheat on the following fallow, find the advantage of it. I would further recommend to them to have nothing to do with barley ; they can grow as much wheat per acre as barley, or within THROUGH ENGLAND. 23 vvithin a bufhel at a medium ; to cultivate it is therefore all lofs. Another circumftance highly worth their confideration, is the number of horfes they plough with : 4 or 5 at length are cujlom not draught : I faw many pieces ploughing for the fecond and third time, (dunged before) with 4 horfes ; a pair would have been fully fufficient. As to the landlords, what in the name of wonder can be the reafon of their not in- clofmg ! All this vale would make as fine meadows as any in the world : I obferved along the road, and on the head lands, that the white clover came naturally, not as we fee it in moft foils, a dwarf covering ; but fuch a thick luxuriant growth, that a vaft produce of that alone would be mown : I would undertake to let the whole vale at from 25 J. to 30 J", an acre ; and many parts of it at 30 J, at the loweft. How well there- fore can they afford to be cheated by their attorneys, over-reached by their commif- fioners, and to fquabble among themfelves ! Sixteen fhillings an acre the return ! Upon the whole, this famous vale has received ample gifts from nature, but the C 4 efforU 24 THE FARMER'S TOUR eflForts of art are all yet to be made: the landlords have 14X. where they might have 30 J. and the tenants reap bufhels, where they ought to have quarters. About Hockjion there are many new In- clofures, particularly in the eftates of the Earl of Chejierfield\ the foil is a gravelly loam, pretty rich. Farms rife from 50 to 400/. a year. Rents about 16 j-. on an aver- age. Their courfe in general, I. Fallow *!. 2. Wheat 3. Beans, which is the old open field courfe; fome farmers are getting into a greater variety, but very flowly. They get about 3 quarters per acre of wheat on an average ; 2 quar- ters of barley, and 3 of beans. Grafs land lets from 20 to 30/. an acre : they apply it chiefly to feeding cows for the dairy. Some of their new inclofures I obferved laid down to grafs ; but all upon the old crooked ridge and furrow work ; And what is a curious piece of ill hufbandry, they lay down with common clover and ray grafs ; and truft the white honey-fuckle coming of THROUGH ENGLAND. 25 of itfelf, which, after fome years, it does pretty tolerably. I cannot omit advifing thefe farmers to plough down their ridges, and lay the land perfectly level ; and then to fow white clover and trefoile, which they may do at very fmall expence, and on fuch excellent land they would immediately come into a moft profitable meadow. From three to four gallons of milk, the quantity the cows give at an average. One farmer here has 80 which he milks : He keeps only two dairy maids, befides his wife ; but ha* milkers befides, one to every 12 cows. They ufe 4 or 5 horfes at length in a plough, and do an acre a day. Towards Winjlow the country is chiefly open, with the old hufbandry of i. Fallow; 2. Wheat; 3. Beans; but that pari{h is now inclofed : the rents before were 141. but now arable land lets to 28/. an acre; none under a guinea ; and grafs from 40 j. to 3/. all tythe free. This rife of rents on inclofing juftifies my obfervation on the expediency of inclofing the vale oiAyleJbury, Poor rates here are 3 s. in the pound. It is obferved, that fome of the new rents are dropping, from the inability of 2 the 36 THE FARMER'S TOUR the farmers to pay them : The mention of this doubtful circumftance made me enquire particularly into it : I found the inftance& very rare, and then wholly owing, as was agreed on all hands, to the farmers cropping their land every year with little judgment, till the) run it quite out of heart. The foil is a very fine rich fertile clay. Now on fuch land there cannot be a doubt but they may take a crop every year^ and yet keep the foil as clean and in as fine heart as ever it was ; and at the fame time be very able to pay the new rents. But this depends on their changing bad hufhandry for good. I muft obferve that all this country is terribly pinched in winter for food for their cattle, both Iheep and beafts : the land is too moift for turnips. This circumftance confidered, let me recommend to them the following courfe : 1. Cabbages 2. Oats 3. Beans 4. Wheat 5. Cabbages 6. Barley 7. Clover 8. Wheat, All THROUGH ENGLAND. 27 AH their manure to be Ij^ on for cab- bages or beans. The cabbages to be on 5 feet ridges arched up ; horfe-hoed thrice or four times; and hand-hoed twice. The beans to be drilled and kept ferfeBly clean from all weeds. I would rifque my life on the fuccefs of this hufbandry on their land ; and I think barley in this courfe would prove more fuccefsful than cpmrnqn with them at prefent. To Buckingham much open land, and all thrown into the courfe of 1. Fallow 2. Wheat 3. Beans, Or, I. Fallow 2, Barley 3. Beans. Lets at an average at 1 5 i". an acre the open field. Their mean crops ; Of wheat, 2 quarters. Of barley, 2 ditto. Of beans, 3 ditto The foil a fine black crumbling clay. As a proof how well it is farmed in the broad ridge work, let me obferve that the furrows 28 THE FARMER'S TOUR furrows were under water : if fo in "June^ what muft they be in winter ? The unac- countable poverty of the crops through this country fo rich in foil, muft be owing to a want of draining. From Buckingham to Towcrjler^ the prin- cipal part of the country is occupied with Earl Templets park * and woods ; and Wbit^ tlebury Foreji^ the Duke of Graft on" %, From * Stow, the celebrated feat of that nobleman, is well fituated in a Ipot, much more beautiful than any of the furrounding country. The houfe is large ; it extends in one line of front 900 feet. The Kail is 36 feet by 26. The faloon 36 by 22 ; out of the former is an handfbme apartment of two drefllng-rooms and a bed-chamber, each about 20 by 16. The Chapel is richly fitted up in cedar, and ornamented : the altar-piece the Refurre^iorty by *Ttnioretto. In the Grenville Room^ 36 by 25, are many modern portraits of the family. The Dining-roomy 43 by 25, is very hand- fbmely fitted up and furnifhed : here are three pieces of ftatuary that deferve attention ; a Nar- cijfus, whofe attitude is eafy, and the figure elegant. Vertumnus and Romona^ by Schemacher ; and Venus and Adonis^ by Delveau. The marble is veined fo much with blue, that they appear to difadvantage : the Venus is delicate and beautiful. The THROUGH ENGLAND. 29 From that town I took the road to Nor^ tbampton \ firft, through the eftate of lord Pomfret, admirable rich land ; none of which lets at lefs than 20 j. an acre, and much of it fi-om 30 J. to 40 J-. But the roads are a difgrace to the country. About Blifwortb the foil is not equal to that nearer liowcejler ; it is chiefly a red gravelly loam, and fome binding clays ; the open fields let at 8 J. and the inclofures from I2j. to 20 j. Farms The Drawing-room^ 30 by 25. Paul Panini. Ruins. In the fVaiting-room. Cuerchino. Cynwn and Iphigene : a fine and ex- preflive pidure ; her figure good, but an odd pofture. Albert Durer, Joan of Arc : a curious piece; her countenance well defigned, mufing on her expedition. Poujin. Gold pouring into the moutli oiCrajfus, Gaf. Poujfin. Two landfcapes. Holbein. Two heads : good. Unknown. Two portraits, that of the man a good one. In the Breakfaji-room. Ruhens. Boys •, copied from him, pretty. Albert Durer. St. Catherine. Corn. Johnfon. A head : very fine. Le S(eur. Young bachanals. In it THE tAIiMER*s TOUR Farms rife from 30/* to 150/. a year. Their eourfe, t. Fallow* 2. Wheat 3. BeztnSi And I. Fallow. 2* Barley* 3. Beans. They plough four times for wheat; Ibw 2 4- bufhels of feed, about Michaelmas^ and reckon the average crop ^.t 2 ^ quarters* For rye they ftir four times, fow 2 bufhels of feed before wheat, and gain 3 quarters on a medium* For barley they give four earths^ In the Private Drawing-room. Remhrandt. Samfon ; very great and ftrong exprefllon. Horizonti. Two large landfcapes. Poitjfm. Mofes burying , the Egyptian : fine, The drawing appears to be good. A port. Good. Guido. St. Stephen : the hand excellently done. St. Laurence. The face and hands finely done. Milk. Acis and Galatea ; a landfcape. A plea* fing fpirit in the figures. Claud Loraine. Landfcape. P. Brill. Ditto. Primacitio. Chrifeis. Her drapery not fo good as the defign required. Rape of Helen. Good, Vulcan forging armour for yEneas. Ruhens. His firft wife : an inftance of the fata- lity of his making his wives the models of his females. A painter fhould either be gay, or marry nothing bCit beauties. 3 Van- THROUGH ENGLAND, st earths, fow 5 bufhels as early in the fpring as they can on clay lands, the crop about 3 1 quarters. For oats they plough but once, fow 5 ^ buihels after barley fowitig; and the laft on light land ; the crop 5 quar- ters. For peafe and beans mixed, they ftir once, fow 4 bufhels in March: nor do they give more tillage for beans alone, of which they fow 5 bufhels, never hoe them, the crop about 3 4 quarters. They Vandyke. The duke of Sully. Baffin. The marriage of Cana. Guerchino. Samfon and Dalilah. Dark, but well defigned. Tintoretto. A dance at the rrarriage of the Duke of Mantua. Old Richard/on. Oliver Cromzvell. Rubens. Sileno. Admirable exprefiion. The Gallery, 70 by 25, and 22 high, is a beautiful rcom : The proportion extremely plea- fing. It is hung with Brujfels tapeftry 5 repre- fenting the triumphs of Bacchus, Venus, Ceres, Mars, and Afollo I think. The ceiling is ftuccoed in compartments, and ornamented with meda- lions, and paintings in obfcura. The chimney- pieces, polifhed w^hite marble, ornaments trailed on fiena. The pier glaffcs are handfome, and the flabs of fiena marble. In 32 THE FARMER'S TOUR They plough four or five times for tur- nips, which they fow only in the inclofures, hand-hoe them once, and feed them all off withfheep: the crops on an average 40 j. per acre. Clover they fow with both barley and oats ; mow and feed it ; fow oats, &c. after ; and reckon the crop better after feed- ing than mowing. They cultivate fome tares, which they mow green for their horfes, but not fo com- monly In the Dreffing-room^ 35 by 30, the chimney- piece of white marble polifhed. The ceiling fcrolls of gold on a bluifh lead ground. Titian. Venus blinding Cupid: the fame, if I recolleft right, as that which Mr. Strange has engraved. It is fine, but the figures as lufty as if by Rubens : The fhoulders are not thofe oi Venus. Fkmijh School. Four converfation pieces. The State Bed-cbamber^ 50 by 25, is as hand- fome as I remember to have feen. It is magni- ficently furnilhed with crimfon damafk, and gold ornaments : the glaffes are fine ; and the flabs of fiena. But the ornamented grounds at Stow are more peculiar than the houfe. They were for many years the admiration of all that viewed them, not only for their real beauty, but the fcarcity of other improvements of the fame kind in THROUGH ENGLAND. 33 monly as they ought, letting too many ftand for feed. An acre of good ones will keep 5 or 6 horfes a month. There are many woods in this country ; and they reckon the value of an acre, at 1 3 years growth, to be about 9/. In refped: to manuring ; they fold their fheep on the lands for wheat and barley. Their farm yards they litter with ftraw and ftubble. Dung is to be had at Northampton for in the kingdom. I Ihould obferve, that they were fketched at firft quite in the old ftile of broad ftraight gravel walks and avenues of trees ; with regular waters : but many of thefe circum- ftances are much changed, and tlie grounds modernized z.% much as they would admit. As I do not quote any particular part of thefe gar- dens for particular purpofes, I lliall offer the few obfervations I made on them in the order I viev/ed them. From the temple o{ Baccky.s^ there is a plea/ing view dov/n on the watrr in the vale \ the temple of Venus on its banks, with fome Vv'ood behind it : but the effect would be better v/ere it quite backed with the dark Ihade of a thick wood. Faffing a cave, or rather a root houfe, dedicated to St. Aujlin^ the walks lead to the pavilions at the park gate, from whicii the v/ater i: feen differently winding, in a very natural tatle, -St Vol. I. D the 34 THE farmer's TOUR for 2 s. a load, but they reckon 5 miles too far to bring it. Some good farmers hollow drain their wctteft lands, but the number is very fmall ; tliey fill with thorns or ftone. Good grafs land lets at from 25/. to 30 j". an acre ; they apply it to feeding cows, and fattening fhcep ; an acre will about carry a cow through the fummer. The breed is the long horned ; a good one will give 5 gallons the bottom of feveral pafiiures : it is here as jufl an imitation of a real flream as can any Vvhere be feen. From Queen Caroline's pillar, the wood and water appear to advantage, and the portico of one of the pavilions on the fouth fide of the gar- dens, is caught among the wood in a moil agree- able manner. Moving down to the water, a common bench commands a viev/ of a building, that terminates the water, which is here large ; but obftrve a fmall grafs lavm fcattered with trees, on the oppofite banks, which breaks from the water into the v/ood : it is extremely pifturefque -, and the bed part of this view. Advancing to the temple of Venus, the land- fcape is very fine-, the water fills the valley, (tho' rather too regular in the bend) and the oppofite hill is well fpread with thick wood : The THROUGH ENGLAND. 35 gallons of milk a day ; and in total produdt about 6/. They keep many hogs, one or two, and fometimes more to every cow. They reckon a dairy maid can take care of 20 cows. Their winter food hay alone; about a load and a half, or two loads per cow. In rearing their calves do not fuck above 3 or 4 days. They fat their hog& from 18 to 2 5 fcore pounds. The The rotunda beautifully placed on a point of ground, with a projeding wood behind it ; and to the left the temple of Bacchus, quite embo- fomed in a thick grove. From the fhepherd's cave, the view of the rotunda is extremely pi(5lurerque. From hence the path winds by the v/ater ^ but the termina- tion of it ornamented v/ith fcatues, and the regularity of the cafcades, are in a very diiTercnc ftile from the rotunda, which is as happily placed as the mofc cultivated tafte could imagine. From the firlt pavilion, the view of the lake is very piealing : it gives a bend, Vv'hich forms a promontory of a beautiful verdure fcattered with trees, throup-h the ftems of which vou com- mand the water. Gardening- feldom offers a more beautiful objeft ; nor can it well be em- ployed without fuccefs. The extreme beauty of this part of the view, will draw olf your atten- D 2 . tion 36 THE FARMER'S TOUR The flocks of flieep generally from 60 ta 160, reckon the produd: of lamb and wool at 10 J", the winter food hay ; their lambs on turnips : the fleeces rife from 5 to 8 pound. In their tillage they reckon 6 or 8 horfes neceflary for 1 00 acres of arable land ; ufe 3 or 4 at length in a plough, and do from I acre to i 4- a day ; ftir 3 inches deep ;. the price per acre 5 s. They calculate the annual tion from the regular lawn that leads up to the Iioufe. From the temple of Friendjhip, the view of that of Antient Virtue in a thick wood is fine ; and when the wood is enough grown to hide the houfe, it will be yet better. The Palladian bridge is taken from that at Wilton \ the water here v/inds through natural meadows in a juil tafte. From thence as you mount the hill, the view to the left is extrem^ely fine ; the water winds through the valley ; one of the pavilions on the banks, very prettily icattered with wood ; and above the whole, the diltant country terminates the fcene. From the bench at the top of the hill, the fame viev/, but varied j with the Corin- thian arch, in an excellent fituation : a proof that ornamental buildings may ibmerimes be nearly diftinft from wood ; tho' the connexion between them is fo feldom broken without da- maging the beauty of a view. From. THROUGH ENGLAND. 37 annual expence of a horfe at about 10/. when they are in full work, they give them 2 bufhels of oats a w^eek. They do not break their Rubbles till after fpring fowing. They ufe both wheel and fwing ploughs. The hire of a cart, 3 horfes, and a driver, 8 s. In the hiring and flocking farms, they reckon that 3 or 400/. is neceifary for one of From the front of the Gothic temple, the views are admh'ably rich. On one fide, the pornco of tlie temple of Co!UG?'d is beautifully fcen in the wood. On the other, the ground has a varied flope into the valley, where the water winds in a very pleafmg manner, the pavilion beautifully fituated on its banks. In front, a dark wood bounds the fcene. Qiiery, ihould the fpires, &e. of the houle be feen here ? PafliDg lord Cobbarai pillar, from whence is a view through v/ood of the temple of Cc7:CDrd, you come by winding v/aiks to the banquettino-- room, from whence is a fine varied profpedt ; the Corinthian arch appears to advantage. From hence you are conduced to the temple of Concord and ViEiory^ and in the v/ay, pafs a mod beautiful vv^inding hollow lawn ; the brows ot all the fuiiounding Hopes, finely fpread v,^ith woods, thick in ibme places, and in others fcat- tered {q as to open for the eye to follow the bends D 3 of 38 THE FARMER*s TOUR of loo/. a year; but if well done, it will take more ; they calculate as follows : 6 Horfes, - - £• ^^ 7 Cows, - - _ yo 1 GO Sheep, - - - 50 Swine, - . _ ^ 3 2 Waggons, - ^ - 40 3 Carts, - - - 30 2 Ploughs, _ - - 2 Carry over - - >C- ^55 of the lawn, which is every where different. The temple excellently fituated on the brow of one of the hills : it is a very fine building ; an oblong to- tally furronnded by a colonade of well propor- tioned pillars. The architecture light and plea- fmg. In it is a room 42 by 25, ornamented v/ith a flatue of Liberty and feveral medalions in the walls, ibme of which are extremely well exe- cuted ; tho' the performance of a ielf-taught artifi:, once a poor boy in lord 'Temple's, ftables. The v/alk leads next to a fequeilered winding vale, finely furrounded widi wood ; and a fmall water takes its courfe thro' it, broken by woody iflands, and a various cbfcured fhore •, at the head is a grcttoof fhells, &c. which looks down on the water in a pieafmo; manner ; and muft be particularly beautiful when the woods and water are illuminated •, which they are when lord 1'empk fups in it. Here is a llatue of Venus rifmg from the bath-, a pleahng ilatue, and the attitude 3 naturally THROUGH ENGLAND. 39 Brought over £• ^55 3 Pair of harrows, - 3 A roller, - I Harnefs, - 7 ; Sundry implements, - 5 Furniture, - 80 Rent, - 100 Tythe, - 12 Town charges. - 12 Houfekceping, - 50 2 Men, - 14 I Boy, - 3 3 Labourers, - 50 I Maid, - 5 Seed, - 20 C 617 naturally taken ; the' not well imagined for ex- hibiting the perfon to advantage. Tlie grove on wiiich the grotto looks, leads you to that part of the garden, called the Ely- ftan-fieldsy which are beautiful waves of ciofe ihaven grafs •, breaking among v/oods, and fcat- tered with fingie trees •, bounded on one fide by thick groves, and Ihelving on the other down to the water, which winds in a veiy happy manner ; and commanding from f^veral fpots, various D 4 landfcapes" 40 THE FARMER'S TOUR But by buying things at fecond hand, and going as near to work as poffible, fome farms are taken with much lefs fums. Land fells at 30 to 35 years purchafe. Ty thes in general 3 j. 6d. an acre. Poor's rates i s. in the pound, doubled in 10 years : their employment fpinning, and fome lace- making : all drink tea. No leafes. They carry their corn 5 miles. LA- kndfcapes of the diftant parts of the garden. From the temple of Ant tent Virtue^ you look down on a very beautiful winding hollofw lawn, fcattered with fingle trees in the happieft manner, through the ftems of which, the water breaks to the eye in a flile admirably pi6lurefque. Near to this temple in a thicket is the well known fatire, the temple of Modern Virtue in ruin. The ground continues extremely various and beautiful, till you come to the Princefs Amelia & arch, from which you at once break upon a fce- nery truly enchanting-, being more like a rich picturefque compofition, than the efFe6l of an artful management of ground and buildings. The lawn from the arch, falls in various waves to the water, at the bottom of the vale : It is ■fcattered with trees, whofe fpreading tops unite, and leave the eye an irregular command among their THROUGH ENGLAND. 41 LABOUR. Ill harvefl:, 35 J", and board a month. In hay-time, is. 3 ^. a day and beer. In winter, i j. and. ditto. Reaping wheat, 6/. an acre. Mowing barley and oats, i s. grafs, 2 s. Hoeing turnips, ^s. Ditching, 5^. to 6d. Threfhing wheat, 2 s. a quarter. Threfhing their ilems of a double wave of the lake. The fnooth 2:reen of the lawn, obfcured in fome places by the fhade of the trees, in others illu- mined by the ilm, forms an objecfl as beautiful as can be imagined ; nor can any thing be more pi^turcfque than the water appearing through the fore ground of the fcene, thus canopied with trees. A break in the grove prefents a compleat pi6ture above thefe beautiful varieties of wood and water: firll, the Palladian bridge, backed by a rifmg ground fcattered with wood ; and at the top of that a caftle. The objecls of the whole fcene, tho' various, and Ibme diftant, are moft happily united to form a complete "view, equally magnificent and pleafing-, the richeft that is feen at Ston'. The arch is a light and well defigned building. Upon the v;hole, thefe gardens have m.uch to pleafe the fpedtaior. The new parts have a very- happy 42 THE FARMER'S TOUR Threfhing barley, ij". 2d, — — oats, 10 d. ' peafe, is. 2d. beans, is. 2d, Making faggots, 2 s. per 100. Amount of a year's earnings of a labourer, about 17/. Day labour ufed to be only 4/. a week in winter. Head-man's wages, 8/. Next ditto, 5 /. Lad's, 3/. Maid's, 5/. Women a dav in harveft, 8 d. and board. — ' in hay-time, 6 d. and beer. I M P L E- happy variety of ground ; much of the wood is old and fine, confequently the fhade where wanted is quite dark and gloomy ; a great effecSt, and fcarcely to be gained by young plantations. The water (tho' not perfed:;y cured of its original ftiff- nefs) winds at the bottom of fine falling vallies ; and its Ibores are well fpread with Vv-ood ; an ad- vantage fo great, that an inflance is not to be pro- duced of a lake or river that is beautiful without an intimate connection with wood. The build- ings are more numerous than in any grounds I know, and mofl of them are in a good tafte. THROUGH ENGLAND. 43 IMPLEMENTS. A waggon, 20/. A cart, 10/. A plough, I /. A pair of harrows, I /. A roller, i /. A fcythe, 3 J. 6d, A fpade, 3 i. 6d. Laying a fhare, 8 d, coulter, 4^. Shoeing, 2 J". PROVISIONS. Bread, per pound, i d, Cheefe, - - 44- Butter, - - 5 Beef, - - 4 Mutton, - - 3x Veal, - - 3,1 Pork, - - 3 Bacon > - - 6 Milk, a pint, - v Labourer's houfe-rent, i/. BUILDING. Bricks /'i'r 1000, i/. i j-. Oak timber, is, 6d, iozs, tx. foot. Alh, I .r. 2 d. Elm, 44 THE FARMER'S TOUR Elm, I J". 4C, 21610 Here is an end of hills and holes rufhes ant-hills thiftles nettles ■—and all the et cetera's of flovenlinefs ; — a little attention after this will preferve the land in the fame hufbandlike and neat order that paflures are in other counties. LA- THROUGH ENGLAND. 6a LABOUR. From Mdfummer to Michaclmasy 6 s, i week and board. In winter, 5 or 6j. and beer. Hoeing turnips, 5/. Hedging and ditching, u. 8^. to zs, per acre, Threiliing wheat or rye, 2s, to 2 J. 6J.fer quarter. — barley, is. SJ. < oats, 9//. or 10^- beans, u. 6^/. Making faggots, lOi/. afcore. Head-man's wages, 8 /. Next ditto, 5/. 5^. Lad's, 3/. IOJ-. Maid's, 3/. 3 J. to 3/, 10 J, Women per day in harvefl, 6 ^. and board. In hay-time, 6^. to 8^. and beer. Only ten years ago, labour in winter was but from 6 //. to 8 ^. a day, and no board. IMPLEMENTS. A waggon, 20/. A cart, 10/. IOJ-. A plough, 1 5 J. A pair of harrows, 1 5 r. A roller, 64 THE FARMER'S TOUR A roller, i /. is. Harnefs, p^r horfe, I /. 5/. A fcythe, 3J-. 6d, A fpade, 3 j". 6 ^. Laying a (hare, 11//. Ditto a coulter, 1 1 £•/• foot, is, 2d, Afii THROUGH ENGLAND. 65 Afli timber, per foot, 9V. Elm, IS, A carpenter, i s, 1 d. and beer; A mafon, is. 6d. and board. A thatcher, is. and board. Mud walls, the workmanfliip 7^. to 8^« a yard. In Nafcby field are 6000 acres — ^300 cows *^-3G0 horfes, and 3000 fheep; in CUpjion field nearly as much*; The * Mr. AJhhy has built at 'Hafelheech, a very good houfe in a fine fituation ; from whence he commands an extenfive profpeft ; and from the oppofite hills, the houfe (of white ftone) appears beautifully f.irrounded by a full grown dark wood. One inttance amono; many others of the jidvantage of placing a white building on an ele- vated fituation in front of a dark fhade. Sir James Langham^ at Crofswick in the vale, has made many great improvements : the houfe contains feveral fpacious and well proportioned apartments, fitted up in the modern manner; the new chimney-pieces are elegant, and the ftuccoed ceilings in a neat tafte. There are fe- veral very good pictures, by maftcrs of the Flemijb fchool. — The grounds are totally altered j the woods are in fome places opened fo as to lee m views of the country, and alfo of a winding lake now making. Contiguous to the park, and Vol. L F feparateji 66 THE FARMER'S TOUR The country from Hafelbeech to Kettering is chiefly grazing inclofures ; generally large ones. I counted 70 large oxen in one, befides a great number of fheep ; and thefe graziers, like thofe of Hafelbeech^ never change their flock till fat. The peculiar beauty of this country is the pofleflion of fuch rich land on hills— mofl of the paftures are fpread over high ground that contain very few level acres : in fuch, the cattle appears to wonderful advantage ; and fome- times thefe paftures really exhibit fcenes of this fort, that are truly noble ; abfolutely unrivalled by the richeil lands in Europe if on a flat. About Ghndon near Kettering^ farms rife from 60 to 500/. a year; but are generally about 150/. The foil is a red earth; the red loam, light, and rich, and of a good feparated from it by a funk fence, in full view of the houfe, is the noble pafture above-men- tioned ; in which you fee above an hundred large oxen, and 400 fatting fheep j a flroke of the eye commands above tv/o thoufand pounds worth of live flock, feeding on the waving flopes of a hill moft happily fituated to enrich the views from tlie houfe. depth ; THROUGH ENGLAND. 67 depth ; excellent turnip land — it will yield noble crops of that root without any dung* The average rent about ioj-. an acre: the courfes of crops are, 1. Fallow 2. Wheat 3. Peafe. Alfo, 1. Fallow 1. Wheat 3. Beans. For wheat they plough three times, Co'^ from 2 to 3 bufhels, and gain about 15 in return. They plough four times for barley, fow 4 bufhels about Lady-day^ and gain 4 quarters on a medium. They ftir but once for oats, fow 5 bufhels, and gain 2 quarters on an average. They alfo give but one ploughing for peafe, fow 5 bufhels, never hoe ; and get about 4 quarters In return. For beans they plough but once, fow from 4 to 5 bufhels in February, never hoe, and gain upon an average 4 quarters. They give two or three earths for turnips, hoe them once, and feed all off with fheep ^ the average price 42 s. They do not fow any clover. F 2 Tares 68 THE FARMER'S TOUR Tares they fow for a crop of feed, which they give their horfes. Lentils they fow alfo for feed, i ^ bufhels per acre, and get 3 quarters. All fheep are folded, even the fatting ones, but it is only in the open fields. The farm-yard dung they lay on to fallows in yu?iey for wheat the Michaelmas following* Draining they pradife with much more fpirit than common : their wet paftures they drain with very large ploughs, drawn by 10 or 12 horfes ; they cnt i6 inches deep; 1 6 wide at top, and as much at bottom. The ploughs belong to the pariflies ; if they omit it, their Iheep are fure to rot. Theif hedges are managed in the plafhing methodj, but the ditches very fmall. Good grafs land lets at 22.r. an acre 2 they ufe it for cows and fheep. An acret will carry a cow through the fummer, and be of afliftance to the Iheep befides. Th^ breed of cattle is all long horned. Thieir cows give about a gallon and a half of milk a day; and tlie annual produd $h each. They keep from lo to 20 fwine tm every 10 cows. A dairy maid will takej care THROUGH ENGLAND. 69 care of 10 ; the winter food hay, and fome- times a few turnips ; generally keep them in the fields, but fometimes in ftalls. Calves fuck from 3 days to a week. Hogs they fat to 35 fcore, but not com* mon ; generally about 25. The flocks of fheep rife to 500 : the profit by lamb and wool about 9 or 10 s» The winter keeping, of the breeding flock, is in the fields alone : but the lambs on turnips. Folding is valued, from being fometimes let; the price 3 or 41. for 200 a week. The average fleece, 5 /k pfe- In their tillage they reckon 9 or i o horfes neceflary to 100 acres of arable land, They ufe from 3 to 5 in a plough, do an acre a day. The depth 2 i or 3 inches ; at from 6 to 10 J", an acre. The annual expence of a horfe they reckon at 10/, While in work they allow them a peck of oats a day, and cut ftraw into chaffs for them ; they do not break up their fl:ubbles till after Chriji^ mas ; they ufe both wheel and fwing ploughs. The hire of a cart, 3 or 4 horfes, and driver, a day, 9 s, F 3 In 70 THE FARMER'S TOUR In the hiring and Hocking farms, they reckon that looo/. is neceflary for one of 100 /. a year ; but fome are taken with half that fum. Tythes run at 4 or 5 s. au acre for all the farms. Poor rates rife to ^ s. in the pound ia towns ; but in villages about i s. Their employment fpinning worfted. All drink tea twice a day. The farmers carry their corn from 2 to II miles. LABOUR. From Midfummer to Michaelmas^ 4/. and board. In winter, i s. a' day. Thrafhing wheat, is. 6d. to 2/. 6d. z. quarter. — — barley, is, . oats (if reaped) 6 ^. a quarter. peafe, 9 ^/. to i j. beans, ditto. Making faggots, 4^^. a fcore. Amount of a year's earnings, 17/. Head-man's wages, 7/. 7 J. Next ditto, 5 /, Lad's, THROUGH ENGLAND. 71 Lad's, 3/. Maid's, 3/. to 4/. Women per day in harveft, ij-. and board. In hay-time, 6^. and 8^. IMPLEMENTS. A waggon, 26 /. A cart, 9/. to 10/. A plough, I /. I J. A harrow, i /. 5 /. Harnefs per horfe, 2/. 16 J". Laying a Ihare, i s. Ditto a coulter, i s. Shoeing, 2s. PROVISIONS. Bread, per pound 4^. part barley. Cheefe, 4i Butter, 6 Beef, 4 Mutton, 4^ Ba^on, 6 Milk, 4 ^. a pint. Potatoes, 3 ^. a peck. Candles, 6 a pound. Soap, 6 ditto. Labourer's houfe-rent, 20J. to 40 J". — firing, I /.to 3/. F 4 Coals* 72 THE FARMER'S TOUR Coals, 40 J", a chaldron. Labourer's tools, 5J'. BUILDING. A carpenter a day, i j*. 4^. A mafon, is. 4^. A thatcher, is. 2d, The general oeconomy of the country, will be nearly feen from the following particulars of farms. C 50 Rent 8 Horfes 8 Cows 10 Fat beafts 10 Young cattle 130 Sheep 20 Acres wheat 20 Barley 10 Acres oats 5 Peafe and beans 6 Turnips 10 Fallow 3 Men I Boy 1 Maid 2 Labourers. Another : 80 Acres arable 8 Acres oats 20 Grafs fi. 40 Rent 6 Horfes 6 Cows 2 Young cattle 100 Sheep 20 Acres wheat 6 Barley 10 Peafe, &c. 5 Turnips 30 Fallow 2 Men I Boy I Maid I Labourer. Mr. THROUGH ENGLAND. 73 Mr. Booth of Glendon, near Kettering, has greatly improved on this fyftem of hufbandry, which will appear fufficiently clear by ftating the particulars of his ma- nagement. His courfe of crops is, 1. Turnips 2. Barley 3. Clover 2 or 3 years 4. Oats. He cultivates very little wheat, but when he does fow it, ploughs four times; fows 2 bufhels per acre, and gains fomething more than the common farmers. For bar- ley he ploughs from once to four times, generally three : Sows 2 t bufhels about Lady-day, and gets feven quarters in re- turn ; a vaft improvement on the farmer's three. He ploughs the clover land but once for oats, fows 3 i bufhels, and reaps on a medium nine quarters. Peafe he has tried in drills, and hand-hoed ; they turned out but middling, not above i i. quarter per acre. For beans he gives three or four ploughings ; fows 4 bufhels per acre, and reaps 5 quarters. Colefecd he has culti- vated for fheep ; eats it off in November^ and then ploughs up the land. 2 For 74 THE FARMER'S TOUR For turnips he gives 5 or 6 earths ; hoes them twice, and feeds them ofF with fheep. All his clover he feeds with rams. Tares he cultivates for hay, which he gives to his flieep. In refped to manure ; he has tried lime, lays 6 quarters per acre for turnips, to which it w^as vifibly of fervice, and alfo to the barley. His farm-yard dung he carts on to comport heaps ; mixes it with ant-hills, and fpreads the whole on his meadows. He cuts the hills with a plough, (See Plate I. fig. i.) Pigeons dung he lays on both grafs and corn, 2 cart loads per acre ; it is very ftrong, but lafts only 2 crops ; it is bell fpread in the fpring on poor wheat. Mr. Booth drains his wet paftures in the fame manner as the farmers. In his fences he is very curious ; there is Ji very bad pradice in this country of leav-- ing old thorn flubs of a large fize, to the height of about two or three feet, fo that the bottoms of the hedges are quite ragged — Thefe Mr. Booth cuts off clofe to the ground, and fees if the roots will flioot out again; THROUGH ENGLAND. 75 again ; if they do, he leaves them, if not, takes them out and plants frefh quick in the places ; and fecures fuch places by a dead hedge on each fide. Mr. Booth is curious in his breed of cattle, which are the Lancajhire fort : he has feveral fine bulls for breeding, which he values much. His cows give 2 gallons of milk each per day; this, and many other inftances I have met with, feems to prove that the curious breeds of ftock for fatting, are no friends to the dairy. In winter he feeds on hay alone ; keeps them in the fields. His fheep are of a much finer breed than common among his neighbours ; the aver- age fleece about 8/^. In his tillage he is very foiicitous to plough deep ; ufes fo many as 8 horfes in a plough, for three or four earths ; but afterwards only 2. Confidering the light- nefs of the foil, I am much furprized that fuch a number fhould ever be ufed, and the more as Mr. Booth has a Rotheram plough, which much exceeds the common ones of |.he country : a flrong plough of tliat con-r ftrudion, 76 THE FARiMER's TOUR ftrudion, would with 4 horfes ftir a great depth. He does an acre a day : The firft earth 12 inches deep, but afterwards fron^ 4 to 6. The particulars of his farm are as follow : ^.350 Acres 20 Acres oats ^.350 Rent 25 Turnips 10 Horfes 14 Clover 15 O3WS I Man 500 Sheep 2 Boys 20 Acres barley 20 Labourers. This gentleman has for feveral years cultivated cabbages as food for cattle. He has three pieces of ground, which in their turn are appropriated to them, for he dif- approves planting cabbages two years to- gether in the fame ground; one year in three being the proper introduction. He uuially fows three or four forts, viz. a large round heavy cabbage, which he procured fome years ago from Holland, very fweet, and (Keep very fond ctf it — the Savoy — the Anjou kale — and the boorcole. The feed is fown at two different feafons, that they may not come into ufe together ; the early raifed ones are apt to burft, and when the wet weather fets in, it THROUGH ENGLAND. 77 it decays them ; but as they grow much the largeft, Mr. Booth is tempted to plant them ; befides, they are put into the ground at a much lefs charge, as they are planted out early in the feafon, before the dry wea- ther fets in, and whilft the ground is moift, fo that they feldom want watering ; whereas thofe fown in the fpring, are almcfc con- ftantly watered at the planting ; and fome- times, if the weather is very dry, a fecond time. Mr. Booth has obferved, that if the land is not in very good tillage and made fine, the roots of the plants lye hollow, by which means they frequently die ; and take much more water to make the plant ftrike. He fows in Aiigiijl in a garden, on a bed of fine rich earth ; and when they have got eight leaves, he pricks them out in warm beds under a Ibuth wall if he can, at the dif- tance of about 4 inches fquare, where they remain till March ^ when they are fet into the field in exad: fquares of two iott^ taking advantage for this work of cloudy weather, and a profpe^Sl of rain. They will require no further attendance, unlefs the land fhould be foul and produ*5live of weeds, in v/hich 78 THE FARMER'S TOUR which cafe they muft be hoed. Of this fort Mr. Booth plants no more than fuffici- ent for one month's ufc, on account of their burftlng. The other feafon for fowing is the latter end of February^ or the beginning of March ; he pricks them out before plant- ing, which is in May or 'June ; the diftances 1 feet from row to row, and i 4- from plant to plant. Mr. Booth has obferved, that when more room is given they throw out luxuriant leaves, but don't turn in fo well for cabbaging. In the preparation of the ground, he gives it a year's fallow, and always ploughs it 12 inches deep in OBober, with 8 horfes, laying it up in very high ridges for the win- ter, the furrows deep, and kept clean thro* the winter. As foon as he can in the fpring, he ploughs again with 6 or 8 horfes, and harrows it. Immediately before the laft earth, he manures with 40 loads an acre of rotten dung, and turns it in, having two men to attend the plough, to put as much dung at a time into the furrow as the width ^iU allow ; by which means it is all covered, and THROUGH ENGLAND. 79 and the harrow brings none up. — He endeavours to bring up freili earth every ploughing, more particularly in that of OSiober. He finds that a ftrong foil is the beft for them ; but it ihould be hollow drained, as water at root is death to a cab- bage. He feeds fheep on them, and thofe only rams, which eat them on the ground they grow on ; but trample down moft of the loofe leaves. They will eat the cabbaged part very clean, and fcoop the ftalks down to the ground ; which Mr. Booth thinks the moft heartening part of the plant. The fheep, while at cabbages, have always a rack of hay, or barley or oat ftraw to go to, which is always neceflary for thofe at turnips. The cabbages generally decay in 'January^ or elfe the outfide leaves get rot- ten, when the fheep don't care to eat them, unlefs the rotten part is rubbed off, which is attended with expence. Mr. Booth fows the Savoys, boorcole, and Anjou, in March, and plants them into the field one foot fquare. Some of the Dutch cabbages come to 40 IL weight. 3 Such 8o THE FARMER'S TOUR Such has been this gentleman*s culture of cabbages for thefe twenty years : It va- ries in many particulars from received no- tions; but comparative experiments can alone decide the merit of different methods. It is but juftice to obferve in general, that Mr. Boothh lands are in excellent order ; his crops of barley and oats as fine as ever I faw ; his fences neat and in good repair; in a word, numerous marks of a correcSt and fpirited hufbandry. Returning to Hafelbeech^ I took the road through Harborough to ^enby Hall^ * the feat * It is an old houfe, built in the reign of Eli- zabeth^ but what is very extraordinary, in an ad- mirable fituation, being on a very high eminence, finely wooded, that commands all the country : it was formerly the tafte to place their feats in the loweft, and molt unpleafant fituations of a whole eflate. Mr. Ajhhy^ when he came to the eilate, found the houfe a mere fhell, much out of repair, and the offices in ruin. He has in a few years brought the whole into complete order-, fitted up all the rooms in a ftile of great propriety ; his furniture rich, and fome of it magnificent — » and his colleflion of prints an excellent one. His library fuperbly filled with the beft and moil expenfive books in feveral languages ; the bind- ings remarkably elegant. Around the houfe is a new THROUGH ENGLAND. 8i ftat of Shttkbrugh Ajl:ky efq. through whofe attention In fending for a moft intelligent grazier and farmer, one of his tenants, I am enabled to give the folloTving account of the hufbandry of the neighbourhood. The principal part of the country is grazing farms, which rife from lOo/. to 900/. a year ; the open field arable farms, from 50/. to 80/. a year. The foil is all a ftrong new terrafs, which commands a great variety of profpedt. On one fide, very extenfive, over a diftant hilly country, and even to the mountains of the Teak. On the other fide, a beautiful landfcape of hanging hills, with fcattered wood, Ihelving into a winding valley, fo low, that you look down upon it in a very pidurefque manner: — — the fides of the hills all cut into rich inclo- fures. Befides various oflices, and a very com- plete kitchen ground, this gentleman has alfo eredled three new farm-houfes, and a parfonage, in a neat and fubftantial manner, of brick and tile ; and fome cottages in the fame manner ; and placed them at the entrance of his village, — in fiich a manner that they have a moll agreeable effeft : Thefe v/orks are very noble -, they orna- ment a country, encourage induflry, — promote that ufeful circulation which fhould ever attend the refidence of a man of fortune, and are fure to acquire that fame, which is due to fo juft a fpecies of patriotifm. Vol. I. G • rich 82 THE FARMER'S TOUR rich clay; letting (inclofed) from loj. to- 30X. an acre; on an average about iSj; The open fields to 10 s. The courfe of crops in the open field, is, I . Fallow — 2. Barley or Wheat — 3. Beans, In tilt: inclofures : I. Turnips, drawn 2. Barky and fed on grafs. 3. Wheat or oats* This is a wretched courfe. Sometimes, 1. Turnips- 3. Clover 2 years 2. Barley 4. Wheat. They plough for wheat four times in the open field, but only once or twice in the inclofiires : fow 2 bufhels an acre j and gain about 3 quarters on an average. For barley they ftir four times in the open land, but only once or twice in the inclofures ; {bw 4 bufhels in April, and gain in the open field 4 quarters, and 4 -^ in the inclo- fures. For oats they give but one plough- ing, fow 7 bufiiels, and gain 8 quarters in return. They plough but once alio for beans ; fow 5 bufhels an acre ; never hoe ; the average crop 3 quarters. For turnips they give three or four earths, hoe them once or twice, and feed many on the land with fheep. The mean value 45 /. an THROUGH ENGLAND. 83 an acre. Clover they mow for hay ; but much white Dutch is fown, which is always fed with fheep from 5 to ten years : an acre will fat from 4 to 7 large fheep ; and nothing feeds them better. As to manuring ; here is very little iheep folding. They break up grafs by paring and burning, which is done for 24^. an acre : and the afhes are fuch rich fertilizers, that turnips they fow on it are always great ; alfo the barley which fucceeds ; and then oats the fame. They ufe lime as a manure; lay 10 or 12 quarters an acre, which coft 50/. by the time it is on the land ; it lafts 8 or 9 years : It opens and mellows thefe rich clays greatly. Their farm-yards they litter with rubbifh of all forts, rufhes, weeds, and ftubble, which they chop : But they ftack their hay about their fields. They find that draining and pi- geon's dung will, together, completely kill all rufhes. They drain the wet places in their inclo- fures in the hollow method, filling with black thorns. The plafhing of hedges is always prac- tifed. G 2 Good 84 THE FARMER'S TOUR Good gr-afs land they value at 25J. ah acre, apply it to the fatting of cows aad 1 fhecp ; an acre will fat a cow, but not mGr-^Jj or four fheep. The breed of cattle, all tl long horned : Their cows give on an aver-J age 3 gallons of milk a day : The total] product 5 /. The winter food hay ; in| quantity about 2 ton each, which they have! in the fields : A vile cuftom, that fliould every where be exploded. The fyftem of grazing here, is to buy cows in Ltvicafirre in April, at 3, 4, or 5 years old, to fodder them with hay till about the 12th of May, and then to turn to grafs. But as they cannot in this way know which are with calf, they run that' chance ; in which cafe, as foon as they fpring much, they fell them. 100 good acres will fatten 50 cows and 120 fheep; and they praftife the method noticed already in Northajnptonp'ire, of proportioning the flock to ea^n large rlofe, and leaving them in it till fat in November. The fheep are all wethers, bought in lean from 1 9 j-. ti} I14.S. and fold from' 26 .f. to 32 j".; the wool! worth 41. a head. They give for the cows, from 5/. toy/. 10 s. and fell them fat, at from THROUGH ENGLAND. 85 from 7/. to 11/.; reckon gj'x. a head a middling profit. The mean value of a cow's hide, about 20 J". They fatten their fwine from 12 1024 fcore. Flocks of fheep rife in the open fields from 40 to 120 ; in the inclofures they are in vaft numbers. In the former they reckon the profit at 8j-. qd, that is, lamb 6 s. 6d, and wool 2 J-. 3*/. In the open fields the lambs are in winter kept on hay ; but the ewes in the field alone. In the inclofiires, the fleeces rife from 7 to 141b. In their tillage, they reckon 7 horfes neceflary to 100 acres of arable land: ufe four in a plough, and do an acre a diiy ; the depth about three inches ; and the price per acre Sj. They calculate the an- nual expences of keeping a horfe at 12 h Thev do not break up their ftubbles lIU after Cbrifimas. Ufe only fwing plou^^Iis. The hire of a cart and horfes and driver, 7 J". 6 c/. a day. In the hiring and flocking farms, they reckon 1000/. neceffary for a farm of 200 /. a year J and in general, that five rents will G 3 flock 86 THE FARMER'S TOUR flock grazing farms. An open field one, five rents. Land fells at from 30 to 35 years pur- I' chafe. Tythes are taken in kind, but graz-. ing is tythe free. Poor rates is. to 4J-. in the pound; 2Q years ago they were 3 d. Fifteen years ago the rates of this parifh were 9/. a year; now they are 140/. to 150/. and this vaft rife they attribute much to the excefs of tea drinking ; the loweft of the poor drink it twice a day, while their children have not bread to eat. It is not owing to an increafe of numbers, for they had as many poor 1 5 years ago as now, and their pay, which is now 10^. was then only 8^. The em- ployment is fpinning jerfeys for ftockings. Few leafes granted. The farmers carry their corn 8 miles. LABOUR. From Midfummer to Michaelmas^ 6 /. ^ week and board. In winter 10 d. z. day, befides carriage ; and board at times : all together i s. Reaping wheat, 5 j. 3 ^. Mowing barley, &c, is. 6d, Mowing THROUGH ENGLAND. 87 Mowing ^rafa, 2 x. Hoeing turnips, ^s,6J. Hedging and ditching, 2 s. an acre. They lay fome earth to the quick, but moft of it on to the brow banked up ; which they do to keep the fheep out of the ditches. The latter 4 feet wide, 2 or 3 deep, and I wide at bottom. Thrafhing wheat, 2s. or 2 J. 3 ^. a quarter, barley, is. ^d. — — — oats, I s. peafe and beana* i x. Making faggots, 2s. 6d.per ipo. The amount of a year's earnings, 20/. Head-man's wages, 10/. Next ditto, 7 L Lad's, 5/. Maid's, 4/. Women a day, in harvefl, 7 d, and beer. In hay-time, ditto. Value of a man's board, w^afhing and lodging, 4 J", bd. a week. IMPLEMENTS. A waggon, 23/. A cart, 10/. to 12/. A plough, I4J-. A pair of harrows, 2 1 j. G 4 A roller, 88 THE FARMER'S TOUR A roller, 30/. Harnefs, per horfe, 40^, to 50J. Laying a fhare and coulter, i j". 6 ^, Shoeing, ij-. 8^. PROVISIONS. Bread, fer lb. i d. Cheefe, - - 3^, to 4^. Butter, - - 6 Beef, - - 3i.to4^. Mutton, • - 3xto3^ Veal, - - 3^ Pork, - . 3i, Bacon, - - ^ Milk, - - o ^ d. R pint. Candles, - - 6 Soap, - - 6 Labourer's houfe-rent, i /. • firing, I /. I o J-. ■— — tools, y s. 6 d. BUILDING, Bricks, ijs.per 1000. Oak, IS. 6d. to 2 s. Afh, I J-. to I J. 2 d. Elm, I J-, to I J-. I d. Soft woods, Sd. to 10 d. A carpenter a day, i s. and board. A mafoxi, I J-. 6d. and ditto. A thatcher. THROUGH ENGLAND. 89 A thatcher, i s. and ditto. Walls, mud, 6d. to 7 ^. a yard for work- manfhip. The general oeconomy of the country will be feen from the following particulars of farms. 150 Acres in all 35 Arable 115 Grafs ^. 1 02 Rent 6 Horfes ID Cows 9 Fatting beafts 160 Sheep. Another : 600 Acres in all 6 Arable 594 Grafs £.400 Rent 8 Horfes, 4 of them brood mares 5 Acres of wheat 10 Ditto barley 4 Peafe and beans 2 Men I Boy I Maid I Labourer, 6 Cows I GO Fatting beafts 600 Sheep 3 Men I Boy I Maid 3 Labourers, Another : 550 Acres in all £,-ZZo Rent 6 Arable 4 Horfes 544 Grafs 4 Cows no Fatting 90 THE FARMER'S TOUR no Fatting beafts 2 Boys 600 Sheep 2 Maids 2 Men 2 Labourers. In the whole parifh oiHungerton are, 4000 Acres 650 Fatting beafts 16 Farms 3000 Sheep 200 Acres wood jf.2600 Rent 50 Labourers >C' ^4° Rates, 60 Cows The farni,ers of this neighbourhood reckon that the Lancajhire cows are much the beft for the dairy, as well as for fatting : they are bought in, from 7/. to 10/. each. Mr. Knowles of Nelfon., not far from hence, has dairy cows which he values at 20/. apiece, and fome which he would not take 30/. for. He has a bull which he bought of Mr. JValJh of Lancajhire^ for above 60 guineas. He fells bull calves as foon as born for 10/. each, and rams, from 10/. to 50/. each, but generally lets them at from 5/. to 20/. the feafon. The common breed of flieep in this country, much exceeds that o^ hincolnjhire \ infomuch that they fell their 2 years old, for more than the Lincolnjhire do at 3. Mr. 2 Butlin^ THROUGH ENGLAND. 91 Btitlin^ one of Mr. Afibyh tenants, has fold fat wethers, 2 -1- years old, at 3/. each. Let me remark in general, that the rich graziers of this country manage their paf- tures in a moft flovenly manner : Many of them are all over-run with ant-hills, — with thirties, nettles, &c. all are in ridge and furrow, and fome wet without heins; drained : a confiderable man among them, who is reckoned to be worth a few thoufand pounds, told me with much gravity, that it was impoffible to extirpate thirties : Says he, " It would coft all I am worth to clear *' my farm of them. '' I believe i s, an acre annually increafmg rent till all were gone, would be an argument of wonderful erticacy in anfwering fuch ideas. Let me here obferve en pajfant that if a landlord had a mind to have his eftate brought into perfect order, he need not fay in an arbi- trary manner, Toufiall pay mefo much 7nore rent, or quit : but make it conditional, Tou Jhall pay me 2 s. an acre more than at pre- Jent, till I ride over your farm ^ and jind not an ant-hill left. Alfo ; Toufhall likewife pay I s. an acre more^ till Ifnd all the thijlles gone. 92 THE FARMER'S TOUR gone. To another he fays, / raifeyour rent is,6d. an acre^ till all your fences are brought into as good order as that between A and B. He may recommend improvements forty years before John ftirs one jot ; but John can take a hint of this fort, as quick as his neighbours. From ^enby^ I palled to 'Tilfcn on the Hilly where Mr. Ayer^ a confiderable gra- zier, gave me fome particulars of the huf- bandry of the neighbourhood, as follow. Farms rife from 40/. to 500/. a year: but the whole country on a medium not more than 100/. a year. The foil is various, chiefly rich clay ; fome red loams and loamy gravels. The inclofures let at 1 4 J", an acre, old ones at 16 J". The huf^ bandry of the open fields (of which there are but few) is much the fame as that already defcribed at ^enby HalL When they break up pafture land, it is in the par- ing and burning way, which cofts about 24 J. an acre; they fow turnips on it, of which they get great crops ; and then oats , and barley, all which are exceedingly good* The application of their grafs is princi- pally to grazing ; their clofes rife from 30 THROUGH ENGLAND. 93 to 60 acres. They turn the ftock in, in -April or May^ and feldom change it to any other. The rate of flocking is in many fields, I beaft and a fheep to 2 acres ; in others, I beaft and 2 Iheep ; alfo i beaft and I fheep to i -^ acre. There is one clofe of 35 acres that keeps 26 beafts, i horfe, and 17 fheep. They fat in general cows, which they buy in February or March , and fodder them till the grafs is ready, which is not till the middle of May, The difference fkt and lean is, in an ox, about 50^.; and in a cow 30 X. The fheep are wethers, a year and a half old, worth lean about i /. ; fat, i/. IOJ-. Th^ wool, ^Ib, They do not fell to SfJiithJicId diredly out of the grafs, but fend them (as do alfo the ^enby gra- ziers) to cuinips in Hertfordjkire^ generally about »Sf. Alba?ih or Hatfield^ which they buy f ^^ that purpott\ — They keep i llieep fer acre in wintei . The only bre-^d of cattle approved here, is the 'f n2:-horned, which they find from long experience ^a^U fat better, are hardier, and more profitable : the ditference in the 3 hide 94 THE FARMER'S tOUR hide alone of a long or Ihort horned beaft, is 1 5 J-. and in winter, they can keep 40 of the former to 30 of the latter. The average quantity of milk given by their cows, 3 gallons a day; but there are but few dairies. The total produdt 5 /. a head : the winter food hay alone. Their fwine fat on an average to 1 6 fcore. The flocks of fheep are various ; fome perfons have above 1000. The average fleece 8 lb, Mr. Ayer^ as well as his father and grandfather,' all very attentive graziers, have ever obferved, that the rot of flieep has been owing merely to floods, and feed- ing on fallows, but not at all owing to land ufually wet from fprings or otherwife. In the flocking of farms, they reckon that 1 000 /. is neceflary to hire a farm of 300 /. a year ; but in dear times it will take 1200/. The price of labour has rifen within 20 years a third, and poor rates doubled : they are \s. in the pound in villages ; up to 4J. or 5J-. in flocking towns ; as they are at Melton and Hinkley, — AH the poor drink tea. Ifliall THROUGH ENGLAND. 95 I fhall here obferve upon the Leicejierjhire grazing in general, that lefs is made of their rich paftures than might be on various accounts. Firft, from the manner in which they lay ; which is the high ridge and fur- row way; the latter are generally wafte ground unlefs drained, which is not very commonly done. Mr. Ayer however is very attentive to this part of hulbandry, for he drains well, and efpecially fome boggy pieces which ufed to be of little value, but are now quite reclaimed, and more ufeful in a dry feafon than any of his lands. Secondly, the innumerable ant-hills that occupy a very great proportion of the fur- face. Thirdly, the fuffering weeds to grow in fuch abundance, thiftles, nettles, &c. Mr. Ayer^ in thefe particulars alfo, is much more attentive than common among them, and has found from experience that cutting the thiftle into the ground, with what is cA- led a/pudy efFedually kills them, as appears very clearly in feveral of his fields. Thefe circumftances lower the value of grazing lands much : If all wafte fpots, and all the growth of fuch rubbifh could be fecn 96 THE FARMER'S TOUR feen together in one part of each field, I fliould apprehend the farmers would be frightened at the idea of paying rent for fuch crops. But there is another circumflance of much importance, and which operates ftrongly throughout all this country. It is the want of fome arable land to each farm, and of knowing what to do with it if they had it. The landlords in general will not allow an inch to be ploughed; but fuch a reftric- tion is abfurd, and works againft their own profit as well as the tenants. We have found, that thefe graziers are all forced to fell their beafts at Michaelmas^ the cheapeft time of the year, whether they are fat or not, for want of winter keeping : and are forced to buy turnips for their fheep near an hundred miles off. They buy in their cattle in February and March^ and are obliged to fodder them at a great expence with hay till the grafs v:, ready. Thefe cir- cumftances fpeak for themfelves too ftrongly for the cafe to be doubted of a moment. They certainly ought to be allowed to plough a fmall prop-^rtion of their farms. " But Through England. 97 " But then, fay the landlords, begins ^iir danger we fhall have our grafs con- verted to arable, and the heart ploughed out — whereas they cannot damage grafs." There can be no objed: in letting a farm but permanent profit ; this is their motive for keeping all in grafs ; but the tenants would undoubtedly give more rent, were they allowed to plough a part, than ever they would for all in grafs. Kefpeding the hufbandry into w^hich they threw the land, I entirely agree with the landlords, that the eftate would fufFer if they were left to themfelves. They would foon fee crops of turnips on clays, which is adlu- ally the cafe about ^enby ; but there can- not be more pernicious managements As arable fields in this country fhould be abiblutely fubfervient to the grazing bufi- nefs — I fhould advife the landlords to allow of no more land being broken up than was necefiary to turn that to the moft profit; which vv'ould be of courfe.in the raifing winter food for their cattle; but as the cul- ture of turnips is quite unadvifable on this foil, the tenants mufl: be confioed to cab- Vol. I. H bages. 98 THE FARMER'S TOUR bages. The want of winter food is {o great here, that I am fully of opinion they would cultivate this plant were they allowed'. However, if they refufed it, they fhould by all means be left in their prefent fituation —or rather with as great a rife of rent as any would give for leave to plough for turnips or ftraw alone. For fuch blind obftinacy cannot be too feverely punifhed'. The reafons why I recommend cabbages fo greatly in preference to turnips, are, firfi, their growing above ground, and making no holes for the retention of water ; fecondly^ their coming to at leaft four times the weight ; confequently they are conveyed off the land with much lefs poaching. Thirdly^ They arc planted in rows on narrow ridges, in fuch a manner that the land lies perfectly dry and found all the winter : turnips dril- led on the tops of fuch ridges, and the large round fort chofen that roots only by a tap root, would do very well in this rcfpedt, but no fuch operation as drilling muft be expected or thought of from a tenant. Fourthly^ Cabbages are to be recommended for being of \\{(t for the fpring foddering long THROUGH ENGLAND. 99 long after turnips are rotten and gone, to the great faving of hay, and confequently to the increafe of grazing. Lajlly, They yield a vaftly greater produce per acre than turnips ; confequently the lefs arable land will be neceflary for the winter keeping the ftock. No crops fhould be allowed more than the divifion of the new arable into three parts ; one under cabbages for fpring ufe of the beafts ; another under the fame for the Iheep in autumn ; and a third in barley or oats, for raifmg feme flraw. The method fhould be this : ift. Cabbages to be eat late in fpring ; 2d, Cabbages to be eat in au- tumn ; 3d, Spring corn. Thofe for fpring ufe cannot be gotten off the land time enough for fpring corn ; therefore a fecond crop is planted to be eat in autumn, a feafon that allows time fufficient for preparing for oats or barley. I am well perfuaded that this would prove the mofi: rational fyflem of the arable, and maintain the ftock fo well that the profit of grazing would be doubled. But here let me farther remark, that had I an eftate in the condition which moft of H 2 the 100 THE FARMER'S TOUR the grafs in this country lies, I would plough every inch of it not for converting to arable farms, but to lay it level, and de- liroy the quantities of rubbifh that over-rua it. Exactly the above fyfteni of cabbages and fpring corn fhould be executed, with this variation ; every year a third, that is for the hrft crop of cabbages, fhould be frefli broken up ; and another third every year laid down again. to grafs : that is, with the fpring corn. Suppofe upon a very large farm 30 acres always arable ; 10 broken up for cabbages every year, and 10 laid down with grafs feeds. The latter on every ac- count to be found by the landlord, and not to be fown on lefs than 4 clean ploughings and 6 harrowlngs. Let them confift of white clover, trefoile, and rib grafs, unlefs clean hay feeds are gained. The confequence of this conduct would be 10 acres of the farm every year converted to that neat and truly hufband-like Hate in which the grafs lands are feen in the beft cultivated countries : perfedly level — ^free from ant-hills — no thillles — or other weeds. Such a fjght, the contrail of the prefent, muii THROUGH ENGLAND. loi miifl furely pleafe any landlord. The new grais laid down after two crops of cabbages could not fail of being perfedlj clean and fine. On account of the foul ftate (as well as for other reafons) of the old furface, which is full of the feeds and roots of weeds, it fhould be broken up by paring and burning : which would deftroy them all. The general prejudice againft breaking up rich grafs land is the feeing fo often the arable land fo gained kept in tillage till it is quite out of heart, and then perhaps laid down again, as it is called, with clover and ray-grafs : the confequence of which is a crop of trumpery of all fcrts. Tenants ought never to be allowed to break up grafs, but under minute reftrid:ions : the propriety of the meafurc is then indubitable in numerous inftances. In the method I have jufi ftated, the new lays would main- tain more and larger flock than the old grafs : the fweet and fattening nature of the white clover is well known in this country ; there is no grazier here thaf: would not trufl to it for fattening a beaft fooner than an old ' ' H 3 lay. 102 THE FARMER'S TOUR lay. For the richnefs of this foil brings it forward in fuch a laxuriance of growth, that it yields a noble bite for the largeft of cattle. Upon the whole, I cannot but recom- mend to the landlords of this country to allow their tenants of grafs farms, the liberty of ploughing a fmall proportion of their paftures for the purpofe of raifmg a fupply of winter food for their ftock : the profit of their bufinefs will thereby be much greater ; and the tillage under proper management will be the means df bringing the whole country into a much fuperior grazing one to what it is at prefent, not only in utility, but alfo beauty. From Tilton the country continues in general a rich grazing one to Leicejlery and alfo from thence to Loughborough ; lets oq an average at 1 6 J. an acre. About Dijhleyy farms rife from 20/. to 400/. and 500/. a year, but in general about 80/. to 120/. The foil is various; fome rich clays ; fome fandy loams ; and others quite fand. Lets from 14/. to 18/, ^n acre. The courfe of crops is, ■ I, Turnips . I I THROUGH ENGLAND. 103 ^ I. Turnips 3. Clover 2 years 2. Barley 4. Wheat. Which is an excellent good one. For wheat they plough once, fow two bufliels, and get 3 A quarters per acre. For barley they ftir once or twice, fow 4 bufliels the beginning of Marc b^ and gain 4-i quar- ters in return. They give but one ilirring for oats, fow 5 bufliels, and get 6 quarters. They fow a few beans, plough for them but once never hoe the mean crop 3 quarters. For turnips they plough thrice ; hand- hoe them once ; and feed them all off with Iheep. The average value 3 /. an acre. Their clover they always mow. In manuring they do not depend on the Iheep-fold, as that is quite confined to the open fields. They pare and burn for tur- nips on cold land, at the cxpence of i /. i s, per acre. Lime they ufe in common, lay 10 quarters per acre, i j. ^d. per quarter at the pit : they generally fpread it for tur- nips ; fometimes for wheat, it does good to the turnips, but more to the barley, clover, and wheat. The ftubbles they chiefly H 4 plough 104 THE FARMER'S TOUR plough in ; and they flack their hay about the fields. Marie it is apprehended has been ufed in former times very much, for there are many immenfe pits in every parifh : the remaining earth about them they now call marie, though it appears more of a red fandy loam ; has not the leaft effervefcence with vinegar; nor does it crack at all or fparkle in the fire. Some fmall quantities of it have, been ufed by way of experiment, and benefit accrued from it, but not enough to induce any farmer to ufe it in large. I cannot conceive the prefent earth on the fides of the pits, to be the fame as was dug out of them, if they were made for manur- ing ; poflibly real marie was found in thefe pits, and the veins exhaufted ; or elfe the ^^armers carried it on to their land by way of frefli earth, without regarding the qua- lity : Its being fo very fandy, is a mofl unfavourable fymptom. The oldeft man living throughout the neighbourhood, never heard of the leaft tradition of the time, v/hen thefe vaft pits were made : though they have ever been called mark pits, and a general idea current, that marie was dug out THROUGH ENGLAND. 105 out of them for manuring. They muft be extremely" antient ; for there remains not the leaft trace of fuch hujfbandry in any part of the country. They could not be dug for either chalk, gravel, clay, or lime-» ftone ; as there are none in the pits. We muft rank them among the pits of old time which Fitzlje?'bert in Henry the feventh's reign, fpeaks of in his Boke of Hujhandry, In what degree agriculture flourifhed while the kingdom was the prey of a pack of rapacious plundering barons, we da not exaclly know, but not probably to the per- fedlion of marling r- thofe pits muft there- fore have been much more antient. The plafhing method of fencing is here common, but not done in the moft perfedl way. The new inclofures are all formed by quick, planted on the level ground, and a ditch by the fide of it, the earth out of which is laid upon a ridge on the brow of it, and then a poft and double rails are fet on both fides ; the v/hole occupying from. 1 1 to 1 3 feet of ground in width : the lofs of land in this method is not only great, but the expcnce is very high. I fliould apprehend, 3 by io6 THE FARMER'S TOUR by means of deep ditches, both evils might be remetiied, but certainly a cheaper fence might be made, and at a lefs expence of reparailon. Suppofe two ditches, each 4 feet wide at top, 3 deep, and i wide at bottom, all the earth thrown on to a bank between them, the bafe of which to be 4 feet, the top of the bank to be flat, and planted with quick ; this would take up no more land than the prefent method, and would alone be a fence againft every thing that would not leap a high bank, and a ditch againfl: them ; but if a ftring of fea- thers was run along from flakes on the top of the bank, pothing would attempt the leap, not even deer. The whole expence would not amount to half the prefent. The bell grafs-land lets at 30 j. : they jnow moft of it. The breed of cattle here is all the long-horned : a cow gives on an average 6 or y gallons of milk per day; and in annual produd:, about 5/. 10/.; the winter food is hay, fome give it in the yard, others in the field. Calves for rearing do not fuck at all. The Value of an ox-hide zifh oji an average. Z Hogs THROUGH ENGLAND. 107 Hogs fat to 20 fcore. The flocks of (heep rife from 80 to 120. The profit of lamb and wool : Lamb, - - - - los. Wool, . - - - 3 i^j". They are kept in winter on grafs alone. The average fleece 6 or 7 /^. In their tillage, they reckon 10 horfes neceflary to 100 acres of arable land; they ufe from 4 to 7 in a plough ; and do on an average better than half an acre a day ; This woeful fyftem on fuch light land, beats I think any management I have yet met v.ith. Had I an efl:ate here, I think I would make it an article in ray leafes, that every farmer Ihould plough with never lefs than all his teams in one plough, let the number be what it might. They do not flir fibove fix inches deep : The price per acre ys, 6d, They reckon the annual cxpence per horfe, at 10/.: Their ftubbles they break up in March after fowmg. Only fwing ploughs ufed here, In io8 THE Fx^RMER's TOUR In the ftocking farms, they reckon that J50/. is necelTary to ftock one of 1 50 /. ayear. Land fells at 30 years purchafe. Poor rates in the villages up to 3 /. in the pound ; but twenty years ago not i s. In market towns they rife to y and Ss. The employment is fpinning worfted for the ftocking weavers. All drink tea ; thofe that are three fourths maintained by the parifh, have it twice a day. Very few leafes granted. The farmers carry their corn 6 miles. LABOUR. In harveft, yj. a week and board. In hay-time, ys. ditto and beer. In winter, i o _ _ His height^ _ _ _ His collar broad at ear tips, Broad over his fhoulders, Ditto over his ribs. Ditto his hips, Difilcy^ 17 th March, J'JC. H. Sandford. ** This day meafured a two year old barren ewe. Fest. Inchei. Height, - - - - I ir Girt, ----- 5 9 Breaft from the ground, the breadth of 4 fingers. N. B. I would have meafured- her breadth, but 'Ibr a iall of fnow. Dijhley, ut fup. H. S. I 2 aod Feet. Inches, 5 10 2 5 I 4 I lit I 10 i z 9i ii6 THE FARMER»s TOUR and the living on much poorer food than other forts. He has found from various experience in many parts of the kingdom, as well as upon his own farm, that no land is too bad for a good breed of cattle, and particularly fheep. It may not be proper for large flock, that is large boned (lock, but undoubtedly more proper for a valuable "Well made fheep than the ufual wretched forts found in moil parts of England on poor foils — fuch as the moor fheep — the Welch ones — and the Norfolks, — ^And he would hazard any moderate ftake, that his own breed, each fheep of which is worth feveral of thofe poor forts, would do better on thofe poor foils than the flock generally found on them : A good and true ihape having been found the ftrongeft indication of hardinefs, and what the graziers call a kindly flieep ; one that has always an incli- nation to feed. He has an experiment to prove the hardi- nefs of his breed which deferves notice. He has 5 or 6 ewes, that have gone con- ftantly in the highways fmce May-day^ and have never been in his fields : the roads are narrow. THROUGH ENGLAN^D. 117 narrow, and the food very bare ; they are in excellent order, and nearly flit; which proves in the ftrongell manner, the excel- lence of the breed. And another circum- ftance of a peculiar nature is his flock of ewes, that have reared two lambs, being quite fat in the firft week of 'July ; an in- ftance hardly to be paralleled. The breed is originally LlncoInJlAre^ but Mr. Bakewell thinks, and very juflly, that he has much improved it. The grand pro- fit, as I before obferved, is from the fame food going fo much farther in feeding thefe than any others ; not however that Mr. BakewelP?, breed is fmall ; on the contrary, it is as weighty as nine tenths of the king- dom ; for he fells fat wethers at three years and an half old at 2 /. a head. Other col- lateral circumftances of importance are the wool being equal to any other ; and the fheep {landing the fold better. He felli no tups, but lets them at from 5 guineas to 30 guineas for the feafon. Relative to the rot in flieep, Mr. Bake^ %vdl has attended more to it than moft men in England: He is extremely clear, from I 3 long n8 THE FARMER'S TOUR }png attention, that this diforder is owing folely to floods — never to land being wet, only from rains which do not jiow^ nor. frojn fprings that rife. He conjedlures, that the young grafs which Iprings in con-r fequence of a flood, is of fo flafhy a nature that it occafions this comrnon complaint* But whether this idea is juft or not, ftill he is clear in his fads ; that floods (in whatever manner they ad) are the caufe. Perhaps the mofl curious experiment ever made on the rot in fheep, is what he lias frequently pradjfed : When particular parcels of hisi beft bred flieep are paft fervice, he fats them for the butcher ; and to be fure that they fhall be killed and not go into other hands, he rots them before he fells ; which from long experience he can do at pleafure. It is only to flow a pafture or meadow in fum- mer, and it inevitably rots all the Iheep that feed on it the following autumn. After the middle of May^ water flowing over land is certain to caufe it to rot, whatever be the foil : he has aded thus with feveral pf his fields, which without that manage- ment would never aifed a flaeep in the leaft : the THROUGH ENGLAND. 119 the water may flow with impunity all win- ter, and even to the end o/l Aprils but after that the above effedl is fare to take place. Springs he afferts to be no caufe of rotting, nor yet the grafs which rifes in confequence ; unlels \\i^j jiow : Nor is it ever owing to the ground being very wet from heavy rains, unlefs the water y/(5WJ-. This theory of the rot upon the whole appears fatisfac- tory ; and that part of it wiiich is the cer- tain refult of experience, cannot be dif- puted *. In the breed of ftallions for getting cart- horfes, Mr. Bakeivell is alfo very attentive : he has thofe at prefent that he lets at from 25 to 150 guineas the feafon. He con- ceives the true make of a cart horfe, to * Let me remark, that Mr. Ba'awell has feveral comparifons between other breeds of cattle r.nd his own, which I purpofely omit taking any notice of, becaufe fuch experiments are impoflible to be accurate from the great difference in certain beafts in feeding, fatting, ^:c. Befides, fuppofing fuch accuracy, ftill other people, and particularly thofe of the countries com- pared, would never give credit to fuch comparifons, unlefs the very beft breeders in the very beil countries thetnfclvcs choie certain beafts to reprefcnt their breed in the trial : Nor does Mr. BakevjelW breed want any fuch experiments to recommend them. I 4 be 120 THE FARMER'S TOUR be nearly that defcribed above for an ox— < thick and fliort bodies, and very fhort legs. He makes them all particularly gentle: and apprehends that bad drawing horfes, can be owing to nothing but bad manage- ment. He has one ftallion that leaps at 5 guineas a mare. Mr. Bijkewel/h remarkably attentive to the point of wintering his cattle ; all his horned beafts are tied up in open or other fheds all winter through, from November till the end of Marchy feeding them according to their kind, with ftraw, turnips, or hay; all the lean beafts have ftraw alone : he never lit- ters them, on account of making the ftraw go as far as poftible, — that it may be eaten up perfecftly clean. Young cattle, that require to be kept quite in a thriving ftate> have turnips ; and alib fattening ones : and late in the fpring, when turnips are gone, hay is wholly their fubftitute. The conveniencies for tying up beafts, which Mr. Bakewell has built at his own expence, are a remarkable inftance of fpirited huft^andry ; he has formed fuch numbers of ftalls for them, by building iiew ftieds, and converting old barns and other THROUGH ENGLAND. 121 other places into ftandlngs for cows, that he has more than once wintered 1 70 beafls of all forts ; and all in the houfe. The floors on which the beafts (land, are paved, and 6 or eight inches higher than the level of the yard : they are juft broad enough for a beaft to ftand on with fome difficulty ; the confequence of which is, that his dung falls beyond his ftanding, and on the lower pavement, and when he lays down, he draws himfelf up on to the higher pavement, and is clear of it by this means, they are kept quite clean without litter ; and the men who are employed on purpofc, keep the whole conftantly fwept down, and bar- row the dung into the area of the yard^ that is furrounded by the fheds, and then pile up the dung in a fquare clamp. By ufmg no ftraw in litter, he makes it go fo far in wintering cattle, that he much reduces the expence of winter feed- ing them : and this has occafioned his adopting a new fyftem in the management of his horned cattle. He ufed to draw with tearQS of oxen ; and found that he mull keep double the number worked, to 3 have, 122 THE FARMER^s TOUR have, In the common manner, one fet com- ing into work, and another going out ; and then he had his cows bulled at two years old, confequently they w^ere wintered on hay when three years old. But now he has changed his fyftem ; he draws all with cows; they live on ftraw at three years old ; when they are bulled, and work till four years old ; hence one winter at hay, is changed to two at ftraw, which, from Mr. BakewelPs management, is a great faving, and the work all gained at the fame time : and let me obferve further, that the calves bred from a cow rifmg from 3 to 4, muft far exceed thofe from cows rifmg from 2 to 3 : the latter age is too early to breed, both for the calf and the dam. I faw the teams of cows at w^ork, and they were to the full as handy as oxen ; and Mr. Bakewell Unas, that they draw juft as well as oxen of the fame fize. He would not have taken 120/. for one of his teams of 6 cows. He has water in cifterns in his farm- yards, and all the hearts are let loofe to drink once a day, except thofe on turnips, which do not want it. He THROUGH ENGLAND. 123 He prefers, in the ralfing of manure, the dung arifing from cattle tliat eat a given quantity of flraw, to any manure to be gained from fuch quantity of ftraw by lit- tering—^ infomuch, that if he had more praw than he could eat, he would not litter with it, but take in his neighbour's cattle to eat it, for nothing ; and would give them the fame attendance as his own. This is a particular idea, which may very probably be juft ; but experiment alone can prove it, Mr. Bake-well very juftly confiders the raifmg dung as one of the m.oft important objedls of hufbandry ; and for this purpofe, his vafl: flock of cattle is of noble afTiftance, The proportion of his flock to his land, will fliew, not only the excellence of his management, but alfo the hardinefs of his breed ; for no tender cattle could be kept in fuch quantities. His farm in all con- iifts of about 440 acres, no of which are arable, and the reft grafs. He keeps 60 horfes, 400 large fheep, and 150 hearts of all forts : and yet he has generally about 15 acres of wheat, and 25 of fpring corn; the turnips not more than 30 acres. If the degree 124 THE FARMER'S TOUR degree of fatnefs, in which he keeps all thefe cattle, be confidered, and that he buys neither ftraw nor hay ; it muft at once appear, that he keeps a larger ftock on a given number of acres, than moft men in England: the ilrongefl proof of all others, of the excellence of bis hufbandry. He makes his turnips go as far as poih- ble, by carting every one to his ftalls, in which manner, one acre goes as far as three ; his ftraw, I before obferved, he makes the very moft of, by giving it all to his lean beafts, not in litter, — or as food in quantities at a time, but keeps the cattle hungry enough to make them eat clean j giving but a fmall quantity at a time. Of his hay he is alfo very choice ; and the means he has taken to command as large a quantity as pofTible, are perhaps to be reckoned amongft the rareft inflances of fpirited hufbandry ever met with among the common farmers of England. It is that of watering his meadows that lie along a fmall brook which runs through one part of his farm. This improvement was begun by his father, now living, and carried on and finlfned by himfelf. Thefe I THROUGH ENGLAND. 125 Thefe meadows, amounting from 60 to 80 acres, were all like the reft of the coun- try in ridge and furrow ; over-run with ant-hills, and disfigured by various inequa- lities of furface. They were all ploughed up ; kept clean of weeds for a crop or two ; tilled in a very perfed; manner, and laid down again to grafs perfectly level, with a view to improvement by water : This oper- ation is a proof that unlevel paftures may be ploughed down without any injury by bury- ing good land and bringing up bad, ac- cording to the common vulgar notion. As foon as this work was done, he cleanied the brook in a manner peculiar to himfelf ; his defign was to keep the banks always clean and neat, and the water every where of an equal depth : and this he did, and conti- nues to do when wanted, by throwing the fand and earth, driven in heaps and ridges by the ftream, Into the holes formed by it ; never throwing any on to the banks, by which method the water is always kept to a level, with half the expence of the common manner of throwing the earth out, which enlarges the holes, but fills up none. When this 126 THE FARMER'S TOUR this point was gained, the next bufinefs was to examine every where the courfes of the ditches ; all in a proper direction were much deepened and enlarged, for convey- ing the water to the meadows that do not join the brook, and others done in the fame manner for taking the water away after it had flowed over the land. Befides thefe, feveral new cuts were found neceffary to be made near as large as the brook itfelf : and, flrange to tell, not a few to prevent the water running over the meadovrs of his neighbours. They totally difapprove the plan ; and have infifted on ail proper precautions being taken by making cuts, and raifnig mounds for the water, that none of it may ruin them, which is the idea they have of it ; notwithftanding many years experience of its amazing efEcacy in the fields of Mr. BakewelL Befides all thefe cuts and ditches, nu- merous Unices are fubftantially erected at his own expence, to ftop the water and make it overflow at pleafure ; and clofe to each a fmall brick houfe, for holding the doors, boards, bolts, &c. when not in ufe J the whole perfedly well executed, a By THROUGH ENGLAND. 127 By means of all thefe works, he floats at pleafure from 60 to 80 acres of meadow, and finds the improvement of the moil un- doubted kind ; fully anfwering an annual manuring of any other fort : fine level crops of hay are now the view, inftead of ridges, furrows, hills, holes, thiflles, and other trumpery. Upon the whole, this fyftem of watering is not only executed with fpirit, but much exceeds any thing of the kind, I have yet fetn in the hands of landlords themfclves. Our farmer has ex- pended large funis in thefe uncommon un- dertakings— he richly merits the enjoyment of their profit. In another part of hufbandry, Mr. Bake^ zvell is extremely attentive ; which is the raifing good fences : he has fubdivided fe-* veral of his fields, and always does it bv planting regular rows of white thorn on one iidc of a ditch, the earth of which is laid up in the manner of the country on a narrow ridge on the oppofite fide ; and then a poll and double rail on each fide the whole j which is certainly doing it moil completely; But what he h more minute in than any farmer 125 THE FARMER'S TOUR farmer I ever faw, is the keeping his quickl clean; they alKgrow in the middle of'af well dug flip of land, with not a weed to be found in them : this condud has fo good an effect, that his thorns at three or four years old much exceed thofe of the farmers in general at twice that age. In all his old. fences he mends gaps and decayed places in the fame manner, clearing away all rubbifhj . planting new quick, and fecuring it with • a ditch, and a double rail and poft. As the principal objedt of Mr. BakewelPs attention was the keeping great ftocks of cattle, he has found it neceflary to lay down much arable land to grafs ; I walked over feveral of the fields, and found the herbage of an excellent fort, with a perfed: carpet- >fng of white clover. I enquired into his method of laying, and found it not com- mon. He fows two crops of turnips fuccef- : fively, for the purpofe of making the land as clean as pofTible from weeds ; then, with : the barley that follows, he fows lo lb. com- ' mon broad clover, and 7 a bufhel ray-grafs, for the future meadow. I was much flruck "with tliis ; which appeared to me' extreme ^ bad THROUGH ENGLAND. 129 bad hufbandry, and enquired into the efFedti The firft year he has a very fine crop of clover in the common manner ; the ipring following he manures it richly with very rotten dung, and always finds that half the broad clover difappears that year ; the third year it is quite gone; and the pafhire ever after is not to be known from the beft com^ mon meadows ; the herbage confifting of good graffes, and a thick covering of wqld white clover. Mr. Bakewell has compared this method with fowing white clover and trefoile, in- ftead of the broad fort, and finds that the effect after the fecond year is exadly the fame, but the two firft give him a much greater profit under the common clover than the white. I fhall obferve upon this fyflem, that the peculiarity confifts in the broad clover being immediately fucceeded by white honey- fuckle and natural graffes of a good fort r* with the general management it is fucceeded by couch, twitch, or other trumpery, in at leaft as great plenty as by wild clover ; and this I apprehend is owing to the preparation VouL k of X30 THE FARMER'S tOUK of the land ; it certainly would be the famd with Mr. Bakewell if he did not previoufly make the land as clean as a garden : it \% therefore a compendious eafy way, which on certain foils and with excellent manage- ment anfwers well, but in hands that will not give fuch attention to it, I am perfuade^ it would be a moft pernicious prad:ice : 1 well remember it being the method in fome parts between Tork and Beverley ; and the grafs left are ftraggling plants of cloveri with great plenty of couch and weeds. Another part of rural ceconomy of ver/ great importance to every farmer, is the": number of horfes he ufes in a ploughs Horfes are kept at fuch an expence, that the ufmg no more than neceflary is one of the moft material concerns of the farmer; The general pradtice of this neighbourhood is to ufe from 4 to 7 in a plough, and ftif little more than half an acre a dav : nevef more than three roods, and this on a fandy loam : on the contrary, Mr. Bakewell nevef ufes more than two in a plough, and with- out any driver. He has nothing but Rothef'* ■ham ploughs ; they anfwer perfedly well f and d !' THROUGH ENGLAND. 131 lid do an acre a day with eafe : this, at a ery moderate computation, is doing four mes the work of his neighbours, with the me ftrength. But not one of them has et followed him in this obvious improve- lent. Mr. Bnkewell has generally a fmall field F potatoes, which he plants after the lough, and keeps perfe(fl:ly clean of weeds : t finds them to anfwer greatly. This year he has a crop of the great :otch cabbage, for the firft time, planted L yune ; they appear thriving and healthy, id will I doubt not anfwer perfedly well ; e propofes to extend the culture for faving ay, by which means he fhall be able to eep larger ftocks of cattle. For feeding colts, or any hcrfes that run it, he has a contrivance which merits otice. It is a fmall houfe on 4 wheels for iving hay and oats. Plate L Fig. 2. is tha ^letch I took of it. From I to 2. two feet 6 inches. 2 to 3. three ditto 6 ditto. 3 to 4. one ditto 8 ditto. 4 to 5. three ditto 3 ditto. K 2. From 132 THE FARMER*s TOUR From 5 to 6. fix ditto 6 ditto. 6 to 7. four ditto 7 ditto. 9 to 10. two ditto I ditto. 10 to II. one ditto. 12 to 13. fix ditto. 14 to 15. two ditto. 14 to 16. live ditto 9 ditto. 2, projects 21 inches from 17. From the ground to 10, four feet one inch; The wheels 7 ' inches diameter : Th(' coft complete 3/. 10 J. Four horfes eat ha^ and oats in it at once> for the four projec- tions from the center are equal : it is movec every day, that they may not poach an( tread the grals, ever the effed of a iixei rack and manger, or houfe. In dry time it may be fet on wet land, and in wt times on dry land. Another very grea ufe is, when the teams go double journey at plough, they are baited in the field verj handily without bringing home, Mr. Bakeiaell is particularly curious iij providing proper watering places for hi! paflures ; and in this he has a contrivanci which I do not remember to have feei; pradifci THROUGH ENGLAND. 133 pradifed by any body elfe. He has from ex- perience obferved many inconveniences to attend ponds in which the cattle are allowed to go in and lie down ; for in hot weatherj they not only make the water muddy, but colts going in when quite hot, and ly- ing down, are apt to catch very dangerous colds : to prevent this, he firft railed off the ponds, leaving them only room to come with their heads at the water ; but this he has lately changed to a better way, v/hich is to let the watering contain no more water at a time, than a fmall trough would hold. Plate I. Fig. 3. will explain the na- ture of the work. From I. to 2. is the bottom of the banks: the fpace between thofe lines, and alfo 3 and 4, form a fmall paved trough, about 2 feet long and i broad, through which the water runs, or remains, if the fupply comes from a ftagnated pool. From 5. to 6. a ridge of ftone work, whick feparates the water from the horfe- way. From 7. to 8. the top of the bank. K 3 From J34 THE FARMER'S TOUR From 8. to 9- ^ the length of the banks. 9. to 10. 3 1 1, Pofts and rail s^ 12. The way down to the water ; paved. I cannot conclude thefe obfervations on this very fpiritcd farmer's undertakings, without exprefhng the fatisfadion I felt at viewing them : No where have I feeix works, that do their author greater honour : they are not the efFed of a rich landlord's determining to be a good farmer on his own land, but the honeft, and truly meri- torious endeavours of a tenant, performing great and expenfive works on the property of another. It is true, he is fortunate in a generous and confiderate landlord ; and inuch do I wifh, that fuch excellent farmers may always meet with the fame en- couragement. A truly good farmer cannot ^e too much favoured, a bad one cannot have his rent raifed toe high. Let me exhort the farmers of this kingdom in general, to take Mr. Bakewelt as a pattern in many points of great importance; they will find their account in it, and the kingdom in general bp benefited not a little. THROUGH ENGLAND. 135 LETTER in. FROM Dijbley to Nottingham the land is chiefly inclofed and good ; lets at fibout 1 6 J", on an average*. About four miles north of the town, at Arnold^ fome uncommon improvements have been lately carried on, particularly in the carrot culture, — -■ — Cofe^ efq; of that place has entered with particular fpirit into this hufbandry, and was fo kind as to give me the following account. 1 he foil is a fine, rich, deep, dark coloured fand : I run my riding cane three feet deep in it with cafe; it yields great crops of every kind, find lets on an average at about iSj". an acre : a better foil for the culture of carrots can hardly be imagined. Mr. Cofe^ in 1767, began with one acre. In 1768, he had three acres and an half. In 1769, he * From the caftle oi Nottingham is a very fine view of a moll extenfive and rich vale, with the Trent (here a very noble river) winding through it, bounded by a vafl range of incloUires, and (nuch diftant profpedt. K 4 had 136 THE FARMER'S TOUR htKi 9 acres ; and this year he has 3 acres. He has not varied in his method of cul- ture, which is as follows. In October he ploughs the land twice in a furrow, to the depth of 12 inches. In about a month after, he ftirs it again in the fame manner, and to the fame depth : In February the fame again; then he harrows once, and lows /[lb, per acre, at i j. per Ib^ of feed, arid covers by another harrowing. He manures before the laft ftirring, either with foot, pigeons dung, fheep's dung gathered on the foreft of Shirewood^ or rot- ten farm-yard dung, at about the expence of 50 J. or 3 /. an acre. The carrots feldom come up before April '^ as foon as they are to be clearly diftinguifhed from the weeds, they are hand weeded, in order to prepare for hoeing, which operation they perform with a very handy effecflive tool. It is a hoe, which I do not remember to have feen iifed any where in fields, a triangular one. See Plate I. Fig. 4. The weeding and hoe- ing comes from 30 j. to 50^. an acre, ac- cording to the feafon. Sometimes Mr. Cope ploughs up the crop, and fometimes digs them up ; if the latter, he pays 2s. 6 d. per yoiJ-pa-j^6. PUa I. THROUGH ENGLAND. 137 per cart load, of two ton, for raifing them, and throwing into the cart. His crops have ufually rifen from 18 to 25 tons ^i'r acre of the roots. They can be fold to Mansfield at 6 ^. a ftrike, for feeding horfes, &c. in any quantities : but Mr. Cope uies his at home in feeding cows and flieep, — ^ — fattening beafts and hogs,— — and keeping horfes. No milk, cream, or butter, can poflibly be finer than what he gets from carrots all through the winter and fpring, quite to yune, and in large quantities. He gives his cows each 2 bufhels a day. He has fattened a great number of hogs with them ; up to from 12 to 14 ftone (14/^) : Gives them raw, and finds that no food will carry a hog on quicker, or fat him better ; fome he has finifhed with corn, others completely on carrots, and does not find any difference : they fat wholly upon them, as well as with the change ; and the pork is as fat and as faleable, and boils away not a jot more, than that of the corn fed hogs. Cows and oxen he has often fattened completely on them, and finds it a very profitable applica- tion of the crop : for they feed remarkably 2 quick, 13$ THE FARMER'S TOUR quick, and as finely as on any food in the world; he has fold cov»^s fattened entirely on carrots, at 12/. 12 s. each, and oxen up to 20/. His borfes do extremely well on them ; but he gives them a few oats at the fame time ; about a fourth or a fixth of their ufual allowance, and they do the bet- ter for them. His Iheep eat them very greedily ; and they are of admirable ufe after turnips are gone. Mr. Cope depends on them for his flock, throughout the months of j4pnl and May ; and fince he has cultivated them, he has never been the leaft diftrefifed for fpring food for his flieep : All which applications of the crop, prove fufficiently clear, that they are one of the moft ufefal and important that can be intro- duced into field huibandry. The expences» according to the preceding Jafdy may be calculated as follows : Kent, - - - ^ -.0 I« 0 Tythe and town charges. 0 s 0 Seed, - - - - 0 4 Q Sowing, - - - - 0 0 6 Six ploughings, ^ - . I IQ 0 Two harrowings, 0 I 6 Carry over - - £'2. ig o THROUGH ENGLAND. 139 Brought over - £.219 Cleaning, - « - .. 20 Taking up, •* -. « I 5 Manuring, r. « « 25 0 0 0 0 Total, >C- 8 9 0 Produ6l, Suppofe a flrike to weigh 45 lb.; 21 ton at that rate are 1 045 ftrike ; which fuppofe at qd. including the profit made by thofe who buy thenx at bd. it is - - - - 39 3 pxpences, - - - 89 k Clear profit ^^r acre, ;^. 30 14 o But I have myfelf found carrots to pay %s. id. per ftrike in feeding horfes and fat- tening hogs ; the profit may therefore be carried much higher. On the contrary, Suppofe the crop fold at 6d, it comes to - - ^. 26 2 o pxpences, - - - 890 Clear profit, ^. 17 13 o If 140 THE FARMER'S TOUR If thefe accounts do not prove the im- menfe profit of cultivating carrots on thefe rich fands, nothing can. Mr. Cope always fows turnips after them ; they are fo late in the ground, that fpring corn W\\\ not do ; but the land is in excel- lent order for turnips, and thefe two hoeing crops coming together, fo clean and enrich the land, that vaft crops of barley are gained after them, generally from 6 to lo quarters per acre ; and the clover which fol- lows that is incomparably fine. All Mr. Cope^ crops were extremely good ; and proved how well he cultivate? his land. Among others, he has tried buckwheat ; and finds it anfwers in a fur- prizing manner on the pooreft land : He has had 40 buihels from 3 roods, which are 6 quarters 5 hnfhthper acre. From Arnold by Newjiead * to Mansfield is all Shirewood foreft : wafte land, but highly * Newstead Abbey, the feat of Lord Biron^ i s ficuatcd in a vale in the midfl of an extenfive park, finely planted •, on one fide the houfe a very large winding lake is making, which, when finifhed, THROUGH ENGLAND, 141 highly improveable ; for the fand, though light, is not devoid of fertUity. To Alfre^ ton it is all inclofed and rich ; lets at near a pound an acre. About that place the foil is various ; a hazel loam, between fand and marie, on a flone bottom. Very dry lanS buflieisi They plough thrice for turnips, hod once or twice; and feed them in general off Snyders, In the Hdh A garden-piece ; the figure by Ruhensi Admirable expreffion : many things in this piece are nature itfelf. RuheHs. l.ions and tysrers. Amazingly fpiritedi Lite itfelf. Ditto. Lions in a den. The attitudes and fuUcri exprelTion of their countenances irt- comparably fitie. ^tiyders. Poultry, &c. Damaged ; but good; De Vcfsi Foxes, &:c. fpiritcd. SjT^'dere. Two dogs. Very natural. Ditto. A flag hunt •, fpiritcd. Ditto. A b6ar hunt. Ditto. De Vofs. Wolf, deer, and dogs. Find.- ^Kiyders. Dog and cat : drolly expreflive. In the Green JVithdrawing-room. M. Angelo. Holophernes. Fine. Canaktti. The RiaUo. Uolbdii, THROUGH ENGLAND. 143 off vr'ith fheep, tho' fome few draw them for beafts : the average value of the crop 3 /. Their clover they feed firft, and then mow it, and get two loads an acre. Lentils they fow among oats, and find the crop and the ftraw both the better for them. As to manuring, they never fold their fheep. On new broken up land they depend chiefly on the afhes of the paring and burn- Holbein. Duke of Somerfet. Fine. Unknown. The binding our Saviour. Very fine. Brewer. Old man reading. Extremely expref- five. Rubens. The fending away of Hagar. Ahra- kam''s and the dog's heads excellent •, but Hagar a very mean figure. Unknown. A crucifix. Nothing more pleafing than the colours, and the group. Miens. A lady. Fine colouring. 'Teniers. A farm. Very fine. Unknown. Hcrodias bringing John BnptijYs head. Hercdias a moft inimitable figure •, grace, eafe, and elegance itfelf a perfe6t contraft to her employment. The king a fine figure. The group in general the airs of the heads — — the attention; all fine. The ex- prei3ion and colours very pleafing. I Schalken- 144 THE FARMER'S TOUR ing, which is the common method pradifed here ; the price from 1 8 j. to 20 j. an acre ; after it they fow turnips or wheat, but arc fure of a great crop of either. Lime they ufe pretty much, lay it on for wheat on cold land : about two cart loads per acre, at 6 J. a load. Their ftubbles they chop both for thatching and littering, but flack their hay about the fields. They Schalken. A candle-light. Very fine. Hulfdonc. Bafket of fruit. Finely done. Kabraat* A battle. Exprefllve. Unknown. A man playing on a flute. The colours good. Borgognone. A battle. Great expreflion. In the Red IVithdrawing-rocm. Panini. Ruins. Fine. The figure holding a fpear, and the woman with her back to you, both fpirited. Miens. A converfation. Admirably fine. Caffali. Judith and Holophernes. Pleafing. Raphael, A man offering a purfe to a woman* A copy by Vanderman. Very fine. Vandyke. Apoftles bearing a dead Chrifi. Ad- mirable drawing and expreflion. Unknown. Triumph oi Bacchus. Fine. Raphael. Chriji, the Virgin, and St. John. A copy by Dominichino. Admirably fine i a tendernefs in the tints extremely pleafing. P. Veronefe* i THROUGH ENGLAND. 14^* They are pretty attentive to the draining their wet lands, with covered drains, and find the fervice they do very great. The plalhiag method of hedging yet continues, and fome hedges I obferved that were pretty well done. The befl: grafs land lets at 30^-. an acre ; they ufe it chiefly for cows ; an acre will feed one thro* the fummer. In the forts of cattle they have both long and fhort horned, but P. Veronefc. Rachael and Lab an. Very fine. Flemijh School. A woman wiping a child's back- fide. Pity the Dutchman was ever employed in any other bufinefs. This fubjccl was abundantly more fertile in his imagination, than the Graces attiring Venus. Titian. Diogenes. Incomparable. Ditto. A half length. The colouring mod ex- cellent. Raphael. Jacob and Efaii. •Unknc^vn. St. Jerome. The minute expreflion very great. llondiiis. A man with dog;s. Good. De Neff. Two infides of churches. Fine. In the Gallery. Unknown. Dead game. Natural. Titian. A half length. Admirably fine. The colouring of the face, life itfelf. Vol. I. L Rica, 146 THE FARMER'S TOUR but reckon the former much the beft. The average quantity of milk about three gal- lons, and the total product of a cow 7 /. They have very little idea of keeping fwine in confequence of cows. A dairy-maid can take care of 9 or 10. The winter food hay ; fometimes a few turnips ; alfo malt grains. They keep them in the yard in winter more than in the fields. Swine fat up to 22 flone (14/^.) Their Ricci. Triumph of Venus, Very pleaflng. And. del Sarto. Chrijl, the Virgin, and St. John. Amazingly finL^ed. Vanhagen. A ftorm. Fine. Raphael. Virgin and Child. The colours ex- tremely fine ; and the relief, cfpecially of the child, admirable. Bajfan. Adoration of the Ihepherds. Fine in this ftile of execution ; but the Vir- gin's countenance a vulgar expref' /ion. ^erg. Sea pieces. Done in an uncommon ftile. Rubens. A candle-light. The fhades, and the caft of the eyes and countenance, ftrikingly fine. Morciks, A man prefllng a woman's breail. Excellent i but his laugh not that of his fituation. Marconi. TJie raifmg of Lazarus. Fine. A great number of figures. Ruhem. THROUGH ENGLAND. 147 Their flocks of fheep rife in general from 60 to 140 ; the value of the fleeces, ^s, on a medium. In their tillage they reckon 8 horfes ne- ceflary for 100 acres of ploughed ground. They ufe 3 or 4 in a plough, and do an acre a day : the depth 4 inches, and the price per acre 6 s. The annual expence of a horfe they calculate at 10/. They cut ftraw into chaff for them. Chrijimas is the time of w breaking Rubens. An old woman's head. Very great ex- prefTion. And. del Sarto. Charity. Good. Unknown. The marriage of St. Catherine. The relief very noble. Titian. The attitudes. The flefh foft, and pleafingly done. Unknown. Chriji taken down from the Crofs. The figures, cxprelTion, and colours, very great. In the DreJJing Clofet to the Oval Room. ■ Unknown, Lady Biron. Very pleafing. In Lord Biron* ^ Drejfing-rcom. Titian. A lady drefTing. Good. Unknown. Nell Gwyn. A beautiful neck ; but j * the eyes afleep, noxflcepy. Unknown. Beggar boys. Exprefilve. In Lady Biron^s DreJJing-roorn. Unknozvn. An old man reading. A fine headt 148 THE FARMER'S TOUR* breaking up their ftubbles. All fwing ploughs ufed* In {locking their farms, they reckon that 300 /. will do for one of 1 00 /, a year. Poor rates i /. in the pound. LABOUR. In harveft, is. and board. In hay-time, io^r 1000, 11/. A carpenter a day, I J. and board. A mafon, i j. and d itto. A thatcher, ditto. Something of the general oeconomy will be feen from the following particulars of farms. 100 Acres in all 6 Young cattle 50 Arable 4 Fatting beafts 50 Grafs 60 Sheep ^. 100 Rent 20 Acres of wheat 8 Horfes 10 Barley 9 Cows 16 Oats 4 Peafe THROUGH ENGLAND. 151 4 Peafe and beans 3 Men 3 Turnips i Boy 20 Fallow I Maid 4 Clover I Labourer. Another : 50 Acres in all 2 Barley 30 Arable 6 Oats 20 Grafs I Peafe and £. 50 Rent beans 4 Horfes 2 Turnips 4 Cows 6 Fallow 6 Young cattle 2 Clover 2 Fatting beafts 2 Men o Sheep I Boy 4 Acres wheat i Maid. Another : 40 Acres in all 12 Cows 4 Arable 2 Young cattle 36 Grafs I Boy £. 40 Rent 2 Maids. I Horfe The principal farmer in this neighbour- hood is Mr. KendaU of the Peacock inn^ near Alfreton ; he has in feveral* inftances deviated from the common practices of the country, and much improved on them. L 4 The 152 THE FARMER'S TOtJR The farmers of this country know no- thing of fainfoine, notwithflanding the foil is a fine dry hazel loam, on ftone quarries : Mr. Kendal introduced it 9 or 10 years ago, and has found great fuccefs from it ever llnce ; but has not been followed by any one neighbour. His firft trial was on fix acres, which remains yet in perfection. He has fince fown more, fo that he has 20 acres in all. His method being uncommon, I fhall ftate it. He does not fow it broad- call:, but in drills equally diftant, 2 feet afunder, ftruck on a field fown with broad- call barley and clover, with a hand-hoe, and being fown with 6 pecks of fainfoine feed, it is covered by one harrowing. The clover lafts thick but one year ; the fecond, much of it is gone, and all difappears the third ; then the fainfoine gets up and flour- ilhes well : He always mows it once. The firft year he gets of clover and fainfoine 3 loads of hay an acre ; lefs the fecond year ; but afterwards the crop is about 2 loads. It keeps itfelf clean of rank weeds without any hand-hoeing, but much natural grafs comes. The aftergrowth he eats with iheep and beafts, and finds no damage to tiis THROUCH ENGLAND. 153 Ills crop from the latter. Nothing fattens ^ll forts of cattle better : his cows give more milk on it than on any other grafs, but it taftes. Upon this culture of fainfoine, I fhall obferve, that Mr. Kenda/ h^s much merit in introducing it at all, but he would certainly have found greater fuccefs, had he fown it broad-caft over the whole field, 4 bufhels to the acre ; and omitted the red clover. It is impoffible that the young fainfoine fhould be choaked up in three loads an acre of clover without damage. It is certainly a prefent profit, but the quef- tion is, if it be not to a future lofs. I would however recommend the trial to him. Potatoes he cultivates in large quantities. In 1768, he had 8 acres : In 1769, 14 acres; and 16 this year. The following is his method of cultivating them. He firfl ploughs the land at Chrifimas ; then lets it lie rough all winter. Harrov/s it in the fpring, and ploughs again ; in this earth he opens double furrow b i foot from each other; and then leaves an interval 9 i^^t wide ; and fo on throughout the field. The potatoe flices, 8 bufliels to the acre, are dropt after the plough, 5 inches deep, and 2 I foot 154 THE FARMER'S TOUR I foot afunder. After this the intervals are ploughed twice or thrice for turnips, which are fown broad-caft and harrowed in^ The potatoes are earthed up tliie ploughings, befides which, they have fome earth thrown" with fpades from the edges of the turnip bed,, to the fpace between the rows. The crop is taken up with forks ; the produce in this manner, without dung, amounts ta loo buihels at i x. or 5/. per acre. The turnips arc hand-hoed once or twice, and are always wortli 2 /. an acre. But befides this way, he plants fome acres every year in the comir^on method all over the land, in which way he gets very large crops, up to 30 /. an acre, at i j. a biifhel ; which is 600 bufhels per acre. He ufes all his crops for fatting brawns. Firft, they are waflied, — and then boiled iia a copper, 20 bufliels at a time ; it is filled with potatoes, and then as much water put to them as the copper will hold. When tJoiJed foft, they are all ladled into large tubs to cool, in which they are mixed with barley or rye meal ; in the proportion of 2 buihels of meal to 2 o of potatoes : and as; foon as the mixture is cool, it is ready ta give THROUGH ENGLAND. 155 give to them. It fattens tliem better than any other food; fafter than corn alone. His lean fw'ne he alfo keeps on pota- toes, but only boils them, mixing no corn with it. Sometimes he fallows the fpaces between the rows for wheat, and gets the beft crops thus in the country. Cabbages Mr. Kendal has cultivated with fuccefs. In 1768, he had half an acre ; in 1769, two acres; and this year has one acre. He ploughs for them at Chrtjimasy and again in March, when he- plants the ground with beans in fmgle rows 4 feet afunder ; foon after he plants a row of cab- bages between them : the culture he gives while the crops are growing, is to earth up both ; and keep them quite clean of weeds. When the beans are reaped, then the cab- bages fpread ; fome of them rife in weight to 23 Ih. He gives them to his cows, and the effeifl is th^ir yielding vaflly more milk than on any other food, and the cream and butter have not the leaft bad tafte. He gets Jn quantity 20 cart loads per acre, worth 3 about 156 THE FARMER'S TOUR about 6 /. He gives half a cart load per diem to 7 or 8 cows that run in the pafture. The following particulars of Mr. KendaV% farm will fhew that he pradifes on a large fcale. 420 Acres in all 250 Arable 170 Grafs £.420 Rent lb Horfes 9 Cows 16 Young cattle 4 Fatting beafls 120 Sheep 50 Acres wheat 30 Oats ID Peafe and beans 16 Turnips and potatoes 20 Sainfoine 6 Men 6 Boys 2 Maids 4 Labourers. 20 Barley About half a mile from the Peacock^ is a very unufual thing in the hands of a com- mon farmer ; about a rood of lucerne, on very good land, in equally diftant rows, 2 feet afunder, but fo over-run with weeds that the experiment can be of no value ; the lucerne, from its great luxuriance of growth in the midft of fuch enemies, would evi- dently thrive to uncommon profit on this land. THROUGH ENGLAND. 157 land. How fuch a trial fhould come into the head of a little farmer, I cannot con- ceive. Taking the road to Derby, you come in about two miles to a fpot that commands a very beautiful landfcape to the right : It is a winding valley bounded every where by hills ; the whole cut into inclofures, waving one beyond another, and finely fcattered with trees. Several villages ap- pear, and a fmall winding river breaks upon the eye in feveral places. But it is time to conclude this letter : you muft allow me to afliire you how much I am, ^i". J58 THE FARMER'S TOUR LETTER IV. jr\ E RB T h a. confiderable town, con- filling of five parlfhes ; well built and full of manufadures ; the principal are thofe in the flocking branch, which employs many hands ; who earn in general from i s, to 2s. a day, but is. 4 <^. on an average. The filk mill employs many women and children, whofe earnings are fome of them fo low as 2 ^/. a day. There is alfo a por- cellane manufadlory, fomething in the ftile of the M''orceJiery but inferior. Land about Derby lets at an high rate ; fuch as is at all convenient, fo high as 50^". and 3/. an acre ; but Mr. Miindy has a very confider- able efbite lying a part of it within a mile of the town, of which none rifes fo high as 30 J-.; but little to 25 x. and is upon an average tythe-frcc at 16 x. grafs and arable; no twith (landing its being cut by turnpikes — clofc to market — and alfo to manure for purchafe ; tlie foil exceeding good. All thcfe circumftaiiccs confidered, there can- not be a doubt of the value being a guinea an THROUGH ENGLAND. 159 an acre, for all fuch land within three or four miles of Derby. I fufpedled their fields being under-let, from the fufficient crops of thiftles and nettles to be feen through their richeft grafs ; 5 j. an acre more rent, would prefently wipe out fuch a difgrace to their management. Their arable inclofures are new ones ; and they are fo capitally ftupid as to adhere to the old courfe, to which they were tied down when the land was open field ; that is, I. Fallow — 2. Wheat — 3. Beans orPeafe; which is the old barbarous ftory that has travelled with me regularly from Bucking- bamjkire, I will venture to aflert, that they could not have pitched upon a more unprofitable courfe for incloiures. The beans are fown on one ploughing, and never receive any hoeing; you might as well recommend an Orrery to their infpec- tion as a hand-hoe ; fome turnips are Town, but not hoed. With this management, they are able to pay 16 j. an acre tythe-free; at which I mult confefs I am furprized, for I fhould eftcem 10/. tied down to fuch a condud, a very high rent. Let me afk any modern farmer accuftomed to the prac- tice i6o THE FARMER*s TOUR tice of the beft hufbandry, whether he could not pay 30 j-. an acre by means of the fol- lowing courfes, much eafier than i6j". by that of the Marton farmers. 1. Turnips, twice 3* Clover completely hand- 4. Wheat on one hoed ploughing. 2. Barley Alfo, 1. Beans, thrice 3. Clover completely hoed 4. Wheat on one 2. Barley or oats ploughing. Never any fallow : I will engage that he would grow rich with thefe courfes^ at 30 J-. an acre, much fooner than he would get 50 /. clear, at 16 j. an acre, "with fallow, wheat, beans. But is it not furprizing that landlords will overlook their interefl: fo much, as to fit down contented with their eftates being fo cultivated ? They fay their tenants are blockheads — flovens— and that they know nothing of their bufmefs. I very readily fubfcribe to the whole ; but thefe epithets do- not add one fhilling to their rents nor will they extirpate a fmgle thiftle. Let them raife their THROUGH ENGLAND. i6i their rents to a common height, fuppofin^ the hufbandry good : if the farmers chufe to pay it from their prefent culture, it will only prove that the rate per acre is ftill too low. If they do not, or cannot, then bring farmers from other countries who know what husbandry is. ** But the world will clamour — we fhall be abufed at fuch an alehoufe— and thought very hardly of at another." — Here lies the facft ; and to do thefe very moderate gentle- men jullice, I allow this is a rational plan, becaufe they do not lofe the money, with- out (what they pleafe to think) the rrioney^s worth. If rents were raifed, they w^ould have hats off with God blefs your honour, but twice where they now have it thrice: and on rent day, a bow 6 inches lower than common with a long fcrape, is far prefer- able to a blunt entrance ; and then it founds very prettily in riding through their fields to hear, How rare a landlord the f quire is ; and what crowns the whole, half a dozen tenants meeting at a hedge alehoufe, and nothing difrefpedful to their landlord pafT- ing. This is certainly popularity ; and as Vol. I, M great i6i THE EARMEIVs TOUR great minds have in every age been much flattered by poffeffing it, we are not to; wonder that landlords find it more capti- vating than 5/. per acre/'tT annum. In this cafe we often fee an extravagant fon of W/jtie^ of ten times more ufe to his country than the gentleman of regularity and moderation : his rents fly with the dice ; dov/n he comes into the country, and raifes to the utmoft. No farmers will agree for a rent they cannot pay, they are too good calculators for that — the confequence is, that his eftate is let at its highefl: value : tiii^is but another word for good hufl^an- iliV, for that which is bad will not pay great- rents. Thus is the dice-box in this inftance^^ of ten times more value to the nation than^ the fleeping, dronifh ftate of vegetation in which fo many landlords are content to di'awl on, and not raife rents, becaufe their grandmothers did not. ,^ Mr. Mundcy has been very curious in his breed of cattle ; he has fold cows at 25/. apiece ; and has at prefent feveral head of valuable cattle ; but he remarks, that this ciR-ious breed is by no means favourable to. milking I THROUGH ENGLAND. i6? iTiilkIng, 4 7 gallons per day being the uN rnoft he has arrived at. I fhould give the farmers of this neighbour- hood credit for thr^e circumftances : they buy dung, &c. at Derby at 2 s. 6 d, or 3 x. a load ; they form comports of lime and earth for grafs lands ; and a fpiky roller is a common implement among them. For the following particulars of the huf- bandry about Radbourn^ the feat of Colonel Pole^ I am indebted to that gentleman, who took every meafure for procuring me the beft intelligence. The foil is a fine rich mellow clay, either Ted or black ; falls in the weather in fuch a degree as to fhew that it is not too adhe- five ; and from the vaft crops of thiftles yielded by it, on the fallows^ we may be clear in its fertility. Farms rife from 20 A to 150/. a year, but generally from 70 to 109/. Thp ^ourfes of crops are, I. Fallow — 2. Wheat — 3. Beans, Alfo, \. Fallow— 2. Barley — 3. Beans. M 2 Likewiffy j64 the farmer's TOUR Likewifcj 1. Fallow 3. Clover, 2 years 2. Barley on ftrong land. Andy I. Fallow — 2. Wheat — 3. Oats or peafe. They plough four times for wheat, fow 2 bufhels, and gain 23 on an average. For barley they give the fame tillage, fow 4 bufhels before Lady-day^ and gain 5 4- quar^ ters on an average. They ftir but once for oats ; fow 4 \ bufhels ; and reckon the mean crop at 6 quarters. They plough but once for beans, fow 4 bufhels an acre, never hoe them ; the crop 3 4 quarters. They fow a few turnips, but, fhame ht unto them, never ufe a hoe. In refped to manuring, it is at a very low pafs ; they never fold their fheep, know nothing of chopping flubbles, and flack mofl of their hay about the fields ; with fuch management it is impoffible that this? farm-yard fhould yield any thing confider- able. Lime they feem moft to depend upon, they lay from 2 to 3 waggon loads an acre, at 1 4 J. a load the cofl, and 15^. carriage; \ THROUGH ENGLAND. 165 {0 that the total expence is about 3 /. i o j, or 4/. per acre. It lafts good 7 or 8 years. Draining is very little known. The hedges are done in the plafhing method, and fome of them neatly, but their ditches are contemptible. Good grafs lets at i6j. an acre, and as the tenant pays taxes, it amounts to near 20s, They apply it to mowing, grazing, milking, and horfes. My information ran that 2 i- or 3 acres are neceflary for feeding a cow through fum- mer ; but this is exaggerated ; I know from viewing the fields that no fuch quantity is requiiite. The breed of cattle is all the long-horned Lancejhire. The average quan- tity of milk about 2 gallons. The profit of a good cow they lay as foU lows ; I Cow, 3 cw^t. cheefe, at 3 ox. 4 10 o • Butter, - - - o 10 o Calf, - - - 070 Per cow, ' - Cs 1 ^ In the breeding way, they ufually rear by turning cow and calf to grafs together ; but M 3 they 166 THE FARMER'S TOUR they put two calves to one cow. The valu^ of ox hides vary, but are generally at 3 d. t' a pound. Colonel Pole has fold them of* i'^/^lb. being 2/; 14/. 8//. The flocks of (heep are inconfiderable j the profit they reckon at 3 s. lamb, and i sy 6 d, wool : but they keep them in winter en grafs alone. The w^eight of the fleeces from 2 7 to 6 II?. Refpeding the rot, it is here obferved, that limeftone rots much ; it is aflerted pofitively, that you may make any land rot fheep by liming it : they haA'e fheep fometimes rotted at home ; the land ferfedly free from fpringS. In their tillage they life 5 hoffcs in a plough ; do 3 rood a day, about 4 inches deep: the hiring price 7/. ati acre*. The annual expence of a horfe they reckon at about 9/. Cutting ftraw into chaff is very well known. They never breik up their nubbles till after fpring fowing, and ufe only fwing ploughs ; rather too heavy, tut of a beitei' conftrudlion than many in the kingdom. In the hiring farms, they reckon four ihsiits neceflary to Aock. i Land THROUGH ENGLAND. 167 Land fells at from 35 to 40 years pur- thafe. Tythes are compounded per acre ; wheat pays 5 s. barley 5 s. oats 2s.6d. grafs is. 2d, Poor rates 9 d. in the pound ; the em- ployment fpinning flax: All drink tea twice a day. The farmers carry their corn II or 12 miles. LABOUR. In harveft, i j-. 3 ^. and board* In hay-time, the fame. In winter, i s. and beer. Reaping wheat, ys. to 8/. Mowing barley and oats, i j". 6 d, grafs, I J-. 6d. and beer. Ditching, 7 ^. a rood. Threfhing wheat, 2 s. • barley, i /. 6d, ' oats, I s, peafe, i x. to u. 2 d. Amount of a year's earnings, 17/. The rife of labour half in twenty years. Head-man's wages, 9/. to 10 ^ Next ditto, 7/. Lad's, 4/, Maid's, 4/. WomQnper day in harveft, i s, and beer. M 4 Womea i68 THE FARMER^s TOUR Women per day, in hay-time, 8 d, and beer, ■ — — in winter, 8^. IMPLEMENTS, A waggon, 20/. A cart, 8 /. A plough complete, i /. i j. A pair of harrows, i /. is, A roller, 7 j. to 8 s, Harnefs per horfe, 3 /. Laying a fhare, 8 d, "■ I ■ coulter, 8^. PROVISIONS. Bread, per lb. i d, Cl^eefe, - - 4 Butter, - - 6 Beef, - - 34. Mutton, - • 34. Veal, - .3' Bacon, - « 5 ?^ilk, - - o 4 ^/. a pint. Potatoes, - - 6 ^. a peck. Candles, - - 6 a /($. Soap, - . 6 (jitj-Q^ Labourer*s houfe-rent, 20j. to 40 j, ■!■■' .' - firing, I /. 10 J. f!—- tools, 7 /. 6 ^. BUILD- THROUGH ENGLAND. 169 BUILDING. Bncks per 1000, 12 s. Tiles, 1 6 J. Oak per foot, i J-. 4//. to is. 8^. Afli, IS, 4^. Elm, IJ-. A carpenter a day, is, 4^, and board. A mafon, ditto. A thatcher, i s. and board. The ;following are particulars of farms. £■ 100 Rent 7 Oats ■f-' 10 Horfes 20 Peafe and beans t 27 Cows 20 Fallow 1 1 0 Young cattle 3 Men 40 Sheep I Maid 12 Acres of wheat 2 Labourers. 6 Barley Another : 6 Horfes 5 Barley 20 Cows 8 Oats JO Young cattle 8 Peafe and beans 50 Sheep I Boy 5 x\cres of wheat I Maid. Another : C 240 Rent 100 Sheep 12 Horfes 20 Acres of wheat 50 Cows 30 Oats 40 Young cattle 20 Peafeandbeans 2 JO Fallow 170 THE FARMER'S TOUR 10 Fallow 2 Maids 9 Men 6 Labourers. I Boy Colonel Pole * has been for fome years attentive to his breed of cattle : he keeps only the fine Lancajloire long horned kind, of which he has fome cows, and young cattle of his own breeding that do him cre- dit j- * Radburn, the feat of that gentleman, lis Very be::iitifully fituated on one of the higheft grounds in the Ibuth parts of 'Derby fl)ire\ com- manding very extenfive views into Letcejler- Jloire-i IVarivick/hire, Staffordjhire, Chejhtre^ &c. and from being well Iheltered by plantations, and very fine woods, it is not at all bleak. -The houfe is an excellent living onej remarkably well contrived ; as will appear from the follow- ing difpofition of the apartments. The body of the houfe, exclufive of offices, forms an ob- long of 90 feet by 6c,. The hall (A) is 37 feet by 30, and 19 high; op- polite the door are four Ionic pillars, which reduce the area to 30 fquare. It is neatly fitted up in ftucco. It opens on the left into a breakfafl room (B), 25 by 20 i and on the right into the library (C), of the fame dimenfions ; thefe three rooms form- ing one fide of the houfe. The hall in front opens into the falcon (D) or dining-room, o^c^ by 23, and that to the left into a drawing room (E) 22 4- by 2o|: on the right -^0^4 Plaan.pa.2yo.YolJ. THllOUGri ENGLANI). 171 dit ; lie keeps the cow calves for ftock, and the others for oxen to fat, of which he has generall)' feveral that are very fine ; but he finds that this breeds lb much valued at prefent, is by no means favourable to the dairy, for the quantity of milk given by the fineft cows is very trifiing. I mull here right it opens into Mrs. Pole*s drefling-room (Jh), of the lame fize. The ipace on the left fide, between the draw- ing-room and breakfafr-room, is occupied with the principal ftair-cafe (G), the area 27 by 15; land that on the other fide between the library and the drefllng room, by a back iiair-cafe (H); and a bed-chamber (I), 124- by 154-.. From hence it app.^ars that the difpofition of the rooms renders the houfe perfe6lly convenient : the hall communicates with every room on the floori, The bed-chamber opens on one fide to the drelT- ing-foom, and ori the other to the ftudy ; and the former ahb to the dining-room, and fo to the drawing-room. The communication with the offices is by the back-ftairs, which are clofe to the dining-room j and the drefiing-room opens by a corridor at * to fervants chambers, &c. &c. The annexed plan will (hew this clearly ; I infert it for the ufe of thofe who are at a lofs in the contriving new houfes •, which may often be fuppofed the cafe, from the numbers we fee that are full of faults. See Plate II.. 172 THE FARMER'S TOUR here be allowed to obferve, that the Colo-. nel's wheat crop was as fine as any I faw in that part of Derbyjhirey and much better than his neighbours : He is preparing for 4 acres of cabbages by much tillage and plenty of manure ; and is determined to take every m.eans for extirpating ant-hills and thiftles, not only from his own fields, but alfo from his tenants *. At Longfordm this neighbourhood, the feat oiWenmati Cooke ^ efq; I had the uncommon fatis- * It was an obfervation made in the laft century, that the attention given to huftandry by the officers who had led fo adlivc a life during the civil wars, was what advanced the hufbandry of this kingdom in an uncommon manner : fomething of this is obfervablc in many military gentlemen, who made a confpicuous figure in the late glorious war. A country life of idle- nefs ill fucceeds the hurry and fpirit of fo many cam- paigns i no employment more proper than hufbandry, which in all ages has been the bufmefs of heroes. Colonel Pole is an honourable jnftance of a change from war to agriculture j he has long trod the field of Mars with fpirit : I have little doubt but he will now facrifice to Ceres with equal ardour. Six campaigns in Flanders ; fix more in Germany : fhut up with Lord Blakeney in the caftle of St. Phillip's^ and pre- fent in the fuppreffion of the rebellion of 1745—— have been to this galant officer hot fcenes of adlion : Shot through the head at Fontenoy ; and twice wounded on the plains of Minden^ have left him the honourable marks of bravery exerted in the fcrvice of his country^ THROUGH ENGLAND. 173 ^atisfadion of feeing a team of oxen in har- nefs. That gentleman, who is one of the moft fpirited farmers in DerbyfJjirey is the firft who has drawn them in this manner ; he ufes fixteen ; and ^nds that they draw with much greater power than in yoaks, the method in which he firft tried them ; they move much fafter, and are more handy and convenient : he executes all his plough- ing and home carting with them, at much lefs expence than the fame could be per- formed by horfes, or by oxen in yoaks : a ftriking proof of this, is his ploughing as much land in a day with 3 oxen, as the farmers do with 4 or 5 horfes ; a difpro- portion fo amazingly great that it decides the point at once, and in the cleared man- ner. He feeds them in fummer on grafs alone ; and in winter on ftraw, on which he works them moderately ; but if hard, then they have hay, or feme turnips. The harnefs is much the fame as that for horfes, excepting the collars opening to be buckled on, and alfo to their being worn in the con- trary manner to horfes, that is, the narrow end of the collars which open, being down- wards,— and as the chains are faftened to them %j4 THE FARMER^s TOUR them in the fame direcSbion as in horfe har-r oefs, the beafts of courfe draw much higher than horfes : the line of the chains is almoft up to their backs ; but much above the cheil ; this variation Mr. Cooke thinks neceffary from the different Ihape of horfes and oxen ; and it is a circumftance deferv-. ing attention from all who may be inclined to follow this very ufeful " example. I faw a team drawing a heavy load of bricks ; and obferyed that not one horfe team in ten out-walked them. The drivers aiTured me that they worked much better than yoaked, drawed a greater v^^eight, and were far more eafily managed. One great benefit of this method, exclufive of the inereafed power, is the placing them in a fmgle line inflead of a double one, which in fomc forts of ploughing ig extremely ufeful : Indeed, in general, the nearer the team is to the weight, the greater its power ; but this is not the jcafe with oxen yoaked, owing merely to that aukward untoward way of drawing ; for it is well known to gill ox drivers, that the beafts cannot exert their full force, from the inequality between'the couples, as it is i:piT]imon for one beafl to make jts fellow dra^ THROUGH ENGLAND. 175 draw all ; an inconvenience totally removed in Mr. Cookers method. I cannot but earneftly recommend this very great improvement to all who are de- lirous of working oxen ; and particularly to thofe who imagine, but falfely, that they cannot move as fail as horfes ; that they cannot draw an equal weight-— and that in ploughing they trample the land more. All which ideas, however true they might be in refpedt to the yoaks, are undoubted mil- takes if applied to the harnefled beads.— Mr. Ccoke deferves much of his country for the introduction of fo excellent a method ; which I fhould apprehend fufficient with unprejudiced perfons to give the preference to oxen, notwithftanding all the common ideas in favour of horfes. Mr. Cooke has built a very convenient farm^-yard ; and offices of all forts for win- tering cattle : there are feveral diviiions in it for different forts ; all furrounded with open flieds, under which they have their hay, or turnips ; and in the area draw is given in cribs : by thefe means the quantity of manure raifed is very great. His con- vcniencies for hogs are alfo very ufeful ; a ftream 176 THE FARMER'S TOtJR ftream conftantly runs thro' the fties j and the meat is given thro* the wall, without going in among them, from a ciftern at one end of the outward yard. There is one circumftance worthy the obfervation of all who build farm-yards ; and which does not feem to have been per- fedly attended to in the contrivance of this : all the divifions are on one flope, for car- rying off all water : but the urine of cattle is the moft valuable part of their manure ; rain will always prevent the keeping it among the dung ; becaufe the refervoir will run over ; but a yard fhould always have a flope to the middle to retain much, and the overflowings fhould be condudted to a well, to be pumped at pleafure on to a large com- pofl within the reach of a long trough turn- ing under the mouth of a pump on a pivot* Conduifting it by a kennel to a paflure to overflow it is very infuflicient, for parts of fuch pafture will have ten times too much, other parts too little, and fome none at all. it is a very good way to accelerate the pu- trefadion of the yard dung to have one well within reach of the compoft in the middle of the yard fo as, at pleafure, to throw it back THROUGH ENGLAND. 17' back through the mafs of dung ; this will very much quicken the rotting ; and it will be better ftill, if a layer of marie or turf be fpread in the yard in autumn. — I may alfo remark that the attention to the cleanli- nefs of the hog-fties, of carrying a ftream through them, wafhes away the beft part of their manure j they may by plenty of flraw be kept clean without it. Mr. Cooke has given much attention to the introduction of the Norfolk hufbandry in Derby fmre ; and particularly to the cul- ture of turnips, with proper hoeing : this very important objed, he has taken the proper method to render general ; he prac- tifes it himfelf : fows large quantities, and hand-hoes them perfedly, which is a flroke much beyond the farmers of this part of DerbyJJjire : but the vaft benefit this root is of to their landlords, cannot fail of opening their eyes by degrees. The forming compofts this gentleman attends particularly to ; he carts lime and farm-yard dung into his marie pits, and there mixes them with marie ; and after- wards fpreads the heap on his grafs land ; from which he finds great benefit : but I Vol. I. N Ihould 178 THE farmer's tour {hould obferve, that the excellence refults principally from the dung and lime ; for as to the red loam, here complimented with the title of marie, it is a mere loam : it has none of the qualities of marie ; has not the leaft effervefcence with acids, and does not crack or fparkle, when thrown into the fire . not having fyrup of violets, I did not try it in the changing of colour : but it is cer- tainly mere loam. ' Mr. Cooke merits much of his country from his conftant attention to thefe matters ; which cannot fail of having by degrees a beneficial influence on the hufbandry of Derbyfiire, Sir Robert Burdet, at Formark * fouth of ^renty has made fome experiments in huf- bandry * Sir Robert has lately built a large houfe that place : It is an oblong •, the corners projei ting enough to form bow windows, and ai domed : in the center of the principal front, is portico fupported by four Ionic pillars. It com- mands an extenfive profpedl over the vale througf which the ^rent runs ; and being well unii with fome fine woods, has a good effedl. Th( biick front (which is very light and handfome^ looks on fome hanging hills crowned by diftani plantations THROUGH ENGLAND. 179 bandry that deferve attention : He laft year planted a rood of cabbages, on a rich gra- velly loam, perfedly well manured with lime and dung, and dug 2 fpits deep. They were fet the firft week in April \ in fquares three feet every way ; and kept quite free from weeds by hand-hoeing : they came to a very large fize, many of them to 50 lb. and in general from 30 to Aplb. The ufe of them proved the immenfe quantity. In Odiober plantations -, fome of them are young, but in a few years will fhew themfelves to great advantage. The hall is 52 feet by 26. It opens on one fide into the principal apartments ; confifling of a dining-room, 30 by 21 ; a drawing-room, 28 by 21 ; and another, 34 by 21 : on this fide of the hall is likewife the great ftair-cafe. Thefe rooms are handfomcly fitted up : the chimney-pieces very elegant. On the other fide, the hall opens into the common parlour, 30 by 20, and ;that into the library, 20 fquare. Here is a very good piflure of the Holy Family of the fchool of Raphael \ the colours are brilliant-, the group good ; and the air of the old man's head fine. Alfo fome Dutch pieces j the attitudes in which jare very natural. It communicates with the :bed-chamber of the fame dimenfions ; and that opens into the lady's drefllng-room, 20 by 21, united on the other fide to the hall by an anti- room, 12 by 10, adjoining to which is another N 2 itair- i8o THE FARMER'S TOUR OBobcr he began to cut them for eight large oxen, that had been fatting through the liimmer ; they were given in i. grafs field, but fo bare of food that the cabbages were the only fubfiftence ; they lafted them two months ; nor did ever beafts finifh their fatting quicker or better. Some fheep were put to them, but they did not like them, however, being afterwards put into the cab- bage inclofure, they eat the fcattered leaves clean, ftair-cafe. The family apartment is therefore diftinft on one i'lde the hall, and perfeftly well contrived for convenience -, and the principal fuite of rooms on the other. The height of all the floors 1 6 feet: over it are eight bed-chambers, 2C fquare. The pleafure ground (which is not yet com- pleted) is very beautiful. A v/inding walk leads from the houfe through a wood of very fine oaks, down a falling valley to the banks of the ^rznt^ and turns up a cliff of rock and wood, which is one of the greateft curiofities in this country ; the river has nowhere fo bold and ro- mantic a fhore. The rocks are perpendicular and of a good height, and the intermixture of wood extremely romantic ; hanging over the cliffs in fome places in a ftriking manner, and almoft overfhadovving the water. The walk is, to be conducted along the edge of the precipice,| and will look down on the river winding beneath,] 3 througl THROUGH ENGLAND. i8i ;li ; clean, and pared away the very ftalks down to the ground. We may calculate the lis I value of the crop as follows : ?S' 8oxen, at 3.r.^frhead, ^t'r week, 9 12 o Suppofe the fheep - - 050 Total, - - ^. 9 17 o Which is /fr acre, - - jC- 39 ^ o The vaftnefs of the produce made me very felicitous to know the fort ; it is the great through the fcattered wood in a very fine Itile : a noble profpedl of the furrounding country well diverliiied by villages, will break upon the eye through natural openings among the trees. . It is to run quite through this woody precipice, and leadingr along a vale at the end of it thicklv planted -, will then mount a bold hill free of rocks, and wind thro' a plantation thick enough to exclude the view of the river, &c. until it arrives at the fummit, which is a very fine pro- Jeftion ; here it will open at once from the dark wood into a temple, inftantly commanding, as by enchantment, one of the richeu: views in the world. Beneath you at a great depth, '".e Trent makes a very'bold fweep, and winding ''. ough the valley, all richly inclofed, and of a fine ,er- dure, it appears at different fpots in the moit pleafing manner. To the left you command a fine ber^d of it, which leads to a village with a N 3 white i82 THE FARMER'S TOUR great North American cabbage. Sir Robert\ crop was not near equal to feveral others which he named ; who had them in com- mon up to 60, 65, and even 70//^. weight per cabbage. Among others, he mentioned Mr. Milner, of SeckingtQn, Warwickjhire, and I heard a fimilar account in Northamp~ tonfiire. Sir Robert has this year planted the fame rood again with them ; which I viewed, nor do I ever remember to have feen fuch plants ; they were (the firft week in July) quite joined, and fome of them fo enormoufly large, and fpreading in immenfe leaves, that they extended near 6 feet over ; nor has he any doubt of many coming tq 70/^.; which, from the appearance of the plants, I do not think improbable. What an acquifition will this plant prove in huf- bandry, to yield fo aftonifhing a quantity of food ! But I fhould here remark, that thefe white church rifing from the midft of it : and at fome diftp.nce beyond, it again is caught among the inclofures, beautifully fringed with trees and hedge-rows. You alfo look back on the rocky lleep of wood, rifing pi6lurefquely from the water's edge. There are few views finer than this ; f'"om hence, the plantations unite with c rher:: that conduft you again to the houfe. 1 THROUGH ENGLAND. 183 thefe very large cabbages were all in perfec- tion the beginning of OJober ; nor will any of the crop laft longer than 'January. This in all probability is owing to being planted fo early as April \ if fet at Midfwnmer^ it would then be feen how late in the fpring they could be had : of the Scotch fort, the crops on fine land are nearly equal ; if fb with the North American, the acquifition will be yet greater. Sir Robert intends trying this point. In his breed of cattle. Sir Robert Burdet is very curious. His Ihecp are much finer than any I faw in this country : he gave 20 guineas for the hire of a ram for only 36 ewes ; and has by that means gained a very fine breed ; he has a ram got by him, which will enfiire him an excellent breed in future. His cows are all of the pollard fort, that is, without horns ; which breed he chofe, to fave the plantations ; they are very fine cows, and the pollard bull the fineft I remember to have feen : But it is to be remarked, that this breed does not give the- quantity of milk as the Lancajhire long horns : Sir Robert has one of the latter which yields more than any of the pollards ; N4 4tgaU i84 THE FARMER'S TOUR 4 7 gallons a day are the higheft quantity j- of this particular cow. Here let me obferve, that the quantity of milk given by thefe fine cows, of what- ever breed, is a real fatire on breeds for a dairy. I had cows in Suffolk^ not worth i 5 /. a head, that gave four gallons a meal, that is, 8 a day, regularly through the height of the feafon; and 4 1- are here reckoned extraordinary. It is evident that improving the breed for fattening and hides, is mifchievous to milking. Anda very ftrong corroborating circumftance is the well known fa£t in Chefiire^ that a crofs by a Lancajhire bull is hurtful to their dairies. The Chefiire breed is much like the Suffolk ; a very poor ill looking cow, but great milkers. Sir Robert is very curious in his fences ; they are all of white thorn dipt, and fea- thered clofe to the ground. Refpeding the common hufbandry of this neighbourhood, it is remarkable that the farmers far exceed thofe abovemen- tioned, about Radburn and Marton: and that in many efTential particulars. One would almoll think that crofling the Hrent lead into a different country, from the va- riation THROUGH ENGLAND. 1B5 rlation in hufbandry. The meadows let at 20 J", an acre: all other iiiclofures at 15^. gn an average. Farms from 80/. to 200/, a year. Thecourfe of crops is excellent, 1. Turnips 3. Clover 2. Barley 4. Wheat. There cannot be a better for a found loam, that is dry enough for turnips : that crop is worth upon a medium 50 j. an acre. The barley yields 5 quarters an acre ; the clover is worth ^Lper acre ; and the wheat produces 3 quarters. Thefe circumftances all prove the goodncfs both of land and huf- jbanury ; let me form a flight calculatiou from thefe data, "BtXpences of an acre of land through the courfe, J Ploughings for turnips, at5J-. . - -^.150 3 harrowings, - - - o i 6 Seed and fowing, - - 010 Hand-hoeingj- -* «• - o 7 6 I 15 o Jlent, - - - * 0150 Town charges, -m «. 02 o 2 12 i86 THE FARiMER's TOUR Barley, 2 ploughlngs, - - ^. o 10 o Harrowing, - - - o i o Seed and fowing, - - 083 Mowing and harvefting, - 046 Threfliing, - - - 05 o I 8 9 Rent, - - - - 0 15 0 Town charges, - - - 0 2 0 2 5 9 Clover, Seed and fowing. 0 5 3 Mowing, making, and flacking. 0 5 0 Rent and town charges, 0 17 0 I 7 3 Wheat. I ploughing, - - - 0 6 P Harrowing, - • • 0 I 6 Seed and fowing, 0 10 3 Weeding, - - - 0 I 6 Reaping, - - - - 0 6 0 Harvefting, - - - 0 2 0 Threfhing, • - * 0 6 0 Carry-over, i 13 3 THROUGH ENGLAND. 187 Brought over, 113 3 Rent and town charges, - 0170 ^ 2 10 3 Turnips, - - - 2 12 o Barley, - - - - 2 5 9 Clover, - - - - I 7 3 Wheat, - - - -2103 Add for manuring, - -200 Total, 10 15 3 Produce, Turnips, - - - 2 10 o Barley, 5 quarters, at 16/. - 4 o o Clover, the proportion of 4 loads hay, - - -600 Wheat, - - - -600 Straw and chaff of wheat and barley, 100 19 10 o \\ Dedud expences, 10 15 3 Remain profit, - - 8149 Or, per ann, £.z 38 i88 THE FARMER'S TOUR So that the occupier of loo acres, makes neat per annum 218/. Sh* Robert Burdet is of opinion, that thefe men pay the utmoft the land is worth. If it is faid, that according to this account the farmers mufl make fortunes : No ; I reply : here is fuch a prejudice for little paltry farms, that, let the foil or culture be ever fo good, ftill they muft be poor* How is a farmer of 50/. or 80/. a year to gi-ow rich ? Suppofe they do not make fb much ; this only proves that the farms are too fmall, and that larger farmers (that is, richer men) would convert the land to greater profit. But a dedudion from the preceding account is fornetimes to be made on account of the bad hufbandry, of fowing the wheat on the barley ftubble, after the flight eating of the clover after harveft.— How common this is I know not. The excellence of the meadows in fome feafons, may be guelTed from Sir Robertas. once felling 700 /.'s worth of hay, from one field of 70 acres. The upland pafture in this country, being on a very dry found gravelly loam, is apt in hot feafons to burn ; I fhould appre- hend •%^ii THROUGH ENGLAND. 189 hend fainfoine would be a very great im- provement ; but it is certainly highly de- ierving the trial. Sir Kobert has had lucerne both in drills and broad-caft, and it failed*. The * At Akeover, near Ajhhorn^ to the weft of Radbtirny late the ieat of Akeover, Efq-, is a very famous picture of the holy family, hy Raphael, for which fifteen hundred guineas have beeii refufed j and what is remarkable, it was found among fome old lumber-, hid, as fuppofed, during the civil wars. It is wonderfully fine ; there is fuch a diffufion, grace, eafe and elegance over the whole piece, that it ftrikes the Ipec- tator the moment he enters the room. The grouping of the Virgin and the two children is as happy, as imagination can conceive: the attitudes lurprizingly caught. The turn of the Virgin's head grace itfelf. The expreflion of the boys, particularly Cbrijiy is full of animation ; and tho' not natural to the age, yet is it confif- tent with the idea of the artift, and uncommonly pleafmg. The warmth and tendernefs of the colouring cannot be exceeded ; the mellow tints of the fielh are an animated reprefentation of life ; and the general harmony of the whole piece, admirable. In the fame room are, . Unknown. The feeking Chriji at the tomb. The draperies fine, and the colours pleafing. Raphael. Copied from him. Chriji bearing the crofs. The airs of the heads in this piece are very finely varied. Ruhejjs. 190 THE FARMER'S TOUR The earl of Scar/dale^ at Keddlefion^ five miles from Derby y has not only ornamented the country in a very noble manner, by raifing a very magnificent manfion with confiderable offices and other buildings, but Rubens. The unjuft fteward. Some expreflion j but the airs of the heads vulgar. Titian. Venus. Exceedingly pleafing ; the foft- nefs of the flefh, and particularly th? breads, fine ; the attitude very eafy, and the turn of the head graceful. Titian. Ifidorus^ Ignatius^ and St. Francis Xavier. One would think from this picture, that the painter could never fucceed in a group •, every figure is a diftindt portrait, regularly arranged like chefs- men on a board ; but the heads are greatly executed j and the hands very fine. The chimney-piece in this room is very hand- fome. The ground, of flatuary marble, polifhed •, in the cornice, which is fupported by Doric pil- lars oi Egyptian marble, are bafs relieves. About three miles from Akeover is Ilam^ the feat of Por/,Efq; the gardens of which aj-e as romantic as moft in England. They confift of a fmall vale bounded by very high and rather fteep hills, totally covered with wood ; forming a com- plete amphitheatre. A rapid ftream walhes the bottom of them on one fide, and on the other is a walk, from whence you command the whole fweep, in a very great ftile j a nobler range of wood THROUGH ENGLAND. 191 but In the difpofition of his grounds, and the drelTmg his park and environs, has at the fame time worked a vaft improvement of the foil ; lands that were fo wet, as almoft to be boggy, are by draining converted into wood hanging almoft perpendicular can no where be feen. The walk at the entrance of the valley- winds up a rocky cliff, from which you look down on the river in fome places, and in others only hear the roar of it over broken rocks ; at the end of the vale, on the fide of the water, is a bench which commands the whole, and loolcs full on the entrance of the ground, which feems quite blocked up by a diftant mountain called 'Thorpe cloud, of a very regular coned fhape, blunt at top : The effedt fine. You look alfo upon a bridge thrown over the river, which perhaps hurts the view ; it is fmall, and not at all in nnifon with objeds of fuch magnificence, as thefe vaft woods, and the hill which rifes fo boldly above it : there fhould be no bridge in fight i or it (hould be a fingle lofty arch, to unite in effed with the reft of the fcene. Under the rock in the garden, two rivers rife ; one is the Manifold^ which runs under ground feven miles ; chaffs thrown in at Wetton rifes here ; it boils up like a vaft fpring, and foon after falls into the Dove. At a fmall diftance from Ham is a valley called Dove-dak., which is a narrow winding glen among a variety of hills and rocks, through which the river tgji THE FARMER'S TOUR Into excellent pafture ; and various othef trads of a barren or inferior quality, are now improved to the utmoft, fo that you no where fee any land that is not cloathed with a fine verdure. This is one great na- tional advantage of the nobility and gentry improving the environs of their houfes— they river Dove takes its courfe for about two miles. It is bounded in a very romantic manner by hills, rocks, and hanging woods -, which are ex- tremely various ; and the hills in particular of a very bold and (Iriking charafter ; they fpread on all fides in vail fweeps, inexprefTibly magnificent, and are much more ftriking than any thing elfe at Dove-dale. The rocks are in fome places very romantic -, rifing in various fhapes from banks of hill and wood, and forming a wild afl^emblage of really romantic objefts ; but they are much exceeded in magnitude by others in different parts of the kingdom. The courfe of the river is various, from a gentle current to great rapi- dity over broken rocks : and in fome places falls, but not in a bold manner : The fragments of rock in it, v/ith branches of wood growing from them, are truly romantic and pifturefque. It is upon the whole, very well deferving a traveller's attention ; but he will not find any thing in it fo ftriking as the hills, which without bulging into abrupt projedlions, fpread forth vaCc plains that hang almoll perpendicular to the river, and are very noble. I THROUGH ENGLAND. 193 they are excellent farmers, whether they defign it or not *. I was * Kedleston is one of the fineit houles in the kingdom : the principal front is beautiful -, it extends 360 feet, confifling of a center, and two wings, or pavilions : the portico is light ; it confifts of fix very fine pillars ; which fupporc the tympanum, at the points of whicli are fta- tues i the area of this portico appears to be very narrow, when you are in it, but not at a diftance : . the center front is 1 ^o feet long. The orarden front is a very uncommon one, but light ; the center has no windows in it ; but four pillars , project from the wall, and fupport as many fta- tues i between them are niches with ftatues in them alio. The Hall^ 60 by 30, within the columns ; 67 by 42, within the walls; and 40 high: 20 Corinthian columns of alabafter, 25 feet high, 2 feet 6 inches diameter. It is a very noble room, the proportion uncommonly pleafing ; the range of pillars is very magnificent : between them in pannels there are to be twenty Sacrifices in chi^rp ofcuro. Here are two ftatues : Apcl'.o^ Behidere. Meledger, of Paulo Pickini. One chimney-piece of ftatuary marble. The tablet reprefents the rape of the Sabms^ by Michael Angelo Buono Rotti. Another, the fame. The tablet, the conti- nence of Scipio, by Michael Angelo. The North Miific-room^ 36 by 24, and 22 high i finifned with ftucco, an Ionic eritabhiture. Vol. I. O antiqu? 194 THE FARMER'S TOUR I was agreeably furprized to find the country from Derby to Matlock in general inclofed and cultivated. Dcrbyjhire being generally reputed as wafte a county as any in England ; I was led to expeiS: large trads of antique ceiling, compartments, and ornaments. The chimney-piece of ftatuary marble. The tablet in the frieze an Epithalamium, from the yidtn. Rom. in baffb relievo. Here are, Cornelius John/on, Prince Henry, fon to Char. I. Guido. Bacchus and Ai'iadne. Amazingly fine. The figure of Ariadne is eafe and grace itfelf. — Her attitude pleafing ; and thfc drapery thrown acrofs her arm witii infinite tafte, and falls without the leaft ftifihefs. The foft delicacy of the flelli is charming. Bacchus is a fine figure i and well contrafted to that of Ariadne. The whole pid:ure is ex- tremely capital. i Viviano. Temple of Flora, j Vandeiji. Landfcape. . ' Horizonti. 1 t jr ^ i r ■p.. i Landlcape with figures. Baptiejl. Flowers. Fine. -Ditto. Flowers and fruit. Ditto. Gafpar Ochiali. Port of Naples. Giovanni di St. Gio'vanni. Horfes, figures, Scc.'- Bajfan. Milking cowg, &c. Ltic. Giordano. Triumph of Bacchus. Fine and fpirited ; but the grouping does not llrike : the colouring is good. I THROUGH ENGLAND. J95 of uncultivated country in every quarter of it ; but all the fouthern parts of it are rich : ia this track are fome un-inclofed commons, but they bear no proportion to the cuki- vated land. For feveral miles from Derby rents Vandetji. Shipping, &rc. Reinbrandt. Old man's head. Aftonifhing ex- prelTion. Signora Pozzi. Roman charity. Tempejta. Arm of the fea, thunder fiorm, ^Ci The PFitbdrazving-room, 44 by 28, and 28 high ; hung with blue damaik : antique ceilings coved and very elegant 5 exceedingly well exe- cuted. A Venetian window, and the door-cales finely finifhed with Corinthia?i columns in ala- bafter. The chimney-piece of ftatuary marble. The cornice fupported by two whole-length fe- male figures, very neatly executed. The tablet in the frieze, Virtue rewarded with riches and honour, in bajfo rel'iruo. Here are, An. Caracci, Olympia and Orlr.ndo. Great ex- prefiion, the attitudes ftrong ; and the colouring fine. Pmil Feronefe. iJlexandcr, &c. Fine. The Dilio, J figures are in the portrait llile. Francefco Bologmfe. Landfcape. Cuyp. Landfcape. Admirably brilliant and pleafing. Andrea del Sario. Salutation oi Eliz. and Mary. Mich. Ang. Bamhoccia. Thieves gaming. Ex- cellently done. O 2 196 THE FARMER'S TOUR rents run at 1 6 j". on an average ; neaf Matlock^ the inclofures do not Itt in gene- ral higher than from 8 to 12, but fome t6 20 J". They here plough with oxen in ftift work, 6 or 8 in a plough, but they fome- times. Raphael. Death of the Virgin. There is an nnufual brilliancy in this piece •, and the attitudes are odd : done in his firlt manner. Andrea Sacchi. Jttpiter and lo. Annibal Carracci. Magdalen, Good. Guido. Holy family. A moft pleafing group r the old man's head fine. Zuccarelli after Vandyke. Fejla Floralia. Polemherg. Holy family in landlcape. Ben. Lutti. Chrifi and the woman with the box: of ointment. A fine pi6lure •, but thd- exprelTion of Chrifi'^ countenance, mean. T> J o. ^ • ("Scripture hiftory. Strong. Bernardo Citro'zzi. j rr^ 1 - • u -r^. ; expremon, but in an odd DMo. L nil*; Claude Loraine. A landfcape, agreeably done. Raphael. Holy family. Very fine ; the colour- ing extremely pleafing. The attitiidfe of the Virgin is fimply elegant j the boys very fine : and the general har- mony of the whole pleafing. Dom. Fetti. Adam and Eve. Benedetto Lutti. Cain and Abel. Strong expref- fion, but dark, and the lights llrangely; diffufed. I Tinloret. Holy family. " j I THROUGH ENGLAND. 197 times plough with 2 oxen and i horfe, and accidentally with only 2 oxen ; they do an acre a day. It is obfervable, that here I iirft found a change in the ploughs. About J)erby^ they ufe a long beam to their fvving plough. i Qkfeppe Chtaru Holy Family : pleafing. Guido. Sleeping Cupid. Very fine. iVirV. Berriiom. Holy family. Parj^egiano. Virgin and child. This piece is done quite in the ftatue flile. T\iQ Library, 36 by 24, and 22 high; the ceiling mofaic. The chimney-piece of fta- tuary marble, Doric columns, with bafes to fup- port the cornice. In the frieze a tablet, from ' plate X. of RaphaeVs Cupid and Pfyche^ in bajfo relievo ; the ground of tlie whole Siena marble. Lucca Giordano. Diogenes^ &:c. Ver}' fine heads. « Carlo Lotti. Adam and E^ce. Strange attitudes. j Tiitio. Lot and his daughters. Ditto. I Rembrandt. Daniel interpreting to Nehuchnd- nezzar. Extremely fine ; the group- ing and colours excellent •, Re/ubrandj is to be traced ftrongly in leveral of the heads, but that of Daniel has an air rather comic and vulgjar. Guercino. Man's head. Spirited. ^\ Ditto. Man in armour. Ditto. i' I Andrea Saccbi. Figure of winter. Fxpreflive. I \ Salvator Rofa. Old man's head. Very fine. V i Nic. del Abbatti. Holy family. •i i 7^/V. Poujfin. Rinaldo and Arriiida. o 3 198 THE FARMER»s TOUR plough, and the whole machine rather heavy ; but here I found, for the firfl: time, Rotheram ploughs in common ufe ; and at a blackfmith's fhop, one with the Suffolk cat head ; but I apprehend it belonged to a gentleman ; Cuido. Andromeda chained to the rock. Fine \ but modefty forces the drapery where it could not remain of itfelf : it has not the eafe of tliat of Ariadne ; no expref^ fion in her countenance. The Salocn. A very elegant room •, a circle, 42 feet diameter -, 54 feet 6 inches high, to the top of the dome J and 34 feet 6 inches, to the top of the cornice j there are four large niches, 1 1 feet diameter, A land-ftorm, after Rubens. A fea-ftorm, after ditto. A rural fcene, after ditto. A boar hunting, after ditto. Four Bipjfo Relievos. STATUES. Santa Sufanna^ of Fiamingo. /Ominous, of the capitoL Prieftefs of I^s. Flora, of the capitol. Venus, oi Mcdicis. Dancing Faun. Mufe Urania. Ganimede, of the Villa Medici, Venus, oi Medicis, Dancing Faun. Mercury. The Idol m THROUGH ENGLAND, 199 gentleman ; no-body was near, or I fhould have enquired. Soon after I perceived they were all with the common Rotheram heads. Whatever wafte land is found in this coun- try, would do admirably well for fainfoine. It The Anti-Chamher^ 24 by 12, and 20 high. 1(5 JV/V. Toujfin. I.andfcape. : The Principal Dreffing-room^ 24 by 24, and 20 high i hung with blue damafk. The glafles elegant. flone. Lord and Lady Scarfdale. Very pleafing attitudes. Vandyke. King Charles I. Fine. Sir Godfrey Kneller. Prince Rupert'*s daughter. Guercino. Landfcape. Sir Peter Lely. Two whole-length portraits, Cimeroli. Landfcape. J)itio. Landfcape. , The State Bed-cbamher, 30 by 22, and 2Q^ high ; hung with blue damafk. Ricbardfon. Sir Nathaniel and Lady Curzon. Sir Peter Lely. Two whole-length portraits. Ditto. Duchefs of Tork. Vandyke. Sir Peter Rycaut, Ditto. Mad. d'Auhigne. The Wardrohe. 22 by 14, and 20 highj hung with India paper, Griffier. Ruin. Dominichino. Landfcape. Szvaneveldt, Landfcape. 04 20O THE FARMER*s TOUR It is a light loam on rock; and woul4 give vaft craps of that grafs. When the road leads to the edge of the high country, you look down at once or^ Wirkfworth Cofens. Matlock high Tower. Ditto. Vale near Matlock. Sahator Rofa^ copy after, Soldiers, &c. Unknown. J'urkijh Port. The Dining-room, 36 by 24, and 20 high ; finifhed with ftuccoi the ceiling painted, and very elegant. In the Circles, Europe — Afia — Africa — America. In the middle Circle, Love embracing Fortune. !The four "J A Triumph oi Venus. Seafons / oi Apollo. expref- ( •. oi Bacchus. fed by J oi Molus. The whole executed in a very neat and elegant manner. The chimney-piece of ftatuary marble. *Thermes of Bacchus and Ceres. Tablet, an an- cient repaft. The glaifes elegant ; the flabs of Siena marble. A nich for the fide-board, 12 feet diameter. Snyders. Hawks and ducks. Fine and natural. Ditto. Dead game. Ditto. Cerri Ferri. Hagar and IJhmael. Ditto. Ditto. Zuccarelli. Landfcape from Milton's Allegro. Brilliant and pleafing. Ditto, Landfcape from Milton's Allegro. THROUGH ENGLAND. 20 JVirkJworth beneath, alraoft in another re- gion ; quite on to the tops of the houfes and church. . It is fituatcd in a very fine valley, bounded Schiavoni Jvdr. Landlcape. BeautifLil perfpec- tive ; and the v/atcr inimitable. Fyte. Game and dogs. Spirited. Rcmanelli. Herodias and St. John. Exprefiive and fine. 'Theadoro. Merry-making. Zuccarelli. Porfenna. Admirably grouped ; much tafte and elegance in die figures, but they are merry too ; it is as riant as his landfcapes. Claude Lcraine. Landfcape. Two facrifices to Hygeia. The Great Stair-Cafe^ 3 1 by 20, and 49 high ; to be finiihed with paintings in Chiaro Ofcuro^ and piftiires. Carlo Maratti. Madonna and Chriji. Hamilton. Paris and Helen. Old Stone. Diana, Calij?a, &c. Mcrland fi'om Boccacio. Nov. Sett. Giornata zda. The Bacchus of Sanfcvino. The Apollo of the Villa Medici. Venus drawing a thorn from her foot. Camillus of the capitol. In the Family-Pavilion., are an Anti-room-^ then a Breakfaji-rccm., 18 feet fqiiare, finiflied with freico paintings and antique ornaments, after the Baths of Diockfian. Lady Scar/dale's BreJJlng-room., 24 by 18, hung with blue paper. Here are feveral landfcapes. 202 THE FARMER'S TOUR bounded every way by high hills. Turn- ing to the right, the road leads on the edge of a precipice which commands the valley in i>ady Scar/dak's Bed-chamhery 1 8 Iquare, hung with blue paper. Lord Scarfdale's 'Drejfmg-room^ 24 by 1 5, hung with blue paper, and coloured prints upon it* Carlo Maratti. Venus and Cupids. A Cartoon, The ftables are very fpacious and well built ; and peculiar in one circurriftance, which is hav- ing a range of vaults underground acrofs a paved yard in their front, with a door into each oppo- iite to tliofc of the (tables ; thefe are receptacks for the dung, which is moved here in barrows as faft as made, quite out of tlie way, and the yards kept perfectly clean ^ the dung is alfo more valuable as a manure, from not being ex- pofed to the rains : but gutters Ihould have been made into them from the {tables for the convey- ance of the urine : or if it was found to fill them too much, then into a refervoir with a purnp j and his Lordlhip would find the watering his lawns (in the lame manner the roads are watered at London) from fuch refervoir, would improve them in a very high degree. Kedlejlon is upon the whole a verj* noble houfe ; the architecture light and pleafingj and the hall, drawing-room, and dining-room excellent, and of juft proportions. The environs are finifhing in a manner equal to the building : in front of the houfe, for a con- fiderable extent, is a fine winding vale, which is 3 converting THROUGH ENGLAND. 203 jn a moft romantic manner. You look im- mediately down on a line variety of Inclo- fures, trees, houfes, rocks, lead-mines, all in converting into a river, forming in fight an ifland which is made into a pleafure ground : the lawns hang very well to the water i and are bounded by woods of noble oaks, in a mofl pleafing manner. The approach from Derby is through one of thefe woods, and the road leaving it, you gain an oblique view of the houfe : by entering another very fine v/ood it is lofl ; but on coming out of the dark grove, you break at once on the houfe backed with fpreading plantations, which when they all get up, will have a noble effefl. The water winds before it through the vale in the moft agreeable manner; you command both the reaches that form the ifland j and move up to the houfe over a fine bridge of three large arches. The line of approach being exceedingly well varied, without betraying any marked de- fign of purfuing fafliion at the expence of every thing elfe. From the garden front Lady Scarfdak has traced with great tafte a pleafure ground ; a winding lawn decorated with trees, fiirubs, and knots of wood, and a gravel walk through it : It winds up the vale between two hills to the right ; parted from the park on each fide by a lunk fence ; and as the fcattered trees and clumps are prettily varied, they let in, as the walk rifes on the hill, very piiturefque views of the lake, and the adjoining woods. It rifes to the fummit, and -04 THE FARMER'S TOUR in pldurefque confufion, and bounded in Pome places by hills ; either fpread with iiiclofure, or bare and fcar'd with rocks and ruins. About Matlock * land inclofed lets dear ; many grafs fields at 40 j. an acre, and down to and there commands a \'ery noble profpefl: of all the adjacent country. You look down into the park vale, with a large river winding through it, accompanied with fpreading lawns ; and bounded by very noble woods of oak : around the whole a vaft range of waving hills broken into inclo- fures of a good verdure ; and hanging to the eye in various fweeps. The walk from hence, with its attendant decorations, is to be carried through many plantations quite around the fouth fide of the park, from whence it will command another prolped; not at all inferior to the former one •, with the addition of the town of Derby being full in view. It is then to lead through other woods down to the water, and follow its fhore to the garden-, a very beautiful defign, which will, when executed, render Kedlejlon very complete. *■ The environs of Matlock Bath are fuperior in natural beauty to any of the moil finifhed places in the kingdom. They form a winding vale of above three miles, through which the river Derwent runs •, the coinie extremely various -, in fome places the breadth is confiderable, the itream fmooth j in others it breaks upon the 2 locks THROUGH ENGLAND. 205 to 25 J", and not a little arable fo high as 30 j-. The unimproved country is a light loam on limellone ] Vbcks and fails over the fragments j befides form- ing feveral flight cafcades. The boundaries of the Vale are, cultivated hills on one fide ; and very bold rocks with pendent woods on the Other. The bed tour of the place is to crofs the river near the turnpike, and then take the winding path up the rockj which leads you to the range of fields at the top, bounded this v/ay by the precipice; along which I v/alked, and would advife whoever goes to Matlock to do the fame, for it is without exception the fineft natural t^rrafs in the world. At the top, turn to the left, till you come to the projefting point called Hag rock. From this fpot you have a perpendi- cular view down a vaft precipice to the river, which here forms a fine fheet of water, fringed with wood on the oppofite fide : it falls twice 'over the rocks, the roar of which adds to the *€ffed of the fcene. The valley is fmall, and bounded immediately by the hills which rife boldly from it, and are cut into inclofures, fome of them of a fine verdure; others fcar'd with rocks ; and fome full of wood ; the variety plea- Cng. This whole view is very noble. Advancing along the precipice, the views caught as you move through the ftraggling branches of the wood v/hich grows on the edge of it, are very pi6turefque ; in fome places down on the water alone ; in others into glens of Wood dark and gloomy ; with fpots here and there quite io6 THE FARM»ER*s TOUR limeftone ; applied only to feeding ilieepi but all of it excellent land for fainfoine, which quite open, which let in various chearful views of the dale and the cultivated hills. Thefe con- tinue till you come to an elm with divided branches growing on the rocky edge of the pre- cipice : it forms a natural ballufbrade, over which you view a very noble fcene. You com- mand the river both ways, prefenting feveral fine fheets of water, and falling four times over the rocks. To the left, the Ihore is hanging wood, from the precipice down to the very water's edge, but the rocks break from it in feveral places, their heads beautifully fringed with open wood ; as if the projedion was to exhibit a variety of fhade on the back ground of the' wood. At the top of the rocks, and quite furrounded with wood, two fmall grafs inclofures are feen, divided by ftraggling trees — Nothing can be more beautiful. The oppofite fide of the vale is formed by many hanging inclofures ; and the higher boundary a great variety of hill cut in fields. To the right, the fcene is different ; the edging of the water is a thick ftripe of wood, fb clofe that the trees feem to grow from the water ; they form a dark Ihade, under which the river is fmooth : above this wood appears fome houfes furrounded by feveral grafs fields, beautifully ihelving down among wild ground of wood and rock. Above the whole a very noble hill, bare, but broken by rocky fpots. One cannot view this (Iriking landfcape, with- out wifhing that fome attention was given to fliow THROUGH ENGLAND. 207 ^^hich would thrive here to very great ad- vantage. Matlock Ihow it to the beft advantage •, if a walk (not a fine fbaven one like thofe cf a liower garucn, but a mere pafiage along the precipice) was made through a fiiiall but thick wood, io as to lead at once to the elm, that this amazine; (ctnc might break upon the eye by ilirprize, the e£[e<5t would be much greater-, and not exceeded by many views in England. Advancing, you come to a projefting point edged with fmall afh-trces, from which you have a fmooth reach of the river through a thick dark wood ; a moft pleafing variation from the pre- ceding fcenes. And above it to the right, a vaft perpendicular rock, 150 feet high, rifingoutof a dark wood; itfelf quite crowned with wood. The whole magnificent: — and turning another wave in the edge of the precipice, an opening in the Ihrubby wood prefents a reach of the river with a very noble fhore of hanging wood ; the rock partly bare, but all in a dark fliade of wood. A houfe or tv/o and a few inclofures, enliven the fpot where the river is loll ; all clofely bounded by the great hill. This view is a com- plete pic'cure. Proceeding further, the woody edging of the rocks is fo thick as to prevent any views, but .the river falling over fome rocks beneath, the roar of it renders this circumftance advantageous : It i§ the keeping of the general picture.- It leads to a point of rock higher than any of the preceding •, and beiiig open, prefents a full view of 2o8 THE FARMEH's TOUR Matlock is by no means a difagreeabld fpaw to fpend a fliort time at, for viewing the of all the wonders of the valley. To the left, the river flows under a noble Ihore of hanging wood -, and above the whole a vaft range of in- clofiires, which rife one above another in the moll beautiful manner : This point of view is hio;h enou2;h to command likewife a new vale behind the precipice : this ridge of rocky hill Ihelving gently down, is loft in a fine waving vale of cultivated fields of a pleafing verdure y and bounded by the fide of an extended bare hill. This double view renders the fpot ama- zingly fine. A few yards further we turned on to the point of a very bold projeftion of the rock, which opens to new fcenes ; the river is ktxi both to the right and left, glorioufly environed with thick wood : on the oppofite hill four grafs inclofures of a fine verdure are j"kirted with trees, through the branches of which you fee frefh fhades of green ; a pleafing contraft to the rocky wonders of the precipice. From hence the wood excludes the view for fome diftance, till you turn on to a point with a feat, called Adam\ bench ; and as the rock here projefts very much into the dale, it confequently gives a full command of all the woody fteeps you have paffed ; And a very noble fcene it is. The range of hanging wood, almoft perpendicu- lar from the lofty rocky points down to the very water, is ftriking: The bare rocks in Ibme places bulge out, but never without a fkirting of THROUGH ENGLAND. 209 the country around, and for very agreeable walks and rides. Each perfon pays i /. for dinner* of open wood, the light through branches fa growing from fuch lofty cliiTs, has an effect truly picturelque. The immediate lliore on the other ; fide is wood, and higher up varied inclofures. ' In the whole, a nobler union of wood and water fcarcely to be imagined. Leaving the precipice, a v/alk cut in the rock : leads to the bottom, where is another made along the banks of the river, but parted from it by a thick edging of wood and quite arched v/ith. * trees ; it is v/avcd in gentle bends in as true tafte as I remember ally where to have feen ; where the wood is io thick as to be quite impervious. I'he roar of the falls in the river is line ; in other t fpots the grove to the water is thin enough to let in the glittering of the fun-beams on the river, which in fuch a dark fequeflered v>^alk, has a very pleafing effeft. But are not thefe things wonderful^ when I tell you, that thefe walks, the fteps up the rock, and the bench at top, are all the work of the boot-ketch at the bath ; who has likewife built a pleafu re-boat on the river : fuch induilry, and at the fame time fo much tafte are highly commendable, and en- title the poor fellov/- to the encouragement which I hope he meets with. He is the only embei- lifher Matkck has had. This fhaded walk leads to a bench in view cf a fm.iU cafcade on the oppofite fide of the river j but I would advife my friend Boots to clothe his cafcade a little ; it v/ants wood about it. Scon Vol.. I. P after I I 210 THE FARMER'S TOUR dinner, as much for fuppcr, and 8 d. break- faft. Servants in proportion ; and horfes at the after is an opening to the right to a fine fwell of wood •, and then another to the left againll the great hill, which is here fine. The next place to which I would advife you: to go is to the high rock, which is at a fnfiall diftance ; the way to it is an agreeable walk, which gives feveral views. The rock is 450 feet perpendicular •, the river dire(5tly below j a fine fmooth Itream, giving a noble bejid : oppo- || fite, a vail fweep of hill, v/hich rifes in the " boldeft manner ; v/ith a pidurefque knot of in- clofures in the middle of it : on one fide, a fi:eep rid^e of rock i on the other, a varied precipice of rock and wood. You look down on the old bath v.'ith a fine front of wood •, many varied waves of inclofures bounded by diftant hills. Further on, on the fame eminence, you cor to a point of bare rock, from which you look down a p.'-ecipice of 500 feet abfoliitely perpen-J diculari the river breaking over fragments 0; the rocks, roars in a manner that adds to th fublimity of the fcene. The fliore of wood veryi, noble. From hence, following the edge of the preci pice, you conie to another point, from whence you have a double view of the river beneath, as it were in another region : to the left, the great,! rock rifes from the bofom of a vaft wood in the boldefl ftile imaginable. Sinking a little to the right, you have one of the moll noble views imnginable : the river gives a fine bend through a narroMT^ THROUGH ENGLAND. 2ir the common price : the rooms gratis. There are billiards and mufic. I took the road CO Chatfworth through a country wholly inclofed, that lets from lo j-. to 20/. ;iri acre *. But nearer to Chat/worth none lets I Harrow meadow of a beautiful verdure ; the boundaries of the vale, woods hanging perpen- licularlv, and fcar'd with rocks. In t:ie center, . round hill rifingi; out of wood in the midfl of a -ail fweep of inclofures, which hang to the eye n the mod pifturefque manner, has an effeft ilonifliingly fine. In one place a ileeple rifes rom a knot of wood ; and a variety of fcattered ilb.ges in others unite to render this fcene truly ;lonous. Matlock on the whole cannot fail of anfwering ;rearly to whoever views it. It is different from all he places in the kingdom. Several exxeed it in JLirticular circumftances : the rocks at Kefwick are nfinitely bolder, the water there and at Winandcr VLrd, far fuperior : the beauty that refults from lecoration is met with every day in a much finer tile -, for here is nothing but nature. But the latural terrafs on the edge of ths precipices, vith the variety of views commanded from it, is :ri that ilile exceeded by nothing I hs'/e feen. * A little beyond the feventh mile ftone I emarked feme hills to the left, one of them cut nto inclofures to the top, the reft fhecp walk : t is a ftrong inftance of the v.iftly .fuperior ;)eauty of a cultivated hill, to others that arc )are. P 2 liz THE FARMER'S TOUH lets lower than 15 j. except the new inelofed hills; much land nfesfrom20j. to 35/, They break up old turf by paring and burning. All Rotheram ploughs ufed *. From * There are feveral very fine woods about Chatfworih ; and the river in the front of the houle is very fine -, exclufive of them there ar^ not many circumflances very Itdking : as to the, \vater-works, which have given it the title oi Ferfailles in miniature, they might be great exer^ tions in the lafl age •, but in this, the view of Nilus's leaky body, dolphins, fsa-nymphs, and dragons vomiting water, trees fpirting it frorn their branches, and temples pouring down fhovl^ ers from their roofs — llich fine things as thdl are now beheld v/ith the utmoft indifference -r one feels not the pleailire of furprize unmixed with difgufl:, efpecially when conduced to fouf handfome lions, fpouting in the full view of the reach of a broad river, whofe natural courfe ihould eternally filence fuch bocus poeus gewgaws. The grand front of the houfe is an handlbine one : The hall is 60 by 27, flair-cafe 30 by 24^ The chapel is Ipacious and very handfomcl fitted up. A bed-chamber, 30 by 22. Drawing-room, 36 by 30. Dining-room, 50 by 30. The gallery, 100 by 22. An anti-room, 18 by 30. In the Attic ilory : A bed-chamber, 30 by 30. DrefTing-room, 35 by 35. THROUGH ENGLAND. -13 From Chaffwortb * to Tidiffwell the country is nineteenths of it inclofed and cuhivated ; Ithis fiirprized me, as I expelled to find the chief part of the Peak walle land : but fifuch great improvements have been car- ijried on in this country, that even fheep- .walks too rocky to plough, let at ^s. an .ere. Much grafs and arable up to 30/. Of fj ['Another, 50 by 30. Here are feveral pieces of very fine carving. iThe next room, 36 by 30. Pver the chimney-piece fome carving, admirably fine. j,The next, 36 by 30. Here are eight family portraits, fome of them line ; the carving over the chimney-piece, elegantly executed. A bed-chamber, 34 by 30. The carving fine. A clolet, 15 by 20. Here are feveral pi6bures. Another clofet ; among other pictures are, a Lady's head, the finidiing admirably fine : alio, a Knight of the Garter : fine, A bed-chamber, 21 by 21. The painted-room, 30 by 20. ■* It will not here be improper to warn the traveller againil depending on the Inn at Edcnfor, as a quarter from whence to view Chatfworth : Hj will there find nothing but dirt and impertinence. If he palFes a night there, thefe attendants will more than balance the viewing a much liner place than that feat. f i 214 THE FARMER^s TOUR Of wheat they reckon the average produce from 30 to 36 bufhels on their good land ; of barley 24. Turnips hoed, are worth 4/. per acre. Farms are various, fome fo low as 10/. ; but from 30 to 60 in gene- ral, and a fev/ of 100/. They ufe much lime, having vaft rocks of lime-ftone ; they lay 1 2 horfe loads on for vv^heat, the coll 6 d. each befides carriage. It does great fervice on grit flone land, but not on lime-ftone foils. Around Tiddfwell for many miles, therp has been worked as great improvements as in any part of England : all this country was a black ling but a few years ago, anii common land. It is now ail inclofed by a^ of parliament. As this improvement is very curious, and pradifed I believe in no other country, I was particular in my enquiries, being very defirous to know the means of effecfling fuch profitable undertakings. The foil is a dry light loam on rocks, either of grit or lime-ftone : the depth vari- ous ; land of the fame quality, not inclofed» lets at 2J-. 6d.\ fome at lefs. The firft work was the inclofure^ which was donp at the landlord's expence, but no more than the ring fence ; the fubdiviftons were made by THROUGH ENGLAND. 215 the tenants : it is all done by dry wall- ; the ftones taken out of pits, the total expence of getting, carriage, and workmanfliip, 41. a rood of 7 yards by i. Running meafure of the wall, 6 s. a rood. It lafts 20 years before any repairs arc nc- ceifary. Landlords, as foon as the ring fence is done, raife the rent to 12/. an acre. The next bufinefs is to lime it, which they do in proportion to the land; on that which is quite covered with ling, they lay vaft quantities, thinking it cannot well be overdone ; biit the quantity named in par- ticular is 360 bufhels ptT acre; hut on whiter land, they fpread from 160 to 280 biilliels. The expence is i '//. per bufliel fprevid on the land ; 360 at thac rate come • 'to 2/. 5 J", ps'r acre. It is laid on in the fpring and early in the fummer; on the ij better fort of land, the ling all dies away t (burnt by tir: lime) at Michaelmas^ and nothing more ir. ever fecn of it ; but natural ' graiTes, with plenty of white clover, come I up inftead of it : On fome fields it is from j one to two or three years before the new f turf comes in any great degree. The grafs they ufe for fheep or young cattle; and \' V \ ' foiue 2i6 TRE FARMErOs TOUR fome for dairies. Some of them keep regu-- lar ftocks of fheep ; the fields that were white land, will fatten fheep or cows ; but the ling foil won't for fome time after the improvement. On an average it takes 2, acres to fummer feed a cow. ^ Another method of improvement praG« tifed here on this hmd, is to pare and biiri^ it, and fow turnips on one earth, which they never hoe, but get from 2/, igj". tq 4 /. per acre for them ; then they take always two crops of oats, each generally from 8 to I o quarters per acre ; and with the laft lay down with hay-feeds, 4 quarters per acre ; Some ufe white clover and ray-grafs, but hay^ feeds are in general preferred. Some farmers* more flovenly than the reft, will take 3, 4, or 5 crops of oats, and lay down with the laft. As foon as it is laid, they lime it, fronv 150 to 250 hu[hc\s per acre; this brings i| exceedingly fine for feeding ; but if it is intended for the fey the, then they lay lime and dung, or lime and earth, but never lime alone. In fome parts they meet with black boggy places, and I do not find that they left fuch wafte, but aimed at the improvement of all. I THROUGH ENGLAND. 217 al]« If the bog does not exceed the depth of 2, or at moft 3 feet, they lime it in the fame manner as the reft, after a very flight . draining. It generally turns out excellent piillure ; the liming lafts good 20 years. Thefe improvements arc alfo carried on all the way to Caftktony and around that town. In the road from T^iddfuocll by I'Jdcn Hale are many very large clofes of : good grafs, gained in this maniier from the moors ; all of which are full of very 1 .rge herds of cows fattening ; which is the general ufe to which they apply all the liiliy country ; and it is very remarkable, that the grafs is equally good to the tops of \\\z higheft mountains. At the fummit of Ma?n Tor^ which is the higheft mountain ir^ Derhyfiire, is an excellent pafture. They , buy in cows for fatting the beginning of May^ at 5 /. and fell them fat in autumn for about 8/^ A good acre and an half will fatten one ; but of fome it takes two ! ^cres. Some farmers, befides their cows, keep m.any fheep. All thefe hills have \)een improved in the manner above men- 't tJi^ned v-'ith lime alone : none of them in the wpfft trads let for Jefs than ^s. many^ for 2iS THE FARMER'S TOUR for 10 J-, and 12 s. The whole country around Cajikton at an average 15/. -per acre. Mr. Hall of that town has brought fome into culture by paring and burning, and after turnips, fowing hay-feeds and white clover with oats, and the grafs thus gained has much exceeded that in the common way. Thefe improvements of moors are car- ried on to great extent in the Peak ; they reach to Bowdeft^ Middlecale : about Oiiter-^ fet many hundred acres are done. From Tiddfivell to Bakcivell all improved. From Buxton to Chapel^ much is done ; but in the country from Tiddfwcll to Sheffield much remains to do. Rents throughout the Peak are raifmg every day; in particular the duke of Devon^ fiire is advancing his eflates to a much higher value than formerly. Upon this whole fyftem of improving wafte land, I fhall venture a few remarks. In the firft place it is to be obferved, that the rife of rents on incloling is uncommonly great, from is. 6d, to 12 s. is a much quicker rife than I remember to have heard of; nor is it for good land already in cul- ture, but for wafte land to be improved, and THROUGH ENGLAND. 219 -^nd at the tenants expence : the fubdividing I .walls, with from 30 x. to 45 j-. per acre in I lime, are very heavy charges, to come with a rife of 8 J. or io.r. on l:\nd, much of it : as black as night witli ling. Moors have ' Ibeen enclofed, and are private property ready for inclofing in many parts of the north of EtJgJa/id^ without a mortaFs think- ing of the work ; but here the whole coun- try is improved at once by an inclofure. •■ I attribute this in a very great degree to the raifing rents. How it came to pafs that the landlords of this country fet fo high a value on their land, I know not ; but when they valued it (o much, and let it accordingly, tenants did the fame, and found it was impofiible for them to live without going quickly to work with im- provements ; this raifed afpirit of induftry ; land at i s. 6 d. an acre is not valued by a tenant ; a few ftraggling fheep will pay the rent ; no other ufe will ever be made of it: but raife it to lo.r. fuch jQovens con- duce then will not do, the foil muft be ap- plied to fom.e other ufe, or the farmer ftarves. In the north of England^ I have rode over trads of moors as good as any of 2 thcfe : 220 THE FARMER^s TOUR thefe : and though the landlords have a right of inclofing whenever they pleafe, yet no improvements are thought of. This is owing to the land being let at i j. or 2 s. an acre : were thofe landlords to raife the moors to lo.r. we Ihould foon fee them improved. I made thefe remarks, and rea-? foned in the fame manner in the regifier of my Tour through that country, and I have now the fatisfadlion of producing as llrong an inftance as pofhble of the truth of thofe fentiments. Land for which little is paid, of whatever kind it be, v^^ill be little confidered by a tenant ; but that for whicl^ much is paid, mi/j^ be well managed, or he goes to jail : a moft feeling argument, What a rife is it from 2s. 6cL to 12 j". rent, befides walling, and 40 j. liming! Tracts of land formerly inclofed, have adtually been in pofTeffion of feveral tenants in this country, and made no more of than the commons ; that of feeding a few fheep { but on the general rife of rents on the new inclofures, thefe old ones have been raifed in the fame manner ; theji^ and not till then^ | have they expended the 40 j-. an acre in lime ! So that raifing the rental to near fix \ times THROUGH ENGLAND. 2it times Its former height, only induced the tenant to lay out in one year more money than he would have expended in five cen- turies. And it is here well known, that they make mere money with their new rents, than ever they did with their old ones. Refpedling the management of their im- provement, there is no reafon to think it io advantageous as it might be with the afliftance of paring and burning : the farmers here omit thai: hufbandry, rather to fave expences than for any other reafon ; lime they have fo great an opinion of, that they would not vary their condufr acre, and reap on a medium 25 bufhels. For barley they ftir thrice, fow 4 bufhels, and gain at an aver- age 5 -i quarters. For oats they give but one ploughing, fov; 7 bufhels an acre, and reckon the average crop at 7 quarters. They give four ploughings fgr turnips^ never -24 THE FARMER*s TOUIt never hoe; ufe them for bciifls and flieep fed on the ground : but fome farmers draw therri and hiy on grafs for them. Thd price rifes from ^os, to 4/. Potatoes are pretty miich cultivated, and infeveral methods, both In the lazy bed way* and alfo on a fallov^. They have no gene* ral rule about the flicing them, being ufed both in flices and alfo whole fets. All are in rows, "and they are kept tolerably clean.- The crops rife from 300 to 500 biifliels j of the value of 40 /. ; After them they fow tiirnips or corn, and are fure of excellent crops. In the management of their manures, they attend moft to lime, as mentioned above. They never fold their fheep. Par- ing and burning is executed at the expence of 20 s. an acre. They never chop their flubbles, and they ftack much of their hay in the iields. They houfe their cattle. Good grafs lets from 40 j. to 50/. art acre : and they reckon that (Quantity fuffici-" cht for fummer feeding a cow. The breed of cattle is the long horned. Tlie cows give 2 gallons of milk a day, but forhe up to 5. The v/inter food, hay and flraw. They THROUGH ENGLAND. 12^ They fatten their fwine to from il to 40 ilone. Flocks of fheep rife to 1000; about Derwent and Hope, &:c. in the woodland* they have flocks up to 4000 ; — no folding. The profit is lamb and wool ; the firft 4/* 6 d. the latter i s. 6V. Their winter food hay or turnips. They know fcarcely any thing of the rot. In tillage, they reckon io horfes necef- fary to 1 00 acres of ploughed ground : ufe 2 or 3 at length, without a driver, and do 1 acre a day. The depth they plough is from 3 to 4 inches : The price 6 s, an acre. The annual expence of a horfe 6 /." They plough their ftubbles at Candlemas : Ufe all fwing ploughs. They did ufe oxen, but they are now Heft off. In the ftocking farms, they reckon 400/. neceflary for one of 1 00 /. a year. I Land fells at 30 years purchafe. Moft of the country tythe-free. j Poor rates i s. an acre ; in fame places 3 J. The rife within 15 or 20 years has been doubling. The employment of the women and chil- VoL. L Q^ dren 226 THE FARMER'S TOUR drea is chiefly in the lead mines. All drink tea. LABOUR. In harveft, i s, and board. In hay-time, is, bd. In winter, i s. Head-man's wages, 9/. Next ditto, 7 /. Lad's, 5/. Maid's, 4/. Reaping wheat, 4 J, 6^. per acre. Mowing barley or oats, i s, 6 e profJ pc6l from the hill, over which the road leads, is amazingly fine ; you look down on a valley to tally cut into inclolures, beautifully fcatrerc with trees, and the verdure very pleafing. Th hill forms fo high and fleep a precipice, that thi view is ablolutely perpendicular, cominandin the v/hole vale quite in a region below. Iti enlivened by villages, and fmgle houfes -, bounded on every fide by extreme bold hanginj hills. There are not many profpeds mor ib'iking. Middleton-dGle lias been mentioned as a fin^ fccne of rocks : but it is fo much exceeded- b various oth.cr places already defcribed, that particukir mention is i-iecdlcfs. THROUGH ENGLAND. 229 1. Fallow 4. Peafe 2. Wheat 5. Turnips 3. Oats 6. Barley. II ^ This introdii£lion of a fallow on land that will do for turnips is very bad huf- ; bandry* i. Fallow 4. Clover for one year, 2. Wheat dunged or limed 3. Oats 5. Wheat. They plough five or fix times for wheat; ibw 10 pecks, and reap 26 bufhels at an average. For barley they llir once or twice, fow 4 bufhels, and gain 4 4- quarters. They |.give but one earth for oats, fow 4^ or 5 bufhels ; and reckon the mean produce at 6 or 7 quarters. For peafe they plough but once, fow 3 '- or 4 bufhels ; never hoe them ; the crop about 20 bufhels. For turnips they plough 5 or 6 tlnjes, hoe them twice or thrice, and eat them on the land vsrith fheep ; but the largeft roots they fometiines draw, and give them to ibeafls on grafs fields: Others give them 'under cover v^th hay or ftraw to eat, and 'jWell littered : Slicing them, that the beafls ipay feed the quicker, is not uncommon. Q^3 The 230 THE FARMER'S TOUR The average price of the crops from 35 j. to 40 J. Their clover they mow once, and feed once. For potatoes they plough four or five times ; and manure the land at the rate of 2 o loads of long dung per acre ; the foil they chufe, the light hazel loam : Their crops are generally great ; oftentimes fo high as 30/. an acre. Barley they fow after them ; and get very great crops. In refped; to manuring, their chief de- pendance is on lime, which they lay on for every thing; a common quantity is 100 bufhels per acre, at the expence of 3 ox. the efFed: of it very good. They never fold their fheep. Their hay they ftack at home ; but never chop their ftubbles. They fometimes form compofts of dung, lime, and earth, for grafs lands : and they reckon coal afhes good for turnip land. Covered drains filled with ftones are often made in this neighbourhood. The beft grafs land lets at 25^. an acre; they ufe it chiefly for milch cows ; i ^ acre fufficient to fummer feed one. The breed, alii THROUGH ENGLAND. 231 all long horns ; and the quantity of milk given in a day by good cows, from 4 to 6 gallons. The annual produd: of each 6/. : As to hogs, they keep none, on the account of cows. The winter food hay alone, in the houfe. Swine they fatten from 18 to 30 ftone. The general management of iheep is to buy them ofr the cummons at Michaelmas ; and fell the lamb and ewe fat : they buy at 10 J. and fell the couples at 2 ox. The winter food, grafs and hay. The fleeces 4/^. each. The rot is common here, and they attribute it to the quick luxuriant growth of grafs from rains, and alfo from fprings : but no fprings will rot in a dry feafon. In refpect of their tillage ; the teams are hardly to be feparated from their brood inares : a farmer with 50 acres of ploughed ground will generally have 4 mares and 4 colts. They plough with 3 at length, and do an acre a day ; the depth 3 inches, and the price 6 s. Only fwing ploughs are ufed. The annual expence of a hoi fe they reckon at 6 /. \os. Stubbles for a fallow are not broken up till the fpring fowing is 0^4 over, 232 THE FARMER'S TOUR over, and in that work they ufe five horfes in a plough. The hire of a cart, 4 horfes and a driver, 10/. a day. They reckon 400/. neceflary to flock a farm of 100/. a year. Tythes are generally compounded. Poor rates 2 s. in the pound ; which is double what they were twenty years ago. The employment of the women and children^ fpinning ; all drink tea. There are but few leafes granted in this country. The farmers carry their corn j miles, LABOUR. In harveft, i j". 6 d. and board. In hay-time, ditto. In winter, i s. and beer. Mowing grafs, 2 J. and beer. Hoeing turnips, 6 j". and beer, the firft timej the fecond is done by the day. Threfhing wheat, 8 ^. a load of 3 bufhels, •Y barley, ditto, ^ r : oats, 6 d. ditto, Head-man's wages, 10/, Next ditto, 6/, • J^d's, 4/. Maid'sjj THROUGH ENGLAND. 233 Maid's, 2/. 10/. to 5/. Women a day in harveft, 8 d. and board. ■■ in hay-time, %d. and ditto, »■ in winter, 6d, 1 fhe rife of labour of late years one third, IMPLEMENTS. A waggon, 20/. , A cart, 1 1 /. I Harnefs per horfe, i /. I J. '{Shoeing, is. ^d. PROVISIONS, '. Bread, per lb. id. 1 Cheefe, 4 ! Butter, 7 1 Beef, - - 3 i Mutton, 3t Veal, 3 F Pork, Z\ Milk, o\: d. per pint. Potatoes, 4 per peck. Candles, 6 per lb. Soap, 6 Labourer's houfe-rent, 2 /. to 3 /. Coals, 5/. 6d. a ton, carriage included. The town of Chejlerjield has nothing to emertaiii a traveller , unlefs he chufes to admire 234 THE FARMEH's TOUR admire the Ingenuity of a crooked fteeple. Their architect, full of Hogarthh idea of the line of beauty, thought no form fo* proper for a fpire as a crooked billet ; in which he has very happily fucceeded, to the great improvement of tafte in that neighbourhood. I remain, yours, &c. V THROUGH ENGLAND. 235 y. LETTER V. THE following account of the huf- bandry around Lawton near Bawtry I in Torkfolre^ I have gained by the very obliging attention of Colonel St, Leger * oi Park-Hill. Farms rife from 20/. to 150/. a year; the average about 60/. The foil is in general a light hazel loam on grit, and lime-ftone ; but they have fome clay. The rent 8 s. an acre on a medium : Their courfes of crops as follow : 1. Fallow 3. Beans or oats: 2. Wheat or barley This is the open field courfe. In the inclofures, I. Turnips 3. Beans 2. Barley 4. Wheat. I. Turnips 3. Clover 2. Barley 4, Wheat. I. Fallow 3. Clover 2. Barley 4. Wheat. Member for Grmfiy. They 236 THE FARMER'S TOUR They plough from four to fix times fbf wheat ; fow i o pecks per acre ; and gain at a medium i8 bufhels. For barley they ftir from four to fix times in fallowing ; but after turnips only once : fow 3 bufhels per acre about the end of March or the begin- ning o^ April: the mean crop they reckon 3 quarters. For oats they give but one earth, fow four bufhels, generally in Fe^ bruary or the beginning of March^ and gain in return about 4 quarters. They flir but once for peafe, fow i o pecks ; ncYcr hoe them ; the crop 22 bufhels. For beans they plough no more than for peafe ; fow 4 bufhels ; and gain in return 21 bufhels on an average. Rape they fomctimes fow; prepare for it by fallowing ; the produce 5 quarters an acre of feed ; they fow wheat after it, and feldom fail of good crops. For turnips they plough from four to fix times ; very few of them hand hoe ; only here and there a farmer, who is much be" yond his neighbours ; about enough to prove by the purchafing price, that an acre hoed, is worth two unhoed. They feed them en the land by fheep and beafls ; THROUGH ENGLAND. 237 fome few are tied up to fatten on them ; in which method they find the crop to go much the fartheft : one acre will finifh the fatting of four hearts, each of 40 ftone. The felling price per acre, is en an average Their clover they commonly feed firft; and then mow it for feed, of which the crop is about 3 buflicls per acre : of hay from I to 2 t tons. In refped of manuring, they find none exceeds paring and burning the old fwarth, fowing either wheat or turnips after it. Sometimes they get forv/ard crops of the latter, and feed them off time enough for wheat, in which method they never fail of great crops. The paring and burning coft 1 5 J", an acre. They confine their cattle pretty much to the farm-yard ; but have no idea of chop- ping their wheat flubbles for littering them. Pigeon's dung they fometimes fpread on their barley lands, about 3 quarters /»6r acre> at 8 J. a quarter. The heft grafs land lets at zo s. an acre, they generally mow it ; an acre and half about fufficieat for fummcr feeding a cow. 3 Their 238 THE FARMER'S TOUR Their breed of cattle, all long horned : the average quantity of milk per diem^ i \ gal- lons, but the belt cows give fix gallons. Mr. Mathewmans of Grampton has had 15 lb, of butter a week from one cow. The average of total products per cow 4 /. but good ones rife to 6 /. They are not well acquainted with the hufbandry of making their dairies maintain great numbers of. fwine ; but to ten cows they keep in the proportion of about two fows. Their cows are in winter kept chiefly in the houfe. Their fwine fatten up to 25 flone : 20 the average. Flocks of fheep from 80 to 100; their food in winter hay. The average fleece In their tillage they reckon 6 horfes ne- ceflary to 100 acres of arable land: ufe three or four in a plough ; and do an acre a day; from 2 to 6 inches deep. The price of ploughing 5J. an acre. — ^ — They reckon the annual expence of a horfe to amount to 7 /. They know nothing of cutting ftraw into chafl^. Some oxen they ufe, generally four in a plough ; and affert that they will do as 2 much THROUGH ENGLAND. 239 much or more than the fame number of horfes ; and yet their horfes are good ones. The thne of breaking ftubbles for a fal- low, extends fjfbm November to May. The ploughs are all Rotheram ones. The hire of a cart, three horfes, and driver, a day, 6/. In the hiring and (locking farms, they reckon that 400 /. is neceflary for one of 100/. a year; but that 500/. is requifite to do it thoroughly well ; they divide that fum in the following manner : Six horfes, 6 Cows, - - - 10 Young cattle, 100 Sheep, Swine, - - - 2 Waggons, t 3 Carts, - - ^ 3 Ploughs, 5 Pair of harrows, 1 Rollers, Harnefs, - - - Sundry fmall implements, Houfiiold and dairy furniture, 1 00 Rent, Carry over, 393 3 £.7^ 0 36 0 30 0 z^ 0 2 10 30 0 20 0 3 3 4 0 I 10 9 0 5 0 e,ioo 0 50 0 240 THE FARMER'S TOUR Brought over. 393 3 Town charges, lo 0 Houfe-keeping, 30 o I Man, - - - 8 0 2 Boys, - - A 10 0 I Maid, - - - 3 0 Labour in hay and harveft, 10 0 Seed, - - « 20 0 Cafh in hand, 15 17 iC. 500 0 Land fells at 35 years purchafe. LABOUR. In harveft, 9 j. a week and board. In hay-time, ditto. In winter, i J. 2 ^. a day. Reaping wheat, 4^. iq^. to 5/. and (id. Mowing barley, and binding into fhcaves, 3^. " ■ grafs, \s, id, to i s, 6 d» fainfoine, i /. 4^/. to \s, 8 d. Hoeing turnips, 6 j. the two hoeings. Plafliing a hedge, and repairing the ditch, 10^. an acre of 28 yards. Thrafhing wheat, 3 //. a bufliel. ■ ■ ' ■■ rye, 2 ^. ^ ditto. Thrafliing THROUGH ENGLAND. 24^ Thrafhing barley, is. 3 ^. per quarter. * — *■ ' oats, I s. ditto. peafe and beans, yd. the three biifhels. Making faggots, I /. a hundredi Wages of firft man, 9/. Ditto of the next, 8 /. Lad's, 6/. Dairy-maid*s, 3/. ioj-^ Other ditto, 3 /. Women p^r day in harveft, i Si In hay-time, 6 d. and beer, f n winter, 4 d. Vahie of a man's board, 3 J", a week • his wafhing, i /. a year. Rife of labour, a fourth in 10 years. PROVISIONS. Bread, per pound, i d. Cheefe, - - 4 ;- Butter, - - 67 Beef, - - 34 Mutton, - - 3 T Veal, - - 3^ Pork, - - 4 Bacon, - "7 jyiilk, - - I ^. a pint.. I Candles, per pound, 7 i i Vol. L R Soap, ^42 THE FARMER*s TOUR Soap, per pound, 6 d. Labourer's houfcrrent, i /. Coals, 1 5 J-. 6d, for 35 cwt, BUILDING. . Oak timber, 10^/. to 2 J. Afh, 8^. Elm, bd. A carpenter a day, is. 4^. A mafon and thatcher, ditto. Stone walls in mortar ; workmanflilp, 3 /. 6 ^. a rood, 7 yards long by i high, and 1 8 inches] thick ; getting the ftones i s, and lime 6d, in all ^s.'y that is, 10 j.fora wall 6 feet high, befides leading. Farm-houfes all of flone and date. There are many worfe fyflems of hulhan- dry than the preceding ; tho' it is by no means free from objedlions. The crops in general are not fo confiderable as they ought to be on a hazel loam ; this is much owing to their not hoeing their turnips, which certainly affedls, not only the crop iifelf, but all that fucceed in the courfe. Beans they never hoe, and yet make them a fallow crop, following them with wheat ;— this is j running the land too rnuch : the idea of fallow c?'opSy fuch as turnips and beans, being THROUGH ENGLAND. 243 being equal to fallows, is founded on their admitting the hand-hoe (v/hich wheat, barley, &c. will not) — fo that the ground may be kept as clean as the farmer plcafes. If beans and turnips are well hoed, they ought to be efteemed fallows but it is very pernicious to rank unhoed crops in tlie fame clafs. Wheat 1 8 bufhels per acre is not anfwerable to the other particulars cf the hufbandry ; nor are 3 quarters of barley or 4 of oats to be mentioned under circum- flances that would fo much increafe them. But the contraft between the hoed and un- hoed turnips, is fufficiently ftriking : — the value of the former being double to that of the latter, fpeaks clearly the abfolute necef- fity of that practice being univerfal among , them. '! : A light hazel loam being ploughed with more than two horfes is prepofterous ; this is a point that fhould be remedied undoubt- ' edly. Colonel St. Leger fet them a better example, which one would apprehend muft have efFedl in time : their comparifon be- tween horfes and oxen is very decifive, and ' yet they ufe the former chiefly : it is diffi- cult clearly to account for this. R 2 A much 244 THE FARMER^s TOUR A much better hufbandry would be found among them if the farms were larger ; they are too fmall for any fpirited hufbandry. At Gateford^ four miles from Park-Hilly are fome variations which deferve noting* Farms are of much the fize with thofe juft minuted. The foil, fand — —clay » and Hme-ftone land :— — the parifh border* on Shirewood forell ; and includes fome of it ; all which is a light fand. The rent of the forefl land is 3 j. an acre ; of the old inclofures 12 s. 6 //. ; average of both 10 s* The courfe of crops, •' 1. Turnips 3. Clover i year 2. Barley 4. Wheat. For wheat they plough five times, fow 10 pecks, and reap on a medium from 18 fo 26 bufhels. For rye, after wheat, which is fometimes pradtifed, they ftir but once 5 fow 2 bufhels, and reap 24. They flir bufe once for barley ; fow 3 bufhels, anix ^S^ THE FARMER'S TOUlt Six horfes fed 25 weeks, at 5J-* ^ - - ^.37 10 0 The fourth ^ - ■* ;C- 9 7 6 which is the producH: per acre, per anmim^ cf whin land thus applied. I aiked him particularly about the number of horfes. He told me at firft 10; but upon my calcu- lating the value, he replied, " I dorCt think I am above the mark., but to obviate objec^ fions^t fet it down at Jtx, " — This improve*- ment, it muft be allowed^ is of a moft im^ portant kind ; and certainly reduces the ex* pence of horfe-keeping more than any other pradice ever heard of. The pooreft land does well for whins ; 2 j". an acre rent will yield vaft crops ; and after the firft planting, which cofts but little, for the feed is cheap^ will require no other expence or trouble than the cutting for the horfes. A horft may certainly be thus well kept the fii^ winter months for 2 x. 6 d, labour excluded^ Mr. Eddifon keeps his cattle in the farm^ yard during winter; and gains thereby li loads of dung for every head of cattle win- tered, horfes or horned cattle. A method of feeding with hay, pradifed THROUGH ENGLAND. 257 yy him, is worthy of attention : he has sreded a houfe, of which Plate III. Fig. 2. s a reprefentation : the horfes feed on the mtfide from racks, which are filled on the ,nride either from a chamber over the body )f the houfe, or from the houfe in general, n cafe it is all filled with hay : In a field it s but an improvement of bad hufbandry — ■ )ut fuch a houfe in the center of a farm- yard would be of excellent ufe. a. The body of the houfe. b. The roof. c. c. The projeding roofs, under which he horfes feed. d. d. The racks. I proceed with great pleafure to the egifter of Colonel St. Leger\ hufbandry, vhich is not only truly experimental, but .^mbraces fo many objedis, that it cannot •ail of being particularly valuable to the publick. I SAINFOINE. Experiment^ No. i. In 1765, three acres of a thin lime-fione Toil, let at ^s, an acre, were fown with fainfoine the beginning of Aprily 4 bufhels Vol. I. S of 2s^ THE FARMER'S TOUK of feed per acre, and 2/6. of trefoile, amon^ barley. The land had been twice cropped with turnips, both times fed by ftieep. After the barley was harvefted, the fain- foine, &c. was kft unfed by any cattle. 1766. The following year it was mown for hay ; the produce two loads an acre, but chiefly trefoile. In the after-grafs the fainfoine principally came, and it was worth I o J", an acre. 1767. This year the trefoile difappeared ; and two loads and an half of fainfoine per acre •^ere cut. The after-grafs again was worth IQJ". 176S. The latter end of 'January the field was harrowed with three horfes, twice in a place, acrofs, to clean the fainfoine plants from natural grafs, and fome weeds that had rifen : the efi'edt was completely an-i fwered, and without any damage to the crop. Two loads an acre were cut; the after-grafs valued at 10/. an acre. A 1769- ^\ JVa/r Jn.VoU.pa..zjifi. : B tHRdUGH ENGLAND. 259 1769. This year it produced one load and aa half of hay ; and an after-grafs of 10/. 1770. This year one load an acre is cut. The reafon of the produd: declining is the want of manure ; fainfoine will not yield large crops on this foil without being tefrefhed once in four years with a manur- ing of fome fort or other. It is to no other taufe that the crops have fallen off; for ; there is great plenty of roots. A flight calculation will fhew the profit of this experiment. Expences per acre. I 1765. beed 4 buihels, at ^s. bd. k'O iS 0 2 lb. Trefoile, - 0 0 6 Sowing, - 0 0 6 Harrowing, at i J". - 0 2 0 3 Earths, - 0 15 0 Rent, m 0 5 0 2 X 0 1766. Mowing, mak- ing, &c. ;^. 0 7 6 Rent, - 0 5 0 12 6 — — ^j Carry over, 13 6 iS s 26o THE FARMER'S TOUR Brought over, jf.2 13 6 1767.01110, - - - o 12 6 1768. Four harrow- ings, - ^.040 Mowing, Szc, 076 Rent, - 050 — o 16 6 1769. Mowing, &c. and rent, o 12 6 J770. Ditto, - - - o 12 6 Total in 6 years, - S 1 ^ Produce. ' 1766. Two loads of hay, at 30 j. 3 o o After-grafs, - - o 10 o 1767. Two and half loads, - 3 ^5 o After-grafs, o 10 o \ 45a 1768. Two loads and after-grafs, 3 10 o 1769. One and a half load, - 250 After-grafs, 076 2 12 d 1770. One load, i 10 o After-grafs, fup- pofe, - 050 — „i^ I I f o I -^ Total produd, ^.15 12 6 i THROUGH ENGLAND. 261 ' ^otal produ£t, - - ^.1512 6 Expences, - - ^ S 1 ^ Profit in 5 years, 10 5 o Which is per annum^ £,2 i o The profit would have been much greater had the land been manured at the end of the third year ; but ftill the profit is extra- ordinarily high for fuch poor land, that under any other management would yield . a moft infignificant advantage, as may be gathered from the rent of 5 s. — And let me further obferve, that the rent at which this fort of land under fainfoine will let, which is 25 J", an acre, though it feem.s fo amazing ; a rife, is yet fl:rongly confirmed by this eftimate ; for this field was undoubtedly worth that rent ; and v/ould appear yet more fo, had it been manured. b This trial is a ftriking proof of the great M excellency of fainfoine on thefe lime-fl:one foils : they are in every other application moft unprofitable land ; but by means of this excellent grafs, are advanced without expence to a par with the richeft meadows. S 3 Expe^ 262 THE FARMER^s TOUR 'Experiment^ No. 2. In 1 764, fix acres of the fame foil as the preceding trial were cropped with wheat ]| it had been fo badly managed that the land was quite run out of heart, 1765- This ftate pf it determined Colonel ^U Leger to give it a complete fallow : it had; five earths ; and was manured with 50 load^ pf old rotten dung. .,. 1766. • *; In this preparation barley was fown, 3 bufhels per acre ; and with it 4 bufhels per acre of fainfoine, and 2 lb. of trefoile. ThQ barley produced 4 quarters per acre. 1767- The crop was mown for hay : it prOf duced (chiefly trefoile) two loads an acre^ The after-grafs was worth 10 s, an acre. 1768. Gut it again ; produce the fame as laft year. 1769. Cut it the third time ; produce the fame. J770, I TUROU-GH ENGLAND. 265 t "J 770. * 'Harrowed it the beginning of January eight times ; four times one way, and then Cour more acrofs. After the harrowing, manured it with farm-yard compoft mixed with afhes, 5 loads an acre. The crop of \ tay 2 loads an acre ; it would have been much more confiderable, had the harrow- ing been later ; the fucceeding frofls and a I cold fpring kept It backward. It promises \ liovjfever extremely well ; and wll] l?ift good eleven years longer^. 'Experiment^ No. 3. Six acres of the fame land, the rent 4 s, ^^r acre, were fallowed in the year 1766 for turnips; and manured with 10 loads fer acre of rotten dung : they were fed on jhe land, and in 1767. followed by barley, 3 bufh^ls an acre feed, 4 bufhels of fainfoine, and 2 lb, of trefoile. 1768; The firft year the crop of hay amounted to 2 loads an acre ; and the after-grafs, 10/. and has continued ever fmce to produce the (ame quaijtity. What a vaft profit is it to S 4 gaia 264 THE FARMER'S TOUR gain 3/. 10 s. per ann. from land of 4^. an acre ! I do not think the whole range of hufbandry can produce any improvement greater than this ! And let me obferve, that the valuation of 30 s, a load for fainfoine hay is extremely low ; — I know fcarcely any country in which it would not be worth more money. This crop will laft 12 years longer ; but it muft be manured once in four years. ,: Colonel ^f. Leger finds from repeated experience, that the proper foil for fainfoine js the fine dry loams on lime-flone ; but it will not grow on rocks in folid ftrata, with-f out thofe numerous interftices which are ge- nerally found in beds of lime-ftone : This is owing to the folid rock not admitting the roots to (lioot deep through it ; they can only fpread on a fmooth furface ; whereas in lime-ftone it runs along on the folid parts till it meets with crevices, and imme-^ diately fallows them in the fearch of nou-»'; rifhment. None is ever fown here without a rock under the furface of loam. It will do very well where the foil is not abo\e 4 inches deep, but thrives better where it ha$ 9 or 10. The culture Mr. St. Le^er recom- mends THROUGH ENGLAND. 26^ liicnds is, to take two crops of turnips fuc- ifliffively ; to manure the land for the firft, and to prepare it well by ploughing : both crops to be well hand-hoed ; and fed on the land with flieep. Then 3 bufhels of barley ; or oats to be fown, and with them 4 bufheh of fainfoine, and 2 lb. of trefoile. This is a pradice in w^hich the Colonel is original, and it is undoubtedly a moft excellent one ; for the fainfoine the firft year is of little account, but the trefoile yields its full pro- duce ; and then dying away, the fainfoine fucceeds in vigour. I am fenfible it may be objeded to this, that the growth of the trefoile muft be prejudicial to the young fainfoine ; but in anfwer to this it is very juftly obferved by Colonel St, Leger^ that the enquiry is not, whether the land fhould be occupied by fainfoine alone, but whether weeds or trefoile be preferable. For he has regularly found in all crops, that the land will be occupied by fomething ; if you don't fow for a crop, the foil will feed I itfelf with weeds ; and the latter will be to , the full as prejudicial to the young plants, as any crop of trefoile can be. After tbree crops are taken, the land is to be 266 THE FARMER^s TOUR be harrowed twice acrofs, and then manured with fine fiftedcoal afhes, about 2oobufhQls fer acre : or elfe with foot, 70 bufhels per acre. If neither of thefe can be had, rotten dung mixed with earth will be a very goodi compofl, 8 loads an acre, at 4/. a load, all expences included. If near a town, fcaven- gers manure is beft of all, 8 loads an acre, all at the expence of about 30 j. an acre, ThjS manuring muft be repeated once in- four years ; and always preceded by har- rowing. There is no other objection to"' mowing it twice in a feafon, except the after-grafs not yielding a bulk fufficient for hay. If it is fown without trefoile, then it may' be fed through the firfl year; but if th^ trefoile is fed, it will not die, t This gentleman is very well convinced, that it is weeds and grafs only that kill fain- foine ; if kept perfe<5lly clean, it will prove a true perennial. With this fyftem of management, crops of hay of 2 loads each may be expedied, and an after-grafs worth i o j". an acre. When you break up a fainfoine lay, it fiiould be by paring and burning for tur- THROUGH ENGLAND. 267 ! pips ; and if the land Is to be again laid down to fainfoine, then fow barley — -then peafe ; then two more crops of turnips both well hand-hoed, and after them barley and the fainfoine. It is a common notion that this grafs will not do again on the fame land ; but Colonel Sl Leger attributes this idea to the land being again fown too foon after the laft crop ; in which cafe he con- ceives it jnay fail, from the crevices in the flrata of rock being all fo full of the old roots, that the young ones cannot find an entrance ; but if you keep the land in the above courfe of tillage, they will all be rot- ten and prove a manure for the new roots, inflcad of being any prejudice to them. That fainfoine will fucceed on old fainfoine land, he knows by experience ; for the fix acres reglftered above, Experiment, No. 2, were cropped with it, fome years before he ibwed them. BURNET. Experimcfit^ No. 4. Two acres of a rich loamy foil two feet ; 4eep with no rock in it, the rent i /. is, . fer acre, were well limed and dunged at the , expence 268 THE FARMER»s TOUR cxpence of 5 /. an acre for turnips, which were fed on the land ; it was then by ploughing and harrowing, made as fine as a garden, in April, and burnet fown on it, 1 2 lb. of feed per acre, at 2 j-. a lb. without corn. It came up very well and thick. By the latter end of May, it wanted weeding. As this was the firll trial of burnet in thi^ part of the country, and the character of the plant at that time very high ; Colonel St. Leger very laudably determined to givi it as fair a trial as pofTible, that he might be able to afcertain its real value ; if ufeful^ to extend the culture in the neighbourhood ; but if it proved otherwife, to prevent it; The weeds throughout the fummer came ii| fuch quick fucceffion of crops, that it re- quired perpetual attention to keep the burnet clean ; it was however done ; and the ex-i pence of this alone, amounted to 10/. an acre : It yielded nothing the firft year, nei^ ther hay nor food. It was left the following year for feed, and mown the latter end of June : the crop very confiderable in quantity. Ten pounds worth of it were fold at i j-. a lb. but for want of a further market the reft was of no value. I n. 1! i THROUGH ENGLAND. 269 Halue. The draw from the two acres amounted to 5 loads, but it was coarfe; in the following winter it was given to the cattle in the farm-yard; they eat it, but not without wafte ; preferring oat-flraw. The after-grafs arofe well, and was a con- Cderable crop at Michaelmas '^ all forts of cattle were tl>en turned in : all eat it at firft, but foon fell to the young fhoots of the hedges ; nor would they touch it any more, but pined and fell off in their looks ; they ,were taken out; and the growth left for fpring. It vegetated through moft part of the winter. In February fome fatting fheep were turned in ; but they would not touch it, they were therefore taken out, and the , burnet left for hay : It was mown the latter end of May ; the produce two loads an , acre : It was of a good quality ; and the horfes and cattle eat it very well and freely ; the value calculated at 25 j-. a load. Va- rious cattle were again turned into the after- grafs ; but they all again refufed to eat it. Mr, St, Leger being convinced from thefe I trials, that it was good for nothing but hay, and fainfoine In that relped^ far exceeding 2 it, 2J6 TM FARMtll's TOUR it, detefmiried to plough it up ; and li equally determined never to Have afiy thing more to do with it. He fowed wheat on the ground, atid had 24 bufhels an acre. Thefe two acres were the half of a field of 4 : the foil exactly the fame; both parts were equally manured and ploughed for the turnips. After the turnips, this half wa^ fown with barley, which yielded 7 quarter^ an acre ; and were fold at i /. a quarter With the barley, clover was fown for i comparifon with the burnet : It was mown twice for hay, yielded 3 4- tons ; value 4 h 7 J-. and then wheat was fown, the produce 30 bufliels, at 5 X. ' As both parts of the field were the fam6 to the end of the turnip year, we may froni that time draw a comparifon : ■* 2 Actes Burnet; Rent, - - - ^,116 Seed, - - - - 286 Sowing, - - - Old Ploughing, - - - o 10 6 Harrowing, - -• - 066 Weeding, - - * 20 o o ■*- Pirft year, -* »- ^ -5 7 <^ -Rent, THROUGH ENGLAND. 271 Rent, - - - >r. 2 2 o Mowing, drying, thrafhing, &;c. fuppofe, - - - i 10 o Second year, , &c. Produce. 25 7 0 3 12 0 330 her 2 Acres, rrowing, 3 12 0 ' Rent, Mowing, making. 2, I 2 0 1 0 Third year, - 3 3 0 • Seed, 1 5 Loads of ftraw, • 4 Loads of hay. 10 I 5 1.6 32 16 15 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Expence, 15 '=> Produa, Lofs, ! Theot Rent, 1 Barley feed. Sowing, Ploughing and ha 2 0 15 0 7 ^ 2 0 I 0 12 0 Carry over, 3 10 G 272 THE FARMER'S TOUR Brought over^ £.3 100 Mowing and harvefting. I 00 Thrafhing, - - 0 14 0 Carrying, 0 14 0 Rent, - - - Clover feed, &c. Mowing, making, &c. twice, Produce, 14 Quarters barley, - 140 a Straw, fuppofe - - i 10 o Clover hay, - - - 470 5 18 o 2 2 Q 060 lid 390 Expences, - 5 18 o - 390 19 17 Qt 970 Profit in 2 years, - 10 10 0 Lofs by the burnet in 3 years, 15 70. Superiority of the common huf- bandry, - - - 25 17 <| Add to this, the difference of 6 bufliels of wheat, at 5/. i 10 o 27 7 o ^And Through England. 273 And as only 2 years of one is taken againft 3 of the other, this circumftance would add confiderably in favour of the common hufbandry ; but the comparifon is decifive enough without it. Nor fhould it be forgotten that the produce of burnet feed 'of 10/. was abfolutely accidental; and be- longing only to this crop : extend the cul- ture, and that would at once difappear. SPOTTED TREFOILE. Experiment^ No. 5. This plant, which I never heard of bcin^ cultivated in common, would, beyond a, doubt, be a very great acquifition in huf- bandry : on good land it grows 2 feet high, very thick and luxuriant. It is a perennial ; in each of the three leaves is a fmall black fpot : the blofibm is yellow : It branches greatly, and roots ftrongly. A fmall piece Df land fown with it, yielded at the rate of .two loads and an half of excellent hay: Colonel St. Lcge?^ apprehends that it will bear a dry fummer better than any other fpecies of the frefoile. I ^'-'I. T COCK'S 274 THE FARMER'S TOUR COCK'S FOOT GRASS. This gentleman finds from fome expe- riments on this grafs, that it is one of the earlieft we have> and one of the firft that Iheep eat ; it yields a vaft burthen of hay, but coarfe : Upon all lime-ftone foils large quantities grow fpontaneoufly when grown to any height, cattle will not eat it readily, for the leaves then are aimoft as rough as a file. It yields a large quantity of feed ; but is chiefly to be recommended as an early food for fheep. * BROME GRASS. j Experiment, No. 6. -^ Six acres of this grafs were fown in 1766, with corn, on a clean fallow; the foil a ftrong", deep, lime-ftor^e clay ; 10 lb, of white clover mixed with it. It came up well, and wa»' mowed the firft year, produce 2 ton of haf per acre : the mixture of the white clover- made the hay good ; but the broom graft bad ; it makes coarfe, foft hay ; but cattle will eat it very well : It was mown early the fecond year, and the land manured; but little of it arofe afterwards ; the land being left aimoft under white clover alpnCr i li I THROUGH ENGLAND. 275 COW GRASS. Experiment^ No. 7. ^Colonel *S/. Leger having obferved tKat this clover is perennial, and well afFeded by cattle, fowed 5 acres this year, with corn, mixed with tv70 bufhels of ray-grafs. It bears a fpiral leaf; and a bloflbm like the common red clover. It yields a great ,burthen of hay, and alio of after-gi*afs ; it (fprings earlier than red clover ; and moft forts of cattle are very fond of it. It appears to be better adapted to feed- ing than for mowing; particularly as it lafts longer in vigour eaten than mown. YELLOW BLOSSOMED VETCH. This plant is a perennial, the yellow blof- Jom diftinguifhing it from the annual fort, iP^rhich yields a blue flower ; cultivated on ftrong land, it yields a large produce of ;bay, remarkably fine for all forts of horned :attle or fatting beafts ; and is excellent for hard worked horfes. It is likewife an idmirable good grafs (if we may fo call it) n paftures fed. Two pecks of feed is the ^toper quantity for an acre. Mr. St. Leger IT % pi'ocures ^76 THE FARMER^s TOUR j i' procures as much of the feed as pofTible j f. but not under half a guinea a pint. WILD BLUE BLOSSOMEP VETCH. This plant is found on trial to p'ofleft the fame virtues as the yellow bloflbmed^ but is only annual. WINTER VETCHES. Experimefify No. 8. > Ploughed up four acres of lime-floiitf land in September y 1764; gave it a cohi- plete fummer fallow. In November ^ ^l^^t ridged it up by trench ploughing it. li fpring 1766, harrowed it down; ploughed it twice more, and the beginning of Odio^ her fowed winter vetches, one bufhel of j feed per acre. The crop proved extremely great ; they were fo thick on the ground, { that they rotted at bottom ; which was per-ij 1^0 nicious to the quantity of corn ; had they been mown for hay, the produce would have been at leaft three tons per acre. Th6 land was then ploughed once, and wheat fown ; n«ver any foil turned up In a finer —more mellow— or complete order— it was quite \i J THROUGH ENGLAND. 277 quite in a putrid fermcntaticn from the thick fhade of the vetches ; the crop 28 bufhels per acre ; which is very extraordi-. nary on this land ; It is from this account very evident, that winter vetches are one of the moft profitable crops that can be culti- vated : but I ihouid remark, that fallowing the preceding year is not neceflary. They may very welj be made the fallow crop, like turnips. LAYING LAND TO GRASS. Experiment^ No. 9. From feveral years experience, Colonel *S/. Leger finds the following to be the moft profitable method of laying land to grafs on his foils. Firft, pare and burn the old turf; take two crops of turnips ; hand-hoe them both well, and feed them both on the land. Let the fecond crop of turnips be eaten by the beginning of February: then plough it; jmd let it lye till the end of March ; after that, harrow it once or twice as necefTary, and on this tillage plough again, and har-? row in barley, and feeds ; 8 lb, of white clover, ^lb» of trefoile, and 2 quarters of T 3 hay- ±^S THE FARMER'S TOUR hay-feeds per acre. The firft year let it be fed : It will be a very fine pafture the begin- ning of ^/>r// ; and yield a large quantity of food throughout the year. A large field laid in this manner is now feeding for the fecond year, and the quantity of cattle maintained, has been extraordinarily great. Experiment^ No. lo. Another method tried is, to fow 14/^, pf meadow fefcue with i o lb. of white clo- ver on the above-mentioned preparation. It was mown for hay the firft year ; yielded ^wo loads an acre ; and a very fine aftcr- grafs. This year (the fecond) it is paftured, and is exceedingly good. Upon the whole, Colonel St, Leger pre- fers the method of No. 9. ; but it is at the fame time more expenfive. f DRILLED BEANS. Experiment i No. 11. In 1766, five acres of a deep loamy foil, fallowed through the year 1765, and ridged up in the winter, were harrowed down in the fpring, and dibbled with beans in double rows, 8 inches afunder, with 18 inch THROUGH ENGLAND. 279 inch intervals. They were hand-hoed twice, and earthed up once. The year was very bad and unfavourable, but the produce, large : vaftly fuperior to what is ever gained in this country by the common culture. They were fucceeded by wheat on two ploughings ; the product 27 bufhels per acre, which is much more than was ever known on that land. It is from this trial extremely evident, that the drill culture of beans would be highly advantageous on the better fort of land in this country : not that a previous fallow is neceffary ; it would anfwer ex- tremely well oa all their ftiff lands, to make drilled beans the fallow crop ; to keep them perfed;ly clean, and follow them by wheat. DRILLED TURNIPS. Experiment^ No. 12. In 1769, one acre was finely prepared; drilled on thin lime-ftone land, the rent i s, 4^. an acre, with a barrel drill plough with Dr. Calebs manure hopper. The rows equally diftant, 1 8 inches afunder ; and a manure fhed on the feed from the hopper— •• T 4 a com- HI 280 THE FARMER'S TOUR a comport of lime, earth — charcoal afhes — • and rotten dung — mixed together, and turned over feveral times during two years : none of the plants mifled, tho- in an adja-; cent piece broad-caft many places were without turnips for half a rood together. The crops were equal ; excepting the de- duction from the broad-caft of the fpots that, failed, ^'^ CABBAGES. Experiment, No. 13. Three acres of a thin lime-ftone Iand| quite worn out, and not worth more than zs. 6 d. an acre, were planted with the great Scotch cabbage on a fummer fallow, irr 1767. The land was ploughed fix times, and manured with ten loads an acre of rotten dung. The rows 4 feet afunder, and the plants 20 inches from plant to plant. Part of the feed was fown in Sept ember ^ and part the end of February. Thofe fown in Sep' tember were pricked out of the feed bed the -end of 05iober — once more in April — and the beginning of May in the fields. The February fown ones were fet diredtly from the feed bed into the field, at the fame time as t THROUGH ENGLANB. 281 as the other. They were handrhoed once, ind then horfe-hoed; ^md afterwards earthed up by the plough. They were begun to be 2ilt in November^ and were finifhcd by the niddle oi February : they were wanted, or aid have lafted longer. ;, The^/- were given to dry cows, calves, and fheep; who all did exceedingly well in them ; and the crop anfwered perfedly ivell, for one acre was more than as good a$ three of turnips : In one refpedt they are particularly fuperior on this foil : It is very jpt to bake when made fine, with a hot sun after rain, infomuch that the young furnips can fcarcely get through ; and when ifcey do, are of fo flow a growth, that the fly have time to make many attacks on them. (Cabbages are free from this great evil ; •rhich is a circumftance extremely favour- fkbie to them. Barley was fown after this llfop, and it yielded a finer produce than evei* k'@olonel St, hcger knew on this land, viz^ ! 3 -^ quarters /frr acre. With it grafs {tzzdiZ, kvere fown ; and it has i]nce continued ^better pailiire than common or^ this foil. PARING 282 THE FARMER'S TOUR PARING and BURNING. This hufbandry on thin foils has been by fo many perfons thought injurious, that I was defirous of knowing the opinion of fo attentive a cultivator on this difputed point. Colonel St. Leger has pradifed it for feveral years : he always breaks up old turf in that manner, however thin the foil may be.* He pares it as thin as poflible, becaufe i^ is the roots that make the good afhes, not' the earth. He is extremely clear that it does not at all diminifh the foil ; for on va-» rious lime-flones in this neighbourhood,' where the foil is not four inches thick, it has been regularly prae foil- — ^yet I reply, that the ,;vils attributed to it from the management of common farmers are by no means to be received as proofs of fuch fuppofed preju- dice ; they are ej'eds of bad hufbandry in ^ exhaufting 284 THE FARMER'S TOUn exhaufting the land by fucceffive crops of corn ; not of paring and burning. Colonel Stf Leger^ from experience, re- commends the pared and burnt land always to be fown with turnips ; to be kept in tiU lage 7 years, in a good courfe of crops ; and then to be laid down again to grafsj with great plenty of good feeds j and foon after to be well manured. If a farm con- fifts of twenty fields, it is an excellent fyf tcm to pare and burn one every year — ac)f filfo to lay one down : by that time the tuij will be formed thick enough of reafon ;idmit the paring j the foil will never bfi diminiilied, always kept in good hearts — ai the crops continually great. Nor will ai^]| reafonable objed:ions be made to the pradtic^ while it is conducted on fuch principles, CLEARING LAND FROiyiV RUBBISH. Colonel St. TjCgeVy on beginning his huf bandry, found his farm * ftrangely over^ run w^ith what, in this country, ?ire calli( 'Reins ; that is wide hedge-rrows ; which ir a long procefs of time had gained fo mud * Above 300 acres. 3 <» I II TriROUCH ENGLAND. 28^ ■'jil the cultivated land, as to ufurp more than half of it : He fhowed me many of his tenants fields (and it is much the fame throughout the country) that were adually :three parts in four thus over-run : the grafs or arable in narrow flips between wide (paces of ftinted fhrubby wood, bufhes, and briars : a more flovenly wretched fight can hardly be imagined. He determined to extirpate all this rubbiih as foon as pof- fible from his farm, and has accordingly made great progrefs in it : he grubs up all the bufhes, &c. and removing the beggarly ill-fhaped trees, levels the whole furface with the reft of the fields ; then ploughs the whole, and as foon as in order, lays them down either to natural grafs or to fainfolne. One circumftance has made this improvement very tough work : The fields being ftony, the farmers have for fomie ages picked them off; and to fave I trouble, threw them in heaps about the • hedge-rows and there left them : fo that both the grubbing and le\'€lling have been performed in a quarry above ground ; aijd vaft quantities of the ftones carried away for various purpofes : But dim cult as the work 286 THE FARMER'S TOUR work has often been, yet he finds it to anfwer greatly. He calculates that he gains the new land at the expence of only eight years purchafe. Before the improve- ment the foil is ablblutely wafte : Coals are fo cheap, that faggots will fcarcely pay for tying ; and none of the wood would ever rife to any other ufe. The quantity of land thus loft, would furprife a ftranger ; In many fields i6 or i8 acres out of 30; in fome 8 out of 1 2 : fo that the farmers abfolutely paid double the nominal rent for the land. Suppofe 20 acres let at 5/. ; ten of them being wafte, the rent of the other ten is doubled, that is, from 5/. to ioj-. an acre ; which is therefore the old rent of the cultivated land : Now, after the landlord has improved the wafte, he may certainly let the whole at ioj-. without raifing the rental one penny. The tenant will pay in the exad: proportion of his old rent — — So amazingly improveable are eftates thus over-r^n ! DRAINING. The method of draining, to which this gentleman has principally confined himfeif* is» THROUGH ENGLAND. 287 is, that of covered drains. He cuts them 18 inches deep; 16 wide at top, and 3 wide at bottom. Thefe he fills with ftones too large to fmk to the bottom ; and then lays on fome of the earth. The expence : Digging, per acre of 28 yards, ^.o i 3 Carrying the ftones, - - o i o Fining, - - - - o o 2 £0 2 s * The ftones near the fpot. Others he cuts in the form repre{ented in Plate IV. Fig. i. a. to b. — 9 inches. ' b. toe. — 14 ditto. c. to d. /i — 4 ditto. '' d. to e. — 10 ditto. The drain below the fhoulders, 6 inches I wide at top, and 2 at bottom. Thefe are only for foils that have a ftra- \ turn of clay under them ; the firft cut, that 18, a. to b. to be through the loam, or the furface earth whatever it is — fo that the fhoulders may be clay ; this is neceflary, for if tkey are not of very ftifF adhefive earth, they will not bare the covering. This he always make* of flate, fuch pieces being chofcn c88 THE farmer's tOUIt phofeii as will aboirt fit the top part of th' drain (o as to reft on the fl^oulders :, on thiitto. Two ovals of horfemen •, fpirited, and the colouring very good. Here are two flabs of granate in edgings of Siena : The carving (gilt) throughout the houfe executed in a very light and elegant tafle. The grounds are ornamented with very great judgment, A vale floated with ^ater is fur- rounded 300 THE FARMER*s TOUR For oats they flir but once ; fow 3 bufhels an acre ; 5 quarters the average crop ; 8 on the bell fands, and 4 on the foreft. 10 quarters an acre on the former are often gained. They do not hoe their turnips ; feed them all off with fheep. The average price 40/. an acre; 3/. on the rich i^ds, and 304". on the poorer. •' ■ Their clover they mow twice for hay, and gain at the two mowings, 2 loads of hay rounded by feme fine falling flopes, very happily crowned by thick woods : a gravel walk waves around it through a llripe or garden lawn vpry prettily varied by nev/ plantations j ' in fom^ places clump'd — in others ftraggling and broken by fingle trees : the fpotted fcenes are very judi- cioufly varied by a proper ufe of planting. In fome places the lake fpreads to the eye in large fheets i in others, it is broken by the hanging lawns, and feems to wind into rivers in different dired-ions. Creeks run up into thick wood, and are loft. Sometimes the trees are fcattered about the banks, to let in a view of the waper through their branches j at others, they thicken into dark Ihadcs i a fine fhore of wood. The walk in one place leads to a point of a hill which commands a fine view of the houfe, the park, lake, and woods : The houfe of fuch a pure whitenefs, in the midft of fpreading plantations, and backed by a noble wood of 500 acres, has a fine THROUGH ENGLAND. 301 hay an acre : 2 t on the better land, and I 4- on the inferior. |r c Refpeding manure, the firft circumftance ' to be noted is their never folding their {heep. Lime they much depend on : lay a chaldron per acre; the expence, by the time it is on the land, about 16^: the effect lafts for two years ; fome few good farmers mix it with earth and dung, in which management it is more durable, at ^ri the fine efFeft ; the lawns and the water appear alfo to great advantage. His lordfliip has fketched a veiy fine riding for feveral miles, which he intends to execute : It will command many varieties of profpeft, and lead to the ruins of Roche Ahhey in a moft roman- tic fituation- Here is to be a pleaiure ground. The fpot at prefent is one of the mofl: itriking that is to be feen : It is a narrow winding valley- full of wood i a ftream takes an irriguous courfe through it over a bed of flones and fragments of rock (hivered from the deep cliffs that bound the vale on either fide ; in the middle of it are the ruins of the abbey. — A few mafly buttrefies re- main, with fome lofty arches ; trees have grown j from the rubbilh, and fpread their branches , among the ruin'd columns •, the walls are half , covered with ivy, which breaks in fome places from its fupport, and hangs among the trees in thick groups of foliage j the furface cf the vale is toz THE FARMER*s TOU-lt the Cinie time that the efFe£t is greatci'* Their fyflem of the farm-yard may be gucfled from their never cutting their ftub-^ bks. The plalliing of hedges is here pradifed 5 but they make no ditches. The beft grais-land lets at 30^. an acre; They mow moft of it for hay; An acre of fuch tliey reckon fufficient to fummer feed a cow. The breed of cattle is a mongrel, between is half covered with thorns and briars -, irregulat' and broken — with here and there a rocky frag^- ment that has forced its way thrbugh them — the ftream murmurs over the rock — and the chffsfj which hang almoft perpendicular over the vafe and look down on the ruin, are fpread witk thick woods that throw a folemn gloom over ti whole •, and breathe a hroiL'ner horror on eve part of the fcene — all is wild, and romantic!: every objeft is obfcure ;~^every part unites to raife melancholy ideas ; perhaps the moft power- ful, of which the human foul is capeble. Improvements of this noble fpot are in con- templation -, twenty pounds laid out in removing ti few of the diinculties of gaining the heights of the cliffs — in deftroying a mill — and in obftrucl- ing the ftreani rarhcr more than at prefent to make the noife fomething greater, would be irh- provemt-ms — but expend fifty, and the whole Vki4i be mined. A gloomy melancholy is the prefent THROUGH ENGLAND. 303 between the long and fhort horns. Cows give three gallons of milk a day ; and the average produ(fl of one per aruium, is about 6 /. 6 s.'. They d.o not keep above one pig- to every cow. A dairy-maid will take care of ten. They get their winter food ia the fields. They fat fwine to i 6 ftone on an average. Flocks of Iheep rife to 5 or 600. The profit about' 9 j". a head : the winter food turnips j prefent imprefTion of the ^ctnt •, raife a chearful idea, and it will be pernicious. Lay the facri- legious hand of drefs on the vale — convert the thorns, briars, and broken rocks — into a lawn or a fmooth Ilieep pallure — expofe more of the ruin to view — and throv/ the brilliancy of a fmooth flieet of v/ater over the reft of the vale — the fublime is at once converted into the beauti- ful : the prefent ftrong emotion, the effedt of uniform caufes, will be changed into a mere divided attention — there may be many fine things to look at, but none that will, in one irrcfiftable imprefllon, feize the m.ind of the fpeftator, and command its admiration. Another very flrong reafon againfl beautifying Rochi Abbey ^- is the great beauty of the crna- mented grounds at Sandbec, which arc laid- out with real tafle, and in perfect conformity to' the ger)ius of the place. The contrafc at prefent between the two is great ; and wlicre not pcfTef- fed, much to be envied. 304 THE FARMER'S TOUR turnips, and a little hay. The average fleece ^Ib, The rot is quite unknown. In their tillage, they reckon 6 horfed necelTary to loo acres of ploughed land; they ufe 2 in a plough, and do an acre and a quarter a day. The price 4^. an acre. The annual expence of a horfe 13/. the depth of ploughing 5 inches. They know nothing of cutting ftraw into chaff ; nor in general of the ufe of chaff ; for they throw away all that arifes from their crops. They break their ftubbles in autumn ; ufe none but Rotheram ploughs. In the hiring and flocking farms, they take them with three rents ; but the befl farmers reckon that ten are neceffary : they calculate the ftock of 200 acres in the fol- lowing manner : Rent at 12 s. 6d, - - ^-125 Town charges, 8 Horfes, - 15 lOO 6 Cows, - 50 10 Young cattle, - 40 40 Sheep, - 30 Carry over, - - 360 •THROUGH ENGLAND. 305 ^ *' Brought over, - £-3^0 Bwine, - - - i.- '^ • j- Waggon, • - ■ - - 2'o 2 Carts, - - - - 20 . 4 Ploughs, - - - 6 i 3 Pair of harrows, - - ^ , Rollers, - - - - 4 ' Sundries, - - - - 10 - Harnefs, -• - - 15 -;;i'UTniture, - - - 60 '; -Houfekeeping, - - 100 2 Men, - - - - 20 ♦ .2 Boys, , - - - - 10 Extra labour, - - ^ j;o 2 Maidsj - - - - 6 , Seed for 40 Acres wheat, 20 40 Barley, - - 15 40 Clover, - - 10 — — 40 Turnips, - ;z Cafh in hand to -c^nrwer Inciderital demands, - - - 100 Total, - - £.B3j The annual account of fuch a farm, they reckon as follows. Vol. L X 3o6 THE FARMER'S TOUR Produce, 6 Cows, - - - £-30 10 Young cattle, - - 3^ 40 Sheep, - - - 20 Swine, - - - - 5 40 Acres of wheat, - - 200 30 Ditto barley, - - 120 30 Ditto turnips, - - 60 £.465 Expcnces, Rent, ^ - - ;C- 125 Town charges, - - 15 Labour, - - - 86 Seed, . - - - 47 Wear and tear, - - " 5*^ Houfe-keeping and cloaths, 50 £•373 Produd, - - - 465 Expences, - - - 373 The farmer's profit, £. 92 Land fells at 40 years purchafe ; poors rates I /. in the pound ; twenty years ago were but 6^; and twenty before that were nothing at all. The employment of the women THROUGH ENGLAND. 307 Ivomcn and children, generally drinking tea with white bread an.d butter twice a day. — an extremity that may furely be called luxury in excefs ! No wonder rates are j idoubled. ; I The following particulars of farms will tllhew the general oeconomy of this country* 403 Acres in all ^.82 Rent 350 Arable and fo- 6 Horfes :reft, which is plough- 8 Cows ed now and then 12 Young cattle 56 Grafs 260 Sheep. Another : 681 Acres in all 8 Cows 1 500 Arable and fo- 16 Young cattle •eft 400 Sheep 180 Grafs 3 Men ;;. i39Rent I Maid 8 Horfes I Labouter, Another : 50 Acres in all 3 Cows 24 Arable 6 Young cattle 1 36 Grafs I Boy 'jC- 2 1 Rent I Maid. 1 2 Horfes 3o8 THE FARMER'S TOUR Another : 190 Acres in all 12 Young cattle 57 Grafs 100 Sheep 133 Arable i Man jf. 126 Rent 2 Boys 6 Horfes 1 Maid 6 Cows I Labourer, Another : 121 Acres in all 6 Young cattle 24 Grafs I Man 97 Arable i Boy ^. 84 Rent 2 Maids 8 Horfes i Labourer, 6 Cows Another : 112 Acres in all 6 Young cattle 20 Grafs I Man 92 Arable 2 Boys ^.74 Rent 2 Maids 8 Horfes 2 Labourers, 4 Cows Another : 853 Acres in all >C'325 ^^^^ 400 Arable 16 Horfes I So Foreft 10 Cows 273 Grafs 20 Young cattle I Id I THROUGH ENGLAND. 309 ^00 Sheep 4 Maids 3 Men 4 Labourers. 4 Boys Another : 985 Acres in all 10 Young cattle 664 Foreft 500 Sheep 70 Grafs I Man 257 Arable 2 Boys ^.192 Rent I Maid 8 Horfes 2 Labourers. 6 Cows Mr. Mellifi in his attention to the oeco- nomical management of his eftate, has made fuch enquiries into hufbandry, as were neceffary for enabling him to improve the culture and value of it ;— and he has alfo tried fome experiments of a very important nature : That he hints nothing of this fort without the foundation of experience, will })eft appear from the particulars of the land }ie keeps in his own hands. 764 Acres ^.240 Rent 120 Grafs 12 Farminghorfes 400 Foreft and 9 Other ditto plantations 10 Cows 244 Arable 600 Sheep. Such a fpace of land has well enabled X 3 him Sio THE FARMER'S TOUR him to make obfervations of a truly ufeful nature. PROFIT OF CULTIVATING DIFFERENT SOILS. The two great diftindtions of foil around Blythy are the rich fands, and the foreft, fands. The firft are let at 165 17, and 18/. an acre; but the latter produce no more than from 2 s. to 4/. an acre. The differ- ence of rent is fo great, that to forne the cheapen land is always beft. i- Culture, Expences, and Produce of an acre of the beft fand during four years, Firjl\ 'Turnips, Rent and town charges, - ^. i 00 Four earths, at 4J-. - - 0160 Three harrowings and rolling, 020 Seed and fowing, - - 016 Harrowing and hand-hoeing, 066 Preparing the dung in the yard ; carriage, and fpreading 10 loads ; 4 horfes, 2 carts, 4 ynen, 15 loads ^i day. o 10 2 16 r THROUGH ENGLAND II Second, Barky, Rent, &:c. - . _ ^. i o o Two ploughlngs, - - o 8 o Harrowing, - - - o o o lo Pecks feed, - - - o 6 6 Sowing, - - - - o o 6 Mowing and hanrefting, - o 8 o Thraihing, - - • o 6 o 1 IX o Third', Clover, Rent, &c. - o - I o o Seed and fowing, - ~ o 6 o Mowing, making, &c. once cut o 8 o Fourth \ Wheat, I H 0 -~ \ Rent, - - - - I c 0 I Ploughing, - . - 0 4 0 Harrowing and rolling. 0 2 6 Seed, _ - - -^ 0 12 6 Sowing, -, « - 0 0 3 Reaping and harvefting. 0 10 0 Thraihing 30 buihels> 0 7 6 0 16 9 X4 31^ THE . FARMER*s 'Expellees.. TOUR Turnips, 8 ^ Getting ling, 3 0 Setting ditto, 2 0 Carriage, _ - - 4 0 Value of ling and flakes. I 8 Quick, - _ , I 2 14 6 Reparation, - - -' 50 This fence cannot be had every where ; but where the ling can be got eafily, the quick may be raifed with a double bank and ditches, and the ling in faggots fet aftride on the bank, and fixed down with Hakes, and kept in repair for 19/. 6^. an acre, which is much lower than the wood fence. If fields are divided that are always fo- cropped, that cattle never feed in them, they may, in this country, be fenced with three rows of quick alone for 6 s. an acre, as no hedge or bank is wanting to defend it. The comparifon between the two fands is extremely decifive; 14/. 10^. per acre fu- periority of profit is very confiderable ; and amounts^ 3i8 THE FARMER'S TOUR amounts, as before obferved, to a confider- able Income when extended to 500 or looa acres. This fhould be a leflbn to all farmers ever to choofe the beft land at a fair rent, in preference to what is commonly called the cheapeft foil : In this country there arc large tradts of the beft fand, but not exten- five enough to admit the fuppofition of a farmer's hiring as much of it as he pleafes. The cafe is different with the foreft land ; and this is a circumftance very favourable to it. There is fuch plenty of it, that any calculation might at once be realized. Mr. Mellifi has one clofe of 700 acres of it let at 2 s, an acre tythe free ; befides many others of a fmaller fize. If the various ad- vantages of fuch great extent, and the com- padtnefs of fuch farms are confidered, it wdll be found that they are more advanta- geous than the above comparative account allows. The enquiry thus ftated is not therefore, whether 1 000 acres of rich fand are more advantageous than 1000 of foreft; becaufe the latter may be had, but not the former : could they be gained, the former comparlfon would here be decifive : but the grand point relative to the foreft land is the profit THROUGH ENGLAND. 319 profit of cultivating a trad: of wafle where a man may have as much as he pleafes. The account before given fcts this matter in a clear light ; it appeared that the clear profit of farming thefe foils is above a guinea an acre : hence it is evident that thefe lands lying v^-afte are a real nuifance to the pub- lic ; the profit refijlting from them by main- taining fheep is on comparifon with this too inconfiderable to mention. The pre- vious improvement of i /. lis. g J. per acre, expended in fencing and clearing, is not high ; not to be compared with various other methods of reducing wafte land to cultivation. The above data are drawn from ex- Ijperience; Mr. Mellijh has found the ex- pence, produd, and profit to be as there ftated — and I fhould obferve upon it, that thefe foreft fands cannot be fo bad as the farmers in this country think them : for a guinea an acre is not a low profit in much richer countries. Tlie rent of 5/. bd. an acre is trifling when compared with the crops — turnips worth 40 j. an acre; barley 4 quarters — clover '^os. — and oats 6 quar- ters, all fpeak a rent much higher : I know many 320 tHE FARMER'S TOUR hiany tradls of country, that do not product fo much, let at from i o to 1 2 j-. an acre ; which Is a ftrong proof that thefe fands are net of that mean nature the farmers of thi^ country efteem them. CARROTS. In 1768, Mr. MelUfi caufed three acres to be twice trench ploughed ; one plough following the other in the fame furrow. In February fowed it, 4/^. of feed per acre: The plants arofe very favourably ; were liand-hoed twice ; and weeded as often ; all which operations coft tvv^o guineas per acre ; but they vrere not thinned fufficiently; however the carrots throve extremely w^ell, and were upon the whole a favourable crop. They were taken up as v/anted ; beginning at Michaelmas. Horfes, cows, pigs, and other cattle, were fed on them, and with mcft uncommon fuccefs. The produd amounted to 20 tons per acre exclufive of the tops ; from the moft attentive obferva- tion which Mr. Mellifn could make on the, expenditure of the crop, in faving oats for horfes — feeding cows— and fatting hogs-^ he is clearly of opinion that the value of them is about 20 s. a ton. THROUGH ENGLAND, 321 Expenccs of the three acres. Rent, &c. - - - £•3 0 0 PloughiQg and harrowing, 2 8 0 Seed, - - - . 0 12 0 Hoeing and weeding. 6 6 0 Taking up, - - - 3 0 0 Carting home, 3 0 0 18 6 0 Produce, 4o tons, at 20 x. 60 0 0 Expences, - - - 18 6 0 Profit, . - - 41 14 0 Which is per acre, ^ >C.i3 18 0 Great as this crop is, Mr. Mellijh ima- gines that they may be cultivated to greater* advantage ; he has been prevented by va- rious undertakings from having any carrots fince, but now he has finiihed feveral great works of building, and improving the en- virons of his feat, he is determined again to fow carrots, and have a regular crop of them every year, VoL.L Y After 322 THE FARMER'S TOUR After the carrots on the above three acres, barley was fown, without manure ; and the produce was ieven quarters an acre; which was more confiderable than an ad- joining piece oT the fame foil yielded, after turnips well manured for : a very ftrong proof of the excellent quality of carrots in cleaning and ameliorating the ground. Thefe rich fands will ever be found to produce vafl uncertain crops of carrots ;' and that without the afhftance of dung : tho; clear profit of 13/. an acre on a crop which anfwers all the ends of the beft fallow, and is fubftituted inftead of it ; at the fame time faving that manure which turnips would require, and raifing, in the expendi*** ture of the crop, a vaft quantit)'' of dung^ for other lands ; all together forming a fyf- tcm of profitable hufbandry, hardly to be' equalled by any other management. Pota- toes yix.Meiriffo has alfo found uncommonly advantageous — they produce immenfe crops on the beft fands ; and with dung, exceed- ingly beneficial ones on foreft land. The iollowing courfe of crops, with the intro- du£lion of tliefc very profitable roots, will flievv'^ how requifite they are to carrying the profit of hufbandry to the higheft: pitch. I I THROUGH ENGLAND 0 • 0 23 EXPENCES. Firjl\ Carrots, Cjiie third of th^ total above .inferted of i8/. 6/. £■(> 2 6 \dd for manure, * * I 0 0 7 2 0 tecond ; Barley I total as at page 311, - -. . 2 II 0 fhird ; Clover : at ditto, - I 14 0 feurth; Wheat: at ditto, TroducCi 2 16 9 14 3 9 irrots, « - * 20 0 0 "parley, (fee page 312) < Clover, ditto, - - - 5 2 0 10 0 0 kVheat, ditto, • - * Total produce, *• 6 15 0 34 5 0 Total expences, H 3 9 Clear profit, 1 Or per acre fer arm. 20 I 3 5 0 3^ Another courfe flrongly to be recom- mended, is; y % tirft : 324 THE FARMER^s TOUR Ftrft ; Carrots, expences, jT. 7 2 Second ; Barley, ditto, - 211 9 13 Produce. Carrots, 20 0 5 0 ^ 9 n Total produce, Total expences, Profit, 15 7 Per acre per ann. 7 n I muft be allowed to recommend the cul tivatlon of carrots in fome courfe of this for. to all farmers poffefling any fandy foils! cfpecially fuch as are rich :" But undei takings of this nature require great fpir| and much money ; the culture is expenlivc and the purchafmg cattle to confume tl crops, would require large fums of mom Another courfe to be recommended, is,j| I.. Carrots 4. Barley 2» Barley 5. Clover 3. Potatoes 6. Wheat. Expences,. Carrots, - - - ^.72 Barley, - - • 2 11. Carry over - 913 THROUGH ENGLAND. 325 Brought over £•9 13 0 ; Potatoes- -Rent, >r. I 0 0 - Manure, i 0 0 3 Earths, 0 12 0 Harrowing, 0 t^ 0 Planting, 0 10 G - SoBufli.fetts, I 10 0 Hoeing, i 0 0 Taking up, 0 10 0 Carting, i 0 0 4 0 -■ 7 Barley, - - 2 1 1 G ^.^ Clover, - - I 14 0 . Wheat, >— «• - 2 16 9 ;(■- 23 18 9 'Produce, Carrots, - - 20 0 0 Barley, - - 5 0 G Potatoes, , 300 bufhels, at i.f. 15 0 0 Barley, - - 5 0 0 ' Clover, - - 0 10 0 Wheat, Total produce, ~ 6 15 G 54 5 G Total expences. - 23 iS _9 Profit, Or per acre per nnn. - • 3^ 6 3 5 I 0 326 THE FARMER'S TOUR CABBAGES. 7 In the year 1766, Mr, Mellijh had three acres and an half of the great Scotch cab-« bage ; the foil his rich fand, ploughed for the firft time in OSlober ; and i^ianured ii^ the fpring with 1 2 loads an acre of farm-si yard compofl : The feed was fown in Fe-n hruary ; and the plants fet into the field the latter end of May^ in rows planted 2 feet alunder every w^ay, and kept clean hand- hoed. They were cut and given to fheep on grafs land ; eighty fheep were bought at 14 J", each, and put to them to fatten ; and fold from them at a guinea apiece ; which is a profit of 28/. ; or 8/, an acre produc©;) for the crop. The fame ground was plantecj the year following j and managed in the fame manner, but not manured again : It fatted 60 fheep ; the profit the fame, which is 6 /. per acre. — -The average of the two crops 7/. It is obfervable, that the fandy foils have not been recommended as the proper ones for cabbage crops ; but yet Mr, Mcllifi^ produ(5ls are very confiderable, and far exceeding finy thing ever known from turqips. THROUGH ENGLAND. n -». LAYING LAND TO GRASS. , This gentleman has found from repeated I experience, that the beft way of laying land to grafs, is to fallow well for turnips, and to feed the crop on the land with flieep early enough for fowing rye ; with which he fows part of the grafs feeds, and har- rows in the remainder of them on the rye in the fpring. If he lays with hay feeds, lie fows 2 quarters an acre, and loZ^. ot white clover. If no hay feeds, then lo/^. nvhite clover, io/Z\ trefoilc, and lo/^. nar-r row leaved plantain, called rib-grpifs. The iirfl year he feeds the grafs ; but ^he fec.ond, plows from 2 to 2 4 tons of hay^^r acre. In 1766, ten acres of gi-avelly fand, a whin cover, were fown witli turnips ; and the crop eat off with fheep; the value 2/. 2 j. per acre ; after thefe turnips it was fummer fallowed : and at Michaelmas fown with rye ; which proved a very good crop. 2 i^uartcrs of hay feeds and 10 U?, of white clover per acre were fov/n on the rye. This pafture was mown the firit year, and pyoduced 2 tons of hay per acre : the iecond year it vv-as fed. y 4 The 328 THE FARMER^s TOUR The rent of this land before was 5 J. 6^, an acre, but now it is worth 12^. Sometimes the broom and fern will come again in grafs fields laid down from forefl: land : In this cafe, Mr. Mellijh has found it neceffary to plough it up for turnips, which are harrowed and rolled on one earth, and fed on the ground. If they prove a good crop, then he limes and dungs for barley : but if they are indifferent, the manures are fpread for a fecond crop of turnips ; which are likewife fed on the land ; and fucceeded by barley and red clover : on the latter, wheat is fown ; and after that turnips again, to be fed off time enough for rye and graffes to be fown on it. Such a tillage courfe will totally clear the land of all rubbifh. TURNIP HOEING. Mr. Mellifo having found a great difficulty in procuring turnip hoers — and being dii- gufted at the idea of the flovenly manage- ment too common among ^he farmers, made ufe of a machine for executing the v/ork, which feems much better adapted to jt than any I remember to have feen. ' ' Plate /•■ :1 rujf v. Vo/.i.p^i ,i THROUGH ENGLAND. 329 Plate V. rig. I. reprefents it at large, I to 2. fix feet. I to 3. one foot 10 inches. 4 to 5. three feet 4 inches, 6 to 7. eight feet 6 inches. Length of Ihare irons, 2 feet 4 inches. Wheels 2 1 inches diameter. This machine 1 can conceive will by crofs cutting do much fervicc ; probably to doubling the value of the crops compared with thofe unhoed at all : but let it ever be underftood, that it is chiefly to be recom-; mended to thofe perlbns who are fo fituated that they really cannot get hoers fufficient for their crops — never let it be totally de- pended on, when hand-hoes can be gained. The true turnip culture, is to fet the crop out regularly. ; to cut up all Vvreeds, and to leave the plants every where diftlnct, which no machine will near efFed:. But I Ihall readily allow that fuch a machine would be i of great ufe in any country v/hen the crop grows rather too faft for the hoers to thin the plants, and give the weeds a check before they begin : or by way of loofening the earth in cutting deep : the great f^iult of the common turnip hoeing is, the mcji 2 fkim- ZZO THE FARMER'S TOUR fkimming over the ftirface, juft cutting off the weeds, but looienrng the earth, efjxici- ally in loam, very Httle. This machine may, hy the backhands of the horfes, be made to cut any depth, and fo far exceeds any hand-hoe. It would probably be of great benefit to precede the liaad-hoeing in any country* PLANTING, Mr. MelliJJj has, for many years, raifej numerous plantations, which are a very great ornament, not to his ellate only, bu^ to the whole country. In this noble purfuity he has gained much experience in planting fandy foils, efpecially from trying various methods, and different ibrts of trees. Some* pieces of foreft land he has cleared from the fpontaneous rubbilh, in the fame mao-« ner as for corn, and ploughed it once in the common manner, upon which he fet the trees : Others he trench-ploughed, and fet ^hem ; and, upon fome other pieces, he did not plough at all, and cleared no more than necellary to make the holes to plant theia \n. The refult of thefe various trials was mdetermlnate, each yearly equal; but, ii 3 • ^^y THROUGH ENGLAND. 331 any difference, thofe planted after clearing ^nd ploughing, were the beft. The forts tried were Scotch and fpruce firs, larch, oak, afh, cheflnut, beech, birch, &c. the whole mixed. Scotch and fpruce firs have grown much fafter than any of the reft, and they have all fo generally fucceeded, that fcarcely one in ten thoufand have failed. The foil he has chofen is foreft fand of 3 j. an acre. The number he has generally fet on au acre is 5000; the expence of enclofingj raifmg the trees, and planting, is 3/. an acre. In five years they require thinnings the value of the wood taken out about pays for the labour: * the number taken out about 1000. In five years more they are thinned again, when another thoufand trees are taken out> which make very good hedge wood and hedge ftakcs. The value about 5 /. more than what pays the labour. After thefe thinnings^ 3000 are left, which Mr. Mellifi has found from experi- ence to be then worth 6 d. each, on an ave- rage, * Firs fhould always be cut the middle of fummer, Ip full turpentine: they arc as goad again. 332 THE FARMER'S TOUR rage, as they ftand, and clear of all ex- pences, if fold. At this time another thou- fand fhoiild be taken out. Two thoufand are therefore left, which, at 30 years growth, will be worth, as they ftand, I s. each ; and, at 40 years, they will be worth 2 s. This is the ftate of the planting produce on the poor foreft fands; but Mr. Me/Ii/J: has many Scotch firs, planted 35 years ago on good land, which are now worth 40/. each, and very many from 25 j. to 35 j. Upon thefe data we may eafily calculate the profit of planting at different periods. Account of an acre of Jirs at the end of the fifth year, Firfl Inclofing,* raifmg, planting, fencing, &c. - - ^.300 Intereft of the above fum for five years, - - o 15 c Rent, -^ -* * o 15 o 10 * This price is for a large field of 10, 15, or 2a acres, and not a fingle acre. It is the proiK)rtion ©f the whole. THROUGH ENGLAND. 333 I?i Jive years more. Reparation of the fences, /^. o 5 o Intereft of 4/. 10 j. for 5 years, i 26 Allow for comport intereft. Rent, - - - - Firft five, 0 0 15 15 0 0 0 4 ^7 10 6 0 Expence at the end of ten years. Received for thinnings. 7 5 7 0 6 0 Excefs, - - - ^ 7 6 -,^/ the e7id of twenty years. Rent, - - I 10 o Reparation of fences, - o 10 o Intereft, - - 100 3 Q Q Jlcceived for 1000, at 6^. 25 o o Value of 2000 remaining, at . fame rate, - - 50 o o 75 o o Deduct, as above^ 300 Excefs at end of 5 years, 276 ~ 5 7 (> Clear profit in 20 years, 69 12 6 Which is per acre per a?niwu, 391 334 THE FARMER^s TOUR But, fuppofing the 2000 trees left ten years longer, the account will fland as under. Received for 1000, at 6d, £, 25 o o Dedudt, as above, - 5 7 6 Profit, In 20 years, exclufive of trees remaining, • 1 9 1 2 6 Which, per acre per annum y may be called, - - 100 ^l the end of thirty years. Rent, - « I 10 o Fences, - - o 10 o Intereft, - -100 300 Suppofing the plantation then cut down, the 2000 trees, at I/, bring, - - lOO o o Dedud, as above, • 300 Profit, «• - 97 o o THROUGH ENGLAND. 335 ] jrfl ten years expence, £,'] 76 Second ten ditto, - 300 Third ditto, ^ -300 Total €xpence, - 1376 Received fecond thinning, flfhird ditto, llriie 2000 remaining, Total, 1 Expences, 1 Clear profit in 30 years, t Or per acre per cmnum^ At the end of forty yei Expences, as before, Heceived for 2000 trees, at 2 s. Ditto, firft and fecond thinnings 5 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 130 13 0 7 0 6 n6 12 6 3 17 I ars. It 200 >» 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total, - - 230 JDedud expences, as before, 13 76 \ 1)itto, - 300 Clear profit in 40 years, Or per acre per annumy 16 7 6 213 12 6 5 6 I 336 THE FARMER'o TOUR This account of the expences, produce^ and profit, of planting foreft land, at 3 s. an acre, fhews the amazing profit of fuch un- dertakings. Plantations have, in general, been raifed with a view merely to beauty, or elfe through a very noble patriotic motive of being ferviceable to the country ; but it is evident, that they may be undertaken with very different views : with thofe of profit. So that a man may cut down the trees he planted himfclf, and exped: to reap, in fo doing, very confiderable profit. If he cuts ail down at the end of 20 years, and leaves not a fingle tree, he gains a pro- fit clear of near 70 /. an acre, which is 3 /. 9^". per acre per ammm from the firft planting. Let me aflc the mofi: fkilful farmers of this country, how they will exceed fuch a profit, by any fyfi:em of common hufbandry, on fuch poor land ? It before appeared, that com- mon good hufbandry, after fome improve- ments, would yield but i /. i /. \\ d. per acre profit: fo that the planting, to cut ia 20 years, is more than thrice as beneficial, and certainly much lefs expofed to acciden- tal loflTes. But fuppofing the trees left 30 years, in that THROUGH ENGLAND. 337 that cafe the thinnings pay, for the firft 20 years, i /. per acre per annum j and, at the end of the 30th, the account, from the firft planting, is 3/. 17 J. I d. per diCXQ \ and, in 40 years, ^ I. 6s. id. After which time they may be fuppofed to decline in quicks nefs of growth, and confequently had better be cut down, in point of profit. If beauty of fituation is not, in fome re- fpedts, commanded, we feldom fee plan- tations of quick-growing trees ; but it is evident, that poor foils fhould be planted upon the mere view of profit : a crop oF firs, inftead of a crop of wheat, barley or oats, at 20 years growth, which fo many men jnay expedt to fee out in perfection, they turn out far fuperior. One of the moft pro- stable farms would be a thirty years leafe of fuch land, with liberty to plant and cut down. One of twenty years, which is a fhorter period than the generality of long ieafes, would, thus applied, exceed commoa hufbandry on fuch foils. Mf. MelliJJj has a wafte, inclofed with a ring fence of 700 acres, which he would lett at 3 s. an acre, tythe free. Suppofe a perfon Hired it under a leafe of 30 years : Vol, I, Z. The 338 THE FARMER'S TOUR The raifing, planting, &C.&C. would come to, - - jT. 2ioa Rent of 700 acres, for thirty years, 3 1 50 Reparation of fences, fuppofe, - 50 Intereflof 2100/. for 30 years, at ^per cent, - - - 2 s 20 1 f Total expence, - - 7820 Produce — Thinning, in ten years, at 5/. an acre, - 3500 Ditto, in 20 years, 1000 per acre, at 6^. 25/. - 17500 — r— Cut down at 30 years, 2000 per a.cre, at i^. or 100 L per acre, 7000a,. Total produce, - - 9100O' ■ Total expences, - - 7820^ Clear profit, - - 8318a This account is ftated in the ftile of a common farm : the firfl expenditure called ftock, and compound intereft not calculated^ It is very evident, that no man, poflefled of- fuch foils, who can hire them for 20 or 30 years, under a planting leafe, need ever to be diftrefled at the idea of younger children's fortunes, or raifing large fums of money in. future. A moderate expenditure will, by planting 191 k THROUGH ENGLAND. 339 filanting, fecure the certain pofleffion of any fum that may in future be wanted, Mr. Meliijh has, befides thefe various im- Drovements, executed other undertakings, «rhich fhew an activity not often exceeded. He has made ten miles of road, at his own jxpence, and a river four miles long, and ;en yards wide, as a drainage to a large ex- ent of low land, in the center of his eftatCj :apable of being made as fine meadow as my in England, He has alfo built feveral arm-houfes, and above thirty cottageSj all n the moft fubftantial manner, 6f brick and He : works of the nobleft tendency, that vlil ever carry their own eulogy ! * * This gentleman has added a very magnifi- ;ent apartment to his hoiife, (before an exceed- ng good one) awithdrawing-room, 40 feet long, 12 broad, and 18 high, v.'ith a circular bow of \ I feet fpan. The proportion very agreeable. The chimney-piece elegant ; Ionic pillars of Egyp- ian granate, fluted with ftripes of white marble, upport the frieze, in which is a tablet, an an- ient facrifice. The furniture is extremely rich* :he chairs and carpet crimfon velvet, embroidered vith yellow filk. From the windows of moih of the rooms you command a fine water, which .winds through the lawn for a mile and half i the breadth from 50 to 70 yards. He has alfo built a large and hf^ndf^me pile^f ^l:abling,and ornamented his eltate with 200 acre* ^f thriving plantations. 340 THE FARMER^s TOUR L E #1 g: E R VII. FROM 5/j'/'/^ I took the road to Don^ cajier^ and made enquiricv^ into the ftate and culture of the rich lands near that town. , -, Farms rife from 30/. to 70/. a year, and the land letSj on an average, at 50 j. an acrCr Their crops of wheat are, on an average, about 30 bufliels, of rye 34, of barley 6 quarterSj of oats 10, and of rape half a laft. They never feed this crop. Their turnips they never hoe; but th€ value does not rife higher than 40 j. an acre.. Their manuring confifts in little elfe than buying Doncajier dung, which all the farmers, within four or five miles, regularly praftife. Their paflures arc very good : an acre wiL fummer feed a cow. They prefer the fiiort*; horned breed, and reckon the average pro*- duce of milk per diem at four gallons. In their tillage, they uie but two horfes ir a plough ; do one acre a day ; the deptl: * 1 fivr ¥li^OUGH ENGLAND. 341 £ve inches, and the price per acre 4/. 6d, Their fyftem of feeding horfes is not the moft perfed; and, among other inftances, know nothing of cutting ftraw into chaff. Swing ploughs only are ufed. I^an-d fells at fifty years puxchafeu Tythes are taken in kind. Poor-rates 2 s. in the pound ; their employment is in the maniy- fadure of the place, which is the facking, and alfo that of ftockings : fome hundreds of bands are employed in it.— All drink tea. No leafes in this country. The experiments made hy Anthony Whar- toriy Efq. of Carr-Houfe^ will bcft explain the nature of this rich fand. .i POTATOES. ^- Experiment, No. i . In 1767, two acres of the hefl: fand were I planted with potatoe$, after a third crop of Ljcorn, in rows equally diftant, three quarters I of a yard afunder. They were manured for ijhem with 12 loads an acre of rotten dung, i forkful to each fet, fpread from heaps in ;he common manner. The produd was 2 bufhels per acre, which, at the price of \ a peck, amounted to 12/. an acre. After Z 3 them le i 342 THE FARMER^s TOUR them cabbages were planted, and the ccbg proved very fine. They were horfe and hand-hoed as often as requihte to keep them clean from weeds. -I Experiment, No. 2. In 1768, two acres more were planted; the management exactly the fame, and the produce again 12/. Experiment, No. 3. -J In 1769, four acres and an half weft planted on the fame foil, and managed ir^ the fame manner. The product 390 hw^clsper acre, or 15/. Experiment, No. 4. This year, 1770, he has feveral pieces jn rows at various diftances, from 2 feet )S inches, to 3 feet 6 inches. I found them all as cleari as a garden ; and as fine lux- uriant a growth as I remember to have feen. Half an acre will yield at the rate of 515/. />^r acre. The reft 15/. All thefe crops Mr. Wharton has applied chiefly to the feeding fwine: ; he fats pork- ers with them : generally boils them ; and fogietinjQS mixes them with barley meal, 4 a \ THROUGH ENGLAND. 343 ia peck of the latter, to 6 biifhels of the potatoes. The pork is perfedly good, and the fat as firm and as good as any other. He alfo finds them of very great ule in half fattening bacon hogs, to prepare them for peafe and beans. In thefe applications the value of the potatoes is 4^/. per peck; whereas only 3//. is ufed in the preceding calculation as a market price. Mr. JVhartori*?, general culture of them is as follows. The land is ploughed three or four times : then holes are made by a line with a fpade ; dung is put in thefe holes, and the potatoe fets, on the dung. The firft tillage is to harrow the land flat, as foon as the weeds come up, and before the potatoes. They are afterwards earthed up by hand-hoes feveral times ; and all weeds extirpated. One circumflance in which Mr. IVbarton is peculiar, is the planting only the knots or eyes, cut off the potatoes ; the heart is all preferved for ufe ; and this method of cutting them, is recom- mended as a very great faving. The average produce amounts to lol, pcv acre, at 4^. a peck ; and the expences of the crop are as follow. Z4 344 THE FARMER'S TOUR Rent and town charges, - £.2 lo a I o Bufhcls qf (ecd, - -013 4 12 Loads of manure (on Xo t]\e land) at 6x. - •- 3 12 o- Planting and flicing, - 0100 3 Ploughings, r ii baoii o 10 6 I Harrowing, - r - t^-^i^ |^ o 3 Horfe hoeings, - - 050 3 Hand ditto, and weeding, 070 Taking up and carrying home, 100 o 8 10 ,,i^ Total produce, • vi^i^i. ° ^ Total expences, ■• 9 8 10. S^^' Profit, - - ' ID n 2 This culture of potatoes, fhews how much that root deferves attention on rich fands ; they form an admirable crop to in--, troduce regularly in a courfe, and to exter\4 over all the light arable of a farm. CABBAGES. Experiment^ No. 5, In 1767, three acres of the great Scot-ch. cabbage were planted on fand worth 20s, ^i acre. The feed was fown in Auguji^ pricked THROUGH EiNGLAND. 3^. pricked out in October ; again in March \ and into the field the middle oi'Junc, The land was prepared by ^ve ploiighings, and a manuring of 10 loads an acre of farm- vard dung. They were planted in fquares, ;ad hand-hoed twice, and horfcrhoed thrice. They were begun to be cut the end of OBober ; and lafted till the end of February-^ They were ufed for fatting beafts — milch cows;-^young cattler — and particularly for hogs ; ail forts of fwine above 3 months old— fows, boars, fhots^ &c. and they fed Ycry eagerly on them ; and in no ufc anfwered better : they were kept by them in excellent order till put up for fatting. In the fattening of beafts they anfwered but indifferently. The cows gave vaft quanti- ties of milk, as much as from the fummer's grafs, but it was very ftrong, though ven- tilated. Cows with calf, if they accident- ally ^QX into the cabbage field, will eat till they burfl: ; but this is the cafe with no other fort of cattle. The w^eight of the cabbages arofe to 34 Jh, ; the average 21 lb. izoz. : this is 47 tons /j^t acre. Notwith- ftanding this weight, Mr. Wharton pre- ferred a crop of turnips of 3 /. per acr^, for ii:fiy ufe except the feeding pigs. 346 THE FARMER*s TOUR Experiment^ No. 6. In 1768, four acres of the fame foil were planted. The preparation of the land,' and all other circumftances as in 1767, The crop was equal ; and upon trying them with moft forts of cattle> the fame refult was adhered to. Experiment, No. 7. In 1769, eight acres were planted on a clay foil, and 4 on limeftone land : but- neither of them equalled the crops of the preceding year. Experiment y No. 8. In 1 769, four acres were planted on the fandof 20/. an acre: the culture, produ(^» application of the crop, &c. were nearly the fame as in the preceding years. s Mr. Wharton, upon the w^hole, does not approve of cabbages on land that will yield large crops of turnips : he finds that the latter much exceed them in fatting oxen ; and are upon the whole more advantageous. In ftall feeding beafts on turnips, Mr. Wharton finds that they fat much fafter than when in the field : he always litters them THROUGH ENGLAND. 347 them down well. Thofe he prefers that l)ave had the fummcr-s grafs. — -One acre drawn arid given in ftalls, will feed thrice the beafts, of the fame given in the field. Mr. Wharton'^ calculation on an average, is, that an acre will fatten four beafts from 80 to 100 ftone, during four months, with the affiftance of a little hay. Mr. Wharton\ courfe of crops on his beft fand which he moft approves, is, I. Turnips; 2. Carrots ; 3. Oats; 4. Pota- toes ; 5. Barley ; 6, Clover ; 7 Wheat, And the account in expei>ces, product, and profit, is as follows. L TURNIPS. Rxpences. Six ploughings, - - I I I a Six harrowingjj, - - 0 3 0 Raking together, and burning • the twitch, - - - 0 3 0 Seed and fowing, T - 0 I 0 Manuring, i»load », - 3 0 0 Hoeing with a machine. - 0 0 10 Hand weeding, - - 0 I 6 Rent, " - ■" 0 10 0 1_ 0 4 l43 THE FARMER' s TOUR IL CARROTS. Expences, Four ploughings, Two harrowings, C-<5 14 0 I 9 9 7/^. Seed, - «■ Sowing in drills, « Cleaning, * m 0 9 0 7 2 0 4 6 0 Taking up, Jl€nt, m m m m m 1 0 2 10 0 ^ OS i: 7 « 10 _:: TTT. OATS. * IF Expences. Two ploughings,, i,^ - Two harrowings, -• Seed, 3 1 buihels, « m - "1 0 7 0 I 0 7 0 0 Sowing, m Reaping^ •- - Harvefting, is ^ Thrafhing, p 0 0 7 0 6 Q 6 3 0 0 0 Carrying, 3 dl a quarter. Rent, - ^ * 0 2 2 10 6 0 4 6 _9 IV. POTATOES • Expences, As at page 344, * ♦» 9 8 ] 19 .^ROUGH ENGLAND. 349 V. BARLEY. Expences, I'hree plough ings, - - ^ 1 .0 10 6 Three harrowings, 0 I 6 Seed, 3 T bufhels, at 2s. Gd, arid fowing, - • 0 9 0 Reaping and harvefling. 0 13 0 Thrafhing, « - . 0 9 0 Carrying, * - * 0 X :;6 Rent, •■.•!* 2 to 0 -. 4 14 6 VL CLOVER. - Expences, Seed and fowing, 0 6 3 Mowing twice, and getting on to ftack, - ^ - X ro 0 Rem^ - - » - 2 10 0 4 6 0 Vn. WHEAT. Expences. One ploughing, - 0 5 0 Two harrowings, 10 Petks of ktdy • • 0 0 I 12 0 6 Carryover, ^ o 18 6 350 THfi FARMER^s t ouK* Brought over, - £.0 18 6 Sowing, - - ^ 0 0 3 Rent, ~ - - *i 2 10 <3 Reaping, &c. Sec* - *^ 0 13 0 Thrafhing, - * - 0 6 8 Carrying, - * * 0 I g 4 10 1 eKpences. Turnips, - - 7 0 4 CarrotSj - -» - 7 I 10 OatSi * - - * 4 6 9 Potatoes, * * *. 9 8 10 Barley, * - - * 4 14 6 Clover, ^ - - 4 6 0 IVheat, - - A 4 10 i Total, A* * - 41 8 4;. PRODUCE. i. Turnips. Sold, to be fed oii the land. Many come to 1 7 /A average 7//^, - - - 3 o d Il# Carrots ; 20 ton : but no minutes being taken of their value, I fhall fuppofe them at 6 J, 3, bulhel of 48/^; which is THROUGH ENGLAND; s^t Brought over " £-Z ^ ® i| . is not half the price I have experienced myfelf in feed- ing cattle : It is 933 bufhels, 23 6 6 [II. Oats ; 10 quar- ters, at 15/. ^.7 10 o Chaff and ftraw, 150 8 15 o IV. Potatoes, at 4^. a peck, 20 o Qr V. Barley, 6 quarters, 600 Chaff and ftraw, 15c 750 VI. Clover : 4 loads hay, at 30^-. 6 o o VII. Wheat : 30 bu- fhels, at 4 J. 8//. 7 o o Straw, - I ID o 8 10 o Total produce. Total expences, Clear profit. Or per acre per ann. Which fyflem of hufbandry, upon the whole, advances very near perfedion ; and 2 proves 76 16 6 41 8 4 35 8 2 i ^52 tHE FARMER^s TOUR J>roves clearly the vaftly fuperior profit or cultivating the richcfl foils, however h?gh the rent, Mr. Wharton follows turnips T^ith carrots, that the latter crop may be the j cleaner ; for if it is fown w^hile the land i^ full of weeds, the expences of homing are too great. A general obfervation he has mads on the culture of thefe rich fands, is the certainty of the produce : he has ti^^ti found them liable to any failures, wliatevef |'i the feafon — -in very dry ones they do as ■Well as in wet ; for in many years the na- tural produce is lowered to the preceding average quantities, by being beaten dowm This gentleman k particularly attentive to applying every yard of this rich foil to profit. The borders of hi« fields — the hot-* toms of old hay ftacks, — and all other wafte' fpots, he plants with potatoes, and keeps them perfedly clean ; by which means, they are made to anfwer well in produdl \ at th.e fame time that the farm is preferved from the weeds, which fuch fpots ufuall/ ftock it with. At another farm in the neighbourhood, this gentleman cultivates a different Tandy foil ; the rent i o s. an acre. Here his crops are THROUGH ENGLAND. 353 are very different from thole at Cnrr Houfe, Wheat 15 buihels />rr acre ; Rye 24; Bar- ley 3 quarters; Oats 4- Pcafe 15 bufliels. Experiment, No. 9, '-3 Oh this poor fand, planted potatoes, on a manuring of 12 loads per acre: the crop 12/. I2J". . Here is alfo fome tracts of low land, the foil a black moory bog earth, but- drained. Mr. Wharton h paring and burning it for rape on one earth ; the paring he docs with a plough, -which cuts about i inch thick,- in a very pleajn and regular manner ; but it will execute only in flat land with a fmcoth llirface, and perfectly free from fibncs. The faring, bft-rning, and fpreadirxg, cofts in this method ijs. an acre ; ar.d the plcughr^" ing, harrowing, and fov^'ing, j\s.\ fi-cm v/hich moderate exnences, he has liitle doubt of gaining half a laft of rape ^iT acre; This gentleman, for the preffervatioii of his hay, has eredcd at all his farms, hay barns with moveable fcofs : I am told t?iey , are common in Holland-, but as many parts'" ' of the kingdom know^ nothing of them, I Vol. I, A a infert 354 THE FARMER'S TOUR infert a drawing of it, from which any per* fon may eredi one. Plate V. Fig. 2. is a view of one fide of the fquare. The area is 20 feet fquare, but may be varied according to the ground mown. The length of the poles {a. a.) alfo depends on the inclination of the perfon who ere£U one. The roof (b.) is of feather-cdgea boards ; very light. It is raifed by refting fuch a jack as fcrews up a waggon for greafing on the pin (c), and fixing the tongue to the corner of the roof (d), it is wound up one hole at a time, and fecured by the pin (e). So that one man, by going! t fi-om corner to corner, does it without afliflance. That the preceding minutes of hufbandry are the tranfcript of experience, will bcft appear from the following particulars of Mr. Wharton\ farm. 800 Acres in all 110 Of rich fand 300 Clayey loam 100 Of lime-ftone loam 200 Of moory fandy grafg 100 Of black moory land 50 Of poor fand 600 Grafs 200 Arable in all , THROUGH ENGLAND. 355 50 Fatting beafts 250 Sheep 100 Swine 20 Men ; fervants and labourers. 15 Horfes 22 Brood mares 43 Colts and other horfes ^ 12 Cows ^200 Young cattle * Thefe particulars fhew that Mr. Wharton gives an uncommon attention to hufbandry; praflifing it on a very large fcale, and with a laudable neatnefs. It is much to be wifhed that he may continue to try experi- ments ; and vary them in fuch a manner, that points now doubtful with him may be r fet in their clearefl lights. 5^ You rtiuft here allow me to conclude this fetter, by affuring you how much I am, &c. A a 2 ^56 THE FARMEl^'s TOU? II LETTER VIII. JAMES STOYIN, Efq. of Doncafler,^ has lately tried a fejy experiments in hus- bandry, which he was fo obliging as t^ communicate. They are very decillve. In, 1769, two acres of rich fancjl, . i^eiyf Doficqfiery were ploughed and fown equalh with barley. One half was manured wijjbi 1 2 loads of rotten dung, at the expence of 3/. lis, the other with Dr. Hunter* s f^ compoft, which he particularly explains in * Secretary to the Society of Agriculture for thi counties of Nottingham^ and the fi^lejt Riding of Tori n fociety that does much honour to the members, the following lift of premiums for one year will teftify Agriculture Society at Doncafter, for the Wef Riding of the county of Y oxk^ and county of Nottingham Premiums offered by the Society, 1769. I. F O R the greateft quantity of land, not lef than five acres, which fhall be fown with lu corn, in Aprils ^11 ^i ^^ ^^ ^^ produce and b a crop in 1,772, the fum of 15/. or a gol medal, at the option of the party entitle thereto. II. For the next Lirgeft quantity, as aforefaid, 10 or a ({-old medal. THROUGH ENGLAND. 357 his Georgical Effays, (a little work of un- jomihon merit) the expence 15 j. 6 t^ 13, .20 women wefedin'g4'days,,at 6^/, 2 'pf '<>j 15 fidy, 10 women weeding 6, days, at & a o *^ o C4 o > O CO § CO C t2 o »-l :-■ CO MS u ^ o CO o ts «9 ^- ^ o ^ »:: CO .2 O to in <» CO -IK ►•k' tnVt »^* Th M NO O\00 ^ VO U> tJ- M CS M •V. C 5 Si « Co ^^c^ o O d O o ^ o oo tv.O O i-< O vO 'li- N v/> f>^ o CO oo o» «<» ^1 ^ Q • •^ «»» 3! so Tt- •'i'so e^ %" Co O^M w> o O O OO O O v> o M oo v^ rh c> m d r^ t^ O r^oo t-* O CO tJ-\0 ^ c>o 'd- po CO c^ M ^ flj 'O o ^ ^ a ct ^ . u^OO O M p^N :S 25 CJ '-' oo O i-i \0 bO 3^ 0.» -rj- t^ r^ ro lo po i-»oo M o-> to O o 1 M c k Oh* O O o t--o o •^ »1 M o o •? 1 ^ 1 c« v; u CJ cti O '^: THROUGH ENGLAND. 367 Mr. Crowle*s cabbages weighed on an average 19/^. 7 oz. each. It appears very ftrongly on the face of this table, that the goodnefs of the crop depends much on the number of cabbages planted on an acre; provided they are not fo clofe as to prevent one another's growth. But no exadl judg- ment can be formed of the matter, for want of the candidates giving in accounts of their foil and methods of culture ^\ Mr. Stovin has, in feveral inftances, ex- perienced the uncommon richnefs of the foil about Doncafler j and among others he broke * The following letter was addrefled to Mr. Stovin as fecretary to the fociety. I infert it here for the ule of thofe who may want it. Q<. -^ 0» *' Sir, Nottingham^ 'July 10, "^ll^^ " Seeing an advertifement in our news paper fome time fince, offering a premium for the beft recipe for the gargle or downfal of the milk in cows, I make bold to fend you the following, being what I have made ufe of feveral times, and always with fuccefs ; that is, the cows foon got well without bleeding or any other application either external or internal. Take two ounces of nitre, pound it fine, and give it in a hornful of water, wafhing it down with a few hornfuls more, taking care to repeat it every day for feveral days, and to draw the paps well, as often as poflible — I never heard of any perfon ufing nitre for this purpofe before myfelf : I took the hint from Dr, JameCi difpenfatory, where he fays a folution of it will 368 THE PARMER^s TOUR broke up a piece of grafs land, and fowed it with oats 2 years fucceffively, and had 12 quarters per acre each year. — He has alfo fome experiments on cabbages, pota- toes, carrots, and Siberian flax, now on the ground, for the purpofe of difcovering what crops are beft adapted to this rich fand. Carrots have been tried by Cook; Efq. of Wheatly^ near Doncafier. He fowed them on a fallow for barley ; the foil a light loam on alime-ftone, ploughed I o inches deep : they were hand weeded and hoed fufficiently to keep them clean at the expence of 35/. for 3 roods. The crop was a very good one. Thd I m will refolve coagulated milk ; therefore I thought Hr, probably would have the {amc effe6l inwardly by im-'' pregnating the juices well with it. I believe thtf. quantity may be confidera.bly increafed With fafety, but then I fhould chufe to give it oftner rather than augment the dofe — As I have not complied with the- terms, fo neither do I expe£l the premium, but (houl^ be glad if you will give it a fair tryal, and inform Mr/ CnU'wdU printer here, with wlwt fuccefs — I havf not fet my name, as that would be of no fervice, but might perhaps procure me the appellation of Brother Doctor amongft the cow-leeches. I am. Sir, yours, &:c.' The following is added by another perfon. " For dry- ing cows for feeding. Bleed firft, then as much pepper as wdll lie on a half crown piece, and a bolus of tarr at the end of a ftick : repeat three times. '' THROUGH ENGLAND. 369 »:The next year, the experiment was re- plated on the lame land ; but the crop was ^t quite fo good as before. G3rn was then fejwn, and it proved much better than in any jher part of the field. They were vifed chiefly for horfes, and found excellent for 'fmt purpofc. Several had the diilemper, which raged among them fo univerfally a 'sw years ago ; but, L)y feeding on carrots, t.had very little efFe*^ on tlicm. One that was broken-winded had, while fed with ;arrots, the appearance of being recovered. Mr. Cook planted, on the lame foil, an icre of potatoes, for which he manured with [even loads of :dung : they were fet in rows hree feet afundcr. The crop fucceedcd very well. Ke was. oFered' 12/. for it, while (landing, to be taken up at the expcnce of he buyer; but heufed'them himfelf, prin- cipally for cows *aVid~ Kogs : the former eat f&em very heartily, and the milk and butter (>rOYed exceccMngly good from them. '^' This gentrem-^.n once tried an experiment oh the improvement of walle land, which is worthy of bei^n'g minuted. On a piece of [Kungry fand on bad giavcl, which yielded nothing but mofs and poor wild grafs, he Vol. I. B b laid S70 THE FARMER'S TOUR laid I i chaldron of lime, mixed with 2 cart-* loads of black moory earth. It* had no ef^ fed: the firfl: and fecondyear; but, the third, the benefit was very great ; for all the cattle in the field were almoft conftantly feeding on that fpot. ^tyif*! From Doncajlcr I took the road towards "Barnjley^ by Broadfworth^ where the foil changes totally. It is in general a lime-» flqne, let at 6 •. an acre. FarrtiS are, in ge- neral, about 35/. or 40/. a year: fome rife to 60 /. Their courfe of crops, 1. Fallow 3. Barley 2. Wheat 4. Tares or peafc^ For the field lands. ^ -Ov In the inclofures, feme of them take, 1. Turnips 3. Clover 2. Barley 4. Wheat. Their wheat yields, on an average, 15 buihels p.er acre ; and rye, of which the]; fow but little, as much. Of barley, they get 2 \ quarters, and of oats 3 quarters. The mean produce of peas is 14 bufhe]s ; and qi beans the fame, when they fow them. They do not hoc their turnips : reckbr the average value at 25/. an acrp. 1 Thre^ In THROUGH ENGLAND. 371 Three acres of natural grafs land they thhik requlfite to lumpier feed a cow. Their breed of cattle the fhort-horned : the average ©1 quantity of rni Ik 2 gallons. •gf In their tillage, they reckon four horfes neceffary for 40 acres of arable land : ufe two ! or three in a plough, and do an acre a day : jjj- the depth three inches : the price per acre ^.3 J. 6(i. They know nothing of cutting ... draw into chaff. « None but fwing-ploughs ufed. In the hiring and ftocking of farms, they reckon 250/.- ncceflary for a farm of 6c/. a year. Land fells up to 40 years purchafe. Tythes are taken in kind ; poor rates 8^. In the pound : the employment of the wo- men and children fpinning flax : all drink tea. l\ No leafes granted^ :-, • '{^ The farmers carry their corn five miles. ,;. LABOUR. •^ In harveft, i /. 6 ^. a day, In hay-time, i s, y' In winter, i /. Reaping, 4^. 6 J, :r,' ^ b 2 Mowing 372 THE FARMERS TOUR Mowing and binding barky or oats, zs.bd, —— grafs, I /. 6d» Plalhing hedges, i s. 2d. an acre. Thrafhing wheat, 8 ^. a load of 3 bufhels. — barley, is, 6d. 2l quarter. ■ • oats, 8 d. ditto. Head-man's wages, 12 /. Next ditto, 7/. Lad*s, 5/. 10/, Maid's, 3/. A woman a day in harveft, I s. — — — in hay-time, 8 d, in winter, 6d. Value of a man's board, wafliing and lodg-r ing, 10/. IMPLEMENTS. A new waggon, 15/. Their waggons are about two feet wide. A cart, 9/. Shoeing, i J. 4^. PROVISIONS. Bread, - - i -'V. a pound. Cheefe, - - 3 4 ditto. Butter, - - 8 for 18 cz. Beef, - - 34. Mutton, O - Veal. THROUGH ENGLAND. 373 Teal, 3 Pork, 3v Bacon, 4i Milk, 0 y- d. per pin*. Potatoes, 3 4 /^'^ peck. Candles, 6 V per lb. Soap, 6 Houfe-rent, 25/. Firing, 21s, BUILDING. Bricks, 12 J. a thoufand. Tiles, 25/. Oak timber, i j. to 2 : J", a foot. Afh and elm, i s. A carpenter and mafc )n a day, zod. A thatcher, is. id. Stone walls, 2J-. a rood worlvmanfhip ; zs.6d, ftone del. The particulars of a farm as follow. 100 Acres in all 10 Barley 65 Arable 5 Oats 35 Grafs 5 Peafe and beans £.40 Pvent 10 Clover 5 Horfes 10 Turnips 2 Cows 10 Fallow 8 Young cattle 2 Men 40 Sheep I Maid 15 Acres of wheat 2 Labourers. 374 TH£ farmer's TOUft Great improvemerits have been made at Broad/worthy by the Archbifhop of York, with fainfoine*. Thefe loams on lime- ftone, notwithftanding they are in genera! of a clayey nature, do excellently well for that plant. His Grace has greatly advanced the value of his land fo applied. ' Mr. Wbar^ ton, of Carr-Houfe, has alfo feveral clofes of fainfoine on his farm here, which anfvvcr much better than any of the other fields. At Swakhy near Barnjley, the rev. Mr. Hall has tried feveral very important expe- riments in hufbandry, the regiller of which he was fo obliging as to give me^ Their utility will be judged of, when I mention the Hate of his farm,, which is cultivated In a very neat and accurate manner, and the crops all excellent. - , -, - - • TRANSPLANTING HEDGES. Mr. HaJl has a niethod of fencing, in which I apprehend he is perfectly original, £S * It is much worthv of obfervation, that this eftate ; wa? fold to the late Earl o'^ Klnnoul, on account of the < liindlord not being able to raife hay for his own borfcs ; : but the improvement of fainfoine has fo v.-ond-rtully , changed the cafe, that hundreds of loads, mere than I ncccltary for home wfe, have fince been grown. THROUGH ENGLAND. 375 ias I have never heard of any perfon that pradifed It. He tranfplants white-thorn hedges, of any growth, even to 30 or 40 years old. In winter, he grubs up the old hedge, after cutting, in the common man- ner, and without giving any unufual at- tention to the manner in which it is done. The ftuhs are not at all tender, or liable to fail of growing : He has known them left out of the ground a week, without any da- mage; and, if there is a little water at the bottom of the ditch, he apprehends they would lie there fafely a month : but the bcft way, undoubtedly, infuch cafes, is to move it from one hedge to the other, as foon as is convenient. The bank, or place, where the new hedge is to be made, fhould be marked out with a line, and a proper trench cut to fet the ftubs in : they fhould be buried ra- ther deeper than they were in the earth be- fore. Mr. Hall has found, that not one ftub in an hundred will fail of growing, and the fhoots are fo vigorous, that a new hedge is formed much quicker than in any other method. B b 4 Experiment^ 376 THE farmer's TOUR Experiment^ No. i. I viewed a very long hedge of this gen- tleman's, tranfplanted fix years ago, when thirty years old. In live years it fprouted 14 feet in many places, and 12 feet on an average. It was then cut and plalhed, and is now as thriving and fine a hedge as can be feen. Another hedge, planted in the common manner, 15 years ago, did not equal this when only five years old. This difcovery is very important ; for I have more than once known old hedges grub- bed up and levelled, and new ones planted with great care and attention, to raife a fence as foon as poiTible; by which condud:, above ten years are abfolutely lofl in height, and many more in flrength. In the grubbing up of old hedges, planted with variolas forts of wood, it is very ufeful to know, that th^ white-thorn flubs may be preferved to planj: in the gaps of other hedges. The whole proccfs of the vvork alfo is fo extremely plain and eafy, that none can find any difiiculty in executing it. Let me here likewife obferve, that Mr Hail'is remarkably attentive to all his hedges: he keeps them quite clean from weeds, and z trims THROUGH ENGLAND. 377 trims the horizontal flioots off in fuch a manner, that the hedge is left wide at bot- tom, and narrowed gradually to the top, that the latter may not drip on the reft, and de- Ihroy or damage it. The hedge 'alfo, by this means, is rendered ftronger, and no land is loft by the ihade ; but the fhoots, chat grow up in the center, are not fliort- ened : they rife their natural height. In plafhing, Mr, Hall cuts out all the old, large branches, and lays thofe only, which are young and pliant. This is contrary to the Hertfordjhire method : but, as he does not want fences fo ftrong, the neatnefs of his method makes amends for that clrcum« ance. In moft countries, the feeding clover with hogs is the moft profitable application of that crop ; but, with hedges done in this neat manner, hogs could not be confined an hour: they would break through in many places near the ground. WHITE CLOVER. 'Experiment^ No. 2. Mr. Hall has cultivated this plant for feed, to great profit. He fowed ten acres of it, the foil a fandy loam, inclinable to c^ay, with 37S THE FARMER'S TOUIt with barley. He fed the firft crop, till thd beginning of '^une^ with all fotts of cattle, and then kept it for feed. Mown the be^ ginning of ^«^w//. The product, 2487 /^i fold for 96/. 9 J", befides four quarters of tre- foil, at 10 J-., 2/. The ftoTcr amounted to 17 loads, worth 10/* a load. The feed in April and May was during feven weeksj \\ value 1 4 J". 3 ^. a week. Seed Clover, - - ^. 96 9 o Ditto Trefoil, - -200 Seventeen loads hay, at ioj. 8 io o Feed, - - 500 • o o Carry over, 1 7 i o o THROUGH ENGLAND. 381 Brought over, ^.1710 o The fifth, three horfes, 26 weeks, at 7J-. 6d, are, - -9150 The fixth, four horfes, 26 weeks, atiox. - - 1300 The feventh, five horfes, 26 weeks, at I2J-. 6^. - - 16 5 o Total produce, - 56 10 o Or, per annum, - 1 1 6 o I viewed this crop attentively, and found it in fo rich and luxuriant a ftate of vegeta- tion, that I have ho doubt, but that this pro- dud: would rcgularlybemddefrom any quan- tity of land fo cropped. The two firft years arc never to be expected to equal the fucceed- jng ones; for lucerne is in its infancy during that tim£, Kxperlmenf, No. 5. In 1763, half an acre of well fummer- fallowed land was filled with tranfplanted lucerne. It Vv^as fet in March^ in rows, two feet afunder, and one foot from plant to plant: the roots were fevcn years old. They were cut once ; but the .crop very frnall. All 382 THE FARMER'S TOUR All the land was kept perfedly clean from weeds by hand-hoeing. In 1764, it was hand-hoed , twice, andil maintained at the rate of three horfes per \ acre, through the fummer..i9V3woiJ . In 1765, it was again hand-hocd twice, i- and kept two horfes through the fumI^er^ that is, four />6'r acre, JUi f^ In 1766, the fame culture was giten, and the produce was equal. In 1767, it was harrowed "acrofs, and the crop as good as in 1766 : in 1768, 1769, and this year, 1770, it has proved the famet 1764, Three horfes, £-9 15 Q 1765, Two ditto. r- . 6 10 0 1766, Ditto, -T - 6 10 0 1767, Ditto, - 6 10 0 1768, Ditto, * -»■ 6 10 Q 1769, Ditto, - - - 6 ID 0 J 770, Ditto, - *. « 6 10 0 Total produce, 48 15 0 Or, per annu7n^ 6 19 3 Mr. Hall, from his general experience of this plant, recommends the broad-caft hw^- )3andry for the practice of common farmers, being THROUGH ENGLAND. 383 being lefs complex and confequenlly much more adapted to their notions. But he p. -thinks that the tranfplanting or drilling V- methods would yield larger products : they jnuft, liowcver, be cut with Tickles, to pre-^ • vent the lucerne licking tip the dull of the intervals, which would be the cafe if it fell on the ground, as it mud do in mowing. * I ihall beg leave to remark on thefe ac- counts, that they prove in the cleareft man-^ ) ner imaginable, the uncommon value of the crop. The produdl per acre per annum of 7 /. and 11/. il^ew that very few crops equal it ; and prove how expedient it is for every farmer to have at leaft as much of it as is neceflary for feeding his teams : he will in no other way be able to keep them near fo cheaply *, "* Lucerne has been cuhivated fome time by a neigh- bouring gentleman, the Rev. Mr. Crtpps. I defigned \q the pleafurc of waiting on him to view it, hut was unfortunately called on a fudden another way. H^"^ told me that he had tried it drilled, transplanted, rtnd ' broad-caft ; but that the latter was much the bell, "^ He mows it for hay, and finds, contrary to the gcne- *) ral opinion, that it is of very great ufe fo aj-plied : He has had great crops ; and one in particular that had near a fortnight's rain upon it after cutting. It loli its fine c«lour, but not its fccnt, nor did th'.- Kavi.6 384 THE FARMER'S TOUR' CABBAGES. Experiment^ No. 6. In 1769, two acres of a rich loam were well fallowed, and manured as for turnips, and planted with the great Scotch cabbage in June^ in rows 4 feet afunder, and the plants 2 feet. The feed was fown in Fc^ bruary. They wefe kept quite clean from weeds throughout the feafon by horfe and hand-hocing. They were begun to be cut in OHober for fatting fheepv and given ia a pafture field ; the iheep throve Very well Oil them ; but Mr. Hali thinks they did not equal turnips in the confumption ; they came to the average weight of \2.lb. per cabbage. An acre of good turnips he reckons worth 3 /. i o j. ; the cabbages in proportion were 3 /. leaves fall offj ?nd fufFereJthe wet with much Icfs damage than clover would' have done. Upon the whole, it makes imcomparable hay, and is as ufcful for that purpofc as for any other'. Cabbages A(tr. Crlpps has tried with much attention, and thinks them not comparable to turnips, either in weight of' produce or value in feeding cattle: and they make butter ftink, DRILLED THROUGH ENGLAND. 38^^ DRILLED PEASE AND BEANS. Experiment^ No. 7. Four acres of good loamy foil were ploughed for the firft time in 05lober^ '^1^9'* and again in February, upon which earth two acres and a half were drilled in March with rouncival peafe, in rows equally dif- tant, 1 8 inches afundcr ; 3 bufhels per acre feed. The other acre and half in February ^ with horfe beans in the fame manner, 3 bulhels per acre. I viewed the crops with the utmoft pleafure, and found them clean as any garden, and as fine as any I remem- ber to have feen : the peafe in particular were an aftonilhing crop, much the greateft I ever faw — they were perfedly entangled ; like a regular lev^l, broadcaft crop, without a weed to be feen. Both peafe and beans had been horfe and hand-hoed : The drill- plough and horfe-hoe taken from lord Rock- inghani'^, of which I gave plates in Hhe Tour through the North of England. Some years ago Mr. Hall had many ex- periments on drilled wheat, barley, and oats, fown with 7z///'s drill ; but from repeated trials, and the minuteft attention, VoL.L C c he 386 THE FARMER'S TOUR he was convinced that the pradice would never do — that it would never nearly equal the broad-caft fowing, SOILING HORSES. Experiments No. 8. One year in which Mr. Hall mowed his lucerne for hay, he tried clover for foiling his horfes ; and 2 acres of it kept 6 from the \^\}cioi May *till the end of Septejnber„ They were confined day and night to a fmall farm-yard well littered with ftraw for making dung, with an open fhed to run under, and water conftantly at command, 1 9 Weeks, at 2 j. 6 d. per horfe perwtok, for 6, are, >C' ^4 5 ^ Ov per acre, « j z ^ Which is a much greater produce than could be made of clover by any other me- thod of ufmg it. Mr. Hall allured me that the fame horfes turned out, would have required 9 acres to eat, tread on, and wafte. He gives them neither corn nor hay ; and they are in as perfedt health as any horfes in the field. Another very great advantage in this method THROUGH ENGLAND. 387 tnethod is the quantity of dung made. Mr. Hall raifed 60 loads of dung by the above 6 horfes — which alone, more than paid the cxpence of the clover. MANURES. 'Experiment^ No. 9. One hundred loads of tanner's bark four years old, were purchafed at 9^. a load, : and formed into a heap, and fome yard dung and lime added to it ; it was turned once; and when rotten carried on to 8 lacres of a cold fpringy foil, for wheat. It much ameliorated the land ; prevented the iloo great adhefion, and was vifibly of be- nefit to the crop : But Mr. Hall thinks the ♦virtues of the bark but fmall ; and that it is of ufe in opening rather than enriching the foil. He has tried various mixtures of lime, earth, alhes, &c. «Sic. and finds that fuch compofts are more efficacious than laying the forts on the land fmgly. Adjoining to Swaith is Wombwell, a I large eftate w^hich was in the pofleffion of a family of that name from the conqueft; it came at laft to two co-heireffes, the mifs C c 2 Womb" Z^S THE farmer's TOUR Wombwells ; one of whom married Charles Tiurner^ Efq; of Kirkleatham^ and the other Colonel St, Leger of Park Hill: the whole now belongs to the former, who has pur- chafed the other half. It confifts of 3000 acres of rich land, within a hedge ; the country beautifully varied with hill and dale, and nobly fpread with wood. The hufbandry and crops of this trad: of land is much worthy of obfervation. Farms rife from 20/. to 260/. a year, the average about 90/. The foil is a fine rich fandy loam ; fomc of it inclining more to clay than fand ; but in general good mixed land. The average rent is 16 s. an acre. The courfes of crops chiefly purfued are, 1. Turnips 3. Clover 2. Barley 4. Wheat. I. Turnins J. 3. Beans 2* Wheat 4- Wheat. Likewife^ I. Turnips 3. Clover 2. Wheat 4- Wheat. This is very bad. Oi 1 the ftiffeft land it is, THROUGH ENGLAND. 3S9 1. Fallow. 3. Beans 2. Wheat 4. Wheat. Their clover land they plough but once for wheat, but the fallows from 4 to 6 times. They fow 2 "^ to 3 bufhels per acre, and reckon the average produce about 3 quarters. — ^They fbw fcarcely any rye ; but IVIr. Birh, the principal tenant on the eftate, Iiad once 108 bufhels from an acre and half of garden mold, which is 9 quarters j^tr acre. They plough but once for barley ; fow 3 bufhels and an half, and gain 6 quarters in return. Very few oats are fow n ; but the tillage is one ploughing ; 5 bufhels of feed; and the crop not more than 5 quarters. For peafe they flir but once ; fow 3 luifhels, never hand-hoe themj and gain upon an average 3 quarters. They give but one earth for beans, fow 4 bufhels ptT acre; don't hoe them ; the crops from 20 to 60 bufhels ; average about 32. Rape is much cultivated ; the hufoandry is to pare and burn old turf for it ; then plough once, and harrow in the feed : the crop on a medium is half a laft. Wheat is always fown after it. For turnips they plough from four to fi,\: C c 3 times ; 390 THE FARMER'S TOUR times ; hoe them twice ; generally feed them on the land with Iheep, but fome few are drawn and carried off for fatting beafts or young cattle. The mean value per acre 47 J-. 6 d. Their clover they mow twice for hay ; fometimes feed the firft crop, and mow the fecond for feed, at others cut the firft for hay, and the fecond for feed : Their crops are very great, will yield at two cuts for hay, 4 tons; and fome has been mown thrice in a fummer. The beft wheat is allowed to follow mowit crops: — mowing prepares better thanfeeding^ In refpedt to manuring ; none of theni fold their fheep. — Paring and burningj which is performed at i'] s. an acre, they reckon a very fine improvement. — Lime they ufe for wheat : they fow 6 quarters per acre on the clover land wheat after it is fown, and perhaps up; which they fay kills all poppies and many other weeds; and deftroys much of the twitch, if there is any in the land. Their hay they ftack about the fields for fatting cattle and young flock ; nor do they chop their ftubbles. They ufe much pi- geons dung ; fow it for wheat or turnips ; it THROUGH ENGLAND. 391 It cofts 8 J-. a quarter ; and the quantity they life is from 3 to 5 quarters : 5 they reckon :qual to any common drefling of dung in a wet feafon. Covered drains are known here ; the beft farmers dig them from 2 feet to 3 and a .half deep, and fill them with ftone ; the cxpence one fhilling per foot of depth per acre. The beft grafs land lets at 20 j-. an acre : they apply it chiefly to fattening beafts : an acre and an half will carry a cow through the fummer. Their fat beafts they feed on grafs, fometimes pretty late in the vrinter ; the grazing or milking ftock will leave much long grafs on the land ; which with the affiftance of good"ftraw, will beat the beft of hay in carrying the beafl: forward ; but they muft lye in a warm yard at night. The breed of cattle is various ; both long and fhort horned ; but the baftard fort between both they like beft. The fhort- horned beafts they reckon better than the long-horned ones ; think them equally hardy ; and that a given quantity of grafs will yield more profit fed with them, than if eaten by long horned ones. C c 4 Sir 392 THE FARMER'S TOUR Sir 'John Annitage has fold oxen of this mongrel breed at four years old fat for 20/. apiece ; they came to 80 ftone : the hides fold at 2 /. 1 3 J", each. They were out of a fhort-horned cow, by Mr. Birkh long- horned bull. The beft cows will give 8 gallons of milk per day ; but the average of them not more than 4. The long-horned cows will not give fo much milk as the fhort-horned ones, but more butter. The average produd of cows 61. 10 s. They keep but few fwine, on account of dairies, not more than 4 to 6 cows ; for in fummer they feed them on the dairy. They keep their covv's in winter either in the houfe or farm-yard. Refpeding the profit of grazing, they buy in cows fome time between Cajidlemas and Mdy-daj', from 4/. to 7/. each; and put them to hay with a few turnips till the grafs is ready : they fell fat from grafs at various times as the beafts happen to rife, from July till Chri/imas : the prices from 8/. to 16/. Swine f^t to 25, and 30 (lone; and a. few to 37. They THROUGH ENGLAND. 393 They have no flocks of fheep; their management of them confifts only in buy. ing wethers to fatten ; at Michaelmas they put them to turnips ; the price from i /. i j. to I /. 5 J-. ; and fell from the turnips with about ']s. 6d. a head profit. They clip from yearlings i3/<^. fleeces. They do not think the rot in fheep is peculiar to wet or low lands, but occafioned folely by a quick growth of grafs, to whatever caufe fuch luxuriance may be owing ; whether to much warm rain, or floods. And it is the opinion of fome farmers, that new laid ground full of dung, will rot. In their tillage, they reckon that 8 horfes are neceflary for 100 acres of ploughed land. They life two in a plough, and do from an acre to an acre and half a day ; they fl:ir 8 inches deep ; the price from 4 to 5 s. an acre. They know nothing of cutting ftraw into chaff. Some oxen are ufed; 4 In a plough. They are very fenfible of the difference between the ond team declining in value, (and the other improving, but yet horfes gain 394 THE FARMER'S TOUR gain ground much among them ; I appre-' hend on account of breeding. They break up their ftubbles for a fallow in November, None but Kotheram ploughs ufed. In the ftocking farms, they reckon 500/. neceflary for one of 100/. a year. Land fells from 30 to 50 years purchafe : fuch as is let at rack rents, at 33. Tythes are both gathered and com- pounded ; but generally the former. If the latter, wheat and barley pays 5 s. \ oats and beans 31. Poor rates, is, in the pound.. The em- ployment of the women and children fpin- ning worded. All drink tea. No leafes granted. They carry their corn 4 or 5 miles. The fituation is very favourable for markets— ^ the near neighbourhood of the manufactur- ing towns, renders corn of all forts confi- derably dearer than the rates of Bear^key, or the eaftern counties. LABOUR. In harveft, as, 6^. a day. In hay-time, 2s, THROUGH ENGLAND. 395 In winter, is, 6d. — equal to it, in beer, dinners, &c. Reaping ^^r acre, yj. 6d. including beer. Mowing, binding, and raking an acre of fpring corn, ^s. Mowing grafs, is. to 7.s. 6d. and beer. Hoeing turnips, 5/. to yj. Hedging and ditching, is, 6d^ to 2s, an acre. Thrafhing wheat, 8 ^. a load of 5 bufhels, barley is. 6d. per quarter. oats, 9 d, ditto. Head-man*s wages, 10/. 10 J, Next ditto, 8 /. 8 j. Third ditto, 7/. 10/, Lad's, 5/. Maid's, 3/. Women per day, in harveft, i s, ' in hay-time, 10^. — in winter, 8 d. Rife of labour in twenty years double. IMPLEMENTS. A waggon, 20/. A cart, 9/. A plough, i/. IOJ-. Harnefs per horfe, i /. i o j. Laying a fhare, 6 d, 2> Laying 596 THE FARMER'S TOUR Laying- a coulter, 6d, Shoeing, \s,id, PROVISIONS. Bread wheaten, and oat cake ; avera;gc Bricks /^r looo, \\s. Oak timber per foot, i s, id. to \5. \d^ Afh ditto, I J. 4^, A carpenter a day, is. 8 ^, A mafon ditto, i j*. 6^. Dry ftone walls is. z. rood of 6 feet high; getting the ftone 2 s. befides carriage : 6 loads 4o a rood. Th(j pyjce - I d, per pound* Cheefe, 3v Butter, - 6 to Zd. Beef, - 3 Mutton, 3v Veal, ■ - Z^ Pork, - 34 Bacon, -■ 7 Milk, - \ d. per pint. Potatoes pi T peck. 4 Labourer's houfe-rent, soj-. to 25^. . fir ing, 8j-. 6 d, and hedge ftealing, BUILDING. THROUGH ENGLAND. 397 The general occonomy of the country will be feen from the following particulars of farms. 2S0 Acres in all 60 Fatting beafts 70 Arable 4 Young cattle • 210 Grafs 80 Sheep jT. 260 Rent 3 Men 6 Horfea I Boy 2 Mares 2 Maids 6 Cows 3 Labourers. Another: 1 1 0 Acres in tall 16 Fatting bcafls 40 Arable 4 Young cattle 70 Grafs 60 Sheep £. 100 Rent 2 Men 6 Horfes I Boy 2 Mares I Maid 4 Cows I Labourer. Another : 50 Acres in all 2 Cows 20 Arable 2 Young cattle 30 Grafs I Boy X.50 Rent I Maid 4 Horfes I Labourer. 398 THE FARMER'S TOUR Another : 200 Acres in all 40 Fatting beads 70 Arable 4 Young cattle 130 Grafs 60 Sheep £. 170 Rent 2 Men 6 Horfes i Maid 2 Mares 2 Labourers. 6 Cows Another : 120 Acres in all 6 Fatting beads 50 Arable 4 Young cattle 70 Grafs 20 Sheep ^,100 Rent 2 Men 4 Horfes I Boy \ 2 Mares i Maid 5 Cows 2 Labourers. There is one circumftance in the manage-^ metit of this eftate, which is much too im- portant to be pafled over. A few years ago, it was let at 1300/. a year, and the tenants were all as poor as rats : three fourths of them were from two to four years in arrears of rent. On being talked to pretty fharply on fuch failures in payment, they pleaded their high rents, and deli red to have them lowered. Upon this, their farms were all viewed THROUGH ENGLAND. 399 viewed by a gentleman well {killed in land ; and his report w^as, that, fo far from pay- ing too much, they evidently paid too little — much lefs than the land was worth. The whole was very badly cultivated, quite over- run with weeds, and much excellent land almoft becoming wafte. He recommended the raifmg the eftate 1000/. a year. .'His advice was followed, and from that day the rents were raifed to 2 3 00 /. a year. But one tenant on the whole eftate quitted ; and, from a year or two after, to the prefent time, their culture has been conflantly im- proving. No tenants have paid their rents better, and they are now in general rich, for the fize of their farms. I was perfectly iatisfied of all thefe fa£ts ; for I had them precifely from all concerned. William Marf- tien^YSc^. oiBamJley, is the perfon who view- ed the farms, and he confirmed the above particulars to me, in prefence of Col. St, Leger^ and of the principal tenant of the eftate. • If this inftance is not decifive, nothing can be fo : it proves, in the cleareft manner^ that the firft flep to good hufbandry is to 'make the tenant pay as mucb> or nearly as much, 400 THE FARMER'S TOUR much, for the land, as it is worth. If they have farms at ^s, that are worth lox. they will treat them accordingly. Bad hufban- dry will pay a low rent, but cannot anfwcr a high one. The tenants of the Wo??jbwell eftate employed half their time in carrying ^^ coals for the manufacturing towns ; but, in their new agreements, they were very wifely cut off from any fuch practice : their atten-* tion has fince been given to their farms, and they have found how much more profitable it is, to employ their teams in ploughing, harrowing and manuring. Raifing their rents has really enriched them all : it has created an induftry unknown before : they cultivate thofe fields with attention now> which formerly fatisfied them in the main-* tenance of a few fheep. Col. Pole-i of Radburn^ gave m.e a parat* lel inftance. On coming to his eftate, one tenant, the greateft lloven on it, complained of his rent, and faid, he muft be lowered or break. His farm was viewed, the rent i oo/. a year. He was immediately raifed to 1 70/. and fmce that has paid it without com- plaining. Mr, Mar/Jen above-mentioned has, for fome as k of THROUGH ENGLAND. 401 fome years, fown wheat from November to Marcby and without ever being able to de- :ermine one time to be better than another. I The 14th of March^ ^755^ Mr. Mar/-- ^ien bought two oxen for 20/. He put them :o hay till grafs was ready : they were kept Dn it all fummer, and then put to fog and lay, and afterwards to turnips given under 1 fhed with ftraw. The 14th of Marchy 1756, he fold them for 40 guineas to Mr. • Wallet y of Long-Button ; and the March "ollowing, he fold them for 65/, after being Qiewn in Smithjield as a Jight, About Barnjley are feveral tra£ls of land, IS rich as any in Englafid. In Warthjield here are above 1 00 acres of wheat, that yield 5 and 5 ~ quarters ^fr acre; and a part )f a field, that has more than once pro- duced, after turnips, 9 quarters of barley Vr acre, and once 9 ^, Clover was fown A'ith it, and produced an excellent crop. After the clover, 5 quarters 5 bufhels per 'icre of wheat : then fown with beans ; the produce 5 ^ quarters per acre : and after them, wheat again, 5 quarters 5 bufhels per acre. Thefe crops are very extraordinary ; but a deduction remains to be mentioned. Vol. I. D d which 402 THE FARMER'S TOUR which is an overplus of meafure, which amounts to 2 acres in 32. We may, under thcfe data^ calculate the expences, produce, , and profit, as follow. The rent I fhall call 20 J. an acre, though much is let at 8 j. and IOJ-. I. TURNIPS. This crop I fhall fuppofe juft to pay the cxpence of culture, which is a very large allowance, confidering the wonderful ferti- lity of the land. II. BARLEY. Rent, &c. &c. - - £,' "^ S ^ Three earths and harrowing, 014 o Seed and fowing, - - o 10 6 Reaping and harvefting, - 0100 Thrafliing, - - -00 o 3 8 6 m. CLOVER. Seed and fowing, - - o 6 J Mowing, making, carting, and r Hacking twice, - - i i o 0 • Rent, &c. - - - 150 1 E: C! THROUGH ENGLAND. 405 IV. WHEAT. [Plougliing and harrowing, 070 Seed and fowing, - - o 1 1 o ^Reaping and harvefting, - o 10 o Thrafhing, - - - o 12 o Rent, &c. - - -150 V. BEANS. 3 5 0 Ploughing, &c. thrice, 0 15 0 Seed and fowing, 0 8 0 Reaping and harvefting, 0 12 0 Thrafhing, 0 6 0 Jlent, I 5 0 Z 6 0 VI. WHEAT. Expences, as before, - 3 5 ^ Barley, »■ - 386 Clover, - - 316 ■Wheat, - m 350 I Beans, - - -360 Wheat, - - 350 16 6 o D d 2 404 THE FARMER'S TOUR PRODUCE. Barley, 9 quarters, at i /. jC« 9 ^ 0 Clover, fuppofe 4 tons of hay, at 40/. - - - 800 Wheat, 5 quarters 5 buihels, at 2/. 1 1 5 o Beans, 54 quarters, at 2j. 6^. 7 3 o Wheat, as before, - 1 1 5 o Total, befides chaff and ftraw, 46 1 3 o Total expences, - 16 6 o Clear profit, - 30 7 o h Or, per acre per annum^ 614 This is what may modeftly be called a very entertaining fort of a country for far- mers to live in.* , I returned fouthwards by Reffordy where I found feveral parts of huibandry carried on with fpirit by Mr. yohn Moody^ and par- ticularly the fatting of oxen in flails, on oil- cake and other food. For this bufmefs Mr. Moody * Before I leave the JFeJi-Riding, that region of manufaiStures, let me infert the following account of the progrefs and prcfeiit ftate of the manufa61:ure of broad-cloths in this county, with fome other VQty valuable particulars, (See the Table annexed.) I the Treafurer^s g at PontefraB Seflions, of the Cloths nu Time. ■y Clerk of Ptacc. LaivBufinefs, J Totals of each Broad ]S'arroio yid-veriijemenis Year. Cloths. Cloths. . ' 1. s. d. 1. S. d 1. S. d. 90 18 — 82 18 i: 2672 4 IIT 607051 68889 1749 j 7« 10 3 88 2 ic 2880 14 li 60447! 78115 1750 1 88 19 9 92 2 i( 1989 16 S\ 60964 74022 175I 72 3 3 22 4 — 1849 13 lit 60724 72442 1752 90 4 6 64 10 ( 2527 19 II 55358 71618 1753 1 01 17 6 16 3 - 2653 2 iii 56070I 72394 1754 74 14 4r 58 9 - 2130 2 6! 57125 76295 1755 ^'3 4 5 14 6 i 2379 II 2i 33590? 79318 1756 i 73 9 10 41 II 2 2078 14 - 2 55777 77097 1757 : 58 10 — 68 2 IC 2734 9 I 60396 66396 1758 79 15 — 38 10 IC 2307 10 6 5i«77l 65513 1759 90 II 9 24 8 11 4423 II 7i 493621 69573 1760 - 4 1 1 6 32 7 ^ 5871 5 3i 48944 75468 I761 ,' ^'9 12. 3 5 5- 3345 9 4r 48621 72946 1762 77 4 — 3590 18 4 48038I 72096 1763 "' " •r ^ ^ -27.-2 1 A. 7i c:Ar,if\ nc\A c8 irfiA E X P E N C E S of the Wejl-Ridmg of the: County of York, from the Treafurer''s Acconnts, diffinguifhing each Year, ending at Pontcfraa Seffions reduced to tlie following Heads, with an Account of the Cloths manufadiu-ed each Year, ending at the fame Time. ' Surveying and re fu.irg Bridge,. r,gra.,.. P,4„„li,m ,f Felm. Ytrk CciJiU. lk-4,cfC„- refiiiit. Morpatfea Sufferer, by and King', Fire. Bench Pr'fani. Ckri ./ Peaee. LavjBufmeU, M-v,r„jm,n„, ye. TalT,^, ' Riding Charge,^ and Boot,. Ciief CnjIMe, Salarie,. Or.!,,, alM dif- temfer'd Catl't- Inqui/itiant of Mtii'i Fumtliti. Tm,,/, ./™t B„ad Chib,. tle,rre-,a a„h,. — ■749 1. S. d. 898 10 I 1. s. d. 984 6 6 1. s. d. 48 15 3 I. S. d. 92 5 — 1. s. d. 59 »7 "f 1. s. d. 100 15 II 1. s. d. 1. s. d. ,3 6 . 90 T. dT 18 — I. 5. d. 82 18 U 1. S. d 34 17 6 1. s. d. 73 8- 1. S. 192 5 d. 10 1. S. d. 1. s. d. 1. 2672 s. d. 4 IlT 60705. 60447! 60964 60724 55358 56070I 57125 3359°! 55777 60396 518771 493625 688S91749 781.5:1750 7+022|i75i 724421I752 7.6.8,753 7239+'i754 762951755 7931811756 77097II757 66396I.75S 655i3|'759 69573'i76o 1750 1751 491 8 5 959 2 4 23 17 6 40 I 7 166 17 li 92 9 — 3 3 415 — - 78 10 3 88 2 10 3+ 10 — g6 12 2 790 19 7 — — 2880 14 l! 5°5 17 -' 4+^ ' 4: 16 6 6 60 8 85 87 5 6 93 9 9 4 3 —15 — ■ 88 19 9 92 2 10 34 10 — 75 '9 6 474 '2 6 — — — — 1989 16 5I .752 ■75 J 5S2 10 4 337 1+ b. 22 16 0 58—6 144 7 ^t 92 19 7 ---|2°- ■ 72 3 3 22 4 — 3+ 10 — 77 ■& 4 38+ 12 3 -^ — — 1849 13 Ilj 19 iJ 964 12 3 459 18 5 29 4 9 73 '^ 3 93 '5 4; ■53 6 3 go 81 4 6 17 6 64 10 6 34 10- 87 6 — 366 5 4 79 g 6 — — 2527 '75+ 9+2 5 5 50+ 3 "i 30 8 3 149 8 8 107 7 05 99 22 — - 16 3 — 34 15 6 77 '6 4 4'3 5 4 174 II 6 — 2653 2 Ili J 755 487 15 2 451 I 1 33 2 3 192 12 7 166 7 7I 98 5 ' — 16 1038 — - 74 14 aI 58 9 - 34 ■» — 78 a 10 265 9 6 150 16 3 _ 2130 2 6i 1756 564 16 5 6S1 — 5 56 9 — 169 2 5 '95 IS 3f ■55 — 6s 93 '3 ' I 14 4 83 4 5 14 6 6 34 ■o — 74 8 - 222 I 9 188 g 61 _ 2379 n 2j 1757 1758 640 7 10 614 — 6i 7 "3 ° loi 8 5| 95 16 4 17 - ''I 9 10 41 II 2 34 10 — 81 7 '0 7+ 4 5 '+2 3 7 2078 ■4 -i 1007 860 2 I or 18 10 6 171 18 li 108 13 fi III 15 — 5 7 955 10 - 58 10 — 68 2 10 34 'o- 70 ^3 — 163 IS Vi _ _ 2734 9 ■ ■759 635 I2_ 6 794 4 7 16 15- 157 6 -I 171 10 si no 14 9 106 18 7 gi 8 9 20 — - 79 '5 — 38 10 10 34 10 — g8 18 8 ■49 12 8 — 2307 10 6_ 1760 2092 13' 10 615 2 3 42 I 9 '43 ' 2 149 10 4| 13Z II 64: — 20 — - 90 II 9 24 8 II 3+ 10 — 8g 9 5 176 10 9 838 12 10 4423 II 7+ 1761 US' 15 " 672 4 1 no 12 — 74 9 4 I 14 4 20 — - 104 II 6 32 7 8 34 '0 — 201 18 2 192 12 2 3050 9 10 5S7I 5 3i 48944 48621 7546S 729+6 72096 79458 77419 78893 788,9 74480 I-!6l 1762 561 4 10 610 6 5f 22 6 9 48 II 2i 104 15 9| 89 3 I 96 ig 9 3 9 4 89 " 3 5 5- 34 '0 — 126 17 5 185 8 61 1463 18 8j 33+S 9 Ak 1762 '763 1764 1765 .766 ■767 763 1041 I 6 77° " ■'! 22 5 — 1 41 12 I ■49 5 " 3~5 6 25 — - 77 4 — — — — 34 10 — no 17 6 181 9 4' 1040 — 3} 3590 18 4 480381 764 858 16 7 1623 13 iij 39 4 3 70 2 8i 105 5 lol 94 18 gi 7 — " 7+ 7 — — 15 g 34 '0 - ■02 13 5 Regifler 191 10 3 24 10 2 3231 4 2} 5+916 765 1543 15 10 643 3 5l 20—3 .45 6 61 97 4 — \ 'J ' — 10 — - ^s 15 6 7 2 — 3+ ■»- 97 5 5 Office. 185 18 9 n 17 6 2960 12 5 54660 766 2698 12 -i 486 2 Hi 23 7 6 326 4 4 "■^i 'I 'f 98 8 — 3 8 10 40 — - 128 17 — 14 II g 3+ ■o- 156 16 8 150 14 lOi 201 6 10 4597 13 n 72575; 1767 2580 6 II 598 5 9 44 -8 3 141 3 " 126 8 5{ 554 II 3 _ — — ■35 16 g 21 II 9 34 10 —162 IS 9 — 142 14 -i ' 4 - 4644 6 lof 102428 1768 1703 7 10 421 12 9 40 3 3 99 6 21 79 6 — r '473 3 5 3 8 10 5 - - ■33 12 3 4 II — 34 10 —149 — 9 — 210 6 4- I — — 4458 8 8 90036 1768 1769 3+5J 19 — 436 8 2 ^9 'I ~1 i55 5 — i 262 12 71 994 17 g _ — — 53 125 13 3 34 6 I' 34 10 —200 II — — — 243 4 — — 6234 4 9 g2522 87762 1769 1770 3+35 3 — 410 14 9 31 18 6 290 14 s ■37 8 5J 324 4 9 — 35 — - ■34 3 I 15 II — 34 10 — Ib7 3 II — 182 14 31 5'99 6 2| 93074 85376 1770 C^ Number of Broad Cloths milled each Year at the feveral FuUing-Mills in the IF'eJi-RIJing of the County of Tork, from the Commence- ment of tlie Afl:, viz. 'J tins, ■725, to the 1 2th oi March, nine Months; and of Nar- row Cloths, from the Commencement of the Aft, viz. from ift Augufi to 20th Jan. lygS, being fix Months 20 Days, and from that Time yearly. No. of Yards (Pieces being now of different Lengths) of Broad and Narrow Cloths made in the Years ending at Ponlefraa Sef- Iians, 1769 and 1770. 1769 277 21440.9 1 2255625 [To front p. 404, Vol. I.] From Ju„, ■725 1726 Broads. 1 Broad>. 1738 42404 Narr,^,. To March 26671 ■4495 1727 2899c '739430861 5S84S 1728 25223J I7404I44I 58620 1729 296431 '74146364 61196 1730 3i579i 17+2 4+954 62804 1731 33563 ■74345'78i 63545 1732 355+8; .7441546271 63065 173^ 34620 ■74550453 63423 17^+ 3.123 ■746,56637 68775 17:55 317441 1747,62480 68374 1736 38899 1748160765 68080 1737 42256 ' r THROUGH ENGLAND. 405 Moody erected the moft complete ox-houfe I remember to have feen. It contains 26 beafts, each in a ftall, which, for large oxen, are 8 feet wide, and 6 feet for fmaller ones. At the head of each ftall is a fquare manger for the hay, which is put in through a window in the wall, exadlly oppolite the head of the ox ; and, as the hay-ftacks are difpofed in a yard along the back of the building, there is no lofs of time or hay, by having far to carry it: the man takes it from the ftack, and puts it, at one ftep, in- to the manger. On one lide the hay is a fmall ftone ciftern, by way of trough for the ox to eat his oil-cake out of; and, on the other fide, another ftone ciftern for his water, which is fupplied in a very conve- nient manner. On the outfide the building is a pump, which raifes the water into a cif- tern, exadtly on a level with all thofe which fupply the oxen. A pipe of lead leads from this ciftern to all the reft in the houfe ; fo that the man can fee, by the height of the water in the pump ciftern, how high it is in all the reft. The houfe is not .open, like a fhed, but fliut quite up : in the doors are holes, to let in air ; but Aiding Abutters cor- D d 3 relpond fc»- 4o6 THE FARMER'S TOUR refpond with them, to exclude it at pleafure. At one end of the building is a fmall room for the oil cakes, and alfo a ftove, with a broad iron top, for laying on the cakes to heat a little for breaking : a wooden anvil flands by it, upon which they are broken with much eafe when warm. Mr. Moody generally puts up thofc beafts that have had the fummer's grafs : a large fort, from 80 to 130 ftone : they are taken to the cakes about the beginning of Novem- ber^ and are fold, quite fat, by the 20th of March^ in a general way, but many before. If the hearts are fmaller, they need not be fo forw^ard : if they are only frefh in flefh, they will be completely fat by that time. The price of cakes vary much ; but they have, of late, been about 4 /. i o j. a ton, be- fides 5 s, carriage : this is an high price. Mr. Moody thinks it will not bear, at the iitmofl, more than 5/. he would never fatten, if it was higher. , The cake is given regularly three times a day : at feven in the morning, at twelve at noon, and at half an hour after four in the afternoon : this in ihort days ; but, in longer> THROUGH ENGLAND. 407 onger, it is at fix in the morning, at twelve at noon, and at fix in the afternoon. Mr. Moody is, in one particular, very fin- gular : it is a general opinion, that oxen are fo hot when fat, that they fhould be allowed much air, and accordingly open fheds have been recommended. On the contrary, this gentleman is clearly of opinion, that the hotter they are kept, the better they will fatten. He keeps them {hut up, and, for fome time, does not fo much as let in any air through the holes in the doors : the breath of fo many, with the natural heat of their bodies, bring them foon to fweating prodigioufly, and, when that is in its height, they fatten the beft and quickeft. After fweating a fortnight, the hair ail peels ofr them, and a frefh coat comes, like that in April or May^ and, after that, they fweat no more. Mr. Moody has obferved, that thofe beafls, which do not fweat at all, fcarcely ever fatten well. He gives a beaft, of 100 ftone, two cakes a day, at firft, for about two months, and then three a day till fat : the cakes weigh about 6/^. each, they have alfo lolb, of hay ejich fer day ; but they eat only tlic D d 4 prime 4o8 THE FARMER'S TOUR prime of it ; a large ftock of lean beafts be- ing kept on their ofFal hay. Suppofc a beaft put up the ift of Novem~ her : the two firll months he eats 120 cakes; I from "January to the end of March^ he eat^ 270 more, 390 cakes in all ; and, reckoning lolb. of hay a day, during the whole time, it is I ton 6 cwt, 390 cakes, (dlb. each, 21 cwt. at 4/. 10 J", a ton, are, - £.4 14 6 I ton, 6 cwt. hay, at 40 j. - 2120 Total, -» - m 766 So that an ox of 1 00 ftone, in his winter fatting, eats above 7 /. but he improves in value more than to that amount. If they only cleared it, there would remain great profit ; for Mr. Moody raifed 200 very large loads of rotten dung from the winter fat- ting of 45 beafts, by means of 20 waggon loads of wheat ftubble, ufed for littering ; and, as long experience has proved the dung of beafts fattened on oil cakes, much to ex- ceed any other, he values it at 7/. 6^. a load, as much as can be carried away by four horfes, on a very large cart. The THROUGH ENGLAND. 409 The weight about 3 tons, this is, - - - JC-7S "^ ^ Declu6l for 20 load of ftubble, at 5 J". - - - 500 Profit on the dung of 45 beafts, 70 o o Or, per beaft, - - i 1 3 o But Mr. Moody has often taken lean oxen of a fmaller fize from ftraw, put them to oil cake and hay, and fold them fat in eight weeks, with a confiderable profit on them. He bought two oxen for 1 7 /. i o s. out of a team, in Jiify^ quite lean : he kept them at grafs till the end of O^ober^ then put them to cakes, and fold them the ^/>r// following for 50 guineas, which is very confiderable. Nor does he ever fatten any, that yield him ho other profit than the dung : he gene- rally makes from 40J. to 6/. a head, clear profit on the cake-fatting alone. The attendance on them is not expen- five, from the very great convenience of the houfe. He has never more than a man and boy to the whole 26 : they heat and break the cakes, give them to the beafts, fupply them with hay, pump their water, litter and clean 410 THE FARMER'S TOUR clean them, without any affiftance, and have a good deal of time to fpare. In the above calculation, the oil-cake is reckoned at its prefent high price ; but the average rate is not above 4/. a ton. The fyftem, upon the whole, is excellent: a profit is made upon the fattening, in the mere difference of the price lean and fat ; but the grand objed: is the railing large quan- tities of the beft dung in the world. I may remark, that Mr. Moody^ quantity is much under what ought to be raifed, as may be eafily imagined, from his not having land enough of his own to ufe it. It is not, therefore, an object with him ; but twenty waggon loads are nothing to 45 beafts : they would convert a load a head into dung, without in the leaft diminiihing the virtue of it ; but this would depend on the ma- nagement : the urine alone of thefe beafts would make a vaft quantity of ftraw into as rich a heap of black manure as can be con- ceived. If they were thoroughly well littered, and their dung kept before the houfe, in a clamp made in a cubical form, and all the urine regularly pumped on to it^ the heap would contain abundantly more than2oo loads, and be THROUGH ENGLAND. 411 be to the full as valuable as the prefent quantity, without Inch attention ; and, up- on this fyftem, oil-cake fattening would be one of the readieft methods of improving a farm. That the value of the dung Is greater than common, cannot be doubted. In fome parts of Torkfiire^ I think about Broad/- worthy I have been told of 9 j. a load of only 32 bulliels being given for it. It is fomething curious to calculate the quantity of manure arifing from a given quantity of litter. The preceding account will furnifh data for that purpofe. Twenty loads of ftubble the litter. Twenty-fix beafts, if all of 100 ftone, would eat 27 tons of cake; but, as 12 of them are of a much fmaller fize, we muft call it 20 tons : the number of 45 beafts makes no change, as there were never more than 26 at a time, only the houfe kept full. The fatting was performed in the fame time ; The hay would, if all were large beaftsi amount to 33 tons : call it therefore 30. ? Thq 412 THE FARMER'S TOUR The quantity of dung in loads of 3 tons each, is - - 200 Dedud: 7 loads for 20 toa cake, - j Remains on the account of hay and ftubblc, 33 loads of hay, and 20 of Hubble, in all 53 loads, - 193 Or, per load, - - 3 t But, as thefe loads of dung are quite un- common, we muft calculate on fuch as are better known. A ton and half are a very good large cart-load : let us therefore dou- ble the 193, it is 386. This is to I load of hay and ftubble 7 of dung. From whence it appears, that a waggon load of litter makes 7 good loads of dung. The notion, common in fome places, of a load of ftraw making only a load of dung, is a mere vulgar error. I fhould value fuch dung on a farm at 5 j. a load, in any part of Ejig/dfid : according to which price every load of litter pays i/. 15/. Does not this ac- count tend ftrongly to prove, that litter may, in general, be profitably bought at much higher prices than common ? Mr, THROUGH ENGLAND. 413 Mr. Moudy tried an experiment to decide the comparative value of the oil-cake dung with common farm-yard manure. He di- vided a clofe of 16 acres of grafs in halves: 8 acres he manured from the ox dunghill, 1 2 loads an acre ; and 8 from a common hill, 24 loads an acre. The half manured with the oil-cake dung much exceeded the other : the fuperiority was indifputable. He has cultivated carrots with very great fuccefs. In 1766, he had an acre and half: the foil, a good deep fand, unmanured; but ploughed twelve inches deep. They were hand-hoed, 9 inches afunder, and kept quite clean. Ufed them for fatting oxen, and with the utmoft fuccefs : the crop weighed 20 tons per acre. In 1767, he fowed the land with barley, and got feven quarters and an half per acre. In 1767, he had another crop of carrots, half an acre and half a rood of the fame foil. It was freih land, and he pared it, and car- ried the turf all off to a compoft heap : this piece was alfo ploughed 1 2 inches deep, and the carrots fet out, at the diftance of nine inches : they were dug up for oxen, as wanted. No beafts in the world could fat- ten 414 THE FARMER'S TOUR ten quicker : they liked them better than oil cake, and throve as well on them. The half acre and half rood produced at the rate of 20 tons per acre, and fattened three oxen of 80, 100, and 1 10 ftone, dur- ^ ing three months : each beaft had half a ftone of hay a day : they throve as well as ^ if on oil cake. ^|' Suppofe the land but half an acre, and ^ the beaft s but two, it is four to an acre, three ' months : they would in that time have eat of oil cake, Two tons, i8f'Z£;f. or, £,'^Z ^ ^ There is alfo a faving of 1 3 IL of hay each beaft per day ; it is two ton, - - -400 Total, - - 17 I I The difference of the half rood, and the other beaft, would more than make this fum 20/. the produce of one acre of carrots. Thefe beafts fattened fo well on the car- rots, that Mr. Moody much regretted the not having more land that would do for them, which had he poffeffed, he would never have bought any more oil cake. The above va- iuatloa THROUGH ENGLAND. 415 luation of the faving in cake, does not give the real value of the carrots, as the profit on the beads fhould come into the account, and alfo that of the dung : the crop paid i /. per ton. In 1768, the piece was planted with po- ratoes, and he fold the half acre and half food for 13/. the purchafer to be at the ex- pence of the iaft cleaning and the taking up : this is juft 20 /. an acre. In 1769, it was fown with carrots again, on one ploughing : the management as be- fore : the crop came to 25 ton. Many of them were 18 inches in circumference: they were given to oxen, who fattened on them as well as before: no beaAs could thrive quicker. In 1767, this piece of land paid ^f/* acre, in carrots, - ^. 20 o o In 1768, in potatoes, - 20 o o In 1769, in carrots, - 25 o o It is now under potatoes, and promifes for a vaft crop. This experiment fuffici- ently proves the profit of the carrot huf- bandry. Another piece of three acres was fown with carrots, in 1768, and managed in the fame 4i6 THE FARMER'S TOUR fame manner. The only particular minute Mr. Moody kept of them was, that they faved him, in fatting oxen, juft 70/. in oil-cake. In 1769, it was fown with oats, and yielded 35 quarters, on the three acres. Grafs feeds were fown with the oats, viz, two quarters per acre of hay feeds, 6/^ white Dutch clover, and 6 lb, trefoile. It was mown for hay this year, and produced 7 tons. The amazing profit of thefe rich fands, when cultivated with the vegetables that fuit them, may from hence be eafily conceived. The expences of an acre of carrots, Mr, Moody calculates as follow. Rent, £■2 0 0 Town charges, 0 2 0 Tythe, 0 5 0 Seed, 6 lb. 0 8 0 Sowing, 0 0 3 Ploughing, 0 5 0 Harrowing, 0 I 0 Weeding and hoeing. 2 2 0 Taking up. I I 0 Carry over, - - 643 THROUGH ENGIv\ND. 417 Brought over, ^.6 4 3 Carting home, - - 0100 Topping, wafhing, and cutting, 015 o 1_ 9__3 Average product, - 22 10 o Total expenceS) - 7 9 3 Clear profit, - - 15 An acre fats 4 oxen during 1 4 weeks ; the lowefl: calculation we can make of the dung arifmg, is 7 loads per head, or 2 S in all ; which at 5J-. is 7/. from which is to be deducted the price of 4 loads of litter : fup- pofe at I o J. or 40 s, in ail, there remains profit on the dung 5 /. By carrots, - - Z'^^ ^ ^ Dung, - - - -500 Total profit /if r acre, - 20 o 9 And if the above data are taken as a guide, I do not fee how the profit by an acre of fuch carrots can be laid at a lefs fiim. But fuppofe objections are ftarted by thofe who do not underftand the culture ; let them form their dedudions, ftrike off half the Vol. I, E e amount; 4i8 THE FARMER'S TOUR amount ; where will they find a fallow crop that cleans the land of weeds in fo effectual a manner, that will pay fuch a profit ? Turnips will never do it. Carrots at 20 s. a ton, come to about 5^. ■^ a bufhel, reckoned at 48 /L But let me obferve, that the common price to fell them in the fouthern part of Nottinghamjhire^ is 6^. to thofe who buy them, and make a profit themfelves ; from whence it is fuffici- ently plain that the above valuation is under the truth. The carrots which I have cultivated my- felf at different times, have paid from 9^. to IJ-. id.m. a general way. The above crops reckoned at fuch a price, would rife from 30/. to 40/. an acre profit. Twelve acres and an half of hazel loam, a very rich foil, was ploughed from the old turf; and cropped with woad for two years. It was then fown with barley, 7 pecks of feed an acre, and produced 7 quar- ters. Next it was fown with oats, 2 bufhels per acre ; the crop 1 1 quarters per acre : with thefe oats were fown 2 quarters of hay feeds, ttlb. of white clover, and 6 lb. of trefoile. This year (which is the firft) 40 n THROUGH ENGLAND. 419 40 tons of hay are mown, and the after- grafs will now fell for 10 s. aii acre. The woad-men gave 6/. los. per acre for the two years, and paid all rates. About Retford^ in the clays, Wheat pro- duces 30 bufhels an acre; Barley 4 quar- ters ; Clover 2 loads of hay, and a feed- ing ; and of Beans 3 quarters. Upon fandy lands of ^s. an acre, they have, I. Turnips of 2/. 2s. value; 2. Bar- ley, 5 quarters ; 3 Clover, 2 loads an acre at one mowing ; and 4. Wheat, 24 bufhels. In the good fands of 20J. an acre, they have I. Turnips, worth on an average 50 j.; 2. Barley, 6 quarters; 3. Clover, 2 loads of hay, and an after-grafs worth ioj". an acre ; 4. Wheat, 30 bufhels an acre. Farms around Retford rife from 20/. to 1 20/. a year : in general from 50 /. to 60/. The average rent of fiiff lands 15J. an acre, and of fands ioj*. The befl farmers in this neighbourhood reckon that 2000 /. is necefTary to ftock a fand farm of 200/. a year. They divide that fum in the following manner. Rent, _ - - £'^00 Town charges, - - 15 Carry over - £-^^5 420 THE FARMER'S TOUR Brought over. - .C.215 Tythe, - - - 20 12 Horfes, 204 Harnefs, 24 3 Waggons, 80 2 Broad wheeled carts, 30 Two narrow ditto. 20 Sundries, 30 6 Ploughs, 7 1 Large ditto, . - 5 4 Pair of fmall harrows. and 2 large ditto, 12 2 Rollers, 3 6 Cows, 42 2 Sows, 3 300 Sheep, 160 24 Young cattle. 70 Seed, 40 acres wheat. 30 40 Turnips, 2 40 Clover, 8 40 Barley, 15 2 Men, - _ - 20 2 Boys, - - - 12 2 Maids, - 6 2 Labourers, 40 Extra labour. 20 Carryover, - 1078 THROUGH ENGLAND. 421 Brought over, - jT. 1078 Labour in improvements, - 100 Houfekecping, - - - 100 Furniture, - - - 150 Cafh in hand for the fecond year, which will fall fhort in produce, 600 ;/C.2028 Mr. Moody tried a compoft confifting of the turf pared off three roods of land, mixed in a heap with 14 loads of oil-cak6 dung, in February 1767. It was turned over the November following; again in Mayy and laid on 5 and ' acres of grafs land, the foil a cold clay, the Michaelmas following: the quantity 125 loads; and no improvement could be greater. One acre after this manuring Was worth thred of the fame land before. There has been lately pracStifed, near "Retford^ feme very uncommon improve- ments by means of hops, particularly by George Broivn^ Efq; of Ordfal, and Mafon^ Efq; of the fame neighbourhood. I was fo unfortunate as not to find Mr. Brown at home, but on an accidental meeting he had before given me the following flight account. E e 3 He 422 THE FARMER'S TOUR He tried them on a black bog, 3 feet deep ; the fpontaneous growth nothing but rufhes, and let for but 3 s. an acre. It was drained at a fmall expence by open cuts, and planted with hops in fquares of 6 feet. They have fucceeded to admiration. 1 he produd on an average has been 8 cwf. per acre ; and fold at 9/. on a medium, which is 72 /. per acre ; and the expence of culture has been 10/. per acre per annum ; therefore the clear profit is 62 /. per acre.— -Not one garden in ten in the richeft hop countries comes near this profit, which is gained from a wafle bog let at only 3J". an acre. I Ihould obferve, that it is fheltered by higher grounds from the eafl and wefl winds. This great fuccefs fhould animate the pofTefTors of low, fwampy, boggy places, and moory bottoms, to try hops in iher^ : No one can doubt but many fuch trads of land remain unoccupied by any ufeful plants, which, with a little attention, would do admirably well for hops. At Clumber^ a few miles from Retford, the duke of Newcajik is making very great improvements : his park is a large extent of wild unimproved foreft land j but his Grace THROUGH ENGLAND. 423 Grace is planting on fo Jarge a fcale, and reducing fuch a great quantity of the ling land to profitable grafs, that the place in a few years will not be known. The extent of the new plantations is very great, fo that they will prove not only an ornament to all the country, but a fource of immenfe profit to the family *. Befides the plantations, fome hundred acres of grafs have been gained from the ling, and rendered profitable ground. I made particular enquiries into thefe im- provements, and the method in which they were performed. The foil is in general a black moor — with the general diftin6tion of good and bad, in proportion to the quan- tity of channelly gravel in it ; which abounds fo m.uch in fome fpots, as to ren- der them quite barren. The culture pur- fuedT * The houfe is nlmoft new built, of a ftone from the duke of Norfolk's quarry, the whitenefs of which is uncommonly beautiful. The build- ing has three handlome fronts, one of them to the river. The Icmc colonnade againit the cen- tre is pleafing •, the pillars remarkably light. A winding vale is marked out to be floated witk water, which when executed will be fine. E e 4 424 THE FARMER'S TOUR fued, has been to pare and burn the foil firft, with all the trumpery on it, and to fow turnips ; which are hand-hoed. The crop generally but a poor one. A fecond is then taken, which rifes in value from 40 J", to 3/. an acre. After them barley or oats are fown, and then turnips again ; after this crop of turnips another of fpring corn, and then laid down with that by fow- ing ray-grafs and clover. This courfe of hufbandry is found to kill all the ling, fern, &c. Some pieces have been laid to grafs much earlier in the courfe, and the ling has come again. The reader will doubtlefs obferve, that this is partly the moor hufbandry of the north and weft of TorkJJoire, &c. but it may not be improper to add, that keeping the land fo long in tillage is quite unnecefTary, and even hurtful to the future grafs : the ling coming again is totally for want of lime. Paring and burning give it a great check, but lime quite deftroys every root. Through- out the improved moors in the north, they throw in, with the afhes of the paring, from 2 to 5 chaldrons an acre of lime, fpread the whole together and fow turnips, feed THROUGH ENGLAND. 425 feed thofe turnips on the land, and with the oats that follow, fow the grafs feeds, (not ray-grafs and clover) plenty of hay feeds, and 10 or \zlb. of white clover, with 6 or 8 of rib grafs. And no ling wiM again appear ; if it (hould accidentally corae in patches, a frefli dreifing of lime is infal- lible death to it. The farmers, it is true, will take leveral crops of oats running ; but that is not by way of deftroying the ling, but for the largenefs of the product. That lime in tliis fyftem is neceifary, is bell feen in the improvements of the Peak, where; they totally, and at once delfroy the thickeft crops of ling, by one liming ; and without any paring, burning, or ploughing. Had I any moors to improve like Clumber Parky I would go twenty miles for lime rather than attempt fo complex a method as many fucceflive tillage crops. The Duke has the largeft farm-yard in the county ; the hog-houfes are very convenient, in emptying the wa(h, grains, &c. directly out of the cifterns thr-:jugh the wall into the troughs. — The plenty c^ dung' in the yard, was alfo on indication of good management — it would be more fo, if the wheat 426 THE FARMER'S TOUR wheat ftubbles were all cut and carried Into it — and I fhould apprehend the park would afford plenty of fern for the fame purpofe. The cow-houfe contains 3 1 ftalls in a line, and if the cart-lodge behind was ufed for a food fhed, with holes through the wall to the head of each beaft, it would be an ad- mirable fatting houfe. One circumftance I fhall beg leave to recommend, which is to flop the urine from all the houfes and yard, and the flaughter-houfe blood, from run- ning into the river. Confidering the great quantity of cattle kept here, it is a mode- rate computation to fuppofe it fufEcient, with a little management of throwing it on to an earth compoft, to manure 50 acres of land every year. * * * ^ ' The * Thoresby, the duke of King/ion's^ joins to Clumber. The water, which is defigned to re- prefent a large river, is very fine ; the length and breadth great. And the lawns, which hang to the houfe in varied flopes, and crowned with thick woods, are very beautiful. His grace is building a new houfe a large handfome edifice. THROUGH ENGLAND. 427 The county of Nott'mgham confifts prin- cipally of light fandy land, called here, forejl land, from the great extent of the old foreft of Shirewood. There are fome trails of heavier foils, which are in an improved culture, but the quantity is fmall in com- parifon of the fands, which are almofl un- cultivated. The management of the common farm- ers is very incomplete. Moil of them have large trad:s of foreft land at command, of which none make any other ufe than to keep a few fhcep. If they plough up any of it, they take as many fucceffive crops of corn as the land will bear, till at laft they fcarcely get their feed again ; of which I have feen more inftances than one, then they leave it either to turf itfelf — or perhaps the beft of them throw in a little clover and ray-grafs ; with what fuccefs may be eafily imagined. Many farms have large trads of low lands along the brooks, which are intended by nature for rich meadows, but they are kept in fo flovenly a manner, that they hardly deferve the name of grafs fields : all Qver-run with ruihes, flags, ant-hills, and poifoned with water. 2 I fhall 428 THE farmer's TOUR I fhall venture to recommend to both landlords and tenants to be ftrenuous in in- troducing a better fyftem : it depends much on the hrfl ; for the old farmers, that have been long iifed to crops of ling in their fo- reft, and rulhes in their meadows, will take at leaft half a century to be convinced, that corn fliould occupy the place of one, and that grafs fhouM fuperfede the other. The proper method would therefore be to fix fome fenfible farmers, from more en- lightened countries, on thefe ill-managed tarms ; men that would fhew what could be done with the land. The fandy fields, however wild and de- Iblate they may appear at prefent, are all capable of being conduded on the Norfolk plan of common hufbandry : that is, they ihoidd be manured with good marie, if it can be found ; and, if not, then with clay. Marie may perhaps not be found, though no farmer in the county has tried for it ; clay can undoubtedly be had. After the manuring, a good farmer would follow this courfe : I. Turnips. 2. Barley. 3. Clover, and clover and ray-grafs for 2, 3, 4, or 5 years. 4. Wheat, or oats. There THROUGH ENGLAND. 429 There are fome fands that will not lie to clover above two years, without filling the land w'ith weeds ; but this is oftener the efFed: of bad hufbandry, than any quality of the foil. In very light lands, 1 am pcr- fuaded, it is good management to leave the grafs on the land, as long as it will remain a crop ; for the greateft fault of fuch land h its loofenefs, and the roots of the grafs mat-- ting, during feveral years, gives it an ad- helion, which it would otherwife never have. The grafs fhould be fed with flock Ihcep, and thofe folded the year through, winter as well as fummer, which is one of the greateft improvements to land in the world^^ and of which the farmers of this country arq totally ignorant. The turnips fhould all be fed on the land; a part proportioned to the flock of flieep ihould be aflTigned for their winter food, and the reft ufed in fatting little Scotch cattle on the land. In many inftances^ it is better to draw turnips for this ufe ; but fuch light fands are greatly improved by treading alone. In fome parts of Norfolk, they get ratner better barley after black cattle, than aft-er fl:ieep : but let it always be remem- bered, that turnips, if fed on the land, muft 4 be 430 THE FARMER'S TOUR be eaten by different forts of cattle, unlefs the flock is lean fheep : the flock muft al- ways follow fatting bullocks, or fatting Iheep, to eat up their leavings. Upon this fyftem, the land would always be fure of yielding a good crop of barley ; but a fecond upon it, or one of oats or peafe, fhould never be taken. Such ftolen crops are always pernicious to weak lands : to fay that the turnips fhould be hoed, is furely needlefs. The above fketch is fuch as a good common farmer would of himfelf ex- ecute ; but a gentleman, with more in- formed ideas, might advance the land to a much greater profit, with the afHflance of carrots and potatoes. The preceding mi- nutes fhew plainly, that thofe vegetables will do extremely well on thefe fands. It would be a wonderful improvement, if thefe crops were totally fubflituted in the room of turnips : they would together anfwer every purpofe that ever that root was applied to, but with much greater fuccefs. Sheep, through the fpring, quite to May ; oxen, cows, fwine, and horfes, infi:ead of oats : all thefe are ufes, for which carrots are in- comparable, and many of them, for which turnips will do nothing. Potatoes will keep cows THROUGH ENGLAND. 431 cows through the winter, and fatten fwine. The large produce of thefe crops would en- able the farmer to keep fo much live ftock, that the land would receive amazing im- provement from the quantity of dung. Gentlemen, that try carrots, have not a£ted with fpirit : they fow an acre, and, if they extend it to three, they plume them- felves on doing great things : but a plant, that cannot be introduced into the courfe of a whole farm, fo as to occupy a fourth or fifth of the arable land, is nearly worthlefs. Carrots and potatoes may undoubtedly be cultivated to any extent ; becaufe they do not require to be fold off the farm ; but are confumable by live flock : all which crops may profitably be encreafed without end. The tracts of good land on the rivulets, called here meadows, would, under fuch a farmer, defcrve that name ; if the ditches, which divide them, were cleanfed, enlarged and deepened, and covered drains laid into them, in number fuiEcient for rendering the land perfedly dry and found ; the ant-hills all cut off, all inequalities levelled, and many fields laid under water in winter. Farmers may not be induced to pradtife- fuch improvements ; but gentlemen have no 432 THE FARMER'S TOUR no excufe for not executing them. Thofe lands, now let at loj-. or I2.f. an acre, would at once bring 20 j".; a rife, far more than fuf- ficient for paying the intereft of the fume employed, and leaving treble the profit of any other application of the money. Such improvements here would have a peculiar value : thefe meadows join the fand lands through many very extenfive trads of coun- try ; fo tliat they would be at hand to fup- port that ftock in fummer, which the tur- nips, carrots, and potatoes, carried in the winter. For want of fuch meadows, the great Norfolk farmers are forced to hire marfhes, though at the diftance of 20 or 30 miles from their farms. Thefe improvements are not ideal : they might be executed at an expence very fmall, on comparifon with the benefit re- fulting from them : but little time would be requifitefrom the beginning to the com- pletion ; and the profit would, in every in- fiance, be certain, not dependant on con- tingencies, the caprice of farmers, or the chance of feafons. It Is, in all fuch undertak- ings, the wife ordination of providence, that a fpirited induftry Ihould command fuccefe. THROUGH ENGLAND. 433 LETTER IX. F"^ R O M Nsttingbafnjljirc I entered Lin- colnfiirc^ by Dimhcvn-Fcrry, acrofs the Trejit. On the Lincoln fide the river, the foil is Tandy, but very good : lets for lyj-. an acre on an average. The crops of wheat produce three quarters per acre, barley live, oats fix, and clover that yields four tons at the two cuttings. It is certainly excellent j clover land ; for the wild trefoile, and white clover, in the road, is more luxuriant than any fuch I remember to have feen ; and yet moft of the paftures are over-run, to great excefs, with the holchus grafs, v^'hich is a mere weed. The foil is various from hence to Lincoln^ but in general pretty good : lets at 10 s. At BrAham^ near that city, is a black fand on gravel, and a ftrong gravel. Alfj fome black moory bog, 6 to iS inches deep, ' and then fand ; and likewife fom.e low fen and, as it is called here, from 5 to 20 feet deep : this is a true bog. Vol. I. F f Farms 434 THE FARMER'S TOUR Farms rife from 20/. to 100/. a year ; ge- nerally about 40/. Rents, on an average, are at 10 s. an acre. Their courfes are, on fands, I. Turnips. — 2. Barley. — 3. Rye. Alfo, I. Turnips. — 2. Barley. And, 1. Turnips 3. Rye 2. Barley 4. Peafe. All which are execrable. Sometimes they fow a little clover, and on that get indiffe- rent crops of wheat ; but the prad:icc is not at all common : the crop is not above two quarters. For rye, they plough twice, fow two bufhels an acre, and get three quarters on an average : they likewife plough but once for barley, fow three bufhels an acre, and get three quarters in return. For oats, they plough but once, fow four bufhels, and reckon the average produce at 4 4 quarters. They give but one earth for peal'e, fow three bufhels, and gain in return three quarters. For turnips, they ftir three or four times, never hand-hoe them : eat them all with Iheep. The crop from 25/. to 50 x. ; ave- rage 35.f. Whenever they fow clover, they mow it twice THROUGH ENGLAND. 435 twice for hay, and get three tons an acre at the two cuttings : they keep it but one year on the ground, and then harrow in wheat. This clover hufbandry is rather too good for the Bootham farmers ; and we accordingly find it extremely rare ; and it bids fair for being quite omitted, as they think it does their land much harm, in fil- ling it with twitch ; but let them remember their turnips unhoed, and two crops of wdiite corn running. Potatoes they fometimes cultivate ; plant them in rows one foot afunder. An acre fometimes is worth 15/. They have fcarcely any idea of improv- ing their poor moory foils ; and, not con- tent with their own fupinenefs, they attempt to ridicule thofe who have more fpirit. Mr. Liuddington improved 20 acres by paring and burning, and then dunging for turnips; after which hefowed rye, and had 4 1 quarters per a.cre ; with which he laid down to natu- ral gralTes, and it has been a good fwartli ever fmce. This is their own account : it proves Mr. Ludd'mgton to have been a very good farmer ; but they affured me he w^as a very bad one, and never worfe than when Ff 2 he I 436 THE FARMER'S TOUR he thought of improving land which they did not value enough to cultivate. I afked X\iQu\^if the grafs was good ? They replied, Yes. Pf'^by not improve more^ then ? It won't . do. Sir: it coft him a power of money : gentlemen may do any thing ; but a far- mer's purfe is not fo long. — Which w^ould be their anfwer to an improvement, wherein 5/. paid 500/. As to their manuring, it is very inconfi- derable, and thepraQice is rather declining; for they ufed to lime, but have now left it off, not becaufe they found it did not an- fwer, but, one would think, becaufe it did. Mr. Greetham^ of this place, *itn years ago burnt lime, and laid four or five chaldron per acre in one place ; lefs in another ; in a third, he mixed dung and lime together. The refult was, that the large quantity of lime alone beat all the reft; in particular, it completely killed all the weeds, and did fo much benefit, that he now fees, in every crop, to a foot, wliere helaid it. Farmers feldom try experiments ; but, when they do, it may be fuppofed, that they give great attention to them., and mark well the con- fcquences, to know hovv^ to proceed in fu- ture. THROUGH ENGLAND. 437 ture. Mr. Greet ham^ you may fuppole, has made good advantage of his difcoverv, and continued the pracftice : juft the reverie; not a chaidron has been ever ui'ed in the* parifh fince. They keep fhecp ; but never fold them. Some farmers buy Lincoln ftable manure at I J-. a load, and lay 15 to an acre. Their meadov\-s confift of fen land, full of flags ; but no draining thought of. I afked why they did not drain their mea- dows.— No, they faid, that would not do ; for flags made excellent cow-hay. They find it fomctimes neceflary to la-y land down to grafs : they ufed to fow fome clover and ray-grafs with the laft crop of corn, after the land had yielded two or three : but this they have left off. So ! I am glad to find you aje fuch good farmers. Then> i fuppofe, you fow white clover and trefoile inftead of it ? — Alack-a~day, Sir^ we fow nought at all : we leave the rye Jlubbles to turf the mf elves : feeds would do no frvice at all. Sir. Good grafs land lets at 10s. an acre : they generally mow it all for hay ; but an Acrc and half would carry a cow through F f 3 the 438 THI T?ARMER's TOUR the fummer. Tneir breed of cattle is be- tween the long and mort-horned. A mid- dling cow will give two gallons of milk at a meal, and in total prodiidt 4/. They know nothing of keeping fv/ine in confe- quence of their dairies ; have not above two^ or three pigs to ten cows. The winter food is in the meadows alone,, except at calving, and then they give then\ fome hay. Swine fatten to 20 ftone. Their flocks of Iheep rife to 200 : the profit is very low : they reckon the lamb at 5^. and the wool at is.6d. but they keep them in winter on the common alone ; their fleeces 2 7 or 3 lb. In their tillage, they reckon four horfes neceflary to 50 acres of ploughed ground, ufe two in a plough, and do an acre, or an acre and a half in a day : the depth three or four inches : the price />^r acre ^s:ox ^s. They know nothing of cutting ftraw into chaff'. Oxen they once ufed, but have now left them off. ' They do not plough their flub- bles till Z/<7^-^-r2y -• a pradlce Vv'hich, united with the following one of not hoeing their turnips THROUGH ENGLAND. 439 turnips, and then taking two three crops of corn on the credit oijiich a fallow, are alone fufEcientto give an idea of their hufbandry. In the flocking farms, they reckon 400/. neceflary for one of 100/. a year. Land fells at 30 years purchafe. Tythes compounded, is. or 3^. in the pound. ^ Poor rates 3 s. in the pound. At Lincoln they are is,6d. The employment of the women, &c. fpinning : all drink tea. There are no leafes. LABOUR. In harveft, 7^. a week and board. In hay-time, ditto. In winter, ^s. 6d. Reaping an acre of wheat, 4^". Mowing barley or oats, i s. 4^. grafs, I J". 6(f, Hedging, plafliing, and ditching, 5^. a rood. Thrafhing wheat, is. Gd. to i j. 8 ^. a quarter. ■ barley, i j. 6^. ditto, ■ oats, I s. peafe, i s. Head-man's wages, 9/. 10 jr. Next ditto, 8/. 10 s. A lad, 3/. to 7/. F f 4 Maid's, 440 THE FARMER'S TOUR Maid's, 3/. to 4/. Women a day in harveft and hay-time, 8 d^ The rife of labour in 20 years, a third, IMPLEMENTS, A waggon, 15/. A cart, 7/. A plough, 1 5 J". Laying a fhare, 8^. -. coulter, 6d. Shoeing, is. j\.d. PROVISIONS. Bread, I d. per pound Cheefe, 3 ditto. Butter, 6 Beef, 34- Mutton, 3- Veal, 3 Pork, 3 Bacon, 6 Milk, ol.d. per pln-t. Potatoes, 4 per peck. Candles, 6 7 per lb. Soap, ■ 6-: Labourer's houfe-rent, 304". « Firing, 13J. r— ^ — . Tools, 5 A THROUGH ENGLAND. 441 BUILDING. Bricks, loj-. a thoufand. Flat tiles, 28j-. Oak timber, ij". 4^/. to i /. 6d. a foot. Afli ditto, I J-. ^(L Elm ditto, IS. zd. Soft woods, I s. i A carpenter and mafon, i .f. 8^. a day, and beer. Athatcher, is. (^d. The preceding hufbandry is different from that of the higher land : more on the heath, they have many variations. At Canwick^ farms rife from 20/. to 100/, The foil is a thin hazel loam, on a lime- flone, from three to feven inches deep : the open fields let at ■zs. 6d. an acre : the in- clofures from 6 s. 8^/. to (^s. Their courfes are, I. Turnips. 2. Barley. 3. Peafe, tares, or oats, Alfo, I. Turnips. — 2. Barley. — 3. Wheat. And, 1. Turnips 3. Clover 2. Barley 4. Wheat. Likewije, I. Fallow. — 2. Wheat. — 3. Barley. 44^ THE FARMER'S TOUR They plough four times for wheat, in the cfen fields, but only once or twice in the inclofurcs : fow ten pecks, and get two quarters three bufhels in the firft, and 3 ^per quarter in the latter. Rye they fow only in the open fields, plough four times for it, fow two bufhels an acre, and reap 20 in re- turn. For barley, on a fallow, in open fields, they plough four times ; but on tur- nips, in incloiures, only once. Sow four bufhels an acre, and get three quarters in the field land, and 4 t in the inclofures. For oats they plough but once, low four bufiiels an acre in the open land, and five in the inclofed ; the firil crop two quarters, the latter 4 4. In the fens, they get 11 or 12 quarters. They fllr but once for peafe, fow three bufhels : the crop i quarter and a half, in the, open, and two in the inclofed : they feldom do well in either. For turnips, they plough three or foup times ; fome few are hoed : they are all ufed for feeding fliccp. The average value in the open fields, 20/.; in the inclofed, 40 s. Clover THROUGH ENGLAND. 443 Clover they mow twice for hay : in the fields it yields two loads of hay an acre ; ia the inclofures three. Much fainfoine is fown on their thin lime-ftone lands, with barley, after turnips : fix bufhels of feed an acre. It lafts in good perfedion 20 years, if the land is ftony; but they do not approve it for fands : on fuch it will not laft above ten years. Even if the fand is on lime-ftone, if it is 18 inches to the rock, it will fometimes laft not above four or five years. They almoft all mow it for hay, and generally, on proper foils, get two tons an acre, and an after-grafs worth 6 s. or js. an acre. It is fo great an improvement, and one, of which the far- mers have fo good an opinion, that any landlord can let fainfoine on an 18 years leafe, at I /. an acre, and that on land once at 2s. 6d. an acre. I was aflured that, at Wafimgborough^ there are four acres that yield five or fix loads an acre. They ufe the eddifti for feeding fheep, cows, horfes, jScc. They are attentive here to the benefit of folding their fiieep, and reckon the latter end of the year the beft feafon for it : one night, 444 THE FARMER'S TOUR night, at Michaelmas, they think as good as two in May. Lime has been tried more than once ; but it will do little good : they have a method of difcovering, whether lime be the proper fort for manuring, which well deferves noting. When dropt in water, *f it comes out foft and greafy, it is good ; if gritty, the contrary. Many farmers pare and burn their old heath land, and fow tur- nips : they find it an excellent way of breaking up, and enfures a very great crop of turnips. The price for paring, burning* i &;c. is I /. an acre. They chop their ftub- bles for litter, and ftack their hay at home. When they lay down land to grafs, they do it well, with various feeds ; but trefoile they find to be bell: of all : they obferve that, v.hen fed, it will keep more ftock than any other fort. The beft grafs land lets at lo s. an acre : they either mow it, or feed it with cows : an acre and a half will carry one through the fumm.er. They give from four to eight poimds of butter a week. Flocks of fhcep rife to 500 : the profit they reckon only 6 s. 8^. a head ; that is, lamb, 5 J. and vro.;], is. 8^. and yet they give them turnips or hay in the winter. 4 In THROUGH ENGLAND. 445 In their tillage, 12 horfcs they think nccelTary for an hundred acres of arable land : they ufe two in a plough, and do an acre a day : the depth four inches, and the price per acre 4<". Oxen they have laid afide : fome flirmers think two horfes alone are better than four oxen and two horfes ; but this is prepofterous : they do not break up their ftubbles till Lady-day, In hiring and flocking, they reckon 500/. or 6co/. neceffary for a heath farm of 300 acres. Heath-land fells from 30 to 40 years pur- chafe. Inclofures are tythe free ; but open lands compounded : wheat pays 5^. 6d^ barley zs, 6d. oats zs. Poor rates 3J". in the pound : 20 years ago they were not is. The employment of the wom.en, &c. fpinning Jerfeys. All drink tea. No leafes granted. A gentleman at Lincoln favoured me with the following calculation of a poor family's expences per annwn^ according to the prices of that county. A man, his wife, and two children. 1 Quarter 446 THE FARMER'S TOUR 8 12 o 13 1 Quarter of wheat, - ^.2 2 Quarters of rye, - 3 Fuel, - » « Candles and foap, - 08 Furniture, - - - o 10 Working tools, - ^5 Rent, - - - I 6 The man, a coat, waiftcoat, and breeches, - -12 3 Pair of {lockings and a hat, o 3 3 Shirts, - - - o 10 2 Pairof fhocs, - - 08 Wife and two children cloathing, 4 6 Butchers meat, and other pro- vifions, - - - 6 17 o o o o o o o a o o o o Total, 22 8 o He receives for 52 weeks, at 7 j. 18 4 o His wife earns, - - 540 Total received, Total expences. 23 8 o 22 8 o 100 How far this account is applicable pe- culiarly to Lmcolnfiire, I am not able to fay : Q but THROUGH ENGLAND. 447 but I apprehend, in general, that fuch a family cannot eat fo large a quantity of wheat and rye. The ftockings and hat are much under laid : but fomething ought to be reckoned for the earnings of the two chil- dren ; for, in the average of fuch families, both could not be too young to earn fome- thing *. From Lincoln^ I took the road northward over the heath, as far as Sicmmer-Caftle^ the feat of Sir Cecil Wray^ who has made feve- ral very ufeful experiments in hulbandry. His farm is a large one : it confiils of the following particulars. 750 Acres in all 10 Acres of turnips jr,20D Kent 8 Horfes II Acres of wheat 6 Cows 5 Barley 15 Young cattle 50 Oats 300 Sheep 30 Peaie 6 Labourers. His * I know of nothing at Lincoln worth a Gran- ger's attention, but the Minder, which is a very fine building : it is remarkably light, and the or- naments very neat, and well executed. It is a more plcafing edifice, and of better proportions, than that at York. 448 THE Fx'VRMER's TOUR His beft tillage land he generally divides into fix fields for the fiDllowing coiirfc : 1. Turnips 4. Wheat 2. Turnips 5. Peafc. 3. Barley His foil is all a loam on lime-ftone ; both dayey, and alfo a fandy loam. The firft crop of turnips is worth 40 j. an acre ; the fecond ^os. 1 he barley yields 5 quarters per acre, the wheat 2 v quarters, and the peafe 2. Experiment^ No. i. A field was fown part with common, and part with the Giiernfey {y^nng wheat : the lat- ter did better on this land than the common fort. He fows it in April. I viewed an- other field of it, and its appearance was un- doubtedly better than that fown in autumn. Sir Cecil JVray has taken the proper ad- vantage of his foil, to cultivate fainfoine, on which grafs he has formed feveral im- portant experiments. He finds, that it will not do on a fandy foil : it requires a better and flrongcr fur- face, fjch as we more commonly find on lime-ftone quarries, viz. a loam, fomcthing inclinable to clay, or, at leaft, a fhattercd iloney land, Vvdiich is generally better than finds THROUGH EHGLAND. 449 ■fands on quarries. The goodnefs of the crop, he has found ever to depend on the richncfs of the furface, and not at all on the nature of the flone under it. Experimetjty No. 2. A field was fown with this grafs, in which there is a great variation in the depth of the foil ; it is a loamy fand ; at one place from two to three feet deep ; but, in the reft of the field, not more than 18 inches. From the firft year, the crop has been con- fiderably better in that deep part, than in any other of the field. This is a ftrong proof, that depth of foil, provided it be rich, dry, and on a ftratum of rock, is no objection in the culture of fainfoine : the contrary idea therefore, which is in many places common, is evidently a miftake. 'Expetimeiit i No. 3. Six acres fown with wheat and turnips on a dry, good loamy fand : half the piece dunged with farm-yard compoft, for the turnips, and the other half limed for thq wheat. The turnips failed : the whole was therefore fown with wheat; and, in the fpring, fainfoine feed harrowed in over the Vol. I. . G g whole 450 THE FARMER'S TOUR whole. The part limed has ever fince, fc- veral years, been better than the refl: by- half a load of hay an acre. Experiment^ No. 4. In the fame field as experiment, No, 3, one land was fown without any corn, and that particular part of the field, though the foil, culture, manure, &c. were the fame, has ever fince been worfe than any of the refl. This I apprehend to be owing to the weeds coming with greater force there than any where elfe. The enquiry is not. Whether the land fhould be cropped with grafs alone ; that is, the vegetable you wifh mofl to polTefs ; but whether you fhall mix with it an annual crop, or a perennial one. You will, if no corn is fown, be fure to have a proportioned crop of weeds, and. great numbers perennial. 'Experiment^ No, 5. Two pieces of fainfoine were fown, the land the fame ; one on wheat, after lentils, and the other with barley, after turnips^ fed on the land : the former proved much the befl crop. THROUGH ENGLAND, 451 Experiment^ No. 6. A trial was made on the profit of fain- foine, on heath land of ^s. an acre. It was cropped with turnips, which paid their own expences. The next year, a fecond crop of the fame, which paid 20 s. an acre profit. It was then limed for wheat, at the ex- pence of 1 6 X. an acre ; the produce was two quarters and a half, at i /. Sainfoine fown on it in the fpring, which has fince been an exceeding good crop, yielding a load and half of hay an acre, w^orth 3oj". a load, and an after-grafs of 41. an acre. Would let for I /. an acre, as long as the grafs lafts. A ilight account will Ihew the vaft profit of thus improving land by fainfoine. I Firftyear, — balanced. Second ditto. Profit on turnips, ^T. i o © I Third, Wheat : Expences, Seed, - - o 12 o Ploughing and har- rowing. 060 Reaping, 040 Harvefting, 040 Thrafhing, 050 Carrying, &c. 050 Carry over, i 16 o ^.i o 452 THE FARMER'S TOUR Brought over, >C' ^ ^^ ° iC*^ ^ Rent, - - 050 Liine, - o 16 o Total expences, 2170 Produce, - 500 Profit, 3d year — 2 ^ d Profit in three years, - 3 3 o Thus, by gaining an annual profit of a guinea an acre, the rent of the land is qua- drupled ! Expcrimenfy No. 7. Sir Cecil, for Ibme years, tried how far it was advifeable to manure fainfoine: he tried it v/ith yard dung, &c. but did not find it to anfwer. For two years together, he carefully fpread all his coal afhes on it, and remarked the efFed particularly; but they did not the leaft good. This manure is, in many places, reckoned of uncommon life for fainfoine, and fpread on it at a con- fiderable expence; but, from this trial, it is evident, that there are foils which form exceptions to the rule. Experiment^ No. 8. Nine years ago. Sir Cecil Wray drilled three THROUGH ENGLAND. 453 three acres of a flmdy loam a foot deep on a Hone quarry, the rent ^s, an acre, with lucerne ; the rows equally diftant, 3 feet afunder. It was, for feveral years, kept perfedlly clean from weeds, by horfe and hand-hoeing. He generally cut it five times in a fummer, and found it of incomparable ijfe in feeding his horfes. He attended ac- curately to the number maintained every year, and, from the exadeft attention, he determines, that it kept at the rate of three horfes per acre fix months in the year. Af^ terwards, in extending his plantations, this piece came in turn to be planted, and the firs were fet about it pretty thick, after which the land and lucerne were left wild. I walked among the trees to obferve the ef- fed, and found a very fine thick growth in the rows, wherever the trees did not abfo- lutely join over it : the weeds, though many and ftrong, had not been able to kill it, or even to keep it down. Three horfes 6 months, at 2 .r. 6 d, each /(fr week, come to, /". 9 o o which produce, per acre, would certainly anfwer much belter than any other the land ^an yield. Gg 3 454 TriE FARMER'S TOUR Experiment^ No. 9. To difcover the truth of various aflertions> concerning cattle not eating burnet, a quan- tity of the feed was fown fome years ago, among various other grafs feeds, In laying a field for a pafture. White clover, trefoile, and fine hay feeds, Vv^re fown. It has fince been always fed by flieep and other cattle. The burnet came up well, and now remains ; but the fheep are undoubtedly fond enough of it, to keep it down as low as the other herbage. Sir Cecil has never feen it left more than the white clover: he has alfo found, in other trials, that they are fond of burnet hay. Experiment^ No. 10. In forming a large Hope near the cafile, the good earth was all removed, and thaj; left a mere fhattered floney furface, with little mold. The fpot was well harrowed, and fown v/ith all forts of grafs feed ; and, among the reft, with burnet. Not a blade but that grafs came up, or is now to be feen : the burnet plants are now fine, and fome of them luxuriant; but quite infulated with bare furface, fo poor, that not a weed is to be feen. This proves, in the cleareft manner, * that THROUGH ENGLAND, 455 that a crop of burnet may be had on land, that will, literally fpeaking, produce nothing Experiment, No. 1 1 . Sir Cecil has formed various trials to de- cide the beft fort of grafs feeds for laying down of land. He is convinced, from an experiment, in "v^ich the mode was varied, that a variety of feed Ihould be fown, if the field is defigned for pajlure. By this means, a fucceflion of graifes is gained, which fup- ply the cattle all fummer : whereas, if but one fort is fown, it will, like ray-grafs, be in perfeQion but at one feafon. The pro- pofed improvements, therefore, of gather- ing graifes by hand, can be of ufe only in proportion to the cleannefs of the feeds fo gained, unlefs they are defigned for mow- ing ground, in which cafe that circum- ftance is reverfed ; but, according to this obfervation, the general aflertions, in favour of feparated grafs feeds, fhould be much more qualified with exceptions than they have hitherto been. The ufual argument in their favour, is to draw a parallel between fowing a mixture of all forts of grafs feeds, on the one hand, and on the other a mix- G g 4 ture 456 THE FARMElVs TOUR ture of the different Ibrts of corn ; but the comparifon, in the above refpeft, has no fimilitude, unlefs it was proved, that wheat, barley, and oats, were fed from May till Od^fober, One fort of grafs would certainly be excellent) while in perfedion ; but many forts, fown feparately, would, at their re- fpedive feafons, carry q^ ftubble-like an appearance, as ray-grafs after Midfummer, Experiment^ No. 12. Nine years ago, the ant-hills, in a large paflure, were cut in the fpring, and a hill made of them with lime, each in layers : they were well mixed together, and fpread, the autumn following, on a grafs field. No improvement could have turned out more advantageous ; it has not wanted any ma- nuring fmce, and has produced very great crops. Thcfe experiments, with Sir Cecil Wr ay* ^ general hulhandry, though on fo large a fcale, have, by no means, been his only employment : he has, within ten years, conliderably raifcd the value of his eftatc, built Swnmer-cajlky with cxtenfive offices, formed a large lake, planted 70 acres, and richly improved above 300 ; which THROUGH ENGLAND. 457 "which are undeniable proofs of no flight fpirit, exerted in ornamenting and enrich* ing a country, fo greatly capable of im-- provement ^. The fize of farms, in this country, varies, in the open fields, from 15/. to 40/. a year; |ind, in the inclofures, from 60/. to 200/. a year. The upper lands are all a light foil ; but * Confidering the general face of this country, •which is uncommonly open, (called Lincoln- .Heath, but by the inhabitants the Cliff, being a high ridge of country, between a rich vale on one fide, and the Wolds on the otiier) — the view from Suni/ner-CaJlle is very fine, the vale is w^ell wooded, and the lake formed fo as to unite very happily with the adjoining wood, which is always a material point. It is an extreme fine water, above half a mile long, and of a great breadth ; the colour very good, and the furrounding fliores truly beautiful : the groves of wood, the itraggling trees, and the fmall enclofures, everv where vary the appearance ; the village on a ril- ing ground en one fide, fome of the houfes tufted with knots of wood, and the corn-fields, which hang to the water •, all throw a variety into the environs, which I have more than once obferved to be wanted in many waters. A winding lake, with fpreading lawns and extenfive woods, form- ing a North American fccne, are now fo coiumcn, that the variation of inclofures, full of rufi:ic bu- Jinefs, cannot fail of pleafing j befidcs the un- doubted 45S THE FARMER»s TOUR but the lower country all on clay. Thtf open lets at 2 j. 6 d. an acre, and the enclofed from 8 J-. to izs. The general courfe of the open fields is, 1. Fallow. 2. Corn of fome fort. But, in a few towns, they have agreed to vary it for, 1. Turnips 3. Wheat 2. Barley ^ 4. Peafe. doubted efftft they have of making the water appear larger, than if encompaffcd by one fweep of lawn. Thefe is a natural curiofity in this country, which deferves being noticed : it is what are here called the Trent fpr'ings. There are many fmall pits cf water, which often rife and overflow with- out any vifible reafon. They are fuppofed to be occafioned by fubterraneous communications with the river Trent, and to rife when there are floods in that river. Sir Cecil Wray attributes them merely to heavy rains on the Derhyjhire hills. He has a friend on the Peak, with whom he cor- rcfponds on the fubjed:, and finds that his Iprings always rife a few days after ver}'- heavy rains on thofe hills ; and, what is extraordinary, fome without floods in Trent. Another peculiarity here is a fmall pond, part of which never freezes, though the rcfl: of it is often feveral inches thick in ice : a pale runs through it, which forms the boundary. The expofure, foil, ^rc. all the fame. ^ THROUGH ENGLAND. 459 Their crops of wheat rife, upon an ave- rage, from two to three quarters per acre ; of barley, from three and a half to five quarters ; of oats, from two to four ditto > peafe, from one and a half to three; beans, on the clays, from two to four quarters. Turnip-hoeing Is but juft coming in, and very indifferently performed : they ufe the crop for feeding fheep ; the price per acre from 30 J*, to 3/. Clover they do not commonly cultivate ; but what they have they mow twice for hay, and get, at the tv^ro cuttings, from two to two tons and a half of hay an acre. In their manuring, they have nothing that can be commended : they chop their ilubble, but it is only for thatch ; and their hay they ftack more about the fields than at home. Flocks of fheep rife from 100 to 1000; but different farmers chufe different flocks : their diflindions are, fallo'W ficep^ walk. JJjeep, and pajiure fieep. The profit of the firfl: they reckon at, Lamb, - - - ^.o 14 o Wool, - - -026 Total, es p o 16 6 46o THE FARMER'S TOUR Of the fecond ; I^amb, - - - ;f.o i6 o WooI> - - • 030 Total, n «« o ig o Ofthelaft: Lamb, - - - 100 Wool, ^ - - 036 Total, • * 136 The winter food, hay and turnips. In their tillage, they ufe, on the Cliff, four horfesto 100 acres of ploughed ground j two in a plough, and do an acre a day : the price 4J". an acre, and the depth four or five inches. Land fells from 30 to 35 years purchafe. Poor rates from td. to (^d, in the pound ; in 20 years have arifen a fourth. LABOUR. In winter, 10^. a day. Reaping, 4/. an acre. Mowing fpring corn, i /. %d, and beer, ■■ grafs, IS. 6d. and beer. Hoeing turnips, 4/. Thraflnng wheat, is, Sd. per quarter. Hcad-< THROUGH ENGLAND. 461 Head-man's wages, to 12/. 12^. Next ditto, 8/. 8 J. Lad's, 5/. 5^. Dairy-maid's, 3/. Other ditto, 2/, ic/. Women per day, in hay-time, 8 d. Labour, in ten years, raifed a fifth. From Lincoln to Sleafordy the road runs chiefly over the heath, on which many new enclofures are making : they let from 8 j-. to 12 J. an acre ; but the lower grounds taken into the account, the average would be 12/. All this trad of heath^land would yield very fine fainfoine : it is by no means fo much cultivated as it ought. 46z THE FARMER'S TOUR LETTER X. ABOUT Sw'mehead^ the foil is very rich, as may be judged from the quantity of hemp grown all over this coun- try : they neverthelefs manure for it at the rate of ten load an acre of yard dung : al- ways fow it after corn, about May-day, on three fpring earths. It never requires any ■weeding, as the luxuriance of the growth deftroys all weeds ; and it leaves the land in fuch good order, that either flax or barley follows it, which, by the way, is a very ftrong proof of the great confequence of a thick fhade to the ground, and fo deftroying ■weeds. Hemp is reckoned one of the moft exhaufting crops ; but, from the thicknefs of the Ihade, it makes amends for that cir- cumftance. The latter end of Auguji^ or the begin- ning of September^ they pull it up by the roots, and water it ; but fometimes they fpread it over a pafture for a month, for the dews THROUGH ENGLAND. 463 dews to moiften it, and often turn it; this h for ropes : what they water in the ditches is for cloth. The crop, on an average, is worth from 5 /. to 10/. an acre ; but leldom more than 6 /. The expences may be calculated as follow. Jlent, - -^ " ;^. iioo Three earths, - - 0150 Sowing, harrowing, &c. &c. ike. 080 Pulling, at IS, per loofheaves, o 10 o Watering, - - - 080 Taking out, peeling and dreffing, 250 Total, - - 5 16 o From hence it appears, that the profit by hemp is very inconfiderable ; but the far- mers efteem it a fallow. Flax they fow either on grafs-land or af- ter hemp ; they fow it at Lady-day^ on three earths, and weed it thoroughly through the fummer at a various expence, but not lefs than 6j". an acre. The pulling it they reckon at yj. an acre; but the watering does not coft fo much as hemp. The dreff- ing is I J. 2^. a ftone, and the crop about 20 ftone, at 10 J.; or 10/. an acre. It is reck- oned to exhauft land much more than hemp, Z which 464 THE FARMER*s TOUR which is very obfervable ; for the latter is much the inoft luxuriant growth ; but I at- tribute ks fuperiority to the thicknefs of the fhade, which breeds a putrid fermentation in the foil, and always enriches. Land lets (reckoned by ftatute meafure) from 1 2 J. to 2 4 J. fcr acre ; more at 20J. than under : and farms rife in general from 50/. to 130/. a year. Moll; of the country is applied to grazing * an acre of grafs will carry fix or feven large iheep through the fummer ; or it will fatten an ox of 70 ftonej and keep a fheep in winter ; which proves, upon the whole, that the foil is excellently adapted to grazing. They buy in two fhear wethers lean, at 2 5 J. and fell them fat at 35/. They clip 9 or i o /^. of wool from each, w^orth 5 J", or 6^". on an average. They fow a good deal of cole-feed for winter fatting fheep : they eat it from Mi- chaelmasXQ Candlemas^ and then let it ftand for feed ; but the crop they reckon much damaged by the feeding : for they do not get, on an average, above three quarters an acre. They reckon it to fatten fafter than any thing ; but the fheep muft have had the fummer's grafs. An acre, that is very good, 3 will THROUGH ENGLAND. 465 "Will fatten from 6 to i o fheep ; but their crops are uncommonly ftrong ; the ftalks of the plants are many of them as thick as a man's wrift : they manure for it as in other places for turnipSj and fow at Midfiimmer ; but if the crop is for feed alone, they do not fow till Augiijl, The profit on fatting beafts is not high i they reckon from 2 /. to 4/. apiece for fum- mer feeding, riot a low profit. In their tillage they ufe but 2 horfes in a plough, and yet their foil is much of it very ftrong : do an acre a day. Their courfes of Crops arej I. Fallow 4* Beans 2. Wheat 5- Barley. Very 3. Wheat bad. Another • t. Colefeed, eaten 3- Oats 2. Oats 4- Barley, Much worfe. Anothef- : i. Grafs, broken 4. Oats up for flax 5- Oats 4. Turnips 6. Wheat §. Flax 7- Fallow* Vol. L H h This, 466 THE FARMER*s TOUR This, it muft be confeffed, is as admirable a fyftem for exhaufting land, as can any where be met with. Another : 1. Fallow 4. Barley 2. Wheat 5. Oats, or 3. Hemp Wheat. A man may travel many miles without meeting withfo curious a colledion of courfes. Their wheat produces 3} quarters /»6'r acre on an average. Barley, 3 quarters. Oats, 4 quarters. Beans, 3 quarters. Thefe crops are by no means proportioned to the goodnefs of the foil ; and it is not to be wondered at, with fuch a fuccefiion of crops as they pradife. Tythes are all gather- ed ; every loth fhock of corn taken ; every I oth lamb, and fleece, and fo much a head for beafts, horfes, &c. They reckon 1000/. neceffary to ftock a grazing farm of 100/. a year. LABOUR. In harveft, 3 J", to 4/. a day, and fometlmes- beer. In hay-time, i ^. 6^. and board. In THROUGH ENGLAND. 467 In winter, is. and ditto. Women in hay-time, i s. and board. Reaping wheat, 6/. 6^. and js. an acre. ■ ' — barley and oats, 41. 6d. to ^s. Mowing grafs, 2s. to2s, 6 ^. an acre. Head-man's wages, 12/. Next ditto, 9/. to lo/. Lad's, 6 A Maid's, 3/. Rife of labour, a third in 20 years. PROVISIONS. Bread, Cheefe, - \\d, per pound, 4 Butter, Beef, Mutton, - - 3i 3t Veal, - 3 Pork, Bacon, ■. - 3t " 7 Milk, Potatoes, Labourer' id. per pint. 3 p^r peck. s houfe-rent, 3 /. to 4 /. fi ring, i/. 5/. From hence to hong Sutton the country continues quite flat, but the foil improves. Mr. Wallet oi Sutton is oneof the moft famous H h :i grazierg 468 THE FARMER^s TOUR graziers in Etigland., particularly in fattiBg^^ the largefl: oxen ever feen in this kingdom,. The rent of land runs at about i/. per acre,. Rates IS. 2d. in the pound ; and ty the taken in kind.. Mofl: of the country is applied to grazing beafts and iheep.. Mr. Wallet buys annually 1400 wethers ;. and others in proportion to their farms : they are bought lean: at 20J.. to 25J". a head, and fold fat from 30 j. to 40.f. and the wool comes to from ^s. to yj* 6 d. They are all bred on the Lincolnfl:ire Wolds, about Caftor, Horncafde^ &c. and the breeders all aim at getting the largefl boned tups ; which the reader may remem- ber is directly contrary to the 'pradice of Mr. BakewelloiDWdcy. Wethers are mollly kepta year and a half,, fb as to clip them twice ; and fbme only 2 to a todd. The great riches of this country are the h\t marfhes ; many of which are fo wonder- fully fertile, that they will fatten at the rate of a large ox and 2 or 3 (heep per acre. And it is certainly a common thing, to have the keeping of beafts given them at certain times of the year, merely to keep it down, that. 2 the THROUGH ENGLAND, 469 the flieep and regular flock may have a frefh young bite: an inflance to be produced nq "Where but in fait marlhes. And a great ad- vantage is, thefe rich lands never being known, however wet, to rot iheep. Long button common is one of the moft famous tra(Sts of land in this country; it con- tains 3500 acres of fait marfh. The right of commonage is unlimited; 30,000 fheep^' 1000 horfcs, and 300 bcafts, are annually kept on it, and many of them fold from it fat, which is certainly very extraordinary. But the whole would let for 24/. an acre without the expence of a fhilling. From Barton on the Tlumbcr quite to Long Sutton^ is a trad: of grazing land above 1 00 miles long, and from 3 to 10 miles wide* It is the richeft tradt in England^ though not let at the higheft rents, for they do not run at more than from. 1 5 j. to 2 5 /. an acre. It will fatten a large ex and a fheep per acre. But the higher lands, as they are called here, will fat a large ox and a fheep per acre, and fome will do more. Many graziers buy in their oxen In au- tumn to eat ftraw in the winter ; they then H h 3 fummec 470 THE FARMER'S TOUR fummer feed them, and if the beafts are very large, then put them to oil cake and hay, w^hich Hkewife enables them to fell at the mofl profitable feafon. Mr. JVaikt\ beafts generally rife from loo to 1 20 ftone ; when they are put to oil cake, which is always after the fummer's grafs, they eat 24 lb. of cake a day, and as much hay : he keeps them loofe in a yard, and gives the cake in mangers under open fneds ; and he finds from experience that they ihould always have good hay : he has tried them with a fecondary fort ; and, in compliance with tlie advice of others, with barley^raw ; but nothing equals good hay : the beaft will thrive in proportion to its goodnefs. The oil cake neCefTarily forms three forts j that is, the large pieces ; the fmaller ones ; and the dull. Attention Ihould be given to this circumftance ; beafts will often at firft refufe the pieces, but eat the dufi: ; then the fmall pieces, and afterwards the larger ones : but then they will no more touch either the fmaller, or the duft. If this management is liot attended to, it will fom.etimes be diffi? cult to bring them to cake at all. As THROUGH ENGLAND. 471 As to the ihape and make of oxen for fatting, Mr. Wallet adheres to the old Idea of large hones heing the defiratile circum- ftance — He thiaks that a beaft cannot come to a great degree of fatnefs without having room to lay the fat on-, which is bone: and he thinks that this extends to the profit made by a given quantity of grafs, which will be greater by fatting the large boned cattle than . the fmaller. In the year 1763, he killed an ox that weighed 145 flonc, 14//'. to the ftone *. In the fummcr fattin? of beads, Mr. Wal^ let is of opinion that 10 fields, each of 10 acres, * IVTr. TVdUet has a piclure of this ox, and fpeak^ of it as the largeft heart ever killed \n Engli:rid ; but th^tj^is is a great iTiiftake, \v\\\ appear from the following par- ticulars of one hilled at Ntivhy in Lincolnjhirf, in the year 1692, with which S\\ Ce^'tllVray favoured mc. /.- lb. One fore quarter • — The other ; — — The two hind quarters — Hide — — Tallow — — Head — — Feet — — Heart, liver, and lights — l/^lh. the ftone. Hh4 51 2 49 5 84 6 21 0 32 0 6 5 3 4 7 6 ^35 7 472 THE FARMER^s TOUR acres, are far preferable to one of loo ; and |:hat the beafts by being changed will waftc much lefs grafs. From Long Sutton I took the road to Lynn, by Leverington, I am indebted to Spelman Swaine, Efq. for the following account of hufbandry in that neighbourhood. Farms rife from 15/. or 20/. a year to 300/. but are about 50/. in general. The foil all a ftrong clay except the marfh lands, which are fea filt; that is, a dark coloured richfand. Rents rife from i6j". to 2oj". an acre; the average 1 8 j". All the way from Long Sutton to Leverington, it runs at 20 j. an acre. The courfe of arable crops is, 1. Fallow 4. Wheat 2. Wheat 5. Colefeed 3. Beans 6. Oats. They plough five times for wheat, fow two bufliels an acre, and reap on a medium 3 I quarters. They fow no barley, thinking the land too good for it, but fubflitute barley- big in its Head ; fow 3 bulhels ; the crops rife to 7 1 quarters ; but 5 ^ the average. For beans they ftir thrice, fow them either at random or in the third or fourth furrow, to THPxOUGH ENGLAND; 473 to come up in drills : in the firft method jthey uie .4 bufhels of feed, and feed off the weeds by fheep ; they crop 3 quarters or 34. In the dill way they fowbut 10 pecks, horfe- hoe once or twicc^ as neceffary to keep them clean ; and get from 3 4- to 47 quarters ^^r acre, fometimes 5. Wheat after, and as clean as a garden. Colefeed is much cultivated in the fen§; jthe preparation for it is by paring and burn- ing. They feed it off between Chrijlmas and Candlemas^ and either fow the land with oats, or let the colefeed ftand for a crop ; it yields 4 or 4,^ quartei's per acre; 9 have been known on an extraordinary piece of land. The feed of colefeed in thefe rich iands is worth from '^os. to 40 j-. an acre ; it will feed 12 flieep from Michaelmas to Chnfim.is^ at 3 ^. a week. But the feed crop is better when not fed at all ; it fhould how- ever be Ibwn at Lammas. They have fcarcely any turnips, and no clover. The only draining carried on in this neigh- bourhood is that of the fens by a£t of par- liament \ much cf it that was let at only 4^. or 474 "THE FARMER'S TOUR or ^s. an acre, has been advanced at once to 10 J", or 1 2 J, They attend very little to raifing manure in this country, Avhich may be excufed con- fidering the fertility of the foil ; they chop fome of their Hubbies for ftacks, but never for litter ; and their pigeons dung they fell to Camoridge, I think a good farmer ihould fee his land a dunghill before he begins fuch a practice. Their hay they flack about the fields ; but this piece of bad management is to be charged to the account, not of the tenantt^, but the landlords, who very v^^ifely infift that the hay of each field fhall be fed therein, I muft be allowed to comment a little on this piece ofbarbarifm: they are tenacious of the pradllce, under the idea of its improv- ing the land. But a falfer notion cannot be entertained ; the dung of the cattle, I have remarked more than once, is of little confer quence, if it does not fall fo thick as to oc- cafion a fermentation in the foil ; the benefit of folding fheep lies in this circumftance : hence the winter feeding docs not at all en- rich the foil : but it does fomething elfe, which is truly mifchievous: it treads and 3 poaches THROUGH ENGLAND. 475 poaches it in wet weather to a great degree; which in a ftiff clay foil is pernicious : on a loofe blowing fand it would be of ufe, but on heavy land there cannot be a worfe pradlicc. I Ihall therefore venture to recommend to the landlords to expunge fo prepofterous a co- venant from their leafes ; and only bind their tenants from felling hay from off the farms at large. Their good grafs land will fatten an ox and two flieep per acre. The only breed is the Liincobijfnre. The beftcows will give on an average 6 gallons of milk a day ; or 7 or ^Ib, of butter a week. The winter food hay only, which they give in the field. The profit on fummer feeding an ox from 40J. to ^os. The flocks of fhcep rife to 5 or 600; both fatting and breeding flocks are kept. The profit of the latter they reckon at, Lamb — — o 15 o Wool — — 040 o 19 The wether flocks they buy in fo as to keep them for clipping twice; the two fleeces pay IOJ-. They buy at 25/. or 27J. and fell at 4/6 THE FARMER'S TOUR at from 35/. to 40/. In the winter they put them to colefeed in the fens, or in Norfolk on turnips. In their tillage they reckon 6 horfes necef- fary for 100 acres of arable ; ufe two in a plough, and do an acre a day. They ftir 3 4- or 4 inches deep : the price per acre 3 i. or 3 J. 6d, The annual expence of keeping a horfe they reckon at 7/. The fummer joifl IS. 6d.x.o 2s. di week. No ftraw is cut into chaff. In the hiring and flocking farms, they reckon that above 1 800/. is neceffary for one of 300 acres, 200 grafs and 100 arable, all at I /. an acre : and they divide the fum in the following manner : Rent, - - - ^.150 o o Tythe, - - 27 o o Town charges, - - 20 o o 40 Oxen, of 70 flone, at 8/. 320 o o 30 Ditto, of 50 flone, at 6/. 180 o o 20 Young cattle, at 4/. - 80 o o 400 Sheep; 100 lambs, at 16 s. and 300 wethers, at 27 J. 480 o o Swine, - - 200 Carry over, 1^59 ^ ° THROUGH ENGLAND. 477 £5rought over, ■ - k .1259 0 0 (> Horfes, at 16/. - 96 0 0 2 Waggons, - 35 0 0 1 Cart, - 10 0 0 3 Ploughs, - 4 10 0 2 Pair of harroTTS, - 3 0 0 I Roller, ■ - - 2 2 0 Harnefs, - 4 TO 0 Sundries, - 20 0 0 Seed, 30 acres wheat. 15 0 0 10 Barley - 3 0 a — - 30 Oats, beans, peafe. and col^, - iz 0 0 2 Men, - 20 0 Q I Boy, - 6 0 0 2 Maids, - 8 0 o- z Labourers, - 40 0 0 Extra labour, " 50 0 0 Houfekeeping, - 80 0 0 Oil-cake for 20 of the beafts 80 0 0 -Furniture, - 100 0 0 Cafh in. hand, -^ 50 0 a 1898 2 0 ANNUAL EXPENCE. Rent, tythe, and town charges » 347 0 0 70 Oxen, - 500 0 0 Garry over, - 847 47^ THE FARMEE S TOUR Brought over, £.847 0 0 400 Sheep, - 480 0 0 Seed, - 30 0 0 Labour, - 124 0 0 Houfekeeping, - 80 0 0 Oil-cake, - 80 0 0 Wear and tear. - 30 0 0 Interefl of 1900/. :e 76 0 0 1747 0 6 PRODUC . 20 Oxen, at 15/. - >C-3oo 0 0 20 Ditto oil-cake, at 18/. 360 0 0 30 Ditto, at 8/. - 240 0 0 Young cattle, 20 at iL - 40 0 0 100 Lambs, at 27/. - 125 0 0 300 Sheep, at 32 j. - 480 0 0 Wool, - 100 ■ 0 0 30 Acres wheat. - 180 0 0 10 Barley-big, - 50 0 0 20 Acres oats, &c. 80 0 0 Total produce, 1955 0 0 Total expence, - 1747 0 0 Profit, - 208 0 0 Land fells from 25 to 30 years purchafe. Tythes of all forts, except fatting beafts, are gathered THROUGH ENGLAND. 479 gathered in kind ; they pay 6 J. an acre of the land fed by a modus. Poor rates, i s. in the pound ; 3 J", at Wif- beacb. The employment of the poor of all forts is chiefly in the field. All drink tea twice a day. Some leafes are granted. Hemp Is cultivated in fome lands in this aeighbourhood. They plough four times for it, and harrow it fine. The expcnces oa an acre are : Four plough! ngs. - >C-o 12 0 Six harrowings, - 0 3 6 Seed and fowing, - 0 i 6 Pulling, - 2 0 0 Watering, &c. - I 0 0 DrefFmg, 8 ^. a ftone, - I 10 0 Rent, - I 5 d u 6 16 0 TheproduceIs45ftone, at3J.6^. 7 17 6 Expences, - - 6 16 o Profit, - - I I 6 This is a frefh proof that the profit on hemp is very inconfiderable. Flax 48a THE farmer's TOUR Flax is alio cultivated : to pull — cart-** fod — ^unfod- — fpread— tye-^'— and barn, come to I /. 4J". per acrCi The crops rife from 2a to 50 ftone, and the price varies from 5 J. to 6x. 10 d, average 6/. the crop 45 ftone* LAB OUR. In harveft, is. 6d. a day and beer. In hay-time, is, 6d. to 2 s* and beer* In w^inter, i j. Reaping wheat, 5 J. to jSs Mow^ing, binding, and cocking fpririg corni 3 J". 6d, Mowing grafs. Is. Gd.toi s. 6 d. Thralhing oats, 6^. a 1 aft of to I- quarters^ and help at taking in the ftack. Head-man's wages, 10/. ioj'. lead's, 5/. to 6/. Dairy-maid, 5/. A woman a day in harveft, i J. to I s. 3^. aiij beer. In hay-time, i s. and beer^ in winter, 6 d. IMPLEMENTS. A waggon, 16/. A cart, ioL A plough, i/. 10 J". Pair of harrows, i/. ioj< Shoeing, is, ^d. i THROUGH ENGLAND. 48X PROVISIONS. Bread, • • \\d,per l^. Cheefe, «A 4 Butter, • 6| Beef, - 4 Mutton, - 3^ Veal, *» 3 Pork, - 4 Milk, ^ i. per pint* Potatoes, ■k 2 1 ^^?' peck* Candles, - 6 i- />^r /i^» Soap, - 7 The general ceconomy of the country xvill be feea from the following particulars of farms. 600 Acres in all 300 Arable 300 Grafs ^.500 Rent 10 Horfes 40 Brood mares, colts, &c. 80 Fatting- beafts Another: 300 Acres in all 240 Grafs 60 Arable C-'^'^^ '^tnl Vol. I. I i 5C0 Sheep 100 Acres wheat 20 Barley ICO Oats 30 Beans 2 Men 6 Labourers. 482 THE FARMER'S TOUR 8 Horfes 20 Beans 20 Fatting beafts* 2 Men 20 Young cattle i B6y 300 Sheep I Labourer. 30 Acres wheat Another : 300 Sheep 10 Acres wheat 5 Barley 5 Gats 5 Beans I Labourer. 200 Acres in all 34 Arable 166 Grafs jf.20o Rent 4 Horfes 20 Fatting beafts Another 130 Acres in all 30 Arable ^ 100 Grafs jT. 100 Rent 4 Horfes «5 Fatting beafts Another: 42 Acres, all grafs 12 Fatting beafts £.40 Rent 120 Sheep. The hufbandry in the fens, that have been drained by adl of parliament, is in feveral inftances particular. In Wijbeach high fen, the foil is ten inches of bog, on a blue clay: they plough for three fuccefhve crops of oats; and then let the land by >'ay 5 Young cattle 150 Sheep 1 1 Acres wheat 5 Oats I Man. THROUGH ENGLAND. 483 way of fallow run to twitch grafs ; they eat it off, though fometimes they mow a crop of twitch hay : then they pare it with a plough and burn it ; and low colefeed at Muljutn7ner^ generally for fheep feed ; fometimes for a crop of feed after the feed- ing. They get 35/. an acre by feeding, and then 2 and 4- quarters feed, worth 4/. After the colefeed, they take 3 crops more of oats, each of them 5 quarters an acre ; and then they give it the delegable fallow of two twitch years, either feeding or mow- ing it, after which they pare and burn again, as above. Some farmers, better than the reft, fow 2 bufhels an acre of ray-grafs with the third crop of oats ; and let it lie to grafs for four or five years, mowing a load and half of hay an acre; after which they plough it up without burning for 3 or four crops of oats running. This hufbandry is, upon the whole, as amazing a fyftem of barbarifm as I remem- .ber to have heard. It is evident, upon the face of the account, that the land would do for meadow : any foil that will yield fuch crops of oats and colefeed, and bear fuch a I i 2 burthen 4S4 THE farmer's tour burthen of twitch and ray-grafs, would, if properly managed, make mofl profitable returns in meadow hay and feeding ; and it cannot be doubted but the profit would be vaftly greater. But if thefe farmers are fo bitten by a mad plough, that they wilJ have an arable courfe on land defigned by nature for grafs ; they ought certainly to have done with fuch a fucceflion of oats, and vary their crops : fuch a courfe as the following would keep their land clean and in good heart. 1. Oats 8. Grades ray- 2. Colefecd fed grafs, white clo- 3. Oats ver, trefoile, and 4. Potatoes hay feeds — let it 5. Oats lie for 5 years 6. Cabbages 9. Oats. 7. Oats The potatoes for feeding hogs. The foil would do excellently for all thefe crops;- and each would be far better than whiit they have at prefent. They have found from long experience^ that burning once every (even years, does not at all ultninilli the depth of the foiL Breaches in. the banks often happen,, in 2. which THROUGH ENGLAND. 485 which cafe they lofe a year, but are paid in tke great fertility left by the water; the land is thickly drefled with a flimv mud. Oats in thefe fens, in late fammers, are remarkable for their poor quality ; crops of five or fix quarters often fell at a guinea the laft, of 84 bufhels : but in general they are 5/. a lafl. A fack of 4 bufhels will not weigh above 4 -7 ftone. In 1768, much fen barley alfo was fold at a guinea a I aft. I pafled from Leverington to Lynriy by way of Walpoie^ a conliderable parilli in the tra<£t of country called Marfihud. The following is an accurate account of feveral curious particulars in that parifh. Walpok St. Pt'ter aiid Andrew. Account of Land, Perfons, Stock, fe. in the liiid Townfiilp. Pafture land, - - - 4120 Arable land, - - - 2050 Common, or Vv'afte land, about -5oo Acres in grofs, - 8670 In the occupation of 103 different perfons, at the yearly rent of yr.4760 Aflfeft to the land tax at pc7' anniDii^ 2907 I ■' 3 486 THE FARMER'S TOUR No. of farmers, their wives and chil- dren, - - - » 275 No. of fers^ants, - - - 160 No. of labourers, their wives and children, - - - - 81 No. of poor now maintained by the town, 2 2 And feveral more within the year when fick. ■ No. of fouls, - " 538 No. of houfes in the faid town, • 120 No. of cows kept in ditto, about 200 Ditto horfes, about - ^ 310 Ditto beafts, young, and feeding, about 580 Ditto fheep, about - - loooo Ditto hogs, about - - 330 This account of ftock, is what is fup- pofed to be kept upon the land yearly, and includes feeding and breeding cattle of all forts. Rates in 1688, and 1700, no account of them can be found. Ditto in 1730, church 2^. poor 6d. per£» Surveyors, nothing. Ditto in 1760, church 4^. poor %d. per jT, Surveyors, nothing. Ditto in 1767, church 2^. poor iod.per£. Surveyors, 3 ^. per £, THROUGH ENGLAND. 487 A common courfe about W alp ok is, 1. Fallow 4. Beans 2. Wheat 5. Wheat. 3. Oats The oats after the wheat fhould certainly be excluded. They generally get 3 quarters of wheat ; from 6 to 10 of oats, average 7 4-; and 4 quarters beans on an average. They drill beans in every fourth furrow; and keep them clean by' both horfe and hand-hocing ; to which management they owe their line crops. Mr. Canham of ^on^ threy^ near 'Do'wnban^ had 60 acres thus cul- tivated in 1769, which yielded 5 1 quar- ters per acre ; and this year the whole is fown with wheat ; the crop as fine, and quite as clean, as any that fucceed a fallow ; He has often had 5 quarters of wheat an acre after beans. Their method of laying land to grafs on thefe rich clays, is to fow with oats on a clean fallow, lolb. an acre of white clover^ and \lb. of trefoile. They always feed it for three or four years, with flieep only : When they come to mow, they get feldom lefs than 2 tons of hay an acre. I i 4 About 488 THE FARMER'S TOUR About RunBon^ near Lynn^ the foil is quite changed from the clays of Maryland, Farms rife from 20/. to 200/. a year, but are about 40/. on an average ; the foil is a loofe, iirong, gravelly loam on clay ; and on a car ftone, which is of the iron ftone nature : It lets from 5 or 6 s, to 10 s. an acre, but in general about 14 J. Their courfes of crops are, 1. Turnips 4. Wheat 2. Barley or oats 5. Barley, 3. Clover one year AlfOy 1. Turnips 3. Clover 2. Barley 4. Wheat or ryc^ And, 1. Turnips 4. Wheat 2. Barley 5. Barley, 3. Peafe or vetches For wheat they plough but once ; fow 3 bulhels, and get 2 f quarters per acre^ For rye on clover land, they llir but once ; fow I V OJ^ - bulhels per acre, and gain i I OJ* 3 quarters. They llir three or four times for barley, fow 3 bufhels, from the beginning of April to old May-day ^ the THROUGH ENGLAND. 489 tlie average crop 3 i quarters. They give but one eartji for oats, fow 4 bufhels, and get 5 quarters in return. For peafe they plough three or four times ; fow 4 buihels, never hand-hoe them ; the crop 2 |- quarters. They ftir four times for turnips ; hoe them twice ; and feed a few off with fheep, but in general draw them for their cows ; the average price 30^. an acre. Clover they mow twice for hay. The vetches they chiefly ufe green for foiling horfes, in the liable. In refpedt to manuring, they are almoft as deficient as they can be : the fold is their principal dependance ; for as to their farm- yards, they do not chop their ftubbles, and their hay they fell, but bring no dung from Ly7in, Plafhing hedges unknown ; they are all dead ones, for defence of the quick or live wood ; and confequently are rotten and j*;one, in a fmgle feafon. The beft grafs lets at 10s, an acre; they feed it chiefly with cows ; an acre and quarter will carry a cow through thefummer. The breed is the little mongrel fort j they pay 490 THE FARMER'S TOUR pay in total produd: about 6/. a head. They keep a good many hogs ; above 40 to 20 cows. A dairy-maid will take care of 10. The winter food draw while drv: and afterwards a little hay, with many turnips. They keep them in the yard. Good ones w411 give 8 gallons of milk a day; and fome will make 14/^. of butter a week, for 6 weeks after calving. Swine fat to 15 and 18 ftone. Flocks of flieep rife to 450 ; the profit they reckon, Lamb, - - ^.080 Wool, - - * 016 The winter food turnips. The rot they think is totally owing to water lying on the land in winter ; which is diredly contrary to the common idea — — which \% fummer floods. In tillage, they reckon 8 horfes neceflary for 1 00 acres of arable land ; ufe 2 in a plough, and do from i to 3 acres a day. The depth about 4 4- inches : and the price fer acre ^s. The ftubbles they break THROUGH ENGLAND. 491 break up for a fliUow about February, Wheel ploughs only ufed. In the flocking farms, they reckon 400/* neceflary for one of 100/. a year. Tythes comj^ounded by the acre round : about "20^. Poor rates is. 8^. in the pound. The employment fpinning wool : all drink tea ; and the men are almoft as great tea-drinker$ as the women. All the farmers have leafes. LABOUR. In harveft, 2 /. 2 J", and board for the harvefl. In hay-time, is. 6d. a day and beer. In winter, is. id. and beer. Reaping wheat, 4J-. to 6j". . — oats, 4/. Mowing barley, &c. is. dd. ■ grafs, 2 s. Hoeing turnips, 4J. and 2^-. Hedging and ditching, 8 3 Pork, •0 3i Bacon, - 6 Milk, - 0 4. d, per pint. Potatoes, •• 4 per peck. Candles, THROUGH ENGLAND. 493 Candles, - - G\ d. per lb. Soap, - ~ 7 Labourer's houfe-rent, 40/. — firing, 30 J. BUILDING. Bricks, 18 j. a thoufand Tiles, 50J-. Oak timber, 2 J-. a fooL Afli ditto, IS. id. Elm ditto, II. id, A carpenter a day, i .r. %d. and beer. A mafon, 2 s. and ditto. A thatcher, 2 s. The particulars of a farm are as follow. 180 Acres in all 20 Young cattle ^.105 Rent 2 Men 8 Horfes I Boy 4 Mares and colts 2 Maids 4 Cows 2 Labourers, 70 Sheep Colonel Cony of this place (to whom I am obliged for the preceding account) has. improved on the methods of his neighbours. His courfe is, 1. Turnips fed off three years with fheep 4. Pcafs 2. Barley 5. Wheat. 3. Clover two or His 494 THE FARMER'S TOUR His badey yields 5 quarters on an aver- age ; his peafe 4 quarters ; and his wheat as much. Oats he never fows except in the place of barley, but he gains from 7 i quarters to 9 f . His turnips he hand- hoes thrice; to which excellent prac- tice is undoubtedly to be attributed in a good meafure his crops of barley being better than thofe of his neighbours. His method of laying arable land to grafs, has been to fow barley under feeded on a clean turnip fallow, and with it 6 3* per acre of trefoilc, i o IL of white clover, and 4 bufhels of ray-grafs : and he has found it to make very good pafhire. Four years ago he laid a field in this manner : The firil and fecond years he fed it ; the third he mowed a load and half an acre of good hay ; the ray-grafs is now declining* and the white clover thickening in its place. The Colonel tried clay on four acres of gravelly loam ; he laid 80 loads an acre, at the expence of 2 /. 10/.; it was done in winter, and the land fallowed for turnips ; which were eat off by fat w^ethers at Mi- chaelmas^ being fold for 10/. 10/. the four acres. Wheat was then fown, and the crop 4i THROUGH ENGLAND. 495 4 t quarters per acre. After the wheat, turnips again, fold, to be fed on the land, at 40 J", an acre. They were followed by barley, which yielded 5 quarters per acre. Sainfoine was fown with this barley, but it failed. — This is a very valuable experiment for all the neighbourhood ; as it proves in the cleareft manner, the profit of claying thefe foils. The Colonel has more than once had 6 quarters an acre of rye. End of the Fi R ST Volume. *> 44- "^ )?eciAu '\'T£R