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THE

RURAL ECONOMY

O F T H E

MIDLAND COUNTIES i

INCLUDING

THE MANAGEMENT of

LIVESTOCK,

I N

LEICESTERSHIRE and its ENVIRONS :

TOGETHER WITH

MINUTE S

O N

AGRICULTURE and PLANTING

IN THE DISTRICT OF THE

MIDLAND STATION.

By Mr. MARSHALL.

THE SECOND EDITION.

IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOL. I.

LONDON;

rrmtecJ ibr G. Nicol, Bookicllcr to His Majefly, Pall Mat! i,

(i. G.and J. Robinson, Paternofter Row;

.and J. Deb RETT, Piccadilly.

1796.

)>:i.

ANALYTIC TABLE

O F

CONTENTS

OF THE

FIRST VOLUME.

Introduftory Remarks, i.

A View of the Surface of the llland at large.
A View of the Midland Diftrid, 2.

Note on the Soils of Leicellerfhire, 3.
A View of the Midland Station.

THE DISTRICT

OF THE

MIDLAND STATION

defcribed, 6.

The Outline-^irregular.

The Extent-^Iaid at 150 fquare Miles.

The Climature — helovj the Latitude 5Z* 45'.

The Surface — highly billowy, 7.

The Soil — a rich middie Loam.

The prevailing Sabfoils — red Clay andfandyLoam,8,

The State of Inclofure : now mollly inclofed, g.

The prefent ProduiSlions — chiefly corn and grafs,

Ornamental Appearance.

General Remarks on its Scenery.

Views from Birdon Hill, 1 1 .

a 3 Ti IF.

Vi C O N T E N' T S.

THE

RURAL ECOxMOMY

O F

THIS DI STRICT.

DIVISION THE FIRST.

LANDED ESTATES

AND THEIR

MANAGEMENT.
Sect. I. Eftares, 13.

Moflly fmall.
I' ' , J Note on Rei'dences.

Veorr.i"ry, of the higher Clafs, abound, i^
Mr. Prince»'s fu^eriorCharafter noticed.
Tenure ofthii Dillri(^, 1 5.

Sect. II. General ManasTment of Eftates, 15.

Manor Courts — pretty generally held.
Remarks on the Purchale of Lands, i6.
Tenancy of Lands — chiefly at will.
The rent, in general, moderate, 17.

Much of the Land tithe free, 18.

Very little TiTHt taken in kind.

An admirable Regulation when it is.
Co'venants in common Ufc, »g.
Removals unfrequenl.

The Time of Renoval — Ladyday.
Receiving Rent>, 20.

The 1 imes of receiving — Michaelmas and
Ladyday.

Remarks on FOREHAND re.vtj.
Form of a Lak.

S&CT.

Contents. vu

Sect. III. Farm Buildings, 25.

The Materials in Ufe.

Note on Charnwood Slates.

The CEMENTS of this Diftrid, 26.

Note on Barrow Lime, 27.
F.irmeries very large, 28.

The Barn, and its modern Conftruftlon.

Barn Floois, and a peculiar Method of lay-
ing them, 39.

Stable Mangers are fometimes of Brick, 30.

The Cow Shed of the Midland Diftrift
defcribed.

The old Farm Yard defcribed, 32.

A Drinking Ciftern, on an admirable Plan.

A Stackguard of a peculiar kind, 33.

Sect. IV. Roads, 35.

Formerly very bad, for want of Materials.
Lately improved, by the Means of Sand, 36.
The modern Method of forming them de-
fcribed, and cenfured.
The proper AJethod of forming SandRoads, 3?.
General Remarks on th& Roads of the Kingdom.
Reafons for inveftigating the Subjedl, here, 39^
The Principle of Form confidered.
The good Efteds of the Convex or Barrel

Form, 40.
The Concave or Hollow Form has, ne.er-

thelefs, its Advocates, here, 41.
Reafons for abridging this Seflion in the

prefent Edition.
The particular Circumftances, under which
Hollow Roads can be eligible, pointed
out, 42.
A wafhway Road, at the Foot of a Hill.

A ri^wrf' Ufe of Rain Water fiiggelted, N.
A gentle Slope, with a gravelly Subfcil, 43.
Altogether ineligible ioz puhlic Roads.

Note on Water creating a Road.
A toH Road ihould be good, at all Seafons,44 .
Private waggon paths- Ihould be waih-
ways.
Note en narrow private ^oads.
Alfo HORSE paths; as that between Bof-
wotth and Leiceller, 45.
Note on Caufeways.

34 The

•viii C O N T E N' T s.

The probable Rife of the Theory of Hollow
Roads, 46.

The Danger of c e .v e r a l 1 z i n c ideas.

I'articular Roads examined, with a View to
corroborate the Principles offered, 47.

Nottir.gham to LoughHorough.
Held out as a Specimen of a wafhway Road.
Its prefent State unfufferably bad, 48.

Leicefter to London, 49.

The Superiority of the convex p r 1 n c 1 p 1 e
no longer doubted.

The general F:rm of a public Lar.e fuggefted

An excellive Saving to be made, in the Ex-
pence of Forming and Repairing
Roads.

An Expence that is peculiarly entitled to the
Attention of the Landed Intereil.

Sect. V. Field Fences, 50.
Prefatory Remarks.

The Nature of the Land appears to have
no Influence on the Pra^lice of Railing
Live Hedges.
This inltafw^d, in the Praftices of Nor-
folk, and i f this Di»lri.ft, 5 1 .

I. RaifingNew Hedges, in this Diftri<S,52.
Species of K'jdgewcods.
Note on Holly Hedges.
Nurfery ilants recently introduced.
The Soil of the Nurfery {hould be
rioh, 53.
yime ot Planting.

A Comparative Incident between Au-
tumnal and Spring Planting.
Method of Planting, 54.
Cienerally plant two Rows.
No Ditch, and why.
The Practice improper.
The Guard is two Rows of Polls and Rails.
And this tho the Subic-i) is free, and
Drains u anted.
The Nurfing of young Fledges is here

well attended to, 5,.
.■^ List of Hedged B£ 2s, 56.
Weeds of young Hedges.
Weed* of grown Kccges, 57.

II. Treat-

C o N r E N T s. ix

II. Treatment of Grown Hedges.

Plafting univvifal to the Dlllrid.
A fingular Practice dcfcrihed, 58,
The Method of Plaihing regiltered.
A valuable Improvement recently ftruck
out.
Remarks thereon, 1^9.
The Ditch is rarely fcoured, and why,6i.
The Reafor.ing i:\conciauve.

Sc6l:. VI. Hedgerow Timber, 63.

Singularly fcarce, ia the Midland Diilrid;

The Reafon aliigned.
An Jnftance of tall-ilemmeJ Oaks being of

little Injur}' to a pruned iriedge^ 6^.

DIVISION THE SECOND.

WOODLANDS

AND

PLANTATIONS.

Sect. I. Woodlands, 65.

Introdactory Remarks.

A Decline of Wood, in the \iidland Cour.-
:ics.

The furrounding Country ftili fullv wood-
ed, 66.

Lciceftertliire deficient in Coppice Wood.

Its Propagation, on cold Ploti,andia Angle.-,,
fuggeited.

The Diftrict of the Station fct ro'.md with
Woodlands.

Jt. Raifing Woodla.ids fi-om Seed, 67.
The old Woods of the Diiiriift J,av€

been cultivated.
Younj ones now rifing, from thf

Seed, 68.
Mode of Propagation.

II. Sel.'inj

C O N T E N* T 5.

II. Selling Timber Trees, 6^.

The Method of Valuing, here.

Xalue the Wood and the Bark, ft*
paratciy.

III. Taking down Timber Tree?, 69.

Three Methods of Felluig.
Peelir.g Bark, 70.
Ccr.venion of the Top W^d.

The Dirr.enfiom of the Statute
Cord, 71.

IV. Tiniber; its Confumption and Con-

verfion.

V. Bark; the Modes of Difpofal fingular,
in this Diftricl, ^2.

VI. Coppice Woods, and their Manage-
ment, 73.

Sect. n. Planting, 76.

General Re^iarks.

The '^urferymenof this Diftrifk irlWt their
Planu, 7S.

DIVISION THE THIRD.

AGRIC ULTURE.

Sect. I. Farms, 80.

Many very large ones, in this Dlftrifl.
Tiieir Cbaraderiliics Tary with the ilate cf
inclolure, di.

85 CT. II. Farmers, 82.

General Rcma'ks on Farm Octupiers.

'1 tic Midland Diilricl abounds with firft rate

Farmers, 83.
^iiluy of them well educated, 84.
'Ihz Conrc(juence of fuch an Advantage.

Thefe

Content*. %'

Thefe are the proper Perfons to improve thr

- Rural Art, and why, S5.

Profclfional Men defined, N.

Societies of Agriculture are inefFectlve

without them, 86.
General Remarks on thefe Societies, 87.
On Public SEWiNARits of Rural Kxiow-

ledae, 8S.
A BO\-\kD of agriculture propofed,

89.
PRACTICAL ESTABLISHMENTS lug-

geiled, and tiie Oailiaes drawn.
The Eligibility of fu;h Eilabliiliments coa-

jidered, 54.
Their probable Advantages tD profeffional

Men, 95.
Their Utility to Men of Fortune, 96.

SiCT. m. Workpeople, 97.

Their Wages and E.\erclon are equally low, 9?
The WaiteofMalt Liquor is here ihamefal.

Refleclions on this ab'.urdlcy.
Time of changing Servants.
Places of Hiring.

Sect. IV. Beafts of Labor, 99.

Hea\')' horfes have long been prevalent.

Shamefully extravagant, in £rlt Coft, Ker-
nels, and Provender, 100.

Five Horfes are the Road Team of thf
Dillria.

The Attendance is hHfbandiy, loi.

The Species of Provender enumerated.

A good vJuilom relpeciing Farriers, N. I0»

SccT. V. Implements, 102.

The Waggon mo:l unwieldy, 103.

The Gloceileriliirc Waggon recommended^
The old Plow is likewii'e heavy, 104.
The Hiftory of the double plow of t!.i-

Diftria.
Its Merits and Demerits, 106.
Its Principle of Conuruftion npplied to
fingle Plows, loS.
The Harrows of this Diltrict notable.

A large Harrow hung behind Wlieels, 109.
An admirable Principle of hanging Harrow <.

Sec r.

xil Content s.

Sect. VI, The Weather, 1 1 o.

The Barometer well attended to.

My own E>pLTience,in this Dillricl, 1 1 i.

Detailed Rctnarki on the U eaiher, why omit-
ted in thii Edition, N. 112.

ProgreG of bpring 1784, 113.

Remarks on ir.e Ivature and Vic of Hygro-
meter?, 1 14.

Pr.grefs of Sprir.g 17S5. 117.

'1 he dry Summer of Eightyfive regifrered, in
DetJil, iro.

The \ a)ue of the Barometer inftanced, 128.

PraiVical Remarks, on two years attentive
E.xptrience, 130.
The Ufciof InfliCrticnts and Regiilers, 131.
Th; Su:n;r.er Months axe the proper Object
of tile Far::icr's Attention, iN. 131.

SifT. VIL Plan of Management of Farms, 13 j.

I'he Objciis of the MidLi.d Kufbandry.
'Ine Outlin-Js of Marugemcnt, 1 34..
Tlic Couric of Pra.<fiice, 1 35.
Very tegular, in tliisDirtrid.

Sect. VIII. Soils and their Management, 138.

Species if Soils and Subloils.
'ihe i.'ilkry of Uxi-tR DRAI^■I^c, in
this D'llrid, J 39.
-Anlnilauce cf thegcod Effef^i of Libe-
rality, in a Pkcprietor, 142.
How fortunate vvt.en Science ai,d

Practice an- uni;cd.
The L.xpcnce and tincacy of Pipe
Draias, 143.
The Faliowb of mis Diftridt, 14;.
Remarks on the Pin Fallow,

Sect. IX. Manures and Mancgemehr, 147.

Dung extravagantly high.

No:e on Lores ot ItO.r.s.
Dung is generally iprcai out of Car-

nagcs, 14b.
Lime is in high Etlimanon.
I w o diliinCL Sorts, 1 49.
Breedon Lia.e a fit SLbcct of Enquiry,
iii ."iaaiyfis, 150.

Mana£eQ>cnt

C" O N T'E N T S. XIH

Manag-ment of Lime is here very ju-
dicious, 151.
Water and turn it.

Method of Laying it up, during Win rer.
The " Marls"' of this Diibid analyfed,
15:.
In general, mere Clays.
Note on the Diflblution of calcareous
tarths.
Remarks on the fertilizing Clays of this

Dillrifl, 154.
Lime no.v found beneficial to clayed

Lands, 151;.
Analyfiscf the grey Marl of Warwicklhire.
l^he Acids are fallacious as Tests of
calcareous Subilances, 156,

Se^t. X. Semination, 158.

Broad<:aft the univerfal mode of Semi-

nating,.
Barley Lands are generally clotted, and
Oat Land adjured, in a peculiar Man-
ner, 159,

Sect. XL Management of Growing Crops, 160.

Handweeding common.
Hoing not performed, by Farm Work-
people.
Catalogues of arable weeds, 161.
Note on Gathering Docks after the

Plow.
Note on Drawing the common Thi.He,

Sect. XII. Harved" Management, 165.

Some foreign Afiiftance called in.
The general Kcopomy of Harvclt.
TheHou'-s of Work Hiamefiilly fhort, i65.
'I'he Method of Marvelling Sheaf Corn.
On REAPING by tiie T H R E A V E .
Method of harvelHng loofe Corn, 168.

Mown outward with the naked bithe,
169.

Dried in Djudles, or fmail Cocks !

Remarks on this Practice.
Method of currying loofe Corn, 172.

Method

xiv Content?.

Method of laving up locie Com.

All ingenious iMethtxi ©f Stopping ■

Tappin^j Rick, 17^.
Ufe nc> pi:chir.g Holes, 174.
IVieiht vl of covering unthatched RicLj.
Singular Method of Thatching, 175

Sj&ct. Xin. Faimyard Managerncnt, 177.

Barn ManagemenL

Cutting Oi'.i in Stra-.v.

'1 he Chaf Hox of this Diftrift, 1 -f .

Slrawyard Management.

Sect. X I^^ Markets, 1 7 9.

The Market Towns of tiie Diilric:.
Birmingham the Metropolitan Market.
SmithEeld and Rotherham, for fax ^tock,

1 80.
An Incident, andGEsERAi. Remark.s>

rtrfpecling Bucter and Poultry Markets.

Sect. XW Wheat and its Management, 1S2.

I. The Species.

The Nature of Spring Wiieat, \S}.
II. Succeluon, 184.

Generally ftcceeds Oats.

III. TiUage, 185.

One, two, or three Plowings.

IV. Manures, 1^.

Remarks on ufing Dan» in a recrn:
State.
V. Semin.ition, 187.
VI. The Growing Crop.
VII. Harvefting.
V!1I. Yard Management, 18S.
IX. Markets fur \Vheat.
X. Produce, by the Acre.

Ijm-3r.ce of great Produce.

Sc-r. XVI. Barley, 189.

Species — the common Long ear.
Siicceflion — chiefly afie- Wheat, 19c.

Uncertain after Turr^p'.

M*och f'*'"'^ on Turf.

TU'agc,

Contents. xv

Tillage, 191.

Note on the Term ^\ :.V::.t,v
Semination.

Sow by the Sun ; not by the Seafoq.
Markets, 192.
Produce extraordinarily larg?.

SfCT. XVII. Oats, 193.

The Quantity of Seed large.

The entire Crop ckiefly expended on

Farm Horfes !
The Produce— fix Quarters, an Acre.

3ect. XVIII. Pulfc, 195.'

The Species, chiefly. Beans and " Dills.'*
Plowed under, even Sward !

Obfefvacions on this Pradice, 156.

5icT. XIX. Potatoes. 197.

The Varieties in Cultivation.

Remarks on Declining Varie-
ties, and the Difeafe of Curled
Tops, 198.
The Succefiion moftly after Grafs Land,
199.
Sometimes after Potatoes, N.
The Soil Procefs chiefly done by Hand.
The Plants dibbled in, the Middle of

April, 200.
Hoed once, or oftener.
Taken up with Forks, the Middle- of

Oftober.
Preferved in " Camps."

The Method of Camping defcribed,
201.
Markets and Expenditure, 202.

Price generally low.
The Produce extrJMjrdinarily large.

Sect. XX. Turneps, 203.

Not a prevailing Crop of this Dldrkl.
The Introdudion of Hoing ia of recent

Date, 204.
Reafons why this Crop is not prevalent.
A ftriking Inllance of Mifcarriage,205.
Remarks on this Subjeft, 206.

Succefiion,

3tVi C O N T £ H T S.

Sccceffion, 206.

In.tance-s of fowingTurneps, on BarJry

SrubWe, whhcin plowing ! 2or.
KeTTzrks on ihis Practice.
Seminatio: , 207.

A prcoljar Metiioi ofdclmrinj the
Seed.
Expcnditjre. zoB.

v?crRetiHies drAwn, beforehand, and
loaded on Waggons, to ^nd until
u anted.

StcT. XX I. Cabbages, 209^

Weil adap?^ to tt>i5 DifiriS.

Mi.ay .gro\\ n, hy the Ran breeders, 2 lo.

Tfie Variety cjJth-ated.

Or. Rainrig Cabbage Seed, zi\.
Tne proper i^iftance of Cabbage Hai:::.
The hjtp^nditate. 21^ r

I'ernaps apply them 10 Horfes.

SicT. XXII. Culrivated Herbage, 21 j.

Ti; -' perennial Ley is fe^dom cultirated.
Kor is the annual Clover Ley common.
Inf^ance of Clover being a tranficni
Crop, 214.
TurC w livyears Ley, i^ mod prcvdent.
Modes of Cultivation, 2 ! 5 .
On >\ H 11 E Clov tft, as a Lcj Herb-
age,
'i I.i- Management of fixycars Lcvs.
2biuwn the arft j-car ; — ^aftcn^ardsj
pailured.
An extraoruinan' Practice, vi:h Ref-
peft to the Aftergrowth of Clover,
2 6.
Note on feeding Hay Clover, iu the
^pflug.

SiCT. XXIU. Grafs. Lands, 2 1 S.

1 ne Deicxipnon of Grafs Lands, in ihL>
Difliici.
Re-arks on its Rough Grafs Grounds,

The Management of Pafturc Grounds,
Tr.e ipring Management.

On g-thcriiig late Jropt Dung, 220.
Noti OB the bcaicitv of Mole», 221.

1 hr

Contents. xvU

The Winter Management.

Inftance of prefer ving Failure Grafs, over Win-
ter, 222.
•Meadows and tlieir Management.
Draining.
Wat£ring Meadows, 223.

Some notable Inltances, in the Midland Dillridl.
The Hiftory of Irrigation, here.
Formerly, " floating upward," to depofit Sedi-
ment, was in Ufe, 225.
Remarks OQ this Praftice, 226.
Now, the Float-and-Drain Principle prevails.
The Theory of this Operation Iketched, 228.
The Sites proper for it, 229.
An accurate Method of taking Levels, 230.
Different Sites are watered, here,
Inftance of le-vellifig Ground, to be watered ! 231;
On the Circamfpedion required, 232.
On the Utility of Watering.
On the Quality of Water.
On the Quantity of Water, 233.
Mr. Bakewell's fuccefsful Praftice, 234.

Mr. B.'s Method of coaveyingTurneps by Wa-
ter, N. 236.
Mr. Paget's Praflice, 237.
The Eftea of Water on Orchard Trees, N. 237.
Mr. Moor's Praftice.
Mr. Wilks's Praftice, 23S.
Haying, 238.

The Pradlice of this Diflrift execrable.
Remarks on its Pradtice, 239.
Aftergrafs, 241.

Its Management judicious.

Sect. XXIV. Liveftock, 243.

The Species noticeable, in this Regifter.

Note on Game Fowls.
The Management of Liveftock is Angularly entitled

to Attention, here, and why, 244.
Explanatory Remarks.
The Principi^zs of Improvement examine J, 246.

The Beauty of Form, 247.

The Utility of Form.

The Quality of the Fleili, 248.

The Fatting f.^lity.

Thclv Qualities depend on Bieetf, 249.
Vol. I. b The

xviii Contents.

The IVTcans of Improvement examined.

Crofling is the ordinary Mean of other Diilrifts,
JB R H E D 1 N G I N A N D 1 N is, hcrc, the grand Mean, 2 50.

Note on its Origin.
The Arguments held out in its Favor, 25!.
Lettikg out Male Stock, by the Seafon, has
greatly forwarded the Improvement, 252.
The probable Origin of this Practice, 253.
The Kffed of the Pradice, 255.

Sect. XXV. Horfes, 256.

The Species is the black Cart Horfe.
The Rife of the Midland Variety.
The Change it has undergone, 257.
Its prefent Properties, 258,
Breeding Horfes, 260.
ijtallions.

Breeding and employing them.
Letting, and Prices,
Mares, 261.

Work them while they fuckle.
Times of Foaling and Weaning.
Difpofal of Horfes.

Generally fold when Yearlings.
Grown by Graziers, 2^2.
Worked while yoang, in rhe Weftern Counties.
Reach London, at Six Years old ! ^

Prices, for the lafl Ten Years.
General Remarks on this Syftem of Praftice.

Sect. XXVI. Cattle, iS^^

I» The Breed is the longhorned.

The old Stock of the Country ftill prevail.
The Hillory of a new and improved Breed, 266^
Ihe Craven Breed, 267.
The Weftmoreland Breed.

Note on the Rife and Decline of Breeds.
The Canley Breed, 268.
The Drakelow and Lintcn Breeds, N. 26S.
The Difhley Bieed, 269.
The RoUright Breed, 270.
The Croxall Breed.

Note on the Bloxedge Bull.
The prefent State of this Breed, 27 1 .
Mr. Bakewell's Stock.
-His Bull D noticed.
liia Cows aad Heifers, 272.

Mr.

Contents.

XIX

Mr. Fowler's Stock.

His Bull Shakefpear defcribed.

A ftriking Ir.ltance of accidental Varieties.
His Bull Garriclc noticed, 275.
Mr. Paget's young Garriclc, N. 275.
Mr. Fowler's Cows, 276.

Mr. F.'s Pradice noticed, N. 276.
Mr. Princep's Cows, 276.
A Defcription of the improved Breed.
Note on a Dutch Head, 277.

■ on Horns, 278.
■ on Hipbones, 279.

on Bull D.

on the Vifcera of Cattle, 280.

on the Color of Cattle, 281.

Their Properties defined, 281.

As Graziers Stock.
As Dairy Stock.
As Beafts of Draft, 282.
Note on preventing the Growth of Horns.
Hew far the true Principles of Improvements have
been applied to this Species of Liveflotk, 283,

II. Breeding Cattle, 283.

Bulls.

The general Economy of the Didricl.

The Rife of th« Pradice of Letting, 284-

Public and private Shows of Bulls.

Prices given.

The Praftice offending them out.

The Age at which they leap, 285.

They are often deficient in Vigor.

The Caufe and Prevention examined.
Breeding Cows, 286.

On working Cows that have milled the Bull, 287.
The different Varieties of Dairy Cowo noticed, 288.
Defcription of a Trentwater Cow, 291.
Diftinftion between a Dairy Cow, and a Grazier's

Cow, 292.
Places of Purchafe and Price of Dairy Cows, 253.
The Management of D.iiry Cows.

Inftance of drying them off, together, 294.

On keeping them conllantly tied up, tiirough the
Winter, 295.
The Diipofal of Dairy Cows.
A beautifully fimple Plan of Management, with re-

fped to this Defcription of t;gc-k, 296.

\i 2 III. Re«r-

XX. Content?*

III. Rearing Cattle, 297.

The Defcriptions reared.

Bull Calves are reared at the Teat,

The Method and Effea.

Rearing Heifers for the Dairy defcribed, 29S.

Bulls leap at 15 to 18 Months old, 299.

Heifers are brought into Milk, at 3 Years old.

bome Heifers worked, at 3 years old.

IV . Fatting Cattle, 299.

Much Grazing carried on in the Diftrifl.

The Species, chiefly. Summer Fatting, on Graf?, 300,

Note on Fatting Cattle on Grains.
Situation and boil of Grazing Grounds, 301.
Herbage.

Defcription of Cattle.
Places of Purchafe, 302.
Defircable Points, 303.
General Remark, on the Choice of Cattle for

Fatting.
3VIanagemen.t of Grazing Stock, 305.

Note on giving fatting Cows the Bull, 3c6.
A Want of Rubbing Polls.

Note on Rubbing Pclb.
Cittle Pens fmgularly prevalent.

Note on Grazing in a wet Seafon, 307.
Tvlarkets for fat Cattle, jo8.

Mollly fold underfat.

Remarks on this Subjeft.

Note on Birmingham Cattle Mark.st, 309.
Remarks on ellimating the Value of live Cattle, 310.
General Remarks on the Art of Grazing.
Produce of fatting Cattle, 312.
The Prof.ts of Grazing reft, principally, on Judge-
ment, in Buying and Selling, 313.
/*•

Sect. XXVII. The Dairy Management, 314.

Dair)' Produce a principal Objeft of this Diftrift,
The Sizes of Dairies.

I. Fatting Calves, 314.

Chiefly flitted at the Teat, 315.
Narcotic Balls are fometiaies given.

IT. The Butter Dairy. 316.

A Means ofpreventingRancidnefsjaudBittcrnefc, in

Butter.
Ou Scalding Whey Butter,

. m. Th5

Contents*

XXI

JII. The Cheefe Dairy, 317.

Much Cheefe made in the Diftritfl.

7'he Soils of its Dairy Grounds, 318.

A Soil may be too weak for the Cheefe D?ilry,

Herbage of Cheefe Farms.

Cheefe frequently made from new Leys.
Managers, 319.

Inllance of Lofs, thro Inattention.
The Species of Cheefe made.
Notes on Cheefevats and Fillets.
Hillory of Stilton Cheese.
Inftanpe of a mere Circumllance changing the

Produce of a Country, 321.
Seafon of making Cheefe, 322,
Quality of the Milk.
Coloring partially ufed, 323.
On Corred^ng the Milk, with Alum,
Rennet and Running.

How variable is this Art.
Management of the Curd, 324.
Breaking with a " Churndafli."
Inllance of good Cheefe, without Scalding.
Management of the Cheefe*.

Remain all Night in the Scalding LiauQr, 325,
Wiped with a Hair Cloth.
Markets for Cheefes.
Produce of Cheefe, 326.

Influenced by the Seafon,
Produce of a Cow.
Produce of the Dillridl.

Sect. XXVIII. Swine, 327,

The Number kept.

The Proportion of Swine to Cows,

The Breeds various.

Inftance of a whole-footed Sort, N. 328.

Mr. Bakcwell has a fuperior Breed.

•Raifed by Breeding, Inandin.

Opinions on this Subje*^.

The Price of the Leap raifed, with the Quality of
the Boar, 329.
The Management of Store Swine.

Oats preferred to Barley, as Food.

Young Pigs are thought to require warm Liquor.
The Management of Fatting ^wine.

Their Food chiefly Barley Meal and Potatoe s

Keep little Store Pigs in the fatting Sty, 330.
Kemarks on this I'raftice.
A fatting Sty, on a Angular Plan,

b 3 Sect.

xxii Contents.

Sect. XXIX. Sheep, 331.

Great Numbers kept, in the Diflricl.
The Inclofures nioftly round, 33Z.
The Common hiclds dangerous to Sheep.

I, The Breeds found in this Diftria:, 332.
Field Sheep, or Ihortwooled Sheep.
MolUy of Shropftiirc.
A lingular Routine of Praftlce, 1^33.
A Specimen of the Intercourse of Districts.
Pafture Sheep, or longwooled Sheep,
formerly, only one Breed.
Defcription of the " old Sort."

A Warwickfliire Ram particularized, 335.
Alfo -one of the " true old Leicelterlhire Sort,'*

^'- 335-
Have iHU th^ir warm Advocates.
A modern Breed, or new Variety, has been raifed.
U'he new Leicenerfhire Breed. 337.

The Origin of this Breed attempted to be traced.

Tofeph .Allom firll diflinguilhcd it.

The prefent high otate of Improvement has been

effctfled, by Mr. Bake well, 338.
Con J EC T u RES on the Me ansofI MP ROVE ME NT.
Mr. B.'s Difciples enumerated, 341.
The Enemies of this Breed are many, and invete-
rate. 343.
This extraordinary Faft attempted to be accountea

for, 344.
The Description of this Breed.
Its comparative Merits confidered, 346.
The Beauty of Form examined.
The Utility of Form, 347.
Proportion of Olfal.
The Quality of the Flefh, 349.
Criterions of good and bad Flefh.
The FIcfh of Cattle, 350.
The Fle(h of Sheep, 351.
When living.
When flaugntered.
Wlien drelfcd, 352.
Fatting Quality examined, 353.

The Propenfity to a State of Fatnefs.
Remarks on this Subjecft.
The Degree of Fatnefs, 354.
Extraordinary Inftances.
RtFLiCTioNs on (his SubjeS, 356.

General

Contents. xxlii

General Remarks on the Carcafe, 357.
The Wool examined, 359.

Comparatively deficient, in Fafl.
But much more fo, in Argument, 360.
General Obsfrvations en iiheep, as a Species of
domeftic Animals, 361.
The Value of the Carcaie is obvious.
The Value of the Fleece examined, 362.
Wool is, here, a NecefTary ot" Lite, 363.
An Article of Commerce, 364.
The Value of the Flock, in Agriculture, confi-
dered, 365.
In meliorating the Soil.
In rendering heathy Mountain ufeful.
The Form for the Grazier examined.

Note on the proper Length of Leg, "^66.
The Form for the Mountain Shepherd, 367.
The Form for the Arable Farmer.

Longwooled Sheep are altogether unfuitable for
the Fold.
No one Breed is capable of afFording all the Purpo-

fes of Sheep, m this lOand, 3^8.
The dylind Breeds of Sheep deemed requifite, in
this Ifland, 369.
A very longwooled Breed, as that of the old

Lincolnfliire.
A longiih wooled Breed, as that of the new Lei-

ceiicrlhire.
A roiddlewooled Breed, or Breeds, as thofe of

Wilts, Norfolk and Southdown.
A line wooled Breed, as the Kyeland, 370*
A hardy Race, as thole of Shroplhire, &c.
A concluding Remark, refpeding the new
Leicellerlhire, or Dilhley Breed.

JI. Breeding Sheep, 371.
Jlams.

The eftabliftied Prartice of the Diftricl.
Some of the old Stock let by the Seafon, 372.
Mr. Palfrey lets the Warwickfhire.
Mr. Friiby the old Leicellerlhire.

Mr. F.'s Show, N. 372,
The modern Breed are never fold.
Each Breeder has his Ram Show.
There is alfo a public Show, at Leicefler, 373.
'I he Rife of letting Rams, by the Sealon.
iSote on the Surname of Tupman.

b 4 The

xxiv Contents.

The Managemcut of Rams, 374.

Rum Lambs, and choofuig them, 375,
Treatment of Ram Lambs.
TJie Art of making up Rams, 376.
The Methods of Showing Rams, 377.

Note on ihe Duration of Vigor and Fecundity,
The delircable Poiuts of a Ram, 3 78.

The Diilindion between Ramgetters and Weddcy-

getters, 379.
The Bufinefs ot Letting.

An Innovation, lately introduced.
Remarks on this new Pradtice, 380.
Conditions of Letting, 381.

Much left to the Honor of the Parties.
Graziers " tied down" from breeding Rams.
The Prices of Rams by the Seafon, 3S3.
The progrelli\'e Rife of thcfs i'rices.
The Realit)' of thefe Prices aflerted, 384.
Theic Prices, how rccopxilcable to Reafon, 385.

Note on lettinf^ them by the Score of Ewes, 3s'-.
The Treatment of Rams after Letting, 38b'.
Sending out \f\v:n Rami.
The Method of ufing them.

A new iVIethod adopted.
The cxpcded Treatment of a Ram at Ride, 389.
^ Their 'I'reatment after their Return.
Ewes, 300.
The Sizes of Breeding Flocks.

Grazier's Flocks.

Rambrecder's Flocks.
Tho IVianagement of Ewe Flocks, 390.

'FJic Choice of Ewes, for the different Department?

of Breeding, 391.
Summer Treatment of Ewes.
The '1 ime of admitting the Ram, 392.
TJie Winter Treatment.
Attention at Lnmbing Time.
'J rcatment after Lambing, 393.

I'he modern Breed foon lole their Milk.

Remarks on this Subject,
'lime of Wenning, 394.
M cthod of identifying the Lambs.

Inllance of Shepherds identifying, ;it Sight, tlic
Individual;; of their Flocks.
Treatment of Ln\c Lambs, 395.

CuUirg

Contents.

3iHV

Culling the aged Ewes.

The Rumbreeders' and the Graziers' Praftices

differ.
Mr. Bakewell flaaghters his Culling Ewes, ov\

his Premifes, 3^6.
The elHmate Valtie of Culling Ewes,
An Idea onetiing Ewes.

III. Fatting Sheep, 396.

The Sice of Grazing, 397.
The Materids of Fatting.
The Delbription of Sheep, 398,
The Means of obtaining them.

Places of Purchafe,

Choice of Sheep for Grazing, 399.
The Management of fatting Flocks, 400.

The Ewes are allowed the Ram,

Their Keep varies.

Tiie Method of blocking.

Management of Ewes ar.d Lambs, 401.

iS'ote on FATTING Lamcs on Herbage, 402.
The Shepherding of Sheep,

Trimming the Buttocks.

" Dag Locks" a Species of Produce,

A Preventive of the Fly, 403.

Method tif deitroying Maggots.

On Artificial Walh Fool?, "40.J..

Shearing is neatly done.
JVIarkets for fat Sheep, 405.

For Carcafes.

For Wool, and Prices.
'1 he Produ(;:c of fatting Sheep, /lo6.

TO HIS

ROTAL HIGHNESS

THE

PRINCE OF TV A LE S.

SIR,

WITHOUT attempting to
praife, and without daring
to flatter, I prefume to inform
Your Hig»mefs, that I am purluing
a Plan, which, in its principles, is
calculated to prolong the Profperity
of the Englifh Nation ; and that
nothing could alleviate fo much the
labour of the purfuit, as the Appro-
bation of Your Royal Highness;
nor any thing add fo much to the
celebrity of the undertaking, as the
Patronage of the Prince of

Wales,

Permit

•DEDICATION.

Permit me, then, in Your Hiqii-
, KESs*skiio\vri goodnefs ofdilpofition,
to conimit thcfe Volumes, as a part
of the General Work, to Your Royal
Patronage ; and to declare myfell-,
with becoming refpecl, and with the
Xiiod perfect attachment,

YOUR ROVAL HIGHN'£SS's

MOST obedii:nt and

MOST HUMBLE SERVAN'T,

IFiLLiJM Marsha I L,

ADVERTISEMEI^T

TO THE

FIRST VOLUME.

THE MATERIALS of this Volume
were chiefly collecled, fome years
ago, during a refidence of two years, in the
Midland Counties*.

But, with a view to the fulnefs and accu-
racy of the regifter, I have fince thought it
expedient to make a fecond furvey of Le i -
CESTERSHiRE and its ENVIRONS, where
I fpent three months of the laft fummer
(1789); my principal obje(fl, in this ftcond.
view, being that of making myfelf more
fully acquainted with the fubject of live-
stock.

THUS

' At St AT FOLD, near the jun£lion.of the four counties
of Leicester, Warwick, Stafford, andDERBv,
where I chiefly refidcd, from March 1784 to April 1786.
See the AdvertifemezU to the fecgnd volume.

ADVERTISEMENT.

T-HUS THE PUBLIC are furnidied
with a detail of the progrefs of this under-
taking, from the firfl propofal of it, in J 780,
to the prefent time : a period of fomewhat
more than ten years.

The practice of Norfolk was colleded
in the years 1780^ 1781, and 1782, and
pubHlhed in 1787.

That of Yorkshire, in 1782 and 1787,
and pubUfhed in 1788.

That of Glocestershire, in 1782 and
1788, and pubUfhed in 1789.

That of the Midl-and Counties, in
1784, 1785, 1786, 1789, and is now under
pubhcation.

It may be proper to add, that the Publ i c
are now Ukewife furnifhed with the whole
of the information I have hitherto colle(fted
on the fubjedt of rural economy; ex-
cepting that which I necelTarily obtained
of the eflabliflied pracfllce of the souTHER^^
COUNTIES during five years refidence

there ;

ADVERTISEMENT.

there*; alfo excepting a variety of detached
ideas, which, being deemed in themfelves
not fufficiently important, or not yet fufh-
ciently authenticated, to admit of being pub-
liflied in their prefent ftate, ftill remain fcat-
tered in the original papers belonging to the
feveral Diftridts I have refided in; and.ex-
cepting fuch other defultory ideas as I have
colle(fled in paffing between Diftri(Ct and
Piflrid:. No part of either of thefe, how-
ever, are intended for feparate publication ;
and the pradice of the southern coun-
ties requires a fecond and deliberate furvey,
before a detail of it can be entitled to the
reception of the Public -f^

London, "Junei 1790.

AD-

* See Minutes df Agriculture,&c. in Surrey.

t 1796, That furvey has been made, and the materials
CQUe<Sted are now preparing fgr publication,

AD V E R T I S E M E N T

TO THE

SECOND EDITION.

IN PREPARING this Edition for tlie
prefs, the fame line of condud: his been
purfued, as was obfcrved, on a limilar occa-
sion, with refped: to the Rural Economy of
Yorklliire. The arrangement has been ad-
jufled,' corrections have been made, and the
GENERAL MATTER, which would feparatc
without violence, has been referyed: with
the intention of canfining this impreiuon, tQ
what relates to the practice of profes-
sional MEN, in the Midland Counties;
and to what arofe out of my own expe-
rience, in THAT department of the
Island.

London, December^ 179^'

THE

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... S^ • Jinmirnt

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fttf'/i/hn/ a.:.r^i/io fc .4,-f pffar!,ttm^',t .run,' Jo'ijpo by f! NuW /'aJ/ Mtil/

THE

RURAL ECONOMY

OF THE

MIDLAND COUNTIES.

Introductory Rfmarks,

THE ISLAND, if its furface could be
brought within a Jiagle point of view,
would appear ftrongly featured, by an aflb-
elation of mountain, upland, and vale, in-
terfperfed with irregular tra(fts of. middle-
land country, partaking of the nature of vale,
but, having no regular chain of high lands
on their margins, are not diftinguifhable by
that name.

The northern and the weftern provinces

abound with mountains and bold high lands ;

while the eaftern, the fouthern, and the mid^

Vol. I. B land,

D. H. HILL LIBRARY

North Carolina State College

* DISTRICT.

land counties, though they fome times rife
to chalky heights, with fome few heatliy
barren fwells, are feldom diftindily marked,
by continued ranges of high lands, with broad
vales intervening.

As obje(5ls of rural economy, how-
ever, thefe middle-land trad:s are moHly
fimilar to vale diitn(5ls ; the foil and pro-
duce of each being fimilar : with, however,
fome exceptions ; as Eaft Norfolk, for in-
flance, which, though it lies flat and fome^
what low, is moll ol it covered with a light
fandy foil j and a few other inftances might
be produced: but, in general, the foil of this
defcription of country is of a ftronger, more
clayey nature.

The diilrict, which forms the fubje<fl of
the prefent volumes, bears the lall- defcription ;
being the largef!: traifl of the kind, in the
ifland ; including the principal parts of the
counties of Leicester, Rutland, and
Warwick, with the northern margin of
Northamptonshire, the eaftern point of
Staffordshire, and the fouthern extre-.
mities of Derbyshire and Nottingham-
shire, the town of Leicester being fitu-
^ted near its centert

This

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 3

This fertile tradl of country, which I fhall
dillinguiih by the Midland District,
nieafures, in fome dire(!^ions, not lefs than
fifty miles acroft, in none, I believe, lefs than
forty ; confequently, it contains, at leaft,
fifteen hundred fquare miles of furface ;
with no other drawback from its fertility,
than the Charnwood hills, which do not con-
tain fifty miles of infertile foil *.

This diftridl I have traverfed in almofl:
every dired:ion, and have, I believe, made
myfelf fufficiently acquainted Vv^ith its rural
affairs, to give me an adequate idea of its

GENERAL MANAGEMENT j efpccially aS it

relates to livestock.

B 2 But

• Leicestershire, however, contains two other plots
of furface, lefs fertile than the reft of the diftridi. One on
the northern margin; diftinguifhed by the name of the
WOLDS : a fwell of conhderable he.glu, covered with a
fmguiarly cold, dark-coloured, clayey foil. The other in
the fcuth'.veftern quarter ; likewife high land, with a cold
retentive fubfoil ; but with a lighter more fai.dy f il. Rut,
the rocky points of the foreft hills apart, the county con-
tains no barren furface : it has not, perhaps, an acre wo.th
lefs than five fhiJings ; and but itvf acres worth, on Kaf.',
lefs than ten (hillings an acre. The entire county is n t,
at the prefent rental value of lands, wuith much lels, on a
par, than fifteen to twenty fhiiiings an acre: an eltunate
which, I believe, no other county will D.ai j Kutlajjd-
SHIRE, perhaps, excepted.

4 DISTRICT.

But (he part, of this cxtenfn e traiH-, which
has engaged a more partic;ihr iliare of my
attention, is bounded by the Trent on the
north, the Tame on the weft, the Soar on
the eaA, and the Anker and its banks on
the foutii: a dillrid: which, for the fertility
of its foil,aiid a ipiritcdnefs of management,
efpecially in breeding, cannot certainly be
equalled in thcfe kingdoms.

The arable management of the Mid-
land Dillric^ is coniined within ftill narrower
limits. The diftricl, at large, is a grafshnd
country. Breeding, grazing, and the dairy,
prevail in diflcrent parts of it. But, in the
richell: finclt plot it contains, the four branches
ofhufbandry are united, and carried on by
men of property and abilities.

This didrid is fituatcd, between the Charn-
wood hills and the weftern banks of the
Trent the Tame and the Anker; including
the'four points of the countiesof Leicester,
Warwick, STAFFoirD,andDLRBV; being
icated, ever\'way, near the center of the
kingdom.

A more interefting fubjecCl of ftudy, for
tlie purpofc of the plan I am executing,
could not well be conceived ; being not

more

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 5

more interefting on account of the nature of
its fituation, foil and produce, and the repute
of its occupiers, than on that of its general
management being peculiar and regular.

This h€\iig, fortunately , the District of
the Station, and that of whofe arable
MANAGEMENT I fhall principally fpeak, it
will require an accurate defcription.

B 3 THE

THE

D I S T R I C T

OF THE

MIDLAND S T A T I O N.

THE OUTLINE is irregular.
The EXTENT may be ellimated at
one hundred and fifty fquare mile? ; or about
a hundred thoufand acres.

The CLIMATURE is beloiv the latitude,
it lies in (about 52^ 45'.) ; its feafons are near
a fortnight before thofe of Eaft Norfolk,
which is lituated in a limllar latitude ; and
many days earlier than thofe of Glocefter-
fhire, which enjoys a more fouthern fituation.
On the weftern fide of the dil1:rift, har\'eft is
generally as forward, as in Surrey : In 1785,
fome oats were cut, and much wheat and
barley ripe, the 28th July, ^^'hat is stvy
obfervable, the feafons, on tlie Tamworth
fide of the diilrict, are a full week forwarder

than

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 7

than they are on the Foreft fide, only ten or
twelve miles diltant. But this, perhaps,
may be accounted for, by the coldnefs of the
bafe of the Foreii hills -^.

The SURFACE of this charming plot of
country is various. Its general elevation is
much greater, than that of moll: middle-
foiled diiiricls. Some of its fwells might,
in regard to elevation, be deemed upland ;
yet, in fertility, it is equal, throughout, to
mod vale diftridls.

The SOIL, in general, is a rich middle
loam J interiperfed, however, with a few lefs
fertile patches. Toward the foot of the
Charnwood hills, m.uch of it is of a fandy
nature ; but of a fingularly free and fertile
quality. Taking the diftrid of the flation,
throughout, it ranks, in utility^ with the firll
diliricts of the iiland. The fwells, though
high, are generally fertile to their fummits ;
and the dips between, though wide and flat,
are found, and eafilv freed from furface
water. The entire diil:rict, except a few

B 4 narrow

* It is obfervable, that in October 1789, while the
beans and much barley remained out, in Berkfhire and the
furrounding counties, the Midland DifiriJt, though it lie
near a hundred miles farther towards the noith, had finifl^ed
harvsfl, a mon:h or fix weeks.

3 DISTRICT.

narrow meadowy vallies, and the immediate
margins of the rivers, is equally productive
of corn and grafs.

The foil cf the north of Warwickfhire,
away from the banks of the Anker, is of a
colder lefs produ<ftive quality ; well: of the
Tame, a light fandy foil prevails ; and Der-
byshire, except the fouthern extremity, and
the immediate bank of the Trent, is ftill
more of an upland or mountainous nature.

The District of the Station there-
fore, confidered with regard to foil, might
be termed abay of thcMiDL and District,
into which it opens, to the fouth of the
Chamwocd hills ; its management being
traceable as far as the banks of the Soar,
above Leicefier ; gradually aflimilating
with the more grazing parts of Leiceftei-
fhire.

The SUBSOIL, prevalent in this dlljricl,
is a RED CLAV, rcfembling the red foils of
Herefordlhire and Nottinghamlliire. In feme
places a concretes an D,increafing in hardnefi
with the depth to a foft gritftonc, occurs in
diiferent parts ; and a sandy loam, or brick
earth, iiib.ed with veins of fand and gravel,
is a pretty common fubfoil.

The

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 9

The ROADS, through the nature of the
foil and lubftrata, are necelTarily bad. But
i)f thefe hereafter.

STATE OF INCLCSURI^. Thirty
years ago, much of this diilridt was in an open
llate ; and fome townlhips ftill remain open :
there are others, however, which appear to
have been lone in a llate of inclofure ; and
in which, no doubt, the prefent fyflem of"
management originated.

The PRESENT PRODUCTIONSofthis
diftrict, as has been intimated, are chiefly
CORN and grass ; little, verv little, wood-
land is found within it. It is, however,
furrounded, on almoll c\ery fide, with well
wooded tracls.

In the light of ORNAMENT, the Mid-
land District, viewed generally, and in
its prefent flate, is much inferior to the nor-
thern and v/ellern quarters of the iiland.
The views are frequently plcaiing, through
a variety of furface and richnefs of foil, but
are feldompiflurable; unlefs when the Charn-
wood hills enter the compoiition. The diftridl,
in a general point of vicv/, difcovers a tame-
nefs ; a kind of flill life : which, however,
clothed as it is in the verdure and richnefs of

herbage.

i» DISTRICT.

herbage, renders this diftrift defirahle as d
place of refidence ; though, at prefent, it is
not ftriking to the mere traveller. Never-
thelefs, were the billowy fwells of Northamp-
tonlliire, and South Leicefterrtiire, as well
wooded, as thofe of Herefordfliire and Kent,
they wculJ, in beauty, be inferior to neklier
of thofe counties. The furface of Nor-
thamptonfhirc is broken in a manner, which
renders it fingularly fufceptibie of ornament:
and, at prefent, the Banks of the Trent,
efpecially about Nottingham (fingularly
fine fituation !) are as beautiful as ground
wood and water can make them.

The District of the Station has ftill
greater natural advantages : it is in a manner
furrounded with what the landfcape painter
would call good diftances. The Charnwood
hills, the Derbyfhire mountains, Needwood
Foreft, the Beaudcfert hills, and other hills of
Staffordliiire ; and, in fome fituations, the
Lickey, tlie Clent hills, and the more pro-
minent hills of Shronfhirc, may be caught.

Nor is it, at prefent, deilitute of internal
beauty. Tiie Banks of the Tame afford
fome beautiful fubje^ts of landfcape ; and a
lovely plot round Hints, wellward of the

Tame,

MIDLAND COUNTIES. it

Tame, is in the beil flyle of Kent or Here-
fordfliire . The fituation of T a m wo r t h * ,
for the richnefs and beauty of the country
round it, is one of the fineil in the kingdom.
The Charnv/ood hills are too fcriking
a feature of the Midland Diftrid:, to be paiTed
without efpecial notice. Like the Malvern
hills, their ftyle is fingular ; but the ftyle of
the one is very different from that of the
other. The Malvern hills, feen from a dif-
tance, bear a mofb ftriking refemblance to
the Atlantic Iflands ; towering up high and
ragged ; and, on a near view, appear as one
laro^e mountain fraj^ment. The Charnv/ood
hills, on the contrary> feen obfcurely, appear
as an exteniive ran2:e of mountains : much
larger, and of courfe much more diitant,
than they really are. When approached,
the mountain flyle is rrill preferved ; the pro-
minencies are diiliinLt, {harp, and nvoil of them
pointed with naked ragged rock. One of
tliefe prominencies. Bar don hill, rifcs
above the reft ; and, though far from an ele-
vated fituation, comparatively with the more
northern mountains, commands, in m.uch pro-
bability, a greater extent of^furface, than any
other point of view in the ifland.

It
* Formerly the refic^^ncc of the Mercian ki::gs.

11 DISTRICT.

It Is entirely initiated ; landing every Way
a! a connderable diftance from lands equally
high. The horizon appears to rife almofl
equally on ever)' fide : it affords what might
be flyled an ocean view, from a fliip out of
fight of land ; at leaft, it is more fuch, than
any other land view I have feen.

The Midland Diflri^ft is, almoH: every acre
of it, feen lying at its feet. Lincoln cathe-
dral, at the diftance of near fixt\' miles, makes
a prominent obje<ft. With a good glafs, the
Dunflable hills, at little lefs than eight)' miles,
are, I am well affured, difcernable. The
Malvern hills, Mayhill, and the Sugar Loaf
in South Wales, are diftindly in view.
Enville, the WVekin, and other mountains of
ohroplhire and North Wales, are equally
difiinguilhable. And the Derby (hire hills,
to the highell: peak, appear at hand. An
outline, described from the extremities of the
views, would nearly include one fourth of
England and Wales. It may be deemed,
without rifque, I apprehend, one of the mofl
extraordinary points of view in Nature.

THE

THE

RURAL ECONOMY

O F

THIS DISTRICT.

DIVISION THE FIRST.

LANDED ESTATES

A X D THEIR

MANAGEMENT,

!•

ESTATE S,

ESTATES, here, are fmall. Fertile
diflric^s Vv'cre early cultivated ; and, at
the Cohqueft, the lordfhips, probably, were
dealt out feparately. Nor does there appear
to have been, fmce their diftribution, any
accumulation of landed property, in the
diftri<^ immediately under furvey. It has

few-

14 ESTATES.

few principal relidences *" ; nor any ofFe/lates,
I believe, of more dun two or three thoufand
pc'jnds, ayear -f-.

In YEOMANRY, of the higher clafs, the
di/lrivft of the flation abounds, in a fuperior
manner. Men cultivating their own eftates
of two, three, four, or five hundreds, ayear,
are thickly fcattered, over almofl every part
of the diilrid:. There is an inilance of a
man whofe lands, in their prefent high flate
of cultivation, are not worth lefs than two
thoufand pounds, a year, cultivating them, ns
a yeomjin !

What a fuperior charader ! How much
mere refpectable, thus, than clinging, as a
ininor gentleman, to men of fortune and

fafliion !

• GopsAL, built by the hte Mr. Jennings, femous
for hi? iViendlhips to Handel and the Pretender; and
Bosv.oRTH, the feat of Sir WoLSTAN Dixie*, are the
only refidences within the diftriifl. FiSHERWiCK, the
princely refidence of the Earl ofDoN'NECAL, is fituated
on its noribweilern margin; and Kirkby, the ftat of
Lord Wentworth, on the oppofite extremity.

t Lord Stamford's eftatc round Groey, on the
fouthern (kircs of the Forcft t/i>ls, is more; bat litde if
aiiy of it reaches, properly, within the diftricl of the

&;;tioa.

MIDLAND COUXTIES. 15

falliion ! A German prirxe is probably lefs
refpe(5ied, in the environs of his refidence,
than Mr. Prince? is, in the neighbourhccd
of Croxall.

The Tenure of this diilric?^ is mollily /?f-
f:mpk ; with fome Uttle copyhold-, but, I un-
deriland, witli little or no ieajlboid*

GENERAL MANAGEMENT

O F

ESTATES.

THERE are few diilrivfls in which lefs is
to be learnt, on the fubject of managing
efbtes, than in tliis. The eftates are fmall;
and the management little more than that of
receiving the rents. It will, nevertheiefs,
be right to take a view of its prad:ice.

MANOR COURTS are pretty genei-ally
held ; even where the copyhold tenure is
i^xtinct : and their utility is experienced.

PUR^

ih MANAGEMENT or kSTAlLS.

PURCHASE OF LANDS. Some years
back, the lame inccics of frenzy, — Terra-
mania^ — fliowed itfelf, here, as it did in other
diilricls "*. Fr?rty vcars purchafe was, tlien,
not uniVequently given. Now (1785) thirty
years purchafe, 0:1 a fair rental value, is ef-
tccmcd a ^ood price. There are fonie recent
inflances of lands being fold, at twenty yearji
purchiile. But this may be accounted for.
At the time thefe purchafes took place, the
interell: of the funds w^s extraordinarily hi?h.
By navy and victualling bills, new loans, 6cc.
fiv^ or lix percent was made of money.
And this will ever be the cafe. The inter ejh
of the funds will always have more or lefs
intiuence, on the price of land. Hence, thofe
who wifli to fecure lands at a moderate price,
fhould purchafe when the (m\\is are advan-
tageous.

TENANCY. Farms in general, ftil!
remain at ivill^ and the occupiers, though
large and many of them opulent, dill appear
iQtisfied with this fpecies of poflTclTion : for
although edates have been raifed, the fp^irit
cf over-renting cannot be faid to have yet
pervaded the diftricl:. Neverthelef^, here,

as
* See Yorkshire.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 17

as iii moil other diftridls, there are men who,
through neceffity or avarice, are ftretching
their rent-rolls, and inconfequence, prudently
endeavouring to lecure their rents, and their
cftates, bv agreements and leafes ; either for a
term, or from year to year. The prevailing
form will be given at the clofe of this
article.

For a ilriking inftance of the confidence
which ftill fubfifts between landlords and
their tenants, fee min. 24.

RENT. The rent varies, of courfe, with
the foil and fituation. Near towns, land
lets exceedingly high. Immediately round
Tamworth, a confiderable market town, and
the foil peculiarly rich, it lets for three to
four pounds, an acre. This, however, is in
fome meafare accounted for, in the quantity
of garden ground cultivated, here, for the
Birmingham market.

Taking the diflricft of the ftation, through-
out, twenty fhiiUngs, an acre, is, at prefent,
the full rent, for inclofed lands. Thirty or
forty years ago, the old inclofures, of the
beft quality, did not let for more than twelve
to fifteen Ihilliogs : the rife, therefore, has
h9tn confiderable ; but, in general, not

Vol. I. C excefiive.

t8 MANAGEMENT of ESTATES.

exceflive. There are fmall parcels which let
for twentyfive fhillings, and fome few much
higher; but, I believe, there is no entire
farm, of much fize, lets, at prefent, (1785)
for more than twenty (hillings, an acre,
round.

And, even at thefe rents, much of the
diflridl is tithe-free ; or enjoys modulTes
for grafs land : and where the land is tithe-
able, the tithe is feldom taken in kind. I met
witli only one inllance: **Bofvvorth Field."

Formerly, the tithe of fome towndiips, in
this neighbourhood, was taken in kind ; —
under a cuftom, or regulation, which might,
when this diftrefsful bufmefs takes place, be
univerfdly adopted. If the titheman fet up
his own iheaves, he took every tenth : but,
if the occupier undertook to fet up, only each
eleventh. Thus not only a faving of labor ;
but frequently, no doubt, a faving of produce,
was obtained. The titheman loft nothing,
on the whole, and the occupier was a gainer,
with certainty".

The rent of tithes varies, in this as in other
diftrids, with the value of the given land,
and the fpecies of its produce. For arable
land (little or no failo'-x), worth twenty

fliillings.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 19

fliillings, an acre, four or five fliillings may
be confidered, I believe, as the medium rent
of the tithe. For grafs land, about two fliil-
lings. For an entire farm, two-and-fixpence
to three {hillings, an acre.

COVENANTS. By the prevailing cuf-
tom of the country, landlord builds and does
extra repairs,— tenant the ordinary repairs
of builduigs, and takes the fole care of
fences ; materials being allowed ; — with,
generally, the liberty of lopping hedgercw
timber.

REMOVALS. To the honor of the
landed iuterefl^, the removal of tenants has
been hitherto little pra6lifed, and of courfe
is little underflood. IVIany of the firft farms
have defcended, from father to fon, through
a feries of generations i and fome of them,
there is great reafon to believe, may long
continue in the fame line of defcent.

The time of removal is Lady day ; when,

according to the prevailing cuftom of the

country, entire pofl'effion of an inclofed

farm * is given, by the outgoing to the

C 2 incoming

* In the open field townfhip, the outgoing tenant has
what is called " the waygoing crops :" — that is, the wheat
and fpring corn, fown previoafly to the quitting.

26 MANAGEMENT cf ESTATES.

incoming tenant : even the barns are given
up, at that time ; the outgoer, generally,
carrying off his wheat crop ; and, fome-
times, his laft year's manure.

RECEIVING. The cuftomary times of
receiving are IVIichaelmas and Ladyday : the
tenant being allowed iix months credit.

Formerly, an extraordinary cuftom has
been in ufe, in this quarter of the kingdom ;
and, by fomc old Icajcs, ftill remains in force,
in the interior parts of Staftordlliire. In-
ftead of the landlord giving the tenant fix
months credit, the tenant, by this cuftom,
agrees to be fix months in advance \ cove-
nanting to pay what is called a " forehand
RENT j" that is, to pay down the rent prior
to the occupancy. In pradice, however,
the rent is feldom paid, until four or fix
months after the commencement of the oc-
cupation ; namely, when it is due or nearly
fo. This cuflom was, doubtlefs, founded
on the fecurity of the landlord : and fome
extraordinary circumftances, probably, led to
its eftabliihment.

FORM OF LEASE. The leafe, from
which the following heads are digefted, is
the only modern leafe I have met with, in

the

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 21

the diilrid. It is, at prefent (1786), the
moft prevaiUng form m ufe. It contains
ibme good claufes ; but wants many alte-
rations, and feveral additions, to render it a
complete form.

Landlord agrees to let, &c. &c. from
vear to year *.

Landlord reserves mines^ quarries,
&c. &c.

C 3 Tenant

♦ An admirable claufe, fuggefted by a man, whofe ex-
tcnfive and accurate knowledge of rural affairs, in all its
branches, is fupcrior to moft men's, has lately been intro-
duced into fome articles of agreement, from year to year,
in this diftrict.

The great ufe of leafos, for a term of year i^ is that of
encouraging improvements, and the great objcdlion to
letting from, year to year is their difcouragcment. But if,
in the Utter cafe, the landlord covenan,t, as he does in the
claufe under notice, to reimburfe the tenant, when he quits,
for {ach. rea/ improvements as he fhall make, or the remainder
of fuch improvements, ^t the time of quitting, the objedlion
is, in fome degree at leaft, obviated.

Some difficulty, no doubt, will lie, in afcertaining the
quantity of improvement remaining, at the time of quitting.
There are, however, men, in every dii^rift, who are ade-
quate to the tafk of eftimating a matter of this kind, with
toj-rable accuracy. And it is certainly preferable to rifque
the difficulty of fettl^ment, than to let an eftate fufter for
%vint of due improvement.

22 MANAGEMENT of E STATES.

Tenant agrees to take, Szc. and to pay
the flipulated rent, " within forty days, with-
out any deduction for taxes ;" and double
rent, -fo long as he continues to hold after
notice given.

Also to repair buildings ; accidents by
fire excepted.

Also to repair gate? and fences.

Also, when required, to " cut and plalh
the hedges, and niakc the ditches, three feet
by two feet, or pay or caufe to be paid to
the landlord, &c. one fhilling each rood for
fuch as (hall not be done after three months
notice has been given, in writing."

Also not to lop or top timber trees ; nor
to cut hedge thorns, without plafhing and
ditching.

Also not to part witli the pofleflipn to any
perfon or perfons (the wife, child or children
of the tenant excepted) without licence and
confent ; under forfeiture of the leafe.

Also no; to break up certain lands, fpeci-
fied in a fchedule annexed, under 20I. an acre.

Also not to plow, &c. more than a fpe-
cified number of acres of the reft of the
land " in any one year;" under the fame
penalty.

Also

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 23

Also to forfeit the fame fum " for every
acre that fhall be plowed for any longer time
than three crops, fucceffively, without ma-
king a clean fummer fallow thereof after
the third crop,"

Also the like fum " for every acre over

and above acres (clover excepted)

that fhall be mown in any one year,"

Also that at the time of laying down the
arable lands to grafs, he {hall *' manure
them with eight quarters of lime an acre
ufed in tillage, and lay the fame down in an
hufbandlike manner, fown with twelve
pounds weight of clover feeds, and one
ftrike (or bufhel) of rye-^rafs feeds upon
each acre,"

Also to fpend on the premifes, in a huf-
bandlike manner, all the hay, ftraw, and ma-
nure ; or leave tliem at the end of the term,
for the ufe of the landlord " or his next
tenant:" the outgoing

Tenant being allowed for the hay left
on the premifes, ** at the time of quitting."

Also (provided he quit " at the requefl
of the landlord (unlefs for the break ino- of
thefe articles) and peaceably and quietly,
yield and deliver up poflefTion") " for all

C 4 fuch

i4 MANAGEMENT of ESTATES.

fuch clever and rye-grafs as fhall be fown
in any time in the laft year."

Also for fuch lime as he *'ihall caufe to
be expended upon the premifes, within twelve
months before the time he quits."

Also "for all fallows made within that
time." Thefe feveral allowances to be fettled
by referees.

Mutually agree, that, *' without any
new agreement in writing being made con-
cerning the fame, all and every of the cove-
nants, claufes and agreements, herein con-
tained, {hall be obligatory on each of the faid
parties hereto, and their reprefentatives."

References to Minutes.

For converfation on tenancy, fee min. 24.

For a caution to extraparochial owners and
occupiers, fee min. 33.

For a propofed claufe againil flovenlinefs,
fee MIN. 76.

FARM

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 25

FAR M
BUILDINGS.

THE FARM BUILDINGS of this diilrid
are many of them large, fubflantial, and
commodious ; and have feveral particulars
belonging to them, that require attention.

The MATERIALS of the diftri<fl are
thefe. The walling material is almoft
uniformly brick. The timber moftly oak,
of which the builders are ftill lavi{h. The
COVERING material was formerly thatch;
now, principally, in this diftrid:, knobbed
plain tiles; but, in Leicefterfhire, moftly
blue flate *. Ground flooring, moftly

paving

* Blue spates. Thefe are raifed near Swythland,
on the fouthern fkirts of the Charnwood hills j where an
immcnfe excavation has, within the laft fift)' years, been
made.

Superticial

26 FARM BUILDINGS.

paving bricks. Chamber flooring, o^:iy
elrriy or plaijler : the two laft are now inoft
common in farm houfcs : in this, an inland
county, dcalhzs, not hitherto been much in
ufe ; but, even here, it is now becoming the
faihionable material.

The CEMENT of this diftricl is entitled to
particular notice. lu common stucco,

FLAISTER FLOOR?, and WATER-TIGHT

WALLS tlie midland counties excel ; but in
the laft moft efpecially. Water Qiflems are
frequently formed by a nine inch brick wall,
landing naked above ground j yet as tight
as a fione trough !

Something depends on management, in
forming thefe walls : but much more on

the

Superacid quiiiries have b;en worked, time imme-
morial i but their produce was of a coarl'e quaiity, com-
pared with thofe which are now raifed ; fooic o( which axe
nearly equal to the Weilmoreland Hates.

Thuy are raifed in block?, blafted from an a;raoft feaio-
lefe rock. The blccUs are f*ift deft into fiabs ; and the
flabs afterward into flates ; or, if too ftrong and coarfe, for
this purpofe, are thrown afide, as ca::rfe flags, for various
ufes. Out oi* tlie larger blocks, thimney pieces and tomb-
ft ones are cut-

The Ctme kind of blue rock is found in dirterent parts of
the Foreft hills ; but none, yet, which affords flates e^ual
in quality to " Swidland SLATZi."

MIDLAND COUNTIES. ap

the nature of the lime, with which they
are built. There is only one fort, with
which they can be rendered tight, with cer-
tainty. This is the barrow lime, which
.not only fets with extraordinary hardnefs,
but remains invulnerable to the elements;
fetting water, drought, ardfrofl at defiance *.

The

* Harrow lime. Barrow, fituated on the "banks of
the Soar, nearly oppofite to Mountfoarhill, in Leiceftcr-
fliire, has long been celebrated for its lime.

It is an interefting faft, that the ftone, from which the
Barrow lime is burnt, is, in color, texture, and quality of
component parts, the fame as the Clayjlone of Gh:ej}erjhire^
from which the ftrong lime of that diftri6t is burnt; and
what is ftill more remarkable, it is found in Cmiiar fituacions
and depofited in thin ftrata, divided by thicker feams of
calcareous clay, in the very fame manner in which the
clayftoneof Glocefterfhire isfound. SeeGLOCESTERSHiRE.

One hundred grains of xhzjhne contain eightyfix grains
of calcareous matter j affording fourteen grains of an im-
palpable tenacious lilt, which feems to be poffefTed of feme
fingular properties ; forming a fubjedl well entitled to fu-
ture enquiry.

One hundred grains of the clay contain fortyfbc grains of
calcareous matter, leaving fiftyfour grains of reuduum, a
fine clay.

Hence this earth, v.'hich, at prefent, lies an encumbrance
in the quarries, is richer in calcareofity than the clay
MARL of the Fleg hundreds of Norfolk, with which very
valuable improvements are made. See Norfolk.

Since

28 FAR M BUILDING S.

The crJy prcpiration, of this extracr4i-
^ary cenier*t, is that of wallning the fand, and
aflimilitiiig it intimately with the lime, by
beatLng i zrA the only judgtment requilite,
in u{*ng it, is to hurr,- it into the wallj a«
quickly as pofTible, from the kiln.

Th;: FAR-MEaiES of this diflria:, as ha^
been iniimated^ are ferns of them en a largo
fcalc. That of D un n i m r e r , in this neigh-
bourhood, is the moil: extravagant fuite of
farm buiidir^gs I remember to have feen.

The only thing noticeable, in the barn'
of this diftrict, is an improvement, lately
introduced I believe, in the means of fup-
porting the roof. Inftead of beams and
principals, partial partition icalh are railed,
on either fide of the floor, and between the
bays, to take the purlins ; leaving an open-
ine, or large doorwav, in the middle ol the
building, to admit the corn.

In a capital barn, where two pair of pur-
lins were necellary, the cheeks of walling
arc narrow ^ not niore than five feet wide ;

receiving

Sir.cc wrii;:::^ t;::s article, I have obfcrvcd, in the Vaje
of Bel VOIR, a: the ncu-themmoll point cf LciccflcHhirc,
a llmilar ftone, fitiutedin a fimilar manner, xn^ prodaci'^g
a flmilzr kind of lime.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 29

receiving the lower purlins only ; with fhort
beams and principals, relling on the tops o£
the cheeks or partial partition walls, to fup-
port the upper ones.

This mode of conlirucftion is cheaper than
uiing oak beams ; takes the weight of the
roof, in a great meafure, off the fide walls ;
and frees the body of the barn from beams
(well known nuifances in filling a barn) ;
yet fHffens the building. On each fide the
flooF; thefe partial partitions are evidently
eligible, on thefe and various other accounts;
without any evident difadvantagc.

Barn floors. Inthio diflriut, a peculiar
method of laying *wooden barn foors is in
pradlice. Inftead of the planks being nailed
down to Heepers, in the ordinary* way, the
floor is firil laid with bricks, and the planks
fpread over thefe;, with no other confinement
than that of being pinned together, and
their ends let into fills, or walls, placed in
the ufual way, on each fide of the floor.

By this method of putting down the planks,
provided the brickwork be left truly level,
vermin cannot have a hiding place, beneath
them ; and a communication of damp air
being eife^ually prevented, floors thus laid

are

30. FARM BUILDINGS.

are found to wear better, than thole laid
upon fleepers. It is obfervable, that the
planks, for this method of laying, ought to
be thoroughly feafonrrd.

For the method of laying barn floors with
bricks, fee min. 14.

In this diftridt, I met with a ftriking in-
ftance of the impropriety of laying barn floors,
with over-grown oak. A floor laid with
plank, cut out of the flem of an aged tree
but which, at the time of laying, appeared
to the eye perfecftly Jound, was beaten to
pieces in a few years ^ Barn floors require
youthful, flout, fl:rong-grained \Vood.

In the STABLES of this difl:rid I have
feen nothing remarkable ; except that the
manger is fometimes formed with bricks.

The modern cowsHed of the Midland
Din:ri(3:, more efpecially I believe of the
Diftrit^ of the Station, is built on an ex-
penfive plan \ being furnished, not only with
a gangway before the heads of the cattle, and
mangers for dry meat, but alfo with water
troughs, on a principle fimilar to that oh
which the flill more extravagant fatting
flails of Glocellcrfhire are built *. But with

this
* See Glocest£rshir2 : Art. fatting cattle.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 3!

this difference, that, inftead of each bullock
having a feparate Rail, divided from the reft,
by whole partitions reaching acrofs the fhed,
the cov^s, here, ftand in pairs, with only a
partial, but beautifully iimple diviiion, pro-
vincially a ** booling," between each pair.

This diviiion conlills of an upright pod,
fet in the front of the manger, or betv/een
the troughs, with an arm, natural or arti-
ficial, fpringing near the ground, and rifmg
to the fame height as the poft ; forming to-
gether the upper part of the letter K, ftif-
tened by flots or bars, running through the
two pieces. The cattle are faflened by
chains, paffing round the necks, and playing,
by means of rings, upon *' flakes" fixed to
the fidci of the partition pofts.

By this admirable contrivance, the cattle
are prevented from goring each other, as
effecStually as if they were divided by whole
partitions ; while they have the entire plat-
form, from end to end of the flied, as free
to reft on, as if there were no guards be-
tween them *.

The

* In the fheds of a fuperior manager, however, I have
fecn a different method ol' conftructing thefe partial par-
titions ; which, inftead of the tria.igular form defcribed

above,

$1 FARM BUILDINGS.

The old FARM YARDS of this didridi are
principally open ; with mangers round the
inlide of the fences ; and with cribs in the
areas : fometimes with hovels, inclofed by
flabs fei uprigJot, or by tall fagots, clofely
woven together. In the communfield town-
fhips,here, as in the more northern provinces,
bean flacks are, flill, not unfrequently placed
on thefe hovels, as temporary winter roofs.
A fpecies of farm building, this, which I
apprehend was formerly mod: prevalent j
but which, in a few years, will probably be
forgot.

In an open yard, belonging to one of the
firfl managers of the diftridl, I faw a drink-
ing CISTERN, on an admirable plah. It is

formed

above, are formed by two pods placed upright, or nearly
fo; the partitions being nearly the fame breadth (about
eighteen inches) at top and bottonri; having found that the
Cows, when lying down, are liable to get their heads (fre-
quently turned back in that pofture) beneath the common
boofings, tliereby fubjcdling themfelves to a degree of
danger ; and finds that a partition, eighteen inches deep,
does not prevent them from occupying the whole platform,
when lying down. Bcfidcs, thefe upright guards may be
beneficial in preventing their encroaching on each other's
room, as they arc fometimes apt to do, v.-ith the triangular
guards.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 33

formed by a watertight wall, raifed high
enough above ground, to prevent the cattle
from ftepping into it, and low enough, to let
them drink freely. The brickwork, which
forms a ciftern about four feet fquare, is
guarded by a poft, at each corner, with rails
paffing from pofl to poll:, over which rails
the cattle drink. It is fed by a covered pipe
(of pipe bricks) reaching to a large drink-
ing pool, at fome dirtance from the yard ;
fo that while this is full (which it is in
winter) the ciftern is fo likewife, to the brim.
If it overflow (which it generally does at
that feafon) a wafte-water pipe conveys the
fui;plus out of the yard.

Cifterns of this kind, when they can be
formed at an eafy ex pence, are much pre-
ferable to pits, in farmyards.

A long TROUGH, by the fide of a fence,
and guarded by a rail, would, under thefe
circumflances, be ftill better than a ciftern.
See West of Engla'nd.

In fome few " rick yards" of this
diftrid, a STACKGUARD,ofa peculiar kind,
is noticeable. It {imply confifts of a cir-
cular parapet wall, of brickwork, two to
three feet high; with a coping, projecting

Vol. L D on

34 FARM BUILDINGS.

on the outllde, to prevent Vermin from climb-
ing up J and with the area^ or floor, on the
infide, laid fecurely with brick (on a level
with the ground on the outfide) to prevent
their undermining; as well as to keep the
bottom of the rick perfectly dry.

References to Minutes.

For an evidence that every hogfty fliould
have a rubbing-poft, fee min. 4.

For the operation of laying barn floors with
bricks, fee min. 14.

For the improvement of Statfoldy^^rw^-rj,
fee mi5j. 25.

For obfervations on cattle Jl^edSi fee m i n . 2 8 *

For" the operation of charing po/is, fco
MIN. 29.

For evidences that a lobby is requifite t9 a
farmery, fee min. 112.

ROADS.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 35

ROADS.

IN A DEEPSOILED DISTRICT, def-
titute, in a manner, of hard materials, as this
has been already reprefented, bad roads are
in a degree excufable. Yet there are few
diftricts, perhaps, in which genius and in-
duftry might not conftrudt tolerable roads, at
a moderate expence.

The roads oifhis diftridl had, it is probable,
remained in a ftate of almoft total negledt,
from the days of the Mercians, until fome
twenty years back 3 when a fpirit of improve-
ment went forth. Its principal road, from
Tamworth to Afliby, lay in a flate almofl
impaflable, feveral months in the year.
Statfold Lane had long been proverbial. In
winter it was unfrequented j the riding and
driftways, at lead, being on trefpafs, thro
the adjoining inclofures. Waggons were
dragged on their bellies through it : to a

D 2 coach

5* ROADS.

coach it was imraflable, during the winter
months : and might flill have laiii in that
flate, had not a material, which is feldom
ufed in this intention, been applied to its
amendment: namelv, sand: a material
which had been negledted, in this cafe,
though it was lodged, in fumcient abundance,
in a part of the very road, which, century
;ifter centun', had hin in fo deplorable a
llate.

In this inftance, the bafe of the road being
levelled, the fand was laid on, eighteen inches
to two feet or more thick, according to the
nature of the bottom, on which it was laid.

This circumftance I mention for the ufe
of townihips that have fand, and no better
material, in their neighbourhoods. And,
having introduced the fubjev5t, it may be
proper to make fome remarks on the method
of makin<^ sand roads.

The prevailing error, which has crept
into the modern method of forming roads,
is that of raifmg them too high in the middle.
(See Yorkshire.) But, here, the oppofitc
extreme is prevalent.

The FORM of a made road, here, is that
of a trough. The (ite of the road being

marked

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 37

marked out, the whole width, a mound of
earth, provixicially a ** butment," is raifed
on either fide ; and, the bottom of the trough
being levelled, the hard materials are fpread
evenly over it ; leaving the furface of the
road as flat as a floor *,

The effedt of forming a sand road in
this manner, efpecially where the foil is re^-
tentive as in this country, is, the trough re-
taining the water of heavy rains, the fand,
inftead of being hardened and rendered finii;
as in its nature it is liable to he, by heavy
rains, is formed into a grout with the water ;
horfes wading, perhaps, half^vay to their
knees in puddle ; as they would in any other
large trough filled with fand and water.
After a great fall of rain, I have feen the dips
of the road covered with large fheets of water,
which lay there as they would in the bed of
a river, until the roadman came with his hoe
and his fpade, to open his " lets ;" which,
in the dips of a fandy road, are prefently
D 3 Avarped

* A more modern method of forming a road is that of
raifmg two broad baaks of earth, wichia the fite o." the
road ; leaving only a narrow trou^ not more than three
or four yards wide, between them i in which narrow trough
the horci materials are depofitei

38 ROADS.

warped up ; while the Hopes are torn into
gullies, down, perhap:-, to the bafe of the
road.

A fand road formed as a gravel walk,
with a gentle convexity, and with an open
free channel on either fide, is fubjedied to
:;cne of thefe evil effects. Wet weather
renders it firm j and the channels on the
fides, when the defcent is not too great, are
rendered firm paths, for faddle horfes at leail,
in dry weather. The silt road, acrcfs
the marihlands of Norfolk, between Lynn
and Wifbeach, is a proper pattern for fand
road makers.

Cenfurable, however, as the principles of
forming roads, in this countr)-, evidently are,
it would be improper to condemn them,
without examination; as they have their
jircnuous advocates ; and ^hefe men of the
very £rA abihties.

Roads incur a heavy tax on the occupiers
of lands, and the principUs of forming and
repairiflg them, are as fiilly intitled to exami-
nation in a work on Rural Economy, as
are thcfe of farm buildings and fences.
Roads arc neceffary to the farmer, for convey-
ing his produce to market. And, moreover,

the

MIDLAN-D .COUNTIES.

39

the law obliges farmers to make- and repair
them, for the reil qf the community. They
have, therefore, a twofold motive for exa-
mining, carefully, into the principles of
making and repairing them. Yet there i^
fcarcely any branch of rural affairs fo little
attended to, and of courfe fo little under-
llood, as ^hat of roads.

In t:he Rural Economy of Yorkshire, I
threw together fuch practical ideas, on this
fubje(ft, as I had, at the time of writing, col-
leded, in various parts of the iiland *,

At that time, I was fully acquainted with
the modern principles of roadmaking, in the
Midland Counties ; but being, at the fame
time, fully convinced that they were ill
founded, I did not there notice them : nor
ihould I, in this place, have taken up the
reader's or m.y own time, in explaining them,
had I not, in going a fecond time over the
dillri(ft, found the theory, inllead of being
ieen through and exploded, a^flually making
Its entry into praciice.

Roads are naturally flat, v/here ihe fite is

level, or gently Hoping ; and naturally wear

into hoiloiv 'li^'ays.^ qi\ the fides of hills. The

, - . D 4 fira

* See Yorkshire, Section Roads.

4© ROADS.

firfl retain a principal part of the water which
falls upon them, and are rendered liable to
be worn into inequalities, by reafon of rain
vizXtv Jianding upon them ; while the latter
are worn, irregularly, by the water of heavy
rains running upon them.

To obviate thefe inconveniences, art and
induflry have been employed, during the
prefent century, at leaft, in rounding the for-
mer into the barrel or convex fonrs, that
the water, which falls on them, may have an
opportunity of efcaping ; and, of courfe, that
their furfacesmay not be injured hyjlagnant
water : and in moulding the latter into the
fame form, that their furfaces may not be
partially worn, by currents o^ wdittT,

By adhering uniformly to this felfevidcnt
principle, the Jlough of the former, and the
gutters of the latter, are eftc6lually done away,
and, with due care, for ever prevented from
returning : the entire furface, while this
principle is adhered to, being fmooth and
even, yet free from hardnefs-y and is, of courfe,
fafe and pleafant to the traveller.

Formerly, in the rutty roads and hollow
ways of our ancellors, it was a week or a
fortnight's journey, from York to London ;

now.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. ' 41

now, the read being moulded and kept up^
agreeably to the foregoing principle, it may
be travelled, in a day or two.

Neverthelefs, the principle under exami-
nation is direcftly oppolite to that defcribed.

By tliis principle, round roads are reverfed,
and flat ones fcoooed into the concave or
HOLLOW form; the hollownefs being pre-,
lerved, as well on level ground, as on the
face of the fteepcft hill ; the entire road,
from end to end, being formed into a con-
cave hollow, or trough, to catch the water
which falls in it : not, however, with any
infention of impeding the pace of the tra-
veller, or of reducing roads to their antient
flate, but under an idea of ** wajhlng' them.

The advantages held out, as arifing from
this principle of forming roads, are thofe of
freeing them from dirt, in wet weather, and
duft, in dry ; and one which is Hill more
valuable, that of faving expence in repairing
them : thefe advantages being held out as
accruing, in allsituations: the principle
being likewife extended to all materials.

1796. In the firft edition of this Work, I
thought it expedient to examine the prin-
ciple here afferted ; and deteded, I believe,

the

4? ROADS.

the fallacy of its foundation. But as the in-
veiligcition of a general principle is better
adapted to a general work, than to a Re-
gifter of the Practice of any PARTicutAR
Distric:t, I will now confine this Section
to the more pra(!^ical matter of thefe exa-
minations, and to what more particularly
relates to th^ Midland Diilrid.

Admitting, therefore, the impropriety of
^cncralizbig hollow roads, let us endeavor
to afccrtain the puriicular circumjiances un-
der winch they can properly be rendered
ufeful. It is not probable, that men of ftrong
natural abilities, and in a found llate of mind,
iho.uld attach themfelvcs to error, without
fome Ihow of truth to lead them to it.

The moil ftrildng good effc*^ of wafhways

\z that of covering a level road, at the foot

of a high hill, with fand and fmall gravel,

brought down the dcfcent by heavy rains \

and this, moil efpecially, when a conflant

rill happens to fpread over it, and carry

away the foil : leaving nothing but the harder

particles *.

Another

* The moft refind ufb that road watrr could, perhaps
be put to, would be that of conveying it down by the fides
of a rou;:d road, and fpread^ng it over a flat at the bo:tv"ih
vi" z, fiope.

MIDLANP COUNTIES. ^3

Another good efFe<fl of running water isj
on a Ihort and gentle flope, where the na-
tural foundation of the road — the natural
fubfoil — happen^ to be of gravel, or other
hard material. In this cafe, a current of
water, by carrying away the foil which is
generally mixed, in greater or lefs pro-
portions, among fuch a fubfoil, — as it rifea
to the furface, keeps fuch a road in perpetual
Jirmnejsy with little affiilance of art.

But even thefe ufes of running water,
confined as they are to a few fituations *,
are ill adapted to public roads : the flats,
during a continuance of drizzling or ever\

moderate

* With refpe£l to the idea held cut, that every foil and
fituation affords '* a J'omcth'ing^'' of which running water
will make a road, it is much too wild to give chace to.
That foils, in general, if worn long enough, that is deep,
enough, would, on a gentle flope, afford a fomethi ng to bea^
a horje.^ or oiher animal, may be true; — for although a horfe
path maybe poached, in wet v/cather; yet, in dry, it is, in
the nature of the tread of horfes, trodden level, again, to
receive, with liencfit,the water of heavy fhowers: — but not
one foil and lituation, in a hundred, is capable of affording
hard materials, fufficient to bear the wheels of laden car-
riagcs ; which, in the a6tion of wheel carriages, tend, not
to fill up ar.d level, but to deepen, the holes and gutters,
made by running water : and, of courfe, a(5t in concert with
it, to render the road impaffabb.

44

D *.

mcderatc nuns, ere liable to be loaded with
dirt ; a rill not, oace in a thoufand inllances,
bemg at hand to keer) them free ; and the
flopes are liable to be Are^ved with loofc
ftones, and vrom into inequalities, by the
fp'^t of running water.

A public road ; more efj-iecially a tell road ;
ought to be free from obilrudlions, in all
feafons : and may, with proper care, be kept
in that defirable (late.

With refpvccl to private and b^ roads, in
which carriages never travel abreaft and
feldom meet each other, and on which the
beafls of draft are al\^'ays drawn fingle —
there appears to be only one right method
of forming them ; moll: elpecially where
materials are fcarce.

The principle had long flruck me forcibly,
in theory, be/orc I faw it carried into prac-
tice, in tlie Midland Dillrid:.

On this principle, tliree lines of hard ma-
terials conftitute the road : a middle path
for the hcrfcs, with one on each iide for the
wheels.

In forming a road on this principle, the
middle p?,th io fet out, by a line, or other-
wife, as circumllances require, and the fed

being

M I b L A N I? C O U N r I E S. 45

bfeing removed, a carriage is drawn along,
by horfes walking in this path ; the wheels
of courfe marking out the middle of the two
outer paths. Three trenches are then dug,
of widths and to depths proportioned to the
quantity of materials intended to be ex-
pended i leaving the paths, on filling in the
materials, an inch or two below the adjoin-
ing fur face.

This method of forming WAGGON ?aths,
aptly fuggefts a funple horse path, or
bridle road : and the Midland Diftrid fur-
niihcs inftances of horfe paths being formed,
on this principle : indeed, it -appears to have
been, formerly, the Leiceften'hire method
of forming horfe paths by the fide of public
roads : — anfwering the aukward caufeways
of other diftridts*

Between Bofworth and Leicefler are ftill
the remains of one of thefe paths ; which,
in the parts where it is tolerably perfect, is,
by much, the fafeft and moft pleafant horfe
path, by the lide of a carriage road, I have
travelled upon *. As the lines of turf on

thcl

* How much, preferable are :befc to the high, flippery,
cMuftwa^s of other diftri^s.

^6 ROADS.

the fides encroach upon it, they are fhaved
oft, and the path kept free and fufficiently
wide.

Thefe paths are lefs liable to be incbm-
moded with dirt, than theorv mav lu^j^ell.
The Hopes are walhed by heavy rains ; and
the dips, if proper cutlets be opened into
the ditches, which generally run by the (ides
of them, may be kept fufficiently free from
Avater.

Thus, it is more than probable, the good
effedl of flat horfe paths, funk a few inches
below the furface, led to the idea of carriage
paths, and thefe to f^at carriage roids> witli
" hutments" en their !ides> agreeably to the
pracftice of this diftricfl:.

This being as it may, flat horfe paths ard
produced, in argument, as evidences in favor-
df flat carriage roads: a flriking evidence,
this, of thfe danger of GENERALIZING
IDEAS, without due examination*

■'- '- ■ The

Thefe ca'JSEways, ho'^-cVcr, which t^ere probably in-
tended to accommodate foot paflcngcrs as well as horfes,-
are, or rather were, ftriking evidences of the efficacy of
heavy rains in wafhing convex furfaces ; for being narrow
and without ruts to impede the defcent, they were, In
general, kept pcrfcfily clean; much too clean, either for
crJe or lafcy in travelling.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 4)

The fummer of 1789, being uiiufually wet^
afForded me a favorable opportunity of de-
ciding, by obfervations, on the eifecl^s of round
and hollcJw roads.

In traverfing the Diilrii!!:, I did not fail to
liotice thefe effeds ; and, in riding from
Leicefler to London, through Vv^irwickfhire,
Oxford fliire, &c. &c. after a month or fix
weeks continuance of rains, of every degree,
I was, being then more difengaged, flill
more attentive to the form and liate of the
roads.

The road between Nottingham and
Loughborough is held out, by the advo-
cates of hollow wavs, as a fuecimen of their
good effecft.

This road, however, though much flatter
than modern roads in general are, is by no
means uniformly reduced to the principle
and form contended for : indeed, a part,
which has been lately made, is thrown into
the barrel form : a ftrong evidence that the
trough principle, in this inftance, is growing
into difrepute. Taking it altogether, in its
prefent fl:ate (rendered more tolerable bv
parts which lie fomewhat round, or which
lie Ihelving on the fides of hills) and con-

fidering

48 ROADS.

fidcring the materials, an excellent gravely
and the publicnefs of the thoroughfare to
pay for the forming and repairs, — the part I
faw of it, between Trent Bridge and the top
of Bunny Hill, may, without prejudice, be
deemed one of the worfl-kept roitds in the
kingdom. Tht Jleeps torn into inequalities,
ftrowed with large loofe fVones, and fct with
faft ones,— and the levels loaded with mud
to the footlocks. The more gentle Jlopes-,
though uneven, harfh, and unpleafant to
travel upon, were certainly not indiulable : a
proof that on fuch furfaces, and with fuch
materials, roads may be kept in a travelable
flate, in defiance of running water.

All that can be faid farther of this road is,
that had the materials been put into a better
form, they would have afforded a better road.
In a country where good materials are fufH-
ciently plentiful, a traveller who pays for his
road, whether on horfeback, or in a carriage,
has a right to expecfl, that it Ihall be, not
only found j but fafe and pleafant, to himfelf
and his horfes : and a flill greater right has
the proprietor of a laden carriage, to expevft
to find the furface of the road, he pays for,
firm and free from obflrudions.

Every

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 49

Every part of the journey from Leicefter
to Lortdon bore ample tertimony of the fu-
periority of the CONVEX PRINCIPLE ;
and 1 have no longer any doubt of the pro-
priety of forming a public carriage road, mo-
derately round, with an open channel, on
either fide, as a horfe path j with banks,
level on the top, as guards to thefe paths,
iand as rtefources, in wet weather, for foot
pafTejigers ; and (where the width of the lane
will permit) with a fide road for fummer
travelling. See Glocestershire, Article

CoTSWOLDSi

By giving this form to roadsj and by pre-
ferving it with due attention, fo as to keep
their furfaces free as poffible, from water,
and, in a continuance of wet weather, from a
fuperfluity of reduced materials ; and by pay-
ing proper attention to the fide roads; — I am
clearly of opinion, that a very confiderable
proportion — perhaps one third — perhaps one
half — of the money, which is now expended
on the roads of this kingdom, might be
eventually faved.

And although the whole of the expence
of roads does not fall on the farmer ; yet,
conlidering the toll he pays, in addition to

Vol. I. E .. the

50 FIELD FENCES.

the labor, or the rate, he is obliged to flirnidi,
the principal part of it may be faid to fall on
the occupiers, and of courfe, eventually, on
the o\^'Tiers of lands.

5-

FIELD FENCES.

IN, A COUNTRY, which, for fome time
part, has been changing, from an open to an
inclofcd ftate, we may reafonably expert a
degree of excellency, in the art of hedge
planting. It feldom happens, that, under
fuch circumftances, the art remains in a flatc
of obfcurity ; but that the prevailing mode
of execution is adapted to the given foil and
Ctuation.

This, however, is not invariably the cafe :
in fimilar htuations, on fimilar foils, and un-
der iiinilar circumftances, we find very dif-
ferent modes of performing the fame ope-
ration : a proof that, the rural arts are either
very abftrufe, or are not univcrfaily fludied
v/ith due attention.

In

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 51

In Norfolk, where a deep free fubfdil pre-
vails, we fee hedgewood planted by the fide
of a deep ditch, and perhaps near the top of
a high bank -, and this notwithftanding the
fubflrata are naturally abforbent or dry :
while, in this diftricCt, likewife having a deep
free foil and fubfoil, the plants are laid into
a flat broad low bank, with a narrow fliallow
ditch ; a mere trench 5 and this notwith-
standing the fubftrata are, in a manner in-
variably, retentive or wet ; and the furface
waters, of courfe, have no other way of ef-
caping, than by means of deep ditches. In
a recently inclofed common field, I have feen
ditches barely a foot deep, v'ith water {land-
ing in furrows, hard by, of not lefs than fif-
teen or eighteen inches in depth !

This error in pradlice, however. Is rather
detrimental to the lands, than to the hedges ;
which, in this diftricft, are above mediocrity ;
and their treatment, of courfe^ requires at-
tention.

The ufeful ideas, coUeded, in this cafe^
fall under the heads,

Raifing new Hedges ;
Treatment of grown Hedges.

E 2 L RAISING

52 FIELD FENCES.

I. RAISING NEW HEDGES. The
SPECIES OF HEDGEWOOD is whitcthom, With
fome Inflances of crab tree *. At prefent,
however, ** garden quick'* may be faid to be
the univerfal hedgewood ; although there
was, within the memory of many men, no
fiich thing in ufe.

The rejecflion of nurfery plants, however,
did not proceed from ignorance, in the me-
thod of railing them ; but from principle,
founded on the falfe notion that plants, pam-
pered in the rich foil of a garden, were of
courfe improper to be planted, in a ditch
bank of common earth. No, no j the planters
of thofe days knew better. " Gather them
in woods, where tl:iey have been expofed to
hardlhips, and have learnt to live upon coarlJb
fare, and, in that cafe, when they come to
be tranfplanted into hedges, they mufi thrive
amain."

A gentleman near Tamworth was the firft
who ventured to plant garden quick, on a
large fcale ; and his fuccefs ruined the bufmtfs,

as

* Holly hedges. la this diftrlcl, I bbfcrved a na-
tural holly hedge flouriftiing, as a fence againft every thing,
under very low-headed fpreading oaks : an evidence of
what might be expected from hcUy hedges, under oaks
properly trained.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. si

25 it had long been, of " quick gathering."
The quantity now railed, at Tamworth and
its neighbourhood, for the Birmingham and
other markets, is extraordinary. It is moftly
tranfplanted. Its price, even at Tamworth,
is iQVQn fhillings a thoufand : at Birmingham,
eight to ten fhilUngs : yet, at thofe prices,
one gardener fells, even when no public in-
clofures are going forward, three or four
hundred thoufands annually.

The moft judicious planter I met with, in
the diftri<it, and from whom, with the gar-
dener here alluded to, I had tliefe particulars,
chufes his plants at four years old, tranfplanted
at two ; and cares not how rich a foil they
are raifed in.

The TIME OF PLANTING, here, is not
unfrequently autumn. I had an opportunity
of making a comparative obfervation, on a
neighbour's pra(ftice, between plants fet in
autumn, and others planted, in continuation
of the fame hedge, in fpring. The autumnal
planting, in this cafe, had a decided preference.
But the fituation was fomewhat dry ; and the
fpring and fummer proved fo, likewife :•—
under thefe circumftances, autumnal planting
will generally fucceed beft,

E 3 The

54 FIELD FENCES.

The METHOD OF PL ANTING, as has bccH
faid, is that of putting the plants into a broad
fiat mound : generally planting tivo roivsy ten
pr twelve inches apart, and a fimilar diftance
from the brink of the trench, by the fide of
which they are planted.

The reafon given for this mode of planting
is, that a deep ditch creates a high heavy
bank, and this *^ overloads the roots."

There is, no doubt, fome truth in this
reafoning-. Plants never thrive fo well, as
on level ground ; provided they are not in-
commoded by ilanding water : (fee York-
shire :) and the difadvarxtages of a high
heavy bank have been pointed out, in Nor-
folk : but it is a fa6t, evident in various
parts of the kingdom, and particularly in
my own pra<^ice in three different and diftant
parts of itj that hedges may be raifed, with
fuccefs, in the front pf a high bank ; and
that its difadvantages are by no means equal
to the advantage gained, by a deep ditch
and high bank, as a defence to the riling
hedge.

Two rows of ports and rails are here the
common guard : incurring an cxpencc
^aual to twice that of a deep ditch and

ban^lct,

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 55

banklet, on one fide, and a high bank and
hedge, on the other. If the hedge be
planted behind a fhelf, of fufficient width,
and part of the mold of the ditch be applied,
in forming a banklet on its outer brink, the
load incurred, by the remainder, caufes little,
if any, impediment to the progrefs of the
young hedge.

For the method and expence of planting a
Jiedge, in this manner, fee mi n. 123.

The nurfing of YOUNG hedges, — abufi-
nefs, which, in moft parts of the kingdom,
is in a manner totally negle(fted, — is, in
many cafes, well attended to, here. They
are pretty generally weeded, and, in fome in-
fiances, hoed : in others, however, they are,
here, as in other places, feen ftruggling
among we^ds ; — principally of the following
fpecies»

J enumerate them, in this Reglfter, as I
paid more attention to hedgeweeds, in this,
than in any other, diftrift ; and though they
vary, in fome degree, in different places, they
are, upon th? whole, very much the fame,
in all.

E 4 Hedgeweeds

S6 FIELD FENCES.

Hedgeweeds of the Midland DisTRiCTt

Weeds of young Hedges,

Ccrach. grafs and other grafTes *.

The thiftles, particularly the fpear thiftle |

The docks j

The nettle ;

Sowthiftles ;

Hawkweeds ; and a. ' variety of Ihiall weeds,
which rob the plants of their nouridiment,
and ought to be cut off with the hoe, fo
often as they rife.
. The convolvulufes:

The blue-tufted vetch, and other vetches;
and : .. .

The cleavers, and other climbing plants,
are a burden to the taller more upright lhoots»

In low moift fituations,

The meadowfweet i

■»flrhe wild angelica ;

The willowherbs {epilobid) ;

The

* I have feen, in this diftri.ft, quick planted, acrofs a
foul arable inclofure, in a bed of couch ! Nothing can be
greater folly. The other grades may be dcftroyed with
the hoe ; but fcarccly any art can free young hedge plants
from couch ; which ought, at any coft, to be deftroycd be-
fore the hedge be planted.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. j;

The perljcarias, Scc.Scc. are almofl certain
fufFocation, to weak plants, the firft and
fecond years ; if not repeatedly removed by-
hand, fo often as they threaten the injury pf
the infant hedge.

Weeds cf groivn Hedges^

The briar 3

The bramble ;

The woodbine 5

The bitterfweet {folanum dulcamara) ;

Black briony {tarnus cof?2?nunis) -, and in
Tome places, the white briony [bi-yonia alba) \
and the

Traveller's jpy {clematis vitalba) ; are very
deftrudtive to hedges ; efpecially if fuffered
to grow up with them, either in the firfl
inflance, or after the hedge has been cut
down.

They ought, therefore, in both cafes, to
be eradicated, or at leaft cut out, and kept
under, until the hedge be free from injury.

II. THE TREATMENT OF GROWN
HEDGES. Plailiing may be called the
univerfal prad:ice of this dillrid:. Never^
thelefs, I have obferved, in a few inflances,
^ method of cutting hedges, which does not
come within the defcription of plaihing.

In

|S FIELD FENCES,

In this pra(ftlce ; one row of ftems (if the
hedge be *' double quicked") is cut to the
flub, the other, hedge height ; not level, or
all of the fame height, but in fuch a manner
as to lean back, away from the ftubs of the
fallen row ; cutting thofe which fland fore-
moft the lowell, and fuch as lean or branch
away from them, the highell ; leaving the
back fpray on, to form a blind, and to aflift
in making a fence.

Under this management, two rows of quick
are evidently preferable to a fmgle row ;
for although I have {ten ** fingle quick"
treated fomewhat in this manner, efpecially
in Derbylliire, the effed: is very different.
In this cafe, the (lools and the Hems are fed
from the fame roots ; the fame fet of fibres ;
and the ftems, with the fpray left upon them,
rob the lower ilioots, from which the new
fence is to rife, of a great part of their fap :
while, in the other^ the ftools not only ftand
diil:in(ft from the ftems, but have a diftin<fl
{et of roots to fupport them, entirely inde-
pendent of the ftems that are left ftandingas
a temporary fence.

The METHODS OF PLASHING OTC various !
the eld and ftill moil prevailing method is

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 59

to leave part of the flems ftanding, as ** live
(lakes"; between which the plafhers are in-
terwoven, in the ufual manner.

Judicious managers, however, obje6t, and
with good reafon, to live flakes ; which,
throwing out fpreading heads, in the pollard
manner, overhang and deflroy the plafliers,
?ind prevent the fhoots of the flools from
rifing : confequently, tend to convert the
hedge into a row of thorn pollards ; in which
flate, old hedges, that have been thus treated,
are too evidently feen. On the contrary,
when the entire hedge is cut down (or crip^
pled for laying) to the ftub, the plafhers
have no impediment ; and the young fhoots
are the lefs incommoded, inafmuch as the
plafliers fhoot lefs luxuriantly than the flakes.
Still, however, the flioots from the flools,
the only offspring of the old hedge from
which a new one can be expe(5ted; arc
greatly injured, by the plafliers overfpreading
them.

Hence, an improvement has been llriick
put, in this diftridt, which probably raiies
the art of plafliing to its higheft degree of
perfedlion. This is eifedled, by driving the
dead flakes, not in a line with the flubs, but

fome

to FIELD FENCES.

feme foot or more behind them ; and by
winding the plalhers among them, and ed-
dering them, according to the cullom of this
countn/, with brambles : thus leaving the
ihcots, from the ihibs, the fame air and head-
room, or nearly the fame, as if the whole were
Ciit down, and a deadhedge raifed behind them.
The advantage of this method of plalhing,
co^ipared with the practice of felling the
whole to the ftub, is, that a live hedge,
^vhich improves by age, is raifed, inftead of
a dead one, which grows worfe everv year ;
the disadvantage, that of part of the fap
(of finals, hedges) being drawn away froii^
the young fhoots ; which, in this cafe, are
left lefs free and open, than when the whole
of the ft ems are cleared away at the ftub.

However, where there are a fufnciency of
young pliable rtems for plalhers, and the
ditch does not require much repair, the
plafhing here defcribed may have, upon the
whole, the preference ; efpecially if the
plalhers, when the young hedge has got up,
be removed from their interference v/ith the
upright (hoots.

But, where the hedge has been negle(fted,
the lltms are grown few and large, particu-
larly

MIDLAND COtJNTiES. 6i

larly where vacancies require to be filled up^
by layers or otherwife, ahd the ditch requires
to be new made, — felling to the ilub is in-
difputably preferable.

It is obfervable, however, that, in the
diftrift under furvey, the ditch is rarely re-
made, and but feidom fcoured : even where
the foil is retentive ; and a ditch, of courfe,
neceflary to good management.

The reajbnmg, in this cafe, is the fame, as
in that of planting by a narrow ditch : name-
ly, the fear of*' overloading the roots !" In
that cafe, there may be fome fliadow of truth;
but in this, in which the roots are feeding
feveral feet from the bank, there is probably
no foundation. The pra(fl:ice, doubtlefs,
originates in indolence-or an ill-timed faving*.

This cenfure, however, is not intended to
be paiTed indifcriminately. There are m.any
individuals, who are aware of the utility of
open ditches, in freeing their lands from fur-
face water.

Refe-

• Unlefs the fuperincumbsnt weight, by bearing on the
laro-e roots, cbftrucl the circulation of the fap. But
feeing the well known force of thefe large roots, this idea
likewife falls to the ground.

U FIELD F E Tn^ C £ S.

References to Minutes.

For the principles of Gate/janging, fee M i N . 36 ,•
For cbrervations on niakirig SoSanks, fee

MiN. 49.
For further obfervations on Hafiging gates,

fee MIN. 54.
For an mflance of practice , in lie dgc plant hig,

fee MIN. 123.
For a proof of the nuifance of 'wide hedges^

fee MIN. 131.
For obfervations on water {landing againft

li'ue hedges, fee min. 13Z.
For remarks on the weeding of bedges, fefe

MIN. 152.
For obfervations on the nature of the root

of the hawthorn, and on lacerating hedge

banks, fee min. I59.
For a proof of the nuifance of high hedges,

fee MIN. 160.
For further obfervations on high hedges, fee

MIN. 161.
For the probable origin of crooked hedges, fet

MIN. 162.

HEDGEROW

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 6j

6.

HEDGEROW TIMBER.

FEW DISTRICTS are fo thin of hedges
row timber as this. The old encloled town-
fhips have a tolerable fhare, but the new in-
clofures, which, with the open fields that
yet remain, conftitute a principal part of the
Midland Diilrid, are as naked, to the diftant
eye, as the downs of Surrey, or the wolds of
Yorkfliire. Leicestershire, more parti-
cularly, flands in this predicament. There
is not> fpeaking generally, a young oak now
growing in the county. If this error fliould
not be redtified, there may not, in half a
centur)', be a tree left in a lordfhip.

This poverty in hedgerow timber, it is
probable, has arifen, partly, in neglec^t, but
much more, in a rooted antipathy, among
occupiers, againfl trees in hedges. The
mifchiefs of the afh, the elm, and low fpread-
ing oaks, having been experienced, all fpe-
cies have been indifcriminately profcribed.

The

64 HEDGEROW TIMBER.

The aih, the elm, and lowheaded oaks^
are undoubtedly mifchievous In hedges ; being
injurious to the occupier, and dellirudtive to
the hedge* But oaks> trained in the manner
which I have repeatedly recommended *<
while they enhance, in a very high degree,
the value of an eftate, do, comparatively,
little injury to the occupier, and but very
little to the hedge.

The DISTRICT of the STATION furnlflies
an inilance of die latter part, at leafl, of the
above alicrtion. The road through an en-
tire tov/nfliip (I believe) — Grindon — the
rdidenceof Lady Robert Bertie-^ has on each
iide of it a line of tall-flemmed trees, moftly
oaks, ri/ing in a pruned hawthorn hedge ;
which, far from being deftroyed by them,
flouriflies with extraordinary vigour -, clofely
embracing the Hems of the tree* j a fence
asrainfl: all kind^ of flock.

For an inflancecfpraifticc in tra'r.iing hedge
oaklings, fee min. 155,

DIVISION

* Plan iiNG and Rural Orn: alfo Norfolic.

i)lVISi©N THE SECOND,

WOODLANDS

And

t* L A N T I N G.

WOODLANDS.

VIEWING the Midland Counties, ge-
nerally, they are ftill well flocked with
wood; although there has, within memory,
been an undoubted decreafe. Charnwood
Foreft has not, figuratively fpeaking, a ftick
left j — though, within the prefent cen-
tury, much of the ancient foreft remained.
Many fmaller plots of woodland, and town-
fhips of well wooded hedges, have been
cleared away, within the laft fifty years.
Vol. L F There

66 WOODLANDS.

There is little dariLrer, liowever, of the
diflrid: fuffering through a want of timber.
Warwickshire, Staffordshire, and
Derbyshire, are flill fully wooded ;
Leicestershire, with the private woods
fcattered round the fkirts of the foreft, and
on the borders of Rutlandshire, has ^vr
a futticiency left to fupply its internal con-
fumption.

But with refped to coppice wood, many
parts of Leicefterfliire, more particularly,
mull, even now, feel a want, and experience
many inconveniencies, which a diftribution
of coppices would remove. It is true, that
many of thefe woodlefs parts are too valuable,
as grafs or arable land, to be converted, or>
a large fcale, into coppice grounds. Never-
thelefs, there are, in moft townfliips, cold
plots of foil, lefs produ(ftive of corn and
grafs, and arrgles in t-he outline of every
cftate, which might be profitably planted
with coppice wood-s.

The district of the station is in a
manner furrounded by woodlands; and, during
my refidence in it, I coUedted, through this
and other circumflanccs, more informatioii
refpcding their management, than in any

other

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 67

Other I have refided in. The fuhjea, there-
fore, requires, in this place, efpecial at-
tention.

The information, obtained, clafTes under
the following fubdivilions :

' I. Raifing. * 4. Timber.

2. Selling. 5. Bark.

3. Taking down. 6. Coppice.

I. RAISING. It is more than probable,
that moft of the private woods, which we fee,
at prefent, fcattered over the ifland, have
been raifed by art -, and that they are not, as
they are generally fuppofed to be, remnants
of the ancient forsfts, or native woods.

In the old woods of this quarter of the
kingdom, it is pretty generally obfervable,
that the north and eartern margins abound
with alh, while the body of the wood is prin-
cipally .oak ; and it is believed that the aOi^
being a quick-mounting tree, was propagated
there as a fcfeen to the oaklings *. This is
a circumftantial evidence of their beino- raifed
ty art : while the e'-ddentvejligesoftheplow^
in other inftances, are proofs of the pofitions
at leail as to thefe inftances.

F 2 But

• But fee MiN. 166,

68 WOODLANDS.

But the pra<n:ice of PROPAGATING wood-
lands (I mean ordinary woodlands of oak,
afh, or other native woods) can be traced, by
circumftances only, in every part of this ifland
I have obferved in, excepting North
Warwickshire ; where the pra<St:ice may
be faid to be at prefent in ufe. Several young
woods are now getting up, from acorns, and
other tree feeds, fown by the hands of men
now living. Yet their appearance to the eye,
on the clofefl: examination, is the fame as
that which we obferve, in cafe&, where the
proof is lefs pofitive.

The MODE OF PROPAGATION is that of
fowing acorns, keys, &c. with the feeds of
corn ; or of dibbling them into grafs land ;
as will more fully appear in min. 124.

II. SELLING TLMBER TREES. The
prefent mode of difpofal is by audlion, — as
It ftands : — a mode always to be recommended,
for reafons already given. Sec Yorkshire.
In the method of valuing timber, the
only circumiftance which requires to be
mentioned, here, is that of valuing the timber
and the bark, feparately ; keeping two dif-
tind: accounts. This is done, by the timber
merchant, when he fells the bark to the tanner

MIDLAND COUNTIES, 69

by fuch valuation : a practice which is not
uncommon : the tanner, of courfe, making
his counter valuation of the bark. only.
Vague as this mode of valuation may feem,
and various as the proportions bet^veen the
timber and the bark of different trees really
are, there are men, accuflomed to this mode
of eilimation, who will come fufficiently near
the truth.

For inllances of the mode of difpofal, —
conditions of fale, 6cc. fee the minutes,
hereafter referred to.

III.TAKING DOWN TIMBERTREES.
Three methods of felling are here in ufe :
Stocking,

Axe-grubbing, and

Axe-falling.

Stocking (a provincial term for grubbing,

or digging with a mattock. Sec.) is a kind of

partial grubbing. The roots are cut through,

a foot or more from the ftem ; and, again, a

foot or more from the inner cutting ; taking

up a Ihort length of the thickeft part of the

roots, and digging a trench round the tree,

wide enough to come at the downward roots.

Axe -GRUBBING is fmiilar to che Norfolk

^mb-fcHing (fee Norfolk), except that

F 3 the

70 WOODLANDS.

the end of the butt is left larger, here, than
in Norfolk.

Axe-falling is the common method of
Yorkiliire and other places, of cutting olt,
aboveground, with the axe : — a method
which is feldom pradtifed ; except in fome
few cafes, where another crop of timber, or
of coppice wood, is intended to be taken.

Stocking is the prevailing method ; — the
PRICE FOR TAKING DOWN varying with
the fize of the tree : for a tree of two feet
diameter, the price is about a (hilling ; and
about four pence more for cutting off the
butt i the flocking and butting being gene*
rally let t.ogether.

Peeling Bark. Tht Petling Too/ com-
monly made ufe of, here, is of 6on^. The
thij^h and the fhin bones of an afs are pre-
ferred. The former (a two-hauded inllru-
ment) for the flem and the Lirger boughs ;
the latterj for the fmalier branches. The
handle is a forked piece of wood, fixed in the
end of the bone. The point once given,
by the grinding llone, or a rafp, keeps itfelf
iharp, by wear.

The arms, or boughs, are cut up int<^.
pojls, rails, and cord"^ood, for charcoal.

The

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 71^

Tlie price, for cutting and fetting up cord-
wood, is about two fliiUings, a cord, of" yard-
wood." A ** rtatute cord" meafuroc four
feet high, four feet wide, and eight feet
long. But four feet lengths being inconve-
nient to the charcoal burners, it is generally
cut into lengths of three feet ; confequently,
a cord of yardwood is only threp fourths of
a ftatute cord *.

The SPRAY is generally made up into
fagots ; the rate of labor being a fhilling, a
load, of fixty fagots -, or, if the workman find
bindings, fifteen or fixteen pence, a load.

IV. TLVIBER. Theconfumptionofthe
timber, grown in this central part of the
illand, (excepting the Banks of the Trent)
falls chiefly among inland dealers.

In a maritime country, the trees are car-
ried bodily to the ihip yard ; here, they are
moftly divided, in the places of their growth,
into a variety of wares. Hence, the bufinefs
of cutting up^provincially, and properly,
termed ** converting" timber, — is, here,
conduced in a fuperior manner i a quick
F 4 judgment

^ The STATUTE CORD of this country, therefore,
agrees pretty nearly with the stack of the fouthern coun-
ties i though their dimcnfions are very different.

ya WOODLANDS.

judgment of the proper wares, into which a
given tree ought to be converted, requiring
much practice.

The wares, into which the timber of this
neighbourhood are converted, will appear in

the MINUTES.

V. BARK. Oak bark is difpofed of in
two different ways : one of them peculiar,
perhaps, to this diftricfl ; in which, as has
been faid, it is fometimes valued upon the
tree ; the wood merchant carrying on two
valuations ; one of the timber, the other of
the bark ; felling it to the tanner, who like^
wife makes his eftimate, by the lump.

The other mode of difpcfal is the common
one of felUng it, by the, too, in the rough:
the method of weighing it, or rather of efti-
mating its weight, is, however,. noticeable.
The -bark having been fet up, in the ufual
manner, but with more than common care
as to evennefb of quantity, againll horizontal
poles or treflels,— and having flood fome nine
or ten days, more or iefs, according to the
we ither, until it be fit to carry, — the buyer
choofes orie, two, three, or a greater num-
ber -" yards, in one place, and the feller a
}ikc number, in another. Th^fe yards of
•»' bark

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 73

bark are weighed, and the reft mcafured and
eftimated accordingly *.

VI. COPPICE WOOD. Thetwoprfn*
cipal coppices, of the Diflrid of the Station,
are thofe of Seal and Hopwas ; the former
in Derbyfliire ; the latter in Staffordshire.

The AGE at which coppice wood is cut,
in this part of the kingdom, varies much
v/ith the intended ware. For pofis, rails, and
coal-woodj twenty years or more are requifite
to bring the wood to fufficient fize. But,
for the linaller wares, into which the pro-
duce of the coppices of this neighbourhood
are chiefly converted, they are felled much
oftener.

The prevailing wares are flakes , eddcrs^
hurdles y brooms , and cratewood% the laft a
fpecies of coppice ware I have not met with,
before ; but which is, here, a conliderable
article : the Staffordfliire potteries working
up no fmall quantity of wood, in making
their various packages.

In this quarter of the illand, efpecially on
the Staffordfliire fide of the diflridl, where
iron forges abound, charcoal becomes an

objedt

* The fame eftimation being taken by the tanner anc^
the peelers.

74 Woodlands.

objecfl of confidcrable magnitude to the
woodman. I had an opportunity, here, of
paying dole attention totheprcccfs of burn-
ing it ; as will appear in the minutes.

References to Minutes.

For the practice and profit of cult hating
$ak 'woods y fee min. 124.

For inllances oioak li-aods being disfoliated
by the chafer, fee min^ 126,

For the procefs of making charcoal, fee
MIN. 127,

For remarks on feedling oaks rlfing fpon-
taneoufly in grafs land, fee 128.

For further obs. on the chafer, 129.

For the confequent appearance of the oak,
fee MIN. I 30.

For obs. on the groii-th of the ajh, 1 ;3,

For obs. on the gron^th of the ehn, 1 34,

For obs. on \.\\t gron-th oi x\\t paplar, 135.

For an account of the fale of Merevale
timber, fee min. 136.

For obfervations pw the rife of the fap in
tfld timber oaks, fee min. 137.

For the fale of Weeford Park timber, i 38.

For the fale of Siatfold oak timber, 139.

For

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 75

For obfervations on the tinie oi felling
oak timber, 140.

For remarks on the ** lag" in timber, 141.

For further obfervations on the rife of the
fap of oaks, fee min. 142.

For obfervations on the method and caution
in yt'///;z^ timber, 143.

For remarks on tapping oaks, J43.

For remarks on traininglvcchtx, 143.

For general obfervations on the age of
timber trees, fee min. 144.

For remarks on the timber of Keedxi'jzd
Forej}, 6cc. and on the age of oak timber.

For a defcription of the Sivikar oak, &c.
149.

For an inftance of the oak being injure^
\iy an infect, fee min. 150.

For farther obs. on charcoal, fee min. 151,

For refleclions on the decline of oak tif/iher^
fee MIN. 154.

For farther obfervations on the cultivated
*ifioodlands of North Warvvicklhire, fee 156.

For remarks on the propriety of planting
fleeps, fee min. 157.

For an e . idence 01 the experience requifitc
in the bufinefs of converting timber, 158.

For

76 P L A N TING.

For remarks on the advantage of woods
pn rocky lee min. 158.

For the fak of Statfold aih and elni, 163.

For remarks on adapting perennial plants
to foils and fituations, 1 64,

For obfervation on pra(ftice, in corrccrting
pak timber, 165.

For remarks on the age, &c. of afh and
flm, 166.

For a defcription of the MiiiaUtoti oak^ 167,

P L A N T I N G.

THE ART OF PLANTING is feparable
from that of raifing woodlands, in a more
aatural and finiple way, immediately from
the feed. This is a fummary operation, like
that of fowing a crop of corn, or laying down
land with grafs feeds. The other a pro-
grelTive work; confining of various nice and
klifiicult operations; both in the nursery

and

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 77

and in the plantation. Neverthelefs,
PLANTING is, at this day, the prevailing
mode of propagating trees ; whether for
USE or for ornament.

With a view to mere utility, however,
PLANTING, except in hedgerows, can
rarely be adopted with propriety. But where
ornament is a joint or the principal object,
planting is in mofl cafes eligible.

It is not my intention to introduce the
fubjedt of ORNAMENT, merely, in a work
of RURAL ECONOMY. Nevcrthelefs, the
ART OF PLANTING, wliich is applicable, on
manyoccafions, to use aswellasoRNAMENT,
ife profelTedly a branch of the prefent work.

Planting is indeed an art to which I have
long been partial, and on which I have, at
different times, bellowed confidcrable at-
tention.

Some years ago, I digefled my ideas on
the fubje(fl, and revifed them, in the prefs,
during my refidence in this diflridt *.

Warm with the fubjedt, and williing to

extend my pradlice, I undertook, while I

was improving this eflate, to ornament it.

How

* See Planting and Rural Ormamen't, a Prac-
tical Treatifej in two volurnes oclavo.

)l Planting.

How far I have fucceeded, the place itfeif
muft fpeak. What I purpole to convey, in
thefe volumes, are fome practical obfervations
on PLANTING : an art which my fuccefs
has led me to believe I have in fome meafure
advanced.

But thefe remarks being on tny own prac-
tice, they will appear with moft propriety
in the fecond volume. See the MiNUTEi
referred to below.

The pkntations of this diftrift are few>
and afford little information on the fubjecf!:.—
Excepting thofe at Fisher wick, done un-
der the diredion of the late Mr. Brown,
few have fucceeded well. But, in every par^
of the ifland, we fee fimilar mifcarriages in
planting : a px^oof that the art is not generally
iinderftood, or not fufficieritly attended to.

The only circumflancc that requires to be
fioticed, refpecling the pra6^1ce of planting, iii
this diftrict, is that of the nutferyman's /"/?-
furing the plants, the firfl: year. That is, if
they do not growj he furnilhes his cuftomerai
with frefh ones in their flead : and this
whether he plants them himfelf, or leaves
it to others to put them in • provided that^
in the latter cafe, they follow hi? dire^lions^

This

MIDLAND COU^fTlES. '79

This pra(!^ice, I underftand, was firft efta-
blillied by a nurleryman of Coventry ; but
has iince, through a kind of neceflity, been
adopted by other nurferymen.

Where the nurferyman is employed to put
in his own plants, this is a reafonabk prad:ice;
but, when we conlider how much depends
on the operation of planting, it can fcarcely
be deemed fuch, to infure the fuccefs of
©thers.

TIeferences to Minutes.

For incidents in my own practice, in the
fpring of 1785, fee min. 146.

For inftances of the want of fuccefs in
planting, in the dry fpring of 1785, fee
MIN. 148.

For farther rernarks on my own prad:ice,
in 1785, fee 153.

For remarks on the advantage of planting-
fteep (lope, fee 157,

For farther incidents in my own pra<ftice,
in the autumn of 1785, and the fpring of
1786, fecMiN, i68.

Divisioisr

DiVlSlON THE THIRD.

AGRICULTURE.

FAR M S.

THE Sizes of Farms, throughout the
Midland District, are large, con-
fidering the quality of the foil.

The DISTRICT of the station contains
feme capital farms. Bramcot, Pooley, Alncot,
Amingtoriy Sierfcot, IIogJl:}ll, Dunnimeery Stat-
fcldy Tborpy Scckingtoriy &c. &c. lying imme-
diately within this neighbourhood, rank in
the firft clafs of farms of the kingdom. Mofl
of them three to four or live hundred acres
of land, worth twenty to twentyfive Ihillings,
an acre.

Thefe farms are fituated in the old in-
clofed parts of the diilrict. How they have

been

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 8i

been aggregated to their prefent fize is not
obvious; Probably, they have never been
in the ftate of common field. Formerly,
much of them lay in large " feeding pieces."
or grazing grounds, of fifty or fixty acres
each. This accounts for the prefent flraight-
nefs of many of the hedges. Some of them
are extraparochial ; and they may be fub-
divifions of townfliips, that have been given,
by the feudal lords, to their dependants.
This, however, by the way *.

The CHARACTERISTICS OF FARMS Vary,
of courfe, with their ilate as to inclofure.
The open townfliips, as well as thofe which
have been recently inclofed, arc mollly in a
fl:ate of aration.

The farms of the older inclofures, of which
only I (hall fpeak, are much of them in grafs ;
being fubjccled, in the manner which will
be (hown, to an alternacy of grafs and arable.

Vol. I. G FARMERS.

* 1796. Heretofore, thefe lands were, doubtLefs, ap-
pendant to the Mercian Court, which reflded at Tamworth,
round which thefb Farms are fituated.

At prefent, they refemble, in appearance, as well as in
the Plan of Management, the Hams of Devonlhire. Sec
West of Emglatjd, Section Plan or Manaciment
OF Farm?.

Si FARMERS.

2.
FARMERS.

EVERY DISTRICT has its leading men;
its " capital farmers :" their proportionate
number varying, in fome degree at leaft,
with the fizes of farms which are prevalent,
and w^ith the ftate of hufbandry at which it
has arrived.

Thefe men confift either of tenants,
whofe fathers, having profited by their good
inana^ement, have left their fons fufficicnt
capitals and knowledge, to increafe them -, or
of the fuperior clafs of yeomanry, culti-
vating, in continuation, their paternal eflates.

This clafs of occupiers have many ad-
vantages, over the lower orders of hufband-
men. They travel much about the country ;
efpecially thofe whofe principal objecfl is
liveftock. They are led to diflant markets,
and perhaps to the metropolis. They fee,
pf courfe, various modes of management,

and

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 83

and mix in rarious companies : Confifiing
not merely of men of their own rank in life :
men of fortune and fcience have, of late
years, admitted them into their company ;
and to their mutual advantage.

Thus, their prejudices are worn off, their
knowledge enlarged, and their difpofitions
rendered liberal and communicative, to a
decree which thofe, who have not mixed
and converfed freely with them> are not aware
of.

The Midland District may boafl of
a greater number of this defcription of men,
than any other I have yet been over -, and
we may,.! apprehend, venture to add without
rifque, than any diftrid: of equal extent in
the kingdom. It is not only a large-farm
and grazing country ; but the fpirit of breed-
ing, which has gone forth of late years, has
infufed an ardour and exertion among them,
unobfervable in other diftridts; Except in
Yorkfhiie, I have found the spirit of im-
provement no where fo high;

Befides thefe^ many of the midland
FARMERS have had other two great fid-
vantages, of which farmers in general are in
' Want.

G 2 Formerly^

«4 FARMERS.

Fornierly, and ilill in many diilrid?,
yeomen and farmers, who were able and
wiJimg to educate their fons, did it iblely
with a view to fit them for trade, or enable
them to follow one or other of what are em-
phatically termed the profejjiom. Being edu-
cated, they were of courfe incapacitated for
farmers I

Not fo, howevtr, in this countr}'. There
are men, now at the middle age of life, who
have had a regular school education ;
and who, inllead of being fent out of the
countr}', to a trade, or a*' profefiion," have
been placed as pupils, with fuperior far-
mers, at lome diftance from their fathers'
relidences : thus, at once, improving their
knowledge, by a double tuition, and break-
ing oil, in their tender llate, the attach-
ments to cufloms, right or wrong, whicli
thofe, who have feen only one mode of ma-
nagement, are too liable to form.

Hence, we find this defer iption of men,
not only adopting fiich improvements
as have gained a degree of eftablifhment, but
ftriking out others, by experiment; and
flill farther enlarging their ideas, by read-
ing : and this with little danger of being

milled.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 85

mifled. Their judgements are in a degree
formed. They have a bafis to build on.

Among the riling generation, and in -4
very few years, we may expect to find num-^
bers of this clafs of occupiers. Almoft every
fubftantial farmer, now, educates his fens,
and brings up one or rnore to kis own proi»
fejjion.

If ever agriculture be brought near to per-
fedlion, this is the clafs of men who muft
raife it. Men of fortune may, and ought
for their own intereil, to encourage and pro-
mote, for with them, eventually, center the
profits of improvement. But the superior
CLASS of professional men muft Jugg^ft
and execute *,

With refpefl to the lower classes of
HUSBANDMEN, who form the main body of
occupiers^ their bufinefs is to follow : and, if

G 3 the

♦ By PROFEssioKAL MEN, I do not mean thofe, only,
who have been bred up to hufbandry, from their youth.
There are men, in every quarter of the kingdom, who,
having attended perfonally., and clojlly^ during a courfe of
years, to the minutia of hufbandry, as a profejfion.^ are of
courfe become professional: and many men of foii-
TUNE, who, having paid a fimilar icind of attention to
PRACTICE, have acquired, of courfe, a liinilar kind of

PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE,

86 FARMERS.

the men, whom they arc in the habit of look-
ing up to, lead the way, though it may be
flowly, they are fure to follow.

Thus improvements, flruck out and ef-
fected, by the fuperlor clafs of profcfiional
occupiers, are introduced into common prac-
tice j while thofe of unprofeffional men, if
they merit adoption, die for want of being
properly matured ; or, if raifed into indi-
vidual pradice, feldom become ferviceable
to the community at large.

The great bulk ofoccupiersconfider every
man, who has not been bred up in the habits
of hufbandry, or enured to them by lon»
pradtice, as a vifionary ; and are more in-
clined to fneer at his plans, than adopt them,
though ever fo excellent.

Hence, probably, the inefficacy of the nu-
merous SOCIETIES of agriculture, which
have been formed, in various parts of the
kingdom. There is only one, that of Bath,
which, from all the information that has
come within my knowledge, has been, in
any confiderable degree, fuccefstul ; and the
fuccefa of this, probably, has been, in fome
degree at leaft, owing to the profeffional men
who belong to it.

Societies

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 87

Societies formed of professional men>
fnc our aged and ciffified by the landed in-
terest, could not fail of being beneficial,
in pFomoting the rural affairs of thefe king-
doms ; and the midland counties, whe-
ther from centrality of fituation, or from the
number of fuperior managers in it, ^re Sin-
gularly eligible for fuch a fociety.

But SOCIETIES, on the plan which has
hitherto been adopted, though they were to
be formed of profeffional men, under the
patroiiage of the landed intereft, would ftill
be, in their nature, little more than theoretical.
Mere focieties want i\iQ fuhjeB before them.
Their moft probable good efted could be
that of afTimilating, by frequent meetings,
the fcntiments of the proprietors and
the occupiers of lands ; thereby encreaiing
the necell'ary confidence between them ; and
thus far, of courfe, becoming efientially fer-
viceable to their common inter^il. But they
fall far ihort of being the moft eligible in-
ilitutions, for the advancement of rural l^now-
ledge.

In tlie Digeft of the minutes of agri^
CULTURE, on the fubjed: public agri-
culture, I propofed an eftabliihment of
G 4 AGRI-

9$ FARMERS.

AGRICULTURAL COLLEGES, tO bc dillri-

buted in different dill:n*fls, as seminaries

q£ RURAL KNOWLEDGE.

It is now more than twelve years ftnce that
propoial was \mtten, during which time my
attention has been bent, unremittingly, on
rural fubje<fts ; and the relult is, that I now
fee, ftill more evidently, the want of rural

SEMINARIES.

The feminaries there propofed are, how-
ever, on too large a fcale, for any thing lefs
than NATIONAL eftablilhment ; and com-
merce, rather than agriculture, appears
to engage, at prefent, the more iinmediate
attention of government ; and this, not-
withll:anding the prefent fcarcity of grain is
fuch, that we are a/kjng, even the Ameri-
cans, forafupply; and notwithftanding a
very confiderable part of the cattle, which
now come to market, are the produce of
Ireland. SeeMiN. 122.

rhave already faid, in the courfe of this
work, that it is not my intention to obtrude
my fentiments, unfeemingly, on national
concerns ', but pofTefTed of the mafs of in-
formation, which, in the nature of my purfuit,
I mufl ncccflarily have accumulated, — no

man.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 89

jnan, perhaps , having had a fimilar oppor-
tunity,— I think it a duty I owe to fociety,
and an infeparable part . of my prelent under-
taking, to regifter luch ideas, whether po-
litical or profelTional, as refult, aptly and
fairly, out of the fubje<fl before me : and, in
this place, I think it right to intimate the
probable advantage which might arife, from
a BOARD OF AGRICULTURE ; — or,
more generally, of rural affairs ; to
take cognizance, not of the ftate and pro-
motion of AGRICULTURE, merely j but alfo
of the CULTIVATION OF WASTES and the

PROPAGATION t)F TIMBER*. bafeS, On

which, not commerce only, but the political
exillence of the nation is founded. And
when may this country exped: a more fa-
vorable opportunity, than the prefent,(i79o)
of laying a broad and firm bafis of its future
profperity ?

The ESTABLISHMENTS, I am now
^bout to propofe, might be formed by indi-
viduals, in various parts of the kingdom;
and might readily be raifcd into prac-
tice.

The SITUATION of an eftablifliment of
fhis nature ought to be (though not necef-

farily)

f» FARMERS.

fai-ily) upon a confjderable landed eftatc |
as five thoufand acres of tolerable foil.

The immediate site might confiil: of
five hundred acres, more or lefs j laid out
ir.to TWO FARMS, or general divilions ; —
the one practical, the o:her experi-
mental *.

The practical divifion to be eflabliflied,
in the outfet, on the beil: practice of the
diftrjd it may lie in ; and to be condu<fted
on the mod rigid principles of pecuniary
advantage.

The EXPERIMENTAL part to be appro-
priated, chiefly, to husbandry, with a com-
partment for PLANTING, and another for

BOTANY.

The part appropriated to planting, to
conlill of a nursery ground, and fuch
corner or fcreen plantations, as may be
wanted for the ufe of the eflate : the in-
tention being that of making experiments oa
the propagation of wood l a n ds and hedges;

as

* U the MANAGEMENT OF ESTATES, including
PLANTlNc-, RURAL ARCHITECTURE, icc. &C. fhould

form parts of the cltablifhment, an estate would be in a
degree requifite. But, if it were confined to agricui,-
Tua£, folely, a farm, only, would be wanted.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 91

as well as that of railing new varieties of
trees and hedge woods.

The BOTANIC GARDEN to receive a col-
led^ion of NATIVE plants, as well as of
the feveral varieties of cultivated
plants, whether native or exotic: its in-
tended life being that of a school of
BOTANY J as well as that of raifing new
varieties of the agricultural plants already-
cultivated ^ and of endeavoring to difcover,
among the uncultivated fpecies, fresh
plants, fit for the purpofe of cultivation.

The reft to* be appropriated to experi-
ments in HUSBANDRY; on the feveral de-
partments of the arable and the grass-
land management; as well as on live-
stock ; — a moft interefting fubjedt of ex-
periment.

The ufe of this compartment requires not
to be explained. It may, however, be pro-
per to fay, that the general intention pro-
pofes, as the main purport of the eftablifli-
ment, that, as an operation, a procefs, or a
general principle, ihall be fully proved, by
experiment (but not before, however plan fi6/e
it may be in theory), it fhall be transferred
to the part which is purely practical, and

be

9». FARMERS.

be there rcgiflered, as an improvement ai
the eftabliflied practice.

The BUILDINGS of the two farms to he
diftin<:^. Thofe of the practical, the ordi-
nary farm buildings, which may be fuppofed
to be on the prernifes, Thofe of the p;cperi-
rRental to confifl: of

A FAR^}ERy, or regular fuite of hYn:\
buildings, on the bcft plan, and in the be{\
ftyle of rural archite(fture, atprefent known}
endeavoring to unite, as far as fuuation and
piaterials will permit, fimplicity and convc-
piency with cheapnefs and durability.

A REPOSITORY OF IMPLEMENTS, and
MODELS of farm buildings, fences, gates, &c.
Not the ingenious fabrics of theor)' : but fuch
^s are admitted into the eftabliflicd pracftice,
of the different diftridts of the illand ; or
fuch as have been, o\hQ:\w'\(ty fully pro'uedf by
a continued courfe of pradticc : in order,
that, by bringing the whole under the eye,
regularly arranged and duly clalTed, their
comparative merit may be more readily af-»
certained ; and the judgement be, of courfe,
aiTilled, in fele(fting fuch as may be bell
adapted to a given foil and fituation. With

|L MANUFACTORY OF IMPLEMENTS; for

the

MIDLAND COUNTIES. gj

the more eafy diiTermnation of thofe which
are already proved to be fuperiorly ufefiil j as
well as for the conflrud:ion of fuch new
IMPLEMENTS as invention may fuggeil"*
And with a trial ground, adjoining; for
the purpofe of tefting new implements (when
no other ground may be at leifure), and for
regulating and fetting to work, thofe to be
transferred to diftant diftr^idts j that lefs im-
pediment may arife, when they reach the
intended places of pra<n:ice.

An EXPERiMENTERY,foranalyzingsoiLS
and M AND RES, inveftigating the VEGETABLE
and the animal economy ; and, generally,
for the ftudy of the more abftrufe branches
of the fcience.

A LIBRARY, for the reception of books
on RURAL SUBJECTS ; as wd\ as of thofe,
on every other fubjed:, which may ferve to
elucidate rural knowledge.

A LECTURE ROOM, for the purpofe of
inftrudting pupils, in the principles of the
RURAL science ; whether they arife out of

NATURAL or scientific KNOWLEDGE.

The professors, requilitc to fuch an
eftablifhment^ would be a principal, to^
form and conduct, with fuch assistants,

as

^ F A R M E Jl S.

as circumfljnces would readily point out/
when the fcale and the departments wertf
determined.

But, Who would wiih to have fuch an
incumbrance upon his eftate ? and, What
individual would be at the expence of fuch
an eflablirhment ?

Such queflions would be futile;

Ratlier let it be aiked. Who would ftct
wilh to have the rural knowledge of the
ifland coUedied upon his eftate ? and, What
liberal mind, efpeciallv if bent to agricul-
tural purfuits, would not be gratified in feeing
improvements, in the firft art and fciencc the
human mind can be employed upon, grow-
ing daily under his eye ? and. What man,
who regards the interell: of his family, would
not wilh to fee the beft cultivated farm in
the kingdom upon his eftatc ; and, of courfe,
in due time, to be in pofTelTion of the be ft
cultivated cftate in the kingdom ?

This, alone, might be a fufficient recom-
pence for the original expence ; which
would, in all probability, be repaid, with ftiil
greater intereft, by the pupils which fuch
an eUablilliment would, with a degree of
moral certain t\% draw^ together.
'," ' The

MIDLAND COUNTIES. ^^

The prefent premium, given with a farm
pupil to an ijidrcidual, varies with the ability
or charadler of the tutor, and with the treat-
ment the pupil expeds to receive. The ufual
term is four years, and the premium forty to
two hundred pounds. With the firft, they
are treated as a fuperior kind oifervants; with
the latter, as ajjijlants.

What man, whether of the fuperior clafs
of yeomanry or tenants, or of the fuperior
clafs of tradefmen or others, who are now
bringing up their fons to hulbandry, would
not, after his fon had gone througli a courfe
of private tuition, and received the rudi-
ments of inlT:ru(flion, from himfelf or fome
profeflional friend, wifh to perfedl his edu-
cation in a PUBLIC SEMINARY i— where
he would have, not only an opportunit)^ of
feeing practice in its higheil ftate of im-
provement, and of convening with profes-
sional MEN of the moll enlightened under-
llanding; but wherehe would be duly initiated
in the theory of rural knowledge : in the
method of making, regiflering, and obferving
the refult of EXPERIMENTS ; of afcertaining
the natural qualities of soils and manures;
of improving the varieties of cultivated

CROPS,

95 Farmers.

CROPS, as \vell as oF afcertainlng the inhe-
rent qualities, and iniproving the various
breeds, of livestock ; where he would fee
order and fubordination, and learn the pro-
per treatment of .lrvants 5 and among a
variety of ether branches of ufeful know-
ledge, the form and method of keeping farm
ACCOUNTS, and of afcertaining, with accu-*
racy, the profit or lofs upon the whole and
every part of his bufinefs ; confequently, of
bringing it as nearly, as in its nature it is
capable of being brought, to a degree of
certainty.

And v/hat pollelTor of landed property
would not wiih to have the heir of his eilate
initiated, at leail:, not in the management of
ESTATESonly,butinthe proper management
of FARMS i without a knowledge of which,
no man can be a judge of the proper ma-
nagement of an eftate : a part of education,
as ciicntially requifite to an heir of landed
property, as the acquirements of political
knowledge are to the heir of a kingdom.
Indeed, the more immediate happinefs of a
principal part of every nation, depends rather
on the poilelTors of ellates, than on the pof-
feffor of the cfown. And it is a fa(^ incon-
trovertible,

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 97

troveftible, that, in either cafe, the refpecta-
bility and perfonal happinefs of the pofTeffor
will ever be reciprocal with thofe of ths
people ; oh which alone they can be built,
with iirmnefs and full fecurity. Surely,
then, a branch of knowledge, which natu-
rally leads the pofllfibr of a landed eftate to
live in the hearts of his tenants, can be no
mean acquirement »

\V O Pv K P £ O P L E.

DAY LABORERS may be iaid to be^
fcarce, in this diflritfl.

Neverthelefs 'wages are moderate. In re-
gard to difpatch, they are much below me*
diocrity ; and in what may be termed the
honeft pride of workmen, they are very de-
ficient.

Yearly servants are proportioned, of
courfe, to the number of laborers in the given
neighbourhood.

Vol. I. H Their

9S WORKPEOPLE.

Their wages are very low. Seven or eight
pounds are the ordinary wages of a man
fervant ; ten pounds the higheil:. A woman
three guineas. Not much more than half
the wages given in Yorkshire. But a want
of exertion, and an extravagance in keep,
efpecially in l^eer, more than counterbalance
the difparity in wages.

The ridiculous cuflom of the cider coun-
try, in regard to a fuperfluit}^ of beverage,
has been feen, in Glocestershire. A
cufiom, equally abfurd, and much more ex^
travagant, prevails in the Midland Dis-
tricts.

In the cider countries, in a cider year, the
adtual cofl is inconfiderable. But, here, the
enormity of extravagance is annual, and in a
decree certain. The price of malt is much
lefs flucftuating than that of apples and pears.

The quantity of liquor wafted may be fome-
what lefs, here, than in Glocefterfhire : but
in quality and in coji of the beverage of farm
laborers, this diftjidt far excels every other :
fee MI N. 22.

The TIME OF CHANGING fcrvants, here,
is Michaelmas.

The PLACESOF HIRING arcthe "ilatutes."

References

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 99

References to Minutes.
For a defcription o^ Pole/worth Jiatute, fee

M I N . II.

For ealculations and remarks on beer, fee
MiN. 22.

For inftances of allowing laborers to plant
potatoes, in the nooks of arable fields, fee 44.

For inftance of laborers bein^ allowed half
the crop o^ potatoes, for cultivating it, fee 63.

For an inflance of the hard living of farm
laborers, fee MiN. 94.

For the ineonveniency of farm laborers
living at a dillance from the farm, fee loi.

For a rare inftance of ftrong natural ability,
induftr\', and honelly, being united in a farm
laborer, fee 11 7.

BEASrS OF LABOR.

>

HEAVY HORSES have been, time im-
memorial, the beafts of draught of this dift:ri<^.
Of late years, however, fome few oxen
have be en worked ; and a fpirit for working

H 2 them

toflr BEASTS OF LABOR.

them appears to be gaining ground, apace^
among fuperior managers.

The HORSE TEAM of this diftridl is grown
to a fhameful height of extravagance. The
pride of Jhow teams, a folly obfervable more
or lefs in moft diflricfts, is here truly abfiird.
The firfl coftj the trappings, and the keep,
are all equally out of character, {or farm horfes*
A faJJ:ionahle fixyearold horfe cannot be
purchafed, under thirty or forty guineas.
Five horfes are confidered as a team. A
fhow team, fit to be feen, cannot, therefore,
be purchafed for lefs than one hundred and
fifty pounds.

The firft coft, however, is not more ex-
travagant than the annual eXpence* A fhow
team is a fhame to be (ten, unlefs the horfes
have three or four inches of fat upon their
ribs. To bring them to this exquifite ftate,
they are of courfe limited in work, and un-
ftinted in provender. " A ftrike, a meal, for
fix horfes is counted fairifli feeding." Two
meals, a day : fourteen ftrike, a week ; near
two and a half bufliels, a horfe, a week !

The harnefs, too, efpccially the houling,
is truly ridiculous ; at once expenfive and
unornamental : ilandmg up aukwardly high

above

MIDLAND COUNTIES. loi

above the back of the horfe ; like the fail-
fin of the nautilus ; as if it were intended
to catch the wind, and accelerate or retard
the motion of the animal.

With refpecft to attendance, however,
the cuftom of the Midland Diftrid^ is huf-
bandly, compared with that of the fouthern
counties ; where a man and a boy are allowed
to e:^ch team, of four horfes. Here, a man
alone, ufually takes care of fix horfes (as a
team and a faddle horfe) : a waggoner and
his lad, frequently of two teams *.

Asa fpecies of PROVENDER, 6eans arc mW
ufed ; though not fo liberally, as they were
formerly, when the fields were open, and
beans of courfe more plentiful, than they are
now. They are pretty generally " kibbled'*
-T-that is, cruflied in a mill ; whether for old
or for young horfes. Barley, which is not
maltable, is fome times given to horfes j but
it is not a favourite, c^ rather not a falhion-
able provender : it is apt to ^* tan" the horfes !
This, too, is frequently kibbled j and fome-
times oats are crufhed.

H 3 When

* By the caltom of this Diflrif^, Farriers charge a
fhilling, a journey: thro which meaiis, a wafte of drugs,
at, leaft, is frequently prevented.

102 BEASTS OF LABOR.

When ch(iff\% not in plenty, all horfe corn
ought, no doubt, in ftridlnefs of management,
to be crujl:ed.

Another provender of horfes, which is in
ufe in this diftridl, and in which, only, I
have found it in ordinary pradlice, is ** cut
meat :" that is, oats in ftraw, cut into very
fhort lengths, in a chaff-box, and in a man-
ner which will be fpoken of under barn
MANAGEMENT. This is an excellent horfe
food, efpecially when hay is fcarce ; being in
itfelf both hay and corn. The cutting, it is
true, is fome expence ; but thrashing and
pilfering are thereby avoided.

I M P L E M E N T S.

THE SPECIESOF IMPLEMENTS, requiring
notice in this place, are,
The Waggon,
The Piov.-,
The Harrow.

The

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 103

The WAGGON is noticeable on account
of its aukwardnefs, clumfinefs, unwieldinefs,
and, in the prefent ftate of roads, its unfitnefs
for z. farmer s ufe. Its weight (with narrow
wheels) a ton to twentyfive hundredweights.
Its height, with the ** geering" on, feven or
eight feet (when empty!). The length of
the body fourteen or fifteen feet : from tug
to tail, twenty or upward ! — The height of
the fore wheels is four feet nine or ten inches ;
without any infection in the body of the
waggon to receive them ! No wonder it
fhould require near an acre of ground to
turn it on j and a horfe or two extraordinary
to draw it.

The gawkinefs of its conftrudlion origi-
nated, no doubt, in the depth of the roads, at
the time it received its prefent form : - a tall
waggon was drawn on its htWy feldomer than
a low one. But, now, when the roads are
rendered more paffable, a mor^ convenient
carriage ought to be adopted,

If any leading man would introduce the
West-country waggon, he might be
rendering his country an clTential fervice.
The fupenority of a waggon which, when
loaded with ^ full harvell: load, is not much

H 4 higher

104 I M P L n M E N T S.

higher than the prelcnt waggon of this
diftri(5t, when empty, could not tail of being
readily fcen *.

The old PLOW of thi^ diftria is fimilar
to that of Glocefterihire : a long heavy un-
wieldy implement : requiring rive or fix
horfes to work it. At prefent, the prevail-
ing plow is the modern plow of Yorklhire ;
from whence it has not been many years in-
troduced, into this didri<ft : even the f^eep
ridges of fome of the common fields are now
plowed, in ordinar}', with this light fliori
plow and three horfes.

But a ftill more modern invention is the
DOTBi E PLOW : an implement which took
its rife in this neighbourhood ; and which
has made the molt rapid progrcfs, toward
common ufe, that any implement of huf-
bandry, perhapj-, ever did.

Every circumftancc that Icffcns the cx-
pence of tillage, without lelTening its efficacy,
is of the iirfl confideration in hull)ai)dry.

In

* In this inland co\xniT)\ vAvtie fail cloths are not ealily
had, and where tilti are not yet in ufe, for farmers waggon?,
hatr cloths are common, ior covering body loads, or for
spreading, occafionally, along the middle of a top loa(i.
They come high, but are very durable.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. lO^

In Glocell:erfliiire, we have leen the ex-
ceiuve cofr of plowing, with an ill fpnned
plow, and with .live, fix, or feven hories to
this one plpw : a mode of tillage which, here-
tofore, has probably prevailed in moll parts
of tlie ifland.

In Norfolk, and in Yorkihire, we have
feen this folly done away, by a better con-
ftrLided plow, and two horfes, without a
driver. And, in the Mipland Counties,
we nnd the fame abfurd practice now under
eradication, by five, or perhaps only four
horfes drawing two plows, withaut a holder.

Double and even triple plows I have feeix
in ufe, many years ago, by a moil ingenious
hufbandman, Mr. Ducket of Surrey. Thefe
were formed with a crooked beaniy and kept
in an upright pofition, fo as not to require
a holder, by means of an upright fpindlc,
paiung through the end of the beam and the
bolder, 6cc. of a pair of common plow wheels :
fuch as are in ufe, for the Norfolk and the
turnwreA plows.

About twenty years ago, a farmer of this
neighbourhood fetched a double plow out of
Worcestershire :butthis,£^sMr.Ducket's,
did not **fiiift;" the bodies of the plows

being

ic6 I M P L E M E N T S.

being iixed, at Ibme certun diitance from
each other, without any means of regulation.

The "double shifting plow" appears,
evidently, to have been the invention (or
rather perhaps an improvement of the
Worcefterihire plow) of one Bush, a wheel-
wright of Hurley, in the north of Warwick-
ihire, about feventeen vears a^o.

Some fourteen or fifteen years ago, he aJ-
vertifcd it, and delivered printed dire(ftions
for ufing it ; but never had, I underiland, a
patent for it.

This Bush is flill (1786) the leading
maker; but double plows, of his ccnftruc-
tion, are now made, by all principal plow-
wrights ; and may be faid to be in tlie hands
of every farmer, in the diftrift, who has
ilrcngth enough to work one.

The great merit of the invention lies, in
introducing the ends of the two beams into
the axle, or what amounts to the axle, of the
wheels : thus giving, at once, firmnefs,
fleadinefs, and truth to the machine ; and, at
the fame time, admitting of eafy means of re-
gulating, at pleafure, the width of the furrows.

Its rapid progrefs into common ufe among
farmers of every clafs, who work horfes enow

to

MIDLAND COUNTIES. iq;

to draw one, is beft accounted for, perhaps,
in the circumftance of its meeting the ap-
probation of the " \\aggoners," who, to a
man, are p:\rtial to it ; becaufe it requires
their w/jo/e tcam^ and a long whip to drive it:
while they as uniformly diiaoprove of whip-
rein plows ; becaufe they break their team ;
and wreft part of their horfes from them ;
belide fubjedl them, as they conceive, to the
difgraceful taik of both holding and driving
their plow. And the fainers with good
reafon approve of it ; becaufe, in feme cafes,
five horfes and one man, with a double plow,
will do as much or nearlv as much work, as
fix horfes, two plows, two men, and two
boys, ufually do with fingle plows,

On flraight even ridges, and level ground,
the double plow makes very good work ; but
wherever the lands are crooked, or are wider
at one end than the other, or the ground lies
in hills and hollows, fuch work is frequently
made, as a good plowman would, and as
every farmer ought, to be afhamed of.

However, in level work, lohen the land is
wet (and liable to be poached by horfes
abreall), the double plow gains an advantage
over the two-horft plow. Neverthelefs, it

is

|q8 I M ? L E M £ N T S.

is allowed, by men in this diflrict, who xvork
both on a large Icale, that though the double
plow may, m fame cafcSy be uled with kipe-
rior advantage, two horfes abrcafl: arc, on the
whole, the moll; eligible plow team.

The lame principle of guiding by wheels,
without a holder, has been of late years ex-
tended to the fingle plow. I hnve obferved
one man and a boy driving and diie<^ling two
of thcfe plows. With three horfes, at lengthy
in each. The man going firil, and having
guided his own plow at the end, and entered
it fecurely, drove out the boy's team ; and,
having feen that fairly entered, llept forward
to his own- This method applied to t\vo
double plows (to which it is equally appli-
cable) is reducing the manudl labor of plow-
ing to the loweft degree : one man and a
boy to four plows : and, in a clean foil, in
good working order, with a level furface and
liong ftraight parallel lands^ good work may
in this way be made.

The HARROW, which requires to be
particularly noticed, here, is one of very large
^imcnfions (^s fix feet by five and a half, with
five bulls and twenty five tines) very heavy,
and with the tines very long an;l Arong, —

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 109

hung bshind a pair of wl^'els, — with fhafts,
iimilar to waggon fore wheels — and wlih a
** r mining bull:'

This, in tearing up to the farface, and ex-
pofing there, the huried clods cf a fallow,
after thofe on the furface have been reduced,
is an e?:cellent implement.

I do not mean to fpeak of a large fingle
harrow as being peculiar to this diftricl ; but
I have not elfewhere feen it drawn vvith'
WHEELS; which, bearing up the forepart,
renders it much more efrectual than \^hen it
has not this ilipport.

Kor havj I feen, in any other diiT-rif^, the
** R'.'NNTNG BULL j" zn admirable part,
whether of a finale or the double harrow. It
conllfts, in the cafe under notice, of a firing:
of iron, an inch or more in diameter, fixed
on a crofs bar, in the front of the harrow^
and reaching almoil, but not quite, from end
to end of the bar (the immediate corner of
a harrow being an improper point of draught),-
On this firing of iron, a ring, with a chaia
pafling to the wheels, plays freely from end
to end ; — confequentiyj whichever way the
team turns, whether to tJie ri .:i. or to the
left, the harrov,', by the point cf draught

being

iio I M P L E ^i E N T S.

being at liberty to (hift from fide to fide, is
not liable to be flrained nor overturned -, nor
is the hind horfe fubjedtedto any unnecefl'ary
exertion at the ends.

A more fimple, and equally effc(ftual,
method is to tenon the crofs piece, in front,
into tlie two outfide bulls, leaving the inner
bulls fhort, fo as to admit of a large iron ring,
to play upon the crofs piece, fr.ade round
^nd fmooth for that purpofe ; with an iron
pin a few inches from each end, to prevent
the ring from running up quite to the cor-
ners ; thereby giving, as has been faid, a
more eligible point of draught.

For inflances of large farms having each a
el/^cksmith's shop, fee min. 48.

6.

T HE \V E A T H E R.

Tim BAROMETER is here in good
eAeem. I have found it nowhere fo well
attended to, as in Yorklhire, and tliis dillridl:
and, what is obfervabie, in thefe diflridts a

general

MIDLAND COUNTIES. lit

general fpirit of enquiry and improvement is
iingalarly prevalent For want, however,
of paying due attention to other circumftances
of the atmofphere, than its . iioeighty difap-
pointment in the weather muft of courle fre-
quently occur, in both diftricfls *.

During my two years relidence in the
Midland District, I paid an almoft un-
remitted attention to this fubjed: ; efpecially
during the harvesting months of j'^/y,
Auguji, and September : in which I kept a

REGISTER OF THE WEATHER, OU ths plan

of that formerly kept in Surrey -f- j noting,
with fufficient accuracy, the sta je of the
ATMOSPHERE, with refpedl to its weight,
moijlure, heaty mot ion y and appearances -, with
the quantity of rain y or, more generally, the
STATE OF THE WEATHER, which refulted,
each day, from the prcfent and preceding
flate of the atmofphere i the on;y philofo-
phical bafis on which to found a foreknow-
ledge of the weather.

Befide thefe regifters. In fummef , I marked
the PROGRESS OF SPRING, and caught the

chara(fl:eri(lics

* See Yorkshire, Art. Wi ather.
f- See Experiments and Observations on Agri-
culture and the Weather.

\ii v: E A T H E R.

characteHOics of seasons ; fuch as, havlr:g
feldom occurred, require to be regiftcred*.

April 28, I7?4. The laii month as well
as the prelcnt have been fingularly cold and
peeviih: this far, it is the backwardefl fpring
I have known. The hazel did not begin to
blow, until the fecond week in March j
and continued to blow, until the middle of
April !

It feldom happens^ that there are not a few
genial days, in February or March, to bring
out fome of the earlier plants ; but, this ycdr,
even the coltsfoot and dwarf deadnettie did
not Scgw to blow before 6th April ! nor did
the groiherry foliate, until the 1 8th April!
and the hawthorn hedges are iliil as naked,
as they were at Chrifbmas.

Extraordinary' ! the fwallow, this year,
returned, and the groiherry foliated, the fame

day!

• 1796. Thofe Rcgifters of the Weather, being
elementary, rather than practical. 1 omit, in .his Edition :
retaining, hcv.cvcr, what rclaces to the Seasons ; as cU
as fome i raetical Remarxs 'n the Hygrometer ; and a
ftrilcing inftaiwre of the value of die BAiioMETER ; to-
gether with fome General bservatioks on the re-
fuit of the information gained, by two years attentive ex-
perience, in rhe difficu!: but ufcful art of foreshowing

THE V.'EATHER,

- MIDLAND COUNTIES. 113

day ! and notwithftanding the backwardnefs
of ipring, the cuckoo began to call the 26th
April : in a {harp frofly morning 1

How various are the circumftances attend-
ing the progrefs of fpring, in different years 1
in 1779, the grofberry foliated the 20th
February, and the fwallow did not appear
until the 8th May *.

PROGRESS OF SPRING I784-f-.

Hazel blowed, March-April !
Grolberry foliated, i8th April !
Swallow returned, i8th April !
Cuckoo began to call, 26th April.
Sallow blowed, 27th April !
Poplar in pride, 7th May.
Hawthorn foliated, 9th May.
Blackthorn blowed, 1 1 th May.
Fine-leaved elm foliated, 1 3th May.
Oak foliated, i8th May.
A{h foliated, 24th May.
Hawthorn blowed, 31ft May.
Wheat fhot into ear, 20th June.

Vol. I. I July

* See Norfolk, MiN'. 125.

f In this neighbourhood: an early fituation. See
Climature.

IJ4 W t A T H E R.

JuLv 9. The firftweek in May, fumnier
fet in ; fo that, this year, there was no pal-
pable progrefTion of Tpring : it might be laid
to be winter, one day, and iummer the next.
Vegetation broke forth, at once, with unufual
vigor. During the principal part of May,
and the firft three weeks of June, it was rapid,
perhaps, beyond example. But toward the
wane of the month, either through too much
moiflurc and coolnefs, or from the powers of
vernal vegetation having exhaullcd them-
felves, there was an evident check in vege-
tation, efpecially of grafs. About the firft of
July, the rains took up, and dry weather gave,
at length, a loofe to haymaking.

Aug us T 1 2. x'\n hygrometer, in the houfe,
is not, invariably, a guide to the moiflure of
the air, in the field.

Yeilerday, two hygrom.eters, in die houfe,
though expofed to a thorough air, flood at
7 to 8° moill i while hay fprcad upon the
ground, as wet as rain could make it, dried
fufficiently to be carried (by tiie Midland
farmers) about three o'clock in tlie after-
noon.

^ To prove the comparative dates of ab-
forbcncy of the air, withiii doors, and witliout,

I placed

xMlD LAND COUNTIES. 115

I placed one of the inftruments, in the open
air : it fell 5 or 6°, in about an hour ; whil^
that in the houfe remained unmoved.

In this cafe, the probable reafon of fo great
a difparity, was the local dampnefs of th^
fituation, in the houfe ; caufed by the un-»
ufual dampnefs of three or four days pre-
ceding J and which had not yet had time tp
efcape.

August 14. The firing of a hygrometer
fliould be gently ftretched, before the true
ilate of the moillure .of the atinofphere can
be afcertained by it : more efpecially after
the air has been remarkably moift, and is
growing drier.

Notwithftanding the air, to day, is as dry
as fun and wind can make it, and, to com-
mon appearances, as dry in the houfe as in
the field, the hygrometer, in the former, flood
at 3° moift.

Being impatient to fee the index fall, I
prefled it down gently with the finger, fome
two or three degrees ; and, to my furprize,
it flood there. I then forced it down flill
lower ; where it refifled the preflure, and,
on being fct free, rofe deliberately to fome-
what above par; where it flill remains.

I 2 Thi$

lib W E A T H E R.

This incident led me to another inllru-
ment, placed in the fun and wind ; and
whicli flood at 4* dry : but after forcing down
the index to the flretch, below the extreme
point, it refted, and now ftands, at almoll
extreme drynefs.

ExcefTive moifture, on being dr\'ed up,
leaves behind it a gumminefs (efpecially per-
haps in a linen fubllance) which the weight
of the index is not able to overcome. It is,
therefore, as necelfary to prefs down the
index of a cord hygrometer, as it is to tap
the cafe of the barometer.

August 15. The air is at length become
thoroughly dry, as well in the houfe, as in the
field.

One hygrometer, placed in the w/W and
Jiin (very warm ; 89* in the fun -, 77° in the
jhade) dropt to 8° dry. Rem.oved it into the
Jhadt'y but full, as before, in the wind, — it re-
inained flationarv, for fome time : but after-
wards funk i° ftill lower. Replaced it in ^he
fun: no perceptible variation took place.

A proof that the fun^ when the ivind is
abforbent, is of little ufe, in the drying of
vegetable fubflances *.

Another,

• Keverthelefs, in what is termed the weathering of

■'•flv, kc. the JuK may be moft ctTcclivc.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. ir;

' Another, which remained in the houfe,
fell equally low ! and, on returning the port-
able one to its place in the houfe, it did not
rife even a hair's breadth !

Proofs, that when the air is highly ab-
forbent, it has the property of drying quickly
and thoroughly, without either ivind ov Jim.

June 30. The laft winter and fpring
have been ftrongly marked j and the fum-
mer continues no lefs extraordinary The
froft, taken altogether, unufually long and
fevere j with but little fnow ; and this little
drank up by the fun, or dillipated by the dry-
nefs of the atmofphere ; a very fmall portion
of it penetrofpd the foil. Yet not one drop
of rain (ff. ne drizzling fhowers excepted)
from N<^vember until the latter end of May,
when the ground was moiilened nearly plow
deep. But, from that time to the prefent,
the weather has been uniformly dry, and
often excefijvely hot !

The early part of this fpring advanced
more flowly, even than that of the laft. For
although it made an effort about the 20th
of March, frofl and fnow returned the 2 2d,
{ind continued till the beginning of April.
The coltsfoot did not (hew itfelf, before the

I 3 5th

ii8 W E A T H E R.

5th of April ; nor the pucrz-orf dilclofe its
blolToms, till the 6th. And thofc of the
hazel were never confpicucus : it might be
faid to blow about the hrft of April. The
grofoerry d\6. net foliate till the i6th; before
which I faw iv/o J wallows neflin^ !

PROGRESS OF SPRING I7S5.

Hazel blowed, about the lii April.
Fieldfares fmging their parting fong, 6th

April*.
Sk/id martin (kirundo riparla) nelling,

13th April.
Swallows nefting, 14th April.
Grofberry foliated, i6th April !
SaJlow blowed (a pale lickly color) i6th

April.
Hawthorn foliated, 26th April.
Poplar in pride, 26th April.
Female wafps, 26th April.
Cuckoo — uncertain —
Blackthorn blowed, 5th May.
Oak fohated, 1 2th May !
AOi foliated, 24th May !
Hawthorn blowed, ill June !
Wheat /hot into car, 24th June.

The

* But though in full chorus, on thit driv, lScv did not
take .*l>ht, till feme tiine afteivvards.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 119

I,

The foliation of trees was, this fpring,
iingularly rapid. The ehn, the maple, the
fallow, &c. &c. and the oak ! were all in a
flate of foliation, at the fame time ! the 7th
May.

But the moft obfervable circumflance, in
the progrefs of vegetation, this fpring, — was
the early foUatkn of the oaky compared with
that of the /?/?', and the blowing of the haw-
thorn : the afh near a fortnight, and the haw-
thorn near three weeks, after the oak !

It is likewife remarkable, that the meadow
trefoil (the wild red clover) bio wed, this
fpring, with the meadow foxtail 2ir\A 'uernal !
beginning to blow the 12th of May: a(ftu-
ated, probably, by the fame law of nature as
the oak : both of them tap-rooted, deep-
ftriking plants : while the afli, the hawthorn,
the foxtail, and the vernal are merely fibrous,
and feed, comparatively, near the furface.
Hence, admitting the principle of vegetation
to be merely that of comparative rarefaOion,
thefe extraordinary circumftances may be
accounted for, in the different Hates of the
earth and the atmofphere, at the times thefe
circumilances took place,

\ 4 August

120 W E A T H E R.

August 7. On Wednefday lail, the 3d
of Augull:, ended the droughtof eighty-
five.

Prior to that day, partial thunder fliowers
had quenched particular ipots ; but no ge-
neral rain took place, in this part of the
ifland, till that day, — when an inch of rain,
at leaft, fell. This, with fome fhowers, be-
fore and fince, have moifLened the foil to
the bottom ; and fully fatisfied the farmers 5
who are now callin<x out for fair weather,
to get in their harveft.

A " DRY suMiMER" is a phenomenon to
the middleaged men of this country. Old
George Barwell * (feventytwo) fays no man,
who cannot recolle(5l forty years, knov/s
anything of '* dry fummers :" about forty or
iifty years ago, he fays, there were three or
four dry fummers, nearly fucceeding e^^ch
other ; and fpeaks of one, about twenty years
ar^o : adding, that he never knew a dr)* fum-
mcr, which was not preceded by a fevere
winter, and fucce.eded by great crops. He
foretold, with great confidence, early in the
fpring, the drynefs ofthisfummer : faying
that he did not remember an inftance, before

laft

» StC MlN'. 120.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 121

lafl: year, of a long froft without a clry fum-
mer to fucceed it *,

The fummer after the " nine weeks troft,'*
he fays, was dryer than this has been ; and
the crops of that fummer, particularly the
wheat, did much worfe, than they have done
this ; owing chiefly to its being more in-
jured by the froft. The price, the enfuing
winter, got up to nine fhillings a bufhel.
But the next year's crop was fo profufe, it
got down to half a crown I and continued
low, for feveral years afterwards ; the crops
being remarkably good : owing in part, he
thinks, to the froft j but ftill more to the
drought. He feems to confider the rays pf
the fun as a fpecies of manure 1

Be

* This year, 1789, is another exception. Laft winter
was remarkably dry (fee Glo, Econ.) with a very lon^^
froft ; and this fummer as remarkably wet. Not more
than three weeks or a month's harveft weather, for both
hay and corn. The early cut grafs, and the late cut corn,
were in a manner wafted. Summer floods were perhaps
never more mifchievous. In going down into Leicefter-
fliire, in July, I faw not only hay cocks, but waggons,
floating in the meadows. And in returning, in October,
by the way of Oxfordfliire and Berkftiire, the bean crop
almoft entirely, and much barley were ftill out. Ar^d by
authentic information, from Yorkfhire, the fame crops were
then in a fimilar ftatc, in November I when, on the lower
lands, little wheat had been fown j nor any profpedl of fovv-
ing it.

121 W i: A T H E R.

Be tj)is a> it may, his natural undenranaing
is renijrkablv Ttrcng, and his oblervations,
on raral mutters, generally clear, and fre-
quently juil.

To the DRV SUMMER OF EIGHTY-
FIVE I have paid Ibme attention ; and it
may be right to preferve fuch particulars,
refpei!^!ng'it, as are now frelh in mymuid.

It was PRLCEDCP bv a continuance of
froll without fnow ; a remarkably 6ry winter.

The ATTKKDANT CIRCUMSTANCES, be-

fide thofe of the weather wliich appear above,
were.

An cverabi: ndawce of t;i/eSfs: the oak and
the apple have been in a manner disibliated,
by a caterpillar (fee min. 150.) The turnep,
too, beiide the beetle and the tenthredo, has
been pcilcred, this year, by a new enemy —
an aphis (fee min. 61 and 84). But, what
is obfervable, the chafer (the common brown
beetle) fcarcely made its appearance, in this
dillria.

l\'geiati:72y in the early part of tiie fpring,
though the ground wa^ futliciently moill,
was in general weak ; ov>'ing principallv,
perhaps, to night frofl^ j and, in the later

part

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 123

part of ipring and in fummer, it has been
unable to exert itlelf; the fubterraneous
moifture being exhaufled, without being
replaced by 1 fupply from the atmofphere.

Pajlure grounds were, of courfe, bare, and
mcadoivs fhort. Neverthelefs, it is obfervable,
that

Cattle, were their pafture ever fo naked,
look'ed lleek and healthy. But, unlefs where
ground was underftocked, cows gave little
milk, and grazing cattle gathered little fat.

Even horfes were diflreifed for want of
water. See min. 58.

Sheep alone did well. In a moid: country,
dry weather is favorable to fheep. It ratfcs
them to their natural fituation.

Wheat y injured by the froft, got thin upon
the ground, in the fpring : in fome places,
it was fo bare as to be fcarcely worth pre-
ferving as a crop.

Spring corn, in general, came up partially.
Some, however, fown early and immediately
after the plow, came up well together, and
preferved a pretty good flrength of vege-
tation.

PAi/^/^//5«j',andfrefh-planted hedges, fared
extremely ill. The frofh continued late ;

and

124 W K A T H E R.

and were immediately preceded by dn^
parching winds. See mix. 148.

Fire's were never fo frequent : no lels than
two villages have fuirered alrrk'.ft total de-
ftrudlion, in the Midland Counties alone.

No thunder, until lalt month \ when it
became very frequent : otherwife, in much
probability, we (liould ftill have hud a con-
tinuance of drought. For, generally fpeak-
ing, we have had no rain which has not been
accompanied with thunder and lightning.

The barometer has been no certain guide
to the weather. Thunder, alone, fcemedto
prefidc in the atmofphcre.

Drinking pits were, of courfe, dry : many
fpri-figs the fame : and rivers, in confequence,
unufually low. Millers, perhaps, never ex-
perienced a greater want of water, than they
did, for fomc time, before the late rains
brought a fupply to their pools. Even the

Price of ivheat "^"SiS aifefted by the circum-
ftance : their mills being full, and their
purfes empty, the markets became crouded
with famples, and a fall in price was the
natural confequence.

A remarkable /?/// ifi the price of Uvejiock.
Jn the fpring, llock was unufually dear :

there

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 145

there was not nearly enough in the country,
to Tupply the cravings of the graziers :
owing, perhaps, not more to a real Icarcity,
than to a fucceflion of good grazing yearsy
The rage for flock did not abate, iintil the
middle of Mav, when lean cattle bei^an to
drop, and continued falling, in price, until
Tamworth fair, 26th July; where flora
cattle could not be fold, at any price. Even
pigs, which, four months ago, were worth
fifteen fliillings a head, might, a fortnight
ago, have been bought for ten. Horfes, too,
experienced an extraordinary fall. Sheep
alone kept up.

The CONSEQUENCES, fo far as tliey are
yet urTJ"olded, are —

Fallows appear to have received an extra-
ordinary degree of melioration. The turnep
fallow of No. 2. is in a ftate of tilth (friability,
mellownefs) in which I have not, I think,
feen plowed ground, before ; owing, perhaps,
not more to the drynefs of the fummer, than
to the frofl in winter, when it lay in ribs,
or narrow lingle-furrow trenches. The
rootweeds appear to be totally annihilated ;
and the feeds of weeds, unlocked by the
pulverization of the foil, and now fufficiently

moiflened

126 W E A T H E R.

moiftened by the late rains, are vegetating :
the furface is green with feminal weeds.

Fallows that have this fummer received
tolerably good management, will, it is highly
probable, communicate a degree of fertility
to the foil, for ibme years to come ; and it
is equally probable, that foils, not in a ilate
of fallow, will receive a fmiilar kind of im-
provement, from their texture being broken
by the froll:, and their crudities drawn out,
or corrected, to an unufaal depth, by the
fun. I fpeak more particularly of flrong and
middle foils. There is indeed an idea, which
is probably of ancient date, as it has grown
into a maxim, that " a dry fummer was never
bad for England*.**

A failure of the tumep crops : except a few
patches which were fo\s^n early, when the
fpring moi/lure was not yet exhaulled, and
when their enemies — from what caufe is a
myfter)' — perhaps for want of a fliower to
aliiil their exclufion — fultcred the plants to

ril'e

• The fummer of 17S6 I fpent in London, and cinnc:
(peak, from my own obfjrvation, of its crops. The fum-
mer of 1787 (hewed fucha ftrcngtb of vegetation zs I never
have, in any other fummer, obfcrved. Soe York.j.hir£ j
Se£t. Weather.

•MIDLAND COUNTIES. 127

rife without a check. But the middle and
the later ibwings have been cut off, wholly,
by the beetle and the aphis ; which would not
fuffer the caterpillars^ though numbers of
flies were among them, to partake of the
fpoil J the plants being commonly devoured
before the eggs of the tenthredo had time to
be matured. I found one nearly ready for
exclufion, and another half naked in its nidus;
part of which had been devoured by the ra-
pacious beetle.

A fcarcity of hay. Not one fourth of a
common crop ; including both meadov/s and
upper lands. See mix. ^().

An une-'oennefs in corn crops : occafioned by
the wheat being injured by the frofts ; and
the fpring corn rifing partially ; tlirough a
want of fufficient moifture, at the time of
fowing ; appearing, throughout fummer, in
two or perhaps three crop«.

A plwnpnefs of grain : efpecially of wheat,
and of oats that were fown early *.

A fcarcity
* Mr. BagEj of Elford, en uhofe accuracy I oiii rely,
mentions a remarkable circumdar.ce refpecifiing his wheat ;
which, this harveft, is fo full in the car, that while the ftravv
•vrxt yet underripe, the grain, aflifted by the late fhowers
and gleams, burft its bounds, ihewing iifelf to the eye, as
it ftbod upon the ftalk j and fhedding, in the act 0/ reaping^,
a quantity nearly equal to the feed ioww.

t%$ WEATHER.

A fcarcityof cheefe. Not more, perhaps,
than two thirds of the ordinary produce of
fi(!iors cheefe will go to market.

A fear city of fat cattle. It is probable,
that half of the " feeders," in the diftricft, are
not of more value, now, than they were
when turned to grafs ; and flill more pro-
bable, that not one in ten is what is termed
good beef. See min. 53.

Upon the whole, this dry fummer is likely
to produce, in the firft inftance, a "eery bad
year for farmers ; and all the confolation they
have, at prefent, is the hope of a fucceffion
of better crops, in future *.

August 30. Yefterday, in much pro-
babilit}', the barometer and hygrometer were
inftrumental in faving three times their coil.
I had fomc wheat to carry, and fome barley
. to mow. The wheat was in fine order, ex-
cept the immediate huts of the flieaves ;
which, being fet up when the ground was
moift, the bottoms remained damp ; and the
ftraggling ears, which happened to touch the
ground, were fome of them damaged. It
was therefore proper, that the (hucks fhould

be

* Great quantities of mujhroomsy and of xiafpsy were
other confequences of the dry fuinmer of Eightyfive.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 129

be laid open,-and the buts aired, before they
were carried; and my intentions were, to
have mown barley, in the early part of the
day, and to have carried wheat, in the after-
noon ; allowing the buts and the inner fides
of the iheaves all the forenoon fun and air to
dry them.

The three preceding days had been to-
lerable harveft weather, and the early part of
the morning was bright and fine : general
appearances, then, befpoke a fine day. But
the barometer i though high (3 i' heavy), was
finking : the hygrometer getting moift. The
preceding morning had been marked by a
white fro jl (the firfl this autumn), and the
canopy^ the two preceding days, had been fre-
quently fcattered with ftreamers. Th^fun,
too, began, as the day advanced, to lofe its
fplendor, and to be partially hid among the
clouds.

It was therefore deemed expedient to lofe
no time, in airing the (heaves 3 and to carry
them as faft as they were ready.

The laft load was barely in the barn, when
rain fct in : but, thanks to the barometer, on
which chiefly I re fled my judgement, the
wheat is fecured, and the barley is ftill {landing.

Vol. I. K General

130 W E A T H E R.

General Observations. On the
whole of this fummer's experience, I have
been kfs certain, than on that of the laft :
owing, principally, to the barometer refting
about par : the atmofphere, remaining in
equilibrium, was fufceptiblc of the flightcfl
alteration of moifture, wind, lightning, or
other impulfe.

Confidering, however, this circumftance,
as well as that of my feldom having an op-
portunity of feeing the weftern horizon,
during the fetting of the fun ; and with thefe,
the extreme wetnefs of the corn harvefl ; it
is not, perhaps, lefs remarkable that I fhould
have been caught, only oncey this fummer,
than that laft fummer I fhould efcape A\^ith-
out an accident.

At prefent, I am clearly of opinion, that,
by attending to the barometer and the
SETTING SUN, Only, the weather may be
foretold, frequently for three or four days,
generally for twentyfour hours (a length of
time efientially ferviceable to a farmer) with
a degree of certainty : provided the atmo-
fphere be not, in the mean time, agitated by
thunder and lightning; againft which there
appears to be, at prefent, no certain guard.

They

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 13!

They will fometimes foreiliow themfelves
for feveral hours, in the figure and color of
the clouds : but in general, perhaps, they are
not there to be forefeen : and the grand de-
lideratum, now wanted, is a tROGN^sTic
OF LIGHTNING ; as wcll as a practical tefl
of the prefence of the ele^lrical fluid, or the
principle of lightning : for it is more than
probable, that this has its influence on the
atmofphere, though it do not (how itfelf in
lightning, or ftili more forcibly declare itfelf
in thunder.

But fuppoflng that even thunder, the moff
certain harbinger of rain, cannot be fore-
known with any degree of certainty ; this,
confidering its comparative unfrequency,
Ought to be no difcouragement to the farmer.

The failor, though he cannot calculate
the longitude, ivith certainty, is neverthelefs
affiduous in making and regiftering his ob-
fervations.

To purfue the comparifon, a farmer without

a barometer, in haytime and harvest *,

K 2 is

* From general obfervation, as well as fnom the in-
cidents regiftered aforegoing, the weather appears to be
influenced, in feme degree at le;tft, by different caufes, in

different

132 WEATHER.

is a failor, at fea, without a quadrant. And,
in the ftri<ftnefs «f good management, it is
not Icfs requifite to the latter, in that fitu-
ation, to be attentive to his log-book, than
for the former, in thofe feafons, to pay due
attention to his regifter.

To the ftudent, at leaft, a register is
indifpenfibly requifite : it is not merely a
ftimulus to his attention, but, by preferring
\vhat no memory can retain, becomes an
authentic document of ftudy ; is a record of
reference to a combination of fadts : the
pureft fountain from which to draw pra(^ical
knowledge.

PLAN

different feafons ; and although it may not be wrong to
obferve thefe influences, in autumn, winter, and
SPRING ; yet I am clearly of opinion, that the fadh arifing
from fuch obfervations, ough: not, in drawing inferences,
to be mixed with thofe collefled in the summer months.
For other remarks on this fubjcct, fee Exp. and Ob*, on
Agriculture and the Weather.

>IIDLAND COUNTIES. 133

PLAN OF MANAGEMENT

O T

FARM S.

THE OBJECTS of the xMidland hufbandry
vary, in different quarters of the general
DISTRICT, as has been already intimated,
and as will more fully appear, in the courfe
of this volume.

In the DISTRICT of the station, the
four grand objecfts are mixed, in a fingular
manner :

Grain of almofl: every fpecies;
Breeding in all its branches j
Dairying on a large fcale; and
Grazing, both cattle and fheep *.

K 3 The

♦ And to thcfe might be added a fifth,— jobbing ;
which is not here, as in other diftri»5ls, confined to what
might be called profeflional dealers, but enters, more or
\efs, into xh^hufmck oi farmers; as will appear in MIN. 107.

134 MANAGLMENT OF FARMS.

The OUTLINES of management confift
in keeping the land in grafs and rcr«, alter-
nately, under a fmgular fyftem of pra(ftice \
and in applying the grafs to the breeding of
heifers for the dair)', to dairyings and to the
grazing of barren and aged eows ; with a
mixture of ewes and lambs for the butcher :
all together, a beautifully fimple fyftcm of
management ; and, being profecuted on
large farms, and by wealthy and fpirited
farmers, becomes a fmgularly interefting
fubje(5lof ftudv.

In giving a detail of the arable ma-
nagement, I {hall attend folely to the in-
closed TOWNSHIPS -y which, whedier the
inclofures be new or of an older date, are
cultivated under the fame courfe of manage-
ment.

The hufbandr}^ of common fields is the
fame, in many different parts of the illand ;
as if a general order or arret had, at fome
early period, gone forth for their regulation.
In Yoxkfhire, in Gloce/lerihire, and in the
Alidland Counties, one uniform practice pre-
vails: uniform, I mean, in the outline: in
the minutia differences are traceable ; and
as, in a few years, the common jield huf-

bandry

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 135

bandry of this ifland will probably be no
more, I have endeavoured to catch thefe
minutial diiterences intheMiDLAND Coun-
ties. For which lee mi n. 98.

COURSE OF HUSBANDRY. No cir-
cumflance, belonging to the provincial prac-
tice of this kingdom, has been, to me, a
matter of more furprize, than the succession
OF CROPS, in the prevailing pradice of this
diflria.

The GENERAL PRINCIPLE of manage-
ment is that upon which every middlefoiled
diftricft ought to form its pra^Sice : namely,

that of CHANGING THE PRODUCE, from

grafs to arable crops, and from grain to
Jierbage.

But whether the minutiae of practice,
eflablifhed in the diflvi*^ under furvey, be
eligible, in every other middlefoiled diftrid,
I mean not here to fay. I will endeavour to
give a faithful regiller of the praiflice, ^nd
leave the reader to adopt the whole, or fuch
part of it, as may be found eligible in his
own iituation.

In the prevailing practice of thediftrid, —
a practice whofe origin I have not been able
to trace, having been prevalent in the inclofed

K 4 town-

136 MANAGEMENT OF FARMS.

townships, I underftand, time immemorial,-^
the courfe of management is this :

The land having lain, fix or feven years, in
a flate of sward, provincially " turf," it
is broken up, by afmgle plowing, for oats;
the oat ftubble plowed, two or three times,
for WHEAT ; and the wheat ftubble winter-
fallowed, for BARLEY and grass seeds;
letting the land lie, during another period of
fix or feven years, in herbage ; and then
breaking it up again, for the fame fingular

SUCCESSION of arable CROPS.

There are men, however, who objed: to
this pra<flice; arguing, that the foil cannot be
kept fufficiently clean, under this courfe of
management ; and, on the lighter lands, on
the foreft fide of the diftrid:, it is become
prevalent to clean the foil, for barley and
grafs feeds, by a turnep fallow: a prac-
tice which has fpread itfelf, more or lefs,
over the whole diftridl. But the turnep crop,
as will be /hewn under the headTuRNEPS,
is lofmg ground, on the ftronger foils ; on
which, nine acres of ten are kept, regularly,
under the fuccefiion of

Turf,

Oats,

Wheat.

.MIDLAND COUNTIES. 137

Wheat,

Barley,

Turf,
zs the lands of Norfolk are, under the Norfoll^
fyflem of management,

References to Minutes.

, For converfation, and refledions, on the
arMe management of this diftrid, fee M i n . 1 9.

For a caution to the occupiers of extra^
parochial farms J 33.

For general refledions on the bufmefs of
farming, dj^

For an inflance of unpardonable manage-
ment, 76.

For obfervations on neatnefs and minutial
management, 78.

For an inflance of the ufe of experhnents
to farmers, 89.

For reflexions on jobbings 107.

For an inflance of the folly oi fpeculatiu<r
inhufbandry, 114,

J50ILS

13? SOILS AND THFIR ^TAXAGEMEN T,

8.

SOILS

AND THEIR

MANAGEMENT.

THE SPECIES OF SOILS have already
been mentioned, in defcribing the diftricft at
large. The prevailing fpecies is a deep
SANDY LOAM j Varying, however, in ftrength
and produdlivenefs : but, taken throughout,
few diflridis can equal the diftri^l of the
prefent flation, in uniformity of foil 3 the
variations in produ(ftiveneIs being frequently
occafioned by

The SUBSOIL, which, though likewife
remarkably uniform, is not altogether fo,
Beds of fand, and thin feams of gmvel, arc
found in different parts of it ; and a red clay ^
provincially •* marl," in others -, but the pre-
vailing fubfoil is a sandy loam, or brick
earth ; varying, like the foil, fomewhat ii>
flrenirth.

Tbia

o

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 13^

This variation of fubfoil is a natural caufe
pf variation, in the produ^tivenefs of the foil:
water, imbibed \fy the abforbent ftrata, and
checked in its courfe by the retentive, is pent
up, and forced toward the furface -, rendering
the foil cold and ungenial.

Neverthelefs, UNDERDRAINING—
found its way, late, into this diftridl. Its
firll appearance in it was upon t/jt's eflate,
about thirty years ago ; when fome men from
^he Morelands pf StafFordlhire, into which,
it is probable, the art had travelled out of
Lancaihire, brought it into this country.

Its ejiablijhment^ here, was probably owing
to a mere circumftance. A farmer in the
neighbourhood, ftruck with this novel prac-
tice, prevailed upon one oi his laborers,
who was a clever fellow at a ditch, to go
and fee thefe ** foreigners" at work. He
went ; caught their art and their tcols in his
eye ; brought them both away with him ;
got tools made ; commenced ** fougher ;" and
lliill remains the moft experienced of the
dillrid: : though, from him, fevcral others
have taken up, and long followed, the bu-
finefs ; fo that, in the courfe of a few years,
moft of the principal farms have been **gone

over:"

140 SOILS AND THEIR MANAGEMENT.

pver :*' that is, have received the benefits of
this cardinal improvement.

Thus genius and judgement, when happily
joined, are valuable, even in a ditch. Old
Samuel, who is furnamed Clever dyche,
and from whom I have thefe particulars, is,
in truth, a genius of the iiril call. See
MIN. ic6.

It is obfervable, however, that, previous to
the introduction of the prefent art, a fpecies
of underdraining had been pracftifed in this
dillriclj^withTHREE ALDER POLES; which
have frequently been found, not by old Samuel
only, but by other experienced foughers,
buried in very wet boggy patches, one upon
two, in the triangular manner; forming a
kind of pipe in the center.

Bvit it does not appear, by the fituations in
"vrhich thefe poles are found, that the modern
art of ** killing fprings," as it is termed, was
known to the more ancient foughers,

Tlie MATERIAL of foughing, made ufe of
by the Morelanders, w^s wood: and old
Samuel continued to drain with this material,
for many years. But finding, that, in the
courfe of twelve or fourteen years, the fprings
t)roke out again, he has not, for many years,

ufeci

MIDLAND COUNTIES. i^i

ufed wood ; except in very difficult cufes ;
and, there, not alone. He reckons twelve at
fourteen yea.TS to be the longed: duration of
wood drains ; let them be ever fo well made.

The ufes of wood were, therefore, fuper-
fededby /ione ; pebbles; provincially "bowU
ders;" picked olf the arable land ; thealmoft
only ftone the country affords ; and better
ftones for the purpofe need not be defired.
With thefe ftones, the principal part of the
effedive drains, now in the country, have
been done. The method of forming thefe
drains will appear in min. io6.

Sod or ** turf " drains, likewife, have been
introduced, into this diftridl^ but thro a
different channel ; and in a manner which
ought not to be paffed unnoticed ; as it fliews
what may be expedled, from the experience
and example of the fuperior clafs of profef-
iional hufbandmen, affifted by the fpirited
encouragement of landed gentlemen.

Some twenty years ago, Mr. William
More of Thorpe, in this neighbourhood,
having obferved, in a diflant diftrjd:, this
method of draining, mentioned it to his
landlord, the late Mr. Inge of Litchfield
(whofe chara(3:er, as a landlord, and as a

magiflrate,

l42 SOILS AND THEIR MANAGEMENT.

magiftrate, was an ornament to his country)i
and intimated his define to make a trial of iti
The reply was, — " Send for a man, and I
will fet him to work ; and if you think it
will anfwer, you may then employ him ; if
not, I will allow you his expences." A man
W'as fent for^ and the foil being found prcjper
for this mode of draining, he was employed
fome length of time ; the tenant paying his
wages ; the landlord, the expences of his
journey.

From Thorpe this method of underdrain-
Ing travelled into Leicefterfhire ; where Mr.
Paget, a fuperior manager of the higheft
clafs of yeomanry, made himfelf mafter of
the art, taught it to his laborers, pradifed it
on an extenfive fcale, upon his own eftate,
and has fent young men^ of his inllru(fling,
into various diilri<fls, as turt-draincrs : even
//3/j neighbourhood has, now, its turf-draining
done, by men from that quarter.

How fortunate for rural affairs, when
fuperior talents are afiilled by fcience and felf-
prad:ice. What may not be cxpe<5led from
profefliond men of this defcription.

The outline of the method of forming
turf-drains, here, is this: The upper part of

the

MIDLAND COUNTIES. I4J

the trench is opened, with a common fpade,
nine to twelve inches wide, at the bottom,
and to a depth fuitable to the given fituation;
leaving it with a fmooth, even bottom : in
the middle of which a narrow channel is
funk witli a draining tool *, and cleared
with a fcoop, to a depth proportioned to the
firmnefs of the fubflratum, in which it is
made ; leaving a fair even ** fhoulder" on
either fide. On thefe fhoulders, the firft fpit
or fod is laid, with the grafsfide downward,
and, being trodden down, firm and clofe, the
trench is filled up with the excavated mold.

If the fubfoil be too tender to bear the turf,
or of too loofe and crumbly a texture to ftand
firmly, fo as not to ''run in," the wide trench
is funk down to the required depth, and
flioulders formed with fods, cut fquare, and
fet firmly, on each fide of the bottom of the
trench ; leaving a channel, three or four
inches wide, between them ; and laying the
inverted fod upon thefe artificial flioulders.

The expence, in either cafe, is about a penny
a yard ; which, being the uMe expence, is
very low.

Neverthelefs,

* See Norfolk, min. 2.

144 SOILS AND THEIR MANAGEMEI^f .

Neverthelefs, the duration of fod drains^
if the fubftrata be fufficiently firm, appears
to be much longer than thofe of wood, and,
perhaps, equal, in fome fituations, to thofe
of ftone.

Mr. More fhowed me fome, which had
been made upward? of twenty years, and which
appeared to be quite perfecCt, ading, in wet
weather, as well, now, as they did the firf};
year*. On cutting through fome of thefe
old drains, and examining them carefully, he
found the fod had united with the mold of
the fubfoil, into one firm mafs ; forming a
regular arch; the pipe, fo far from being
warped up, or even fouled, was wider than
when it was made. Polecats and other ver-
min burrow in thefe drains: — this, reafon
fuggefls, would, in making their inner cham-
bers, be liable to clofe the pipe. Moles are,
in theory, ftill more formidable enemies. But
reafon and theory cannot fet afide fadts.

Mr. Paget, likewife, having occafion to
make fome additional drains, in a ground
which had been pipe-drained, fome ten or

twelve

• I had an opportunrty, after a heavy fall of rain, to ob-
fcrve their operation. One of rfiem, in particuUr, aifordei
a full and impetuous, yet diar ftxeam.

iUDLAND COUNTlEl 145

twelve years, found, in cutting acrofs the old
draias, that thejr were in a fiate of high pre-
fervation.

FALLOWING; The prevailing fallow
of this di{iri(fl is the pin-fallow, for barley
(fee the article Barley); the summer
FALLOW is rarely attempted ; and the tur-
NEP FALLOW, as hjs been intimated, is con-
fined, at prefent^ to the pradtice of a few
individuals.

If fallowing can be difpenfed With > ill any
cafe, it may be under the management oT
this diliri^, where only three arable crops
are taken, before the land be laid down again
to grafs. But, even under this management^
much of the land is foul and unprodu^ive,
through the want of proper tillage*

And it is a fact, which ought not to be
concealed, that one of the firft managers in
the diil:ri<ft is averfe to the pin-fallow prac-
tice. His argument is flrong. " See what
a piewe of feeds (raygrafs and the clovers)
after a torcep fallow will do. It will require
a cow and perhaps five or fix fheep, an acre>
to keep it down; efpecially in the fpring,
when grafs is valuable. But look into a
piece of ten or twelve acres of turf, after
Voj.. L L I'lN-

r46 SOILS AND THEIR MANAGEMENT.

PIN FALLOW, and you won't fee, perhaprs,
more than five or fix cows and a few draggling
iheep in it : with feme parts eaten as bare as
a common, and others fcarcely touched."

References to Minutes.

For an inftance of prad^ice infummcrfal"
loii'ing, fee MI N. 1 8.

For a propofed improvement of the pin^
fallow y fee M I N . 19.

For the probable caufe of high ridge s^ fee
MiN. 21.

For an inflance of practice in furf ace drain^
ingy 32.

For inllance of pra(flke in under draining^
fee 106.

MANURES

MIDLAND COUNTIES* I4jp

6.

MANURES

AND THEIR

MANAGEMENT*

THE SPECIES OF MANURE made ufe
of, here, are dung, lime, and what is called
"MARL V*

DUNG is become, in this neighbourhood,
an extravagant fpecies of manure. I have
found it nowhere elfe fo highly valued. Half
a guinea a load is not an uncommon price.
The load, however, is large : that of a wag-
gon, with five horfes. Neverthelefs, the
price is a flrong evidence of the flrength
L 2 and

* The CORES OF HORNS, crufhed in a mill, have been
ufed, in this diftriit; but with what fuccefs I have not
Jearnt. As an animal procli:£tionj there can be little doubt
of their efficacy : the only obje^ion to them lies in the dif-
ftculty of reducing them.

245 M A N C R F. ?. '

and fpirlt of the farmers of this diilricVi
The garden grounds of Tamworth may,how^
ever, be. In fome mcafure, tlie caufe of this
extreme dearnefs.

In the MANAGEMENT OF DUNG, OnC

clrcumilance, chiefly, requires to be parti-
cularized : the method oi fprcading it on the
land.

In the ordinary practice of the kingdom,
dung is iet upon the land, in hillocks, and
fpread, afterward, by a man {landing on the
ground. But, here, the prevailing cuftom
is to fpread it out of the carriage, as it is
brought into the field \ by a man or men,
{landing on the carriage.

Fortheminutiiofthis pra<5lice, fee MIS. 1 2.

For farther obfcrvations on it, fee min. i8.

LIME is, here, in high ei^imation, among
•farmers in general; though fome few indi-
viduals objed^ to it.

In the ordinary pra^ice of the diflricl, a-
fallow is fcldom made without being drelTed
with lime ; under an idea that it " mellows"
the foil and makes it '* work well," while in
lillagc ; and " Iwectens," improves the qaa-
iity of the herbage, when laid down to grafs»

Unfor-

, MIDLAND COUNTIES. 145

Unfortunately, however, for the jii^i<^ of
the ftation, no calcareous fubftance h^LS ye-t
been difcovered within it, to fupply it with
lime, in quantity a? a rnanure * ; for which
purpofe it is fetched, into this neigh bourhgod^
eighteen or twenty miles, ,_•%

There are two sorts of lime, in ufe ; thf
one burnt from a ftone of peculiar hardaefs,
the other from more common liincftones ;
the firft is of fmgular ftrengtli, as a m^r^ure ^
^he latter of a more common quality. The
one, I believe, is peculiar to fome hillocks
in Derbyfl:iire, on the northern ikirts of the
Charnwood hills j the other is common t€j
^hat quarter and to the weft of Staffordlhire \
the former is called Bre^don lime, the latter
^icknalior Wiiljd lime, from the names of
the places, in or near which they are prin-
cipally burnt,

The nature of the Breedon; i;>!E is a fit
fubjed; of enquiry.

A general defcription of it will appear in
|kiiN. 2. and an experiment ma:de with it, in

L 3 MIN,

* Limefton^ is foond on tiic h^nks of the Anker, ia t?ie
neighbourhood of Tamworth \ and by a proper (earch, might
perhaps ke found in fuificicnt (quantity to be proiitably
burnt into limca

lid' MANURE S.

jiiN.ioo. All that require to be given, in
this place, are a defcription, and the analyfis,
6f the flone.

The prevailing variety, that of which the
lime may be faid to be made, is of this de-
fcription : The color — of the furfaces
formed by the natural feams or fifliires, is red,
or ftrong flefhcolor, — of that of old frag-
ments, a lighter flefhcolor, — of frefhbroken
fragments, a flill lighter blufh. The con^
texture is uniform ; breaking vi^ith rough fur-
faces ; extremely hard, and clofe, refifting
acids in an extraordinary manner : the mu-
riatic acid {landing fome time on its furface,
before it take effed ! and, when pounded, it
di/Tolves flowly and quietly, Neverthelefs,
under the hammer, it flies as the St. Vincent
flone. See Glocestershire *.

One hundred grains contain only three
grains of indiffoluble matter,— a red, brick-
dufllike powder, with a few ruftlike frag-
ments. Neverthelefs, the tindiure of galls
produces no fenfible effecfl on the folution : an

alkaline

* It is a noticeable circumftance, however, that not-
withftanding the refemblance between thefe two foflils, the
LIME from one is white as fnow, from the other (now
ur.dcr notice) the colo.- of wood ajhei.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 151

alkaline folution throws down a purely white,
calcareous matter.

Another fpecimen of a flill higher red — a
diredl ruft color — and which is fufpe<5ted to
be a fpecies of iron flone, proves, under
analyfis, to be of the fame quality as the
main rock ; except that it contains a greater
proportion of indiflbluble fragments.

Hence, it is more than probable, the idea,
that Breedon lime contains fomething of a
chalybeate quality, is void of foundation : an
idea, however, which deters fome fenfible
men from ufing it.

The MANAGEMENT OF LIME, in this

diftridt, is entitled to fingular praife. In the
common pradice of the diftridl, the load
heaps are generally watered, as they are
thrown down from the waggon ; and always
turned over, to complete the falling more
effedlually. See Yorkshire, Art. liming.

For an inftance of this pradlice, fee mi N. 3.

Another judicious pra(iticc, in the manage-
ment of lime, is equally entitled to notice.
If a quantity of lime be fetched, in autumn,
or the early part of winter, to be ufed in the
fpring, when team labor ic more valuable,
it is thrown up into a regular roofl.ikQ heap

L 4 or

»5» M A N U I^ r S.

or mound, and tbaicki as a flack : a fmall
trench being cut round the fkirts, to receive
rain water, with an outlet to convey it away.
By this admirable precaution, the furface of
the heap, perhaps to a confiderable depth,
is prevented from being run to a mortarlikc
conlilleace, by the fnows and mins of winter,
and thereby rendered in a manner ufelcf^ as
p:ianure. See Yorkshire, as above.

MARL, The red earth which has been
fet upon the bnds of this d^ri(fl, in great
{ibuiKlancc, as ** marl," — is much of it in a
manner deflitute of calcareous matter ; and,
of courfe, cannot, with propriety, be clailed
among makls.

Neverthelefs, a red folTil is found, in fome
parts of the dillricft, which contains a pro-
portion of calcareous matter.

The marl oi Croxall (in part, of z,
ftonelike, or flatey contexture, and of a
light red color) is the richeil in calcareofity ;
one hundred grains of it altord thirty grains
of calcareous matter ; and feventy grains of
tine, impalpable, redbarklike powder*.

And

• This marl is fingulirly tenacious of its calcareous
vnatter } dilToIving remarkably flowlj. One hundred

grains.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 153

And a marl of El ford (In color and con-
texture various, but refembling thofe of the
Croxall marl) aifords near tiventy grains :

Yet the marl of Barton, on the oppofite
fide of the Trent — though fomewhat of a
iimilar contexture, but of a darker more
diifky color — is in a manner d^ftitute of caU
careoiity ! one hundred grains of it yielding
little more than one grain — ?iat tii-o grains of
calcareous inatter. Neverthelefs, the pit,
from which I took the fpecimen analyzed,
^s an imrnenfe excavation, put of which
piany thoufand loads have been taken.

And the marls of this neighbourhood
(which moftly differ in appearance from
thofe defcribed, having generally that of a
hloodred clay, interlayered, and fome times
intermingled, with a white gritty fubliance)
are equally poor in calcareofity.

One hundred grains of the marl of St at-
fpLD (which I believe may be taken as a

fair

grams, roughly pounded, was twentyfour hours in difTolving;
arid another hundred, though pulverized to mere duft, con-
tinued to effervefce twelve hours j notwithftanding it was
firft faturated with water, and afterward {hook repeatedly
The Breedon ftorx, roughly pounded, diflblved iji half tliC
time ; potwilhlhuiding us extreme hardnefs.

r54 MANURE S.

fair fpccimcn of the riid clays of thi? quarter
of the diftricl) afford little more than iira
grains of calcareous matter *. Vet this is
faid to be *' famous marl ;" and, from the
pits which now appear, has been laid on in
great abundance,

I do not mean to intimate, that thefe clajs
are altogether dellitute of fertilizing proper-
ties, on their frit application. It is not likely
^hat tlie large pits which abound, in almoft
rvery part of the dillrict, and which muft
}iave been formed at a ver)' great expence,
ihould have been dug, without their contents
being produiftive of fpme evidently, or at
leaft apparently, good ciFect, on the lands
pa which they have been fpread.

I cpnfefs, however, that this is but con-
jecture ; and it may be, that the good e5e<3
of the marls, firfl defcribed, being expe-
rienced, xhQ fafiion was fet ; and, the difUn-
guilliing quality being ujiknown, or not at-
tended to, marls and clays were indifcrinii-
nately ufed.

The mofl intcrefting fa<fl that can be
brought home, refpeding theife clay pits is,

that

• Lo^rJ, not m the fubftanct of the clajj but ia k>
li*tU7Al criicks or fiiTuirs.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 155

tliat they were made, chiefly, by the laft
generation ; and that the prefent generation
are experiencing, or believing that they ex-
perience, an evil effedl ariiing from their pro-
duce : the fertilizing quality of which (if it
ever exifted) being now fpent, the dead clay
remains a clog to the native foil ; rendering
it tenacious, and difficult to work.

This is at leaft the opinion of intelligent
profelHonal men j and the idea, I believe, is
founded in facft. Lime is found to do away
this evil eife(ft ; and this may account for the
fpirit of liming, in the prefent generation.

On the fouthern banks of the Anker, Is
found acREYMARLi refembling, in general
appearance, the marl of Norfolk, or rather
the fullersearth of Surrev, In contexture, it
is loofe and friable.

This earth is fmgularly prodigal of its cal-
careofity. The acid being dropped on its
furface, it flies into bubbles as the Norfolk
marl. This circumftance, added to that of a
ftriking improvement which I v/as fhown as
being effedled by this earth (fee min. 89.)
led me to imagine, that it was of a quality
Ijmilar to the marls of Norfolk.

?ut.

iSJb MANURE 5'.

But, from the refults of two cxperimenis-«i
one of them made with granules formed by
tlic weathrr, and colleded on the fite of im-
provcnicnt, tlte other with a fpecimen taken
from the pit — it appears that one hundred
grains of this earth contaiin no more than
•Jix grains of calcareous matter ! the refiduum
a creamcQlprecl laponaceous clay, with a
imall proportion of coarfe fand,

Hence^ it is evident, that the acid applied
fuperficially, as a test, is no guide ii>hatevcr
to the ir^trinfic quality of calcareous fub-
i^ances. The marl of Mall End appears, by
the acid of J^a fait, ufcd as a test, to be of
tenfold flrength to that of Croxall ; but, by
the lame acid, ufcd as a menstruum, the
latter proves to he of fivetimes the Arength
of the former ; while the Breedon flone,
which appears to b^ noncalcareous to the
acid, as a test, proves, on analysis, to bei
almoft purely calcareous *.

Refe^

♦ This by way of caution, to tlipfe wlio may have oc-
cafion to fearch for calciireoi;s fubftanccs. The Brecdgn
^one by merely touching its natural furface, in the ufual
>vay, withtlic acid, niight be pafTed as non -calcareous. \x.
is obfcrvablc, houcvTf, that if the furface be (craped, fo as
to lodfcn foiue of the particles into, a powder, it iiiflamlj*
yieldc to tlif acidv

MiDLAKD COUNTIES. 157

References to MiNuxaSi

For an account of* the Breedon llmty Cce
M1N.2.

For an inilance of practice in the manage*
merit of limey 3*

For the method q{ Jpredding dmg out of
carts, 12.

For an experirftmt With duUg, on fallow, for
barley, 18.

For obfef vatiOns Oil fpfeading dung (jut of
carts, 18.

For an incident oi plowing in turnept^ as a
manure, 34,

For an iftftance of dung being Uo dry to
digeft, 45.

For an inftance oinjuatefing a dung heap, 47,

For the practice, and the pric<?, of mixing
manures y &c. 50.

For refledions oa groiti?ig cqitatic manure ^

52.

For another inftancc of 'watering dung, 57.

For an inflance of colle(fting compaji, 86.

For an account of the marl of North War-
\vickfhlre, 8^.

For an inftance of growing turneps, on a
foil heap t 95,

For

15« SEMINATION.

For experiment with limey for barley, lOO.

For further obfervations on Breedon Ume^
103.

For inilances of lime ufcd as a topdrejjin^^
108.

For the effeft of aquatic manure, on tur*
neps, fee min. hi.

10.
SEMINATION.

IN THE SEED PROCESS of this diftrid,
though there is nothing particularly cen-
furable, there is little to praife. Broadcast
may be faid to be the univerfal mode of
60WING : though, of late years, drilling,
a procefs new to this quarter of the kingdom,
has been tried, by a few individuals. With
refped to PLANTING or setting, by hand,
1 met with only one inftance, and that with
beans.

In finally adjusting the furface after
fowing, the Midland farmers are entitled to
commendation. Barley lands are clotted,

with

MitJLAND COllNTl£S. ij^

with clotting beetles -, which, on ftrong land,
are perhaps much preferable to a roller : and
oat lands are ** turfed:'' — -that is, the fods
which have been torn ofF the plits by the
harrows, and lie on the furface, probably
with their grafs fides upward, and of courfe
in a ftate of vegetation, are thrown, by hand,
or with forks, into hollows, with the grafs
fide inverted : thus tending to neatnefs,
cleannefs, and the relief of the infant crop j
while the expence is inconfiderable *.

References to Minutes.

For an inftance of ;/;/V^ hoarding upy^^^, 26.

For an evidence of the propriety of /owing
the whole furrow, the day it is plowed, 40,

For obfervations on fowing by the trees, 82,

For further obfervations on xhQ fame fub-
jed:, 90.

For opinions on the change of feed, 9 1 ,

THE

* By obfervatlon, in my own pra£lice, eleven acres took
ten womcns' days works, or about fixpence an acre.

k6o Management or growing crops.

It.

THE MANAGEMENT OF
GROWING CROPS.

THE VEGETATING PROCESS of the
Midland District, confiib, merely, in
HANDWEEDING ; the ufe of the HOE being
in a manner unknown to farm laborers, and
never attempted by theil- wives or children
(fee Glocestershire). Turneps are the
only crop which is hoed; and thefe are gene-
rally hoed by gardeners, or by men who
make a trade and myflery of it. See the
art. Turneps.

The arable weeds moil noxious, in this
diftricft, are the following. They are diviiible
into three clafTes, agreeably to the flates of
aration, in which they are, refpe(ftively, moit
confpicuous ; as tliofe of

Fallow, Corn, New ley.

Fallow

MIDLAND COUNTIES. l6i

Fallow Weeds.

Provincial. Linnean. Englijh,

Twitch, — tritkiim repens, — couchgrafs.

Black twitch, — -fejiuca durwfculay — hard fei-
cue.

Running twitch, — agrofiis alba, — creeping
bentgrafs.

Common thi^We y—ferratida arvenjist — com-
mon thiftle.

Boar thiftle, — carduus lanceolatusy — fpear
thiftle.

Docks, — rumcx crifpus *, — curlea dock.

Corn Weeds.

Rough cadlock, — Jlnapis arvenjis -f, — wild

muftard.
Smooth tadlock, — brajjica ndpus, — wild rape.

Vol. i. V M Fat-hen,

* In this country, an Inftance of practice occurred to
me, which is well entitled to a place in this regift^r : that
of employing a woman to follow the plow, efpecially in
FALLOWING, to piclc up the roots of weedg, expofedin the
furrow; more particularly thofe of the dock. When root
weeds are abundant, the pradlice is evidently eligible : the
expence is no objei^, and the benefit, in fome cafes, may be
almoft invaluable. Major Bowles of Elmhurft, near
Litchfield, is entitled to the credit of this thought.

f With a few plants of the wild radish, raphafiu^
raphaniftruTS.

i62 MANAGEMENT Of GROW IN'G CROPS.
ProvinciaL Linnean, Engli/h.

Fat-hen, or wild fpinage, — chcnopodium viride,

redjolnted goolefoot.
Dead nettle, or wild hemp, — galeoffis tetrahtt^
wild hemp.

carduus lanceolatusy — ipear thiflle.
Jerratula arvcnjisf — common thiflle.
carduus palujlrisy — marfli thiflle.
rumex cn/puSy — curled dock.
Dog fennel, — anthcmis cotula^ — maitheweed,
or ftlnkino; camomile.

, matrkar'ia chamomlUa, — common corn

camomile.
Sow thiftle, — fonchus oieraceusy — -common

fowthiille.
Hard iron, — ranunculus aTcenfis, — corn crow-
foot.
Laplove, — conviihulus arrjenfisy-^corn con-
volvulus.

, polygonum convohulus, — climbing

buck weed.
Corn mint, — mentha arvenjisy — corn mint.

carduus crifpus^ — curled fhiftle.
Tare, — er'-cum hirJutum,—XwoittdQ{X tare.

, ietrafpermum, — fourfeeded tare.

■ HaLrou gh , — galium aparine, — cleavers .

Willow

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 163

Provincial. Linnean. EngUJh»

Willow Weed) — polygonum pennfyhanicumy—^

pale perficaria.
Coole tanfey, — potentilla anferina^ -*-lilver-
weed.

tujjilago farfardi — -coltsfoot.
Nettles, — urtica dioica, — common nettle.
Poppy, — papaver dubium^ — longfmooth-

headed poppy.
'QQ\^%^—chryfanth. fegetum^—coxvi marigold.
Cockle, — agrojlcmma g2f^ago, -Cockle.
Mellilot,-^/r^//ww mellilotus officinalis, — mel-

lilot.
Groundfil,— y^;z(?a(? •uzr/^^m,— :>roundfil.

thlafpi burfa paji, — -fhepherds purfe.
Beggars netdle y—Jcandix pe^en^venerisy-^-—"

fhepherds needle.
Chicken weed, — aljine media, — chick weed.
euphrafia odontites, — red eyebrighi.
thlafpi arvenfis,— common mithridate.
fcabiofa arvenjis *, — corn fcabious.

M 2 Clover

• This inveterate enemy of arable crops is not commonL
to the diftridl^. Sutton Ambion, the bloody fcene on
W'hich the brunt of the battle of bosworth fjeld wi?
probably fought, is the only fpot on which I have foupd itj
and, there, it is fingukrly prevalent. The wheat crop, in
1785, wns in a manner deftroyed by this weed, encouraged
in its mifchiefs by the drynefs of the feafon.

i64 MANAGEMENT OF GROWING CR0P3.
Clover Weeds.

Llnnean. Englijh.

fili2go gcrmanicd, — common cudweed.

cerajlium vu/gafuw, -^common moule'-'
ear.

geranium dijfetfiim, — lagged cranesbill.

carduus lanceolatusy — fpear thiftle.

rumex crifpusy — curled dock.
fonchus oleraceusy — common Ibwthlflle.
firratula arvenfis *, — common thirtle.

References to Minutes.

For an inilance of the mifchievoufnefs of
black tivitchf fee M i n . 59.

Forobfervationson the couchy foftgrafs, 'jy.

For an inilance of the fhameful predomi-
nancy o{ thijiles znd docks, 76.

For an iiiftance oi weeding a \\\it'k^jlubhlc,']'j.

HARVEST

* I met with an inflance, iil this diftriJl, and in the
pra£licc of die hrfl' manager in it, of the common corn
THISTLE being drawn out of new leys, v. ith a do(?king
iron, fuch as docks are ufually drawn with ; zvA although
this operation is not found to be a radical cure, the firft
drawing, yet it weakens the roots very much; and, by
continuing the practice a few years, is (aid to extirpate the
plants.-- This I mention by way of hint to thofe who wifh
to afcertain, on their own particular foils gad fuuations, the
moft_ eligible way of overcoming this mofl formidable
enemy.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 165

12,

HARVEST MANAGEMENT.

THE CORN HARVEST of this diftrld,
(although it cannot be called, emphatically,
a corn country^ is not got in without fome
foreign ailiftance. The wheat is much of it
cut by itinerants, who are termed " peakrils"
and ** low country men :" namely, men, and
fome women, from the Peak of Derbyfhire,
and the Morelands of StafFordfhire.

The ordinary HARVEST laborers, of the
diftri(ft, are not hired for the harveji month,
as in Surrey, 6cc., nor for the harveji , be it
fliort or long, as in Norfolk ; but work by
the day, as at other feafons of the year ; and
for the fame ivages ; a (lulling a day y but with
the addition of full boards fo long as the har-
veft lafts : and, in addition to this, each la-
borer who has been conftantly employed
through the fummer, has a right, by cuftom,
M 3 to

i6$ HARVEST MANAGEMENT.

to the Ciirn'age of a load of coals y in autumn.
It is alfo a pretty common cuftom, for farmers
to let their conflant laborer's have their bread
corn, fomewhat below the market price •,
more efpecially when cQrn is dear.

The HOURS OF WORK, too, like the wages,
are the fame, in harveft, as in lefs bufy feafons j
and the fame flow pace is too generally ob-
ferved. No coming at four in the morning ;
no trotting with ernpty waggons ; nor any
perfpnal exertion, whatever, betokening
harveft j faving fuch as are fliinulated with
ale as ilrong as brandy.

The method of harvesting sheaf
CORN, whether 'wheat or oats, is, in this
diilrict, above mediocrity. In part; it Js new
to me: reaping being generally done, by
the " THREAVE :" feldom, by the acre.

A threave is twentyfour flicaves; eac^
Iheaf mcafuiing a yard round, in the banding
place i the llring crolTing the band in mea-
furing. A better fized flieaf, for feafons and
crops in general, could not, perhaps^ well be
fixed upon (fee Gloces tershire, Sc(ft.
Wheat).

The only difficulty, in reaping by the
;hreave, lies in not being able to get the

fheaves

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 167

/heaves made up to the ftandard. The de-
viation, however, is on the right fide : where-
-as, in reaping by the acre, it will always be
on the wrong. For, in that cafe, it is the
intereft of the reapers to make large fheaves;
having thereby fewer bands and lefs binding.
On the contrary, in reaping by the threave,
it is their interefl to make fmall fheaves.

Another conveniency arifes from reaping
by the threave : any number of hands may
fce fcattered over a piece of cora, as cir-
cumftances may require, without the extra-
ordinary trouble of meafuring the land, in
this cafe. Each man fticks to his ** throo,"
whether it confifls of one or more lands,
and fets up his own flieaves, in one row of
(hucks, of twelve ilieaves each : fo that the
trouble of afcertaining the number of threaves
is inconfiderable.

The pricCf for ivheaty is fourpence a
threave, with beer ; provided the crop be
tolerably gcod : if very thin, fivepence or
fixpence is fometimes given : or fuch thin
wheat is fometimes reaped, by the acre ; at
about fix or feven Hiillings, an acre. For
oatSf threepence is the common price.

M 4 In

i^i HARVEST MANAGEMENT.

In CARRYING Hieaf corn, the buts are laid
outward, all round, as in Surrey and Norfolk;
forming the load, not into a long fquare, but
into a fi^ufe betx^een that and an oval j
binding it acrofs, in three or four places.

The methodof HARVESTING loose corn,
whether oats or barley, is reducecf, here, tp
the loweft degree of iimplicity.

In Yorkshire, barley and oats are mown,
vrtvardy againft the {landing corn^ and har-
vefled in £heaf.

In Surrey, and in fonie parts of Kent, tliey
are in own, cut war ti, with a cradle, laying
them fo flraight and neatly, they might be
bound ^fter the fithe ; but are harvefted loofe.
In cocking them, t-he Sputh-cpnntry farmers
make uf(? oi corn forks-, laying the ears all
one wiy j preierying the fame neatnefs and
regularity, even to the flack ; the outfide
courfe of which is laid with unbroken pitches,
with the bats outward, having thereby a
fecurit)^ nearly equal, to that of llieaf corn.

In Norfolk, they are mown, out-jL'arJj with
poiis, fixed to the heels of the lithes ; which,
however, ^o not lay them fo neatly a>
cradles ; but ilill the heads, if the crop iland

anyway

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 169

anyway fair, lie one way, and the tails the
pthcr. There, too, the corn fork is ufed.

Here, they, are mown, outward, W\t\\nakecl
fithes! and cocked, or rather rolled into
rough bundles, with common hay forks I and
this, generally, two or three days before they
be carried ! ! a crop of clover, a crop of
barley, a crop of peas, a crop of oats, and ^
crop 6i beans and vetches, being harvefted
yery much in the fame manner.

Mowing barley and oats, with naked iithes,
and pulling them about, with hay forks,
l^ave, to -^ ftranger, a (lovenly and waftefuj
appearance. But with refpedt to cocking
loofe corn, before the day of carrying, fome-
thing, perhaps, may be offered in its favor.

It is true, that, in other diHridls, it is con-
fidered as very bad management, to leave
even a few cocks remaining, uncarried, only
pne night ; under an idea that, if loofe corn
once ^^X. wet, in cpcks, it is difficult to get it
dry again, without a great wafte of labor and
porn. Neverthele fs, experience fliows, that
even a very heavy Ihower has not that evil
effect, in the practice of this country.

An incident, which, fell within my own
experience, convinced me of the facft : I had,

through

170 HARVEST MANAGEMENT.

throiio-h neo-led:, a few oats in cock left out
all night. Next day, much rain fell ; but
the Aicceeding day proving fine, they were
got into very good order, again, in this man-
ner. The tops were firfl: dried, by raifing
thcni up, light and porous, with the tines of
a fork. ', fo as to let the fun and air into them ;
and, when the tops were dry, the bundles
were turned over, to air the bottoms.

In this manner, and without greater trouble,
corn cocks are generally dried ; though fome-
lin^es it will happen that they require to be
pulled to pieces : in which cafe, there is, of
courfe, confiderahle wafle.

The Midland farmers have one very good
plea, for harvefting oafs in this manner. For,
by cocking them a few days before carrying,
the labor and walle ofturnin? is faved: be-
fides, by being cocked, while a portion of
the fap remains in them, they are not fo
liable to be llied in cocking, as when they
arc dirturbed in a dry parcjied ftate.

Tliis pradice, probably, took its rife ia
open common fields. Formerly, much of
the diftridt lay in that ftate ; the foil being
raifed into high rooflike ridges. The furrows
an4 ikh'ts of the lands lay, of courfe, pro-

portionably

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 171

portionably low ; and the corn being thereby
frequently deprived of the benefit of the
wind, at leaft, it was fpund, by experience,
jnoft eligible to gather the corn into heaps,
and place them upon the tops of the ridges.
.And this is the prefent practice of ** fiel4
farmers." In a few days after cutting, the
whole crop may be feen Aanding in pitch-
cocks, placed in clofe order, lik^ llrings of
beads ftretched along the ridges.

But notwithftanding this pradlice may be
eligible, where corn is mown with the naked
iithe, and roUe4 up into rough porous bundles,
it does not follow that it iliould be univerfally
adopted. Were a Kcntifliman to leave his
unruffled clofe piles expofed, even to one
heavy fhower, he would find foine difficulty
in getting them thoroughly dry, again, with-
out fpreading them abroad.

An evil attendant, of the Midland method
of harvefling loofe corn, is the increafe of
bulk, which corn harvefled in this way ac-
quires, comparatively with the fame quantity
of corn, harvefted in the Kentifh manner.
More barnroom is of courfe wanted, and a
greater number of loads are to be carried.
Pour loads, an acre, is no uncommon crop :

five

172 HARVEST MAVAGEMENT.

five loads are talked of, and arc-.fomctinies
carried. But the method of load'mg^ and that
gf baniingy both of them tend to increafe
this evil.

The method of carrying loofc corn,
here, differs from that of other diftridts, in
having only one loader to t'-ivo pitchers ; and
in loading, not with the arms^ but with a
fark ; the loader (landing in the centre of the
load, and piling the corn loofe and light
around liim. Thus the entire procefs tends
to encreafe the number of loads.

And the method of housing is not calcu-
lated to do away the inconvenicncy. I never
met with an inllance, in this diftridl, of a
horfe., or any other anmal^ being ufed on ^
mow.

Ricking, however, remedies the evil ^
and in this diftricft, where barnroom is more
contradled than in fome other, loofe corn is
pretty generally put into ricks.

In the method of ricking loofe corny nothing
io noticeable ; excepting the lafl fini/li. Tq
endeavour to fecure the ftems from the pil-
laging of fparrows, and other fmall birds,
they arc, generally, either " tucked" or
•' pared ;" that ia^, cither the loofc ears, ex-.

pofed

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 173

poled on the outlide, as many unavoidably
are, in the method of harveftine above de-
Icribed, are doubled back, and thruft into
the ftem ; or the entire ftem is ihaved with
a lithe, laid longway in the handle, or fome
other fimilar inflrument : in a few inftances,
I have feen the Hems thatched, as the
roofs.

On ricking fi'caf corny a few particulars
may be mentioned. Though built on a fquare
frame, the flem, provincially tJie " wall,"
is not carried up fquare, as in Surrey and
Norfolk j nor round, as in Gloceflerlhire ;
but in a form between the two y the corners
of ricks being rounded off, as thofe of loads.

Large ricks being fafliionable, anditbeins:
cuftomary, in carrying up the flems, to hind
with ,the ears, inftead of the buts of the
flieaves, they are of courfe liable ^ojlip. This
has taught the Midland rickers an admirable
expedient, — when any fyraptom of flippino^, in
carrying up the flem, is perceived, — to pre-
vent the mifchief ; namely, that of laying
long gr €671 boughs acrofs the part affed:ed : an
excellent thought.

In fetting on the roofoi a flieaf-corn rick,
the Midland rickers are above par : laying

• the

174. HARVEST MANAGEMEK'T.

the lail: courfe of the ftem lb as to proje<fl i
few inches, and form a kind of cornice for
the eaves of the thatch to reil upon, and to
carry the drip clear of the ftem . The middle
is then filled in, full, and round ; fo that the
buts of the outfide flieaves hang downward.

1 his, though not peculiar to the diftri(fl:>
is a rule which ought always to be obferved^
in forming a roof: for, in this cafe, if rain
fhould happen to penetrate through the
thatch, there is little fear of its doing, even
the roof of the rick, much iniury : cver^
ftraw becoming a condii(ftor, to lead it to the
furface.

Another commendable pra(flicc, in form-
ing the rogf of a flieaf corn rick, and which
i? new to me, is that of carrying it up with-
out a pitching hoie, A man llicks his heels
into the roof, and (lands with great eafe and
lafetv. This might well be copied by other
diftri<fls : pitc hi!ig holes are dangerous ; unlefs
care be ufed in making them up, and in
thatching them, fecurely. For, if water enter,
in thi^ part, it finds its way direftly into the
center of the rick.

The method oi fc curing corn ricks ; in a
catching fcafon, previoully to their being

thatched^

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 175

thatched, is Ijkewife entitled to notice. It
is effe(5led with '* battins" — fmall truUcs of
ftraw — which are afterward ufed as thatch,
A row being laid clofe, and pegged Jecurdj
along the eaves, with their buts downward,
others are laid (firmly but without pegs), a,s
tiles or flates are laid on a roof, with. their
lieads downward'; fpreading the ears (with-
out untying the bands) fo as to prevent the
rain water from fmking through, between
thofe which lie below : continuing, thus, till
the ridge be reached.

Having plenty of thefe battins, in corn
harveft, ready at hand, to cover a rick with,
in catching weather, is deemed a great conve-
niency. A rick of eighteen or twenty loads,
may be fecured, in a few hours : or, with
plenty of hands, in half an hour*

The method of thatching ricks is al fo pe-
culiar, in this diflri(5t, and requires to be men-
tioned. Inftead of thruftiiig the ears of the
flraw into the roof, and. fpreading the buts,
outwardly, as a fecurity; the ftraw,in thatch-
ing, is laid on, as the battins, with the ears
downward, and of courfe outward (excepting
the iirft courfe at the eaves), and' is fecured

in

i'jS HARVEST MAXAGEMENT.

in its place, by pegs and hay ropes *; paflin^
horizontzlly from end to end of the roof;
at the dillance of twelve or foiJrteen inches
from each other -f .

References to Minutes.

For obfervations on.fiucii^2g fheaf corn, i o.
For remarks on rcapifighy the threave, j ^,
For reflc(!?tions on gL' a ning, 80.

FARM-

* Sometime thatch iff bound witlnjz/Vr /zf/g-f, whrcS
are much more lafting than hay bands (that are only
annuaif)y in a fimple ingenious manner. The fmall end
is formed into an eye, like that of a withy, and the other
end run into the roof, as a: peg, fhrc the e}'e of the pro-
ceeding twig.

f An inconveniency attends this m^ihod of thatching.
A rick cannot Se thatched, with propriety, until the roof
has done fettling. For, if it fettle, after it is thatched, the
ftraw is raifed into puckers between the bands, and" the^
water, of courfe, is let iii.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 177

13-

FARMYARD MANAGEMENT.

ON THE BARN MANAGEMENT of

this dilliricft, little requires to be faid. The
fouthem method of THRASHING, and the SAIL
F A N, are in univerfal pra(!]tice. 1 have, however,
met with fome two or three machine f ans ;
and thefe, in the practice of the very firft
managers of the dillridl : neverthelefs, even
the fuperior clafs of farmers, in general, itill
remain in the old duUrv path.

Chaf CUTTING, as it is pretty generally
termed, but here provincially ^^Jlrawcuttingy"
is in great ufe. Not, however, the ordinary
practice of cutting hay and Jiraw into what
is, in molt places, C2\\tA ch.if or cutchaf, but,
here, more properly " cut. me at 3" but by
reducing oats, in jiraiSi into this fpecies of
fodder ; which is given, not to horfes only,
but to cattle ; elpecially fatting cattle. It

Vol. I. N is

i;8 FARMYARD MANAGEMENT.

is thought to give, not only fatnefs, but a
linenefs of fkin, to all forts of flock.

The CHAFBox made ufe of, here, is of
a peculiar conftrudtion. It unites, in fon?.e
meafure, the old fingle-hand machine, and
the modern one, with a wheel of blades*
This, in ufe here, has a long upright knife \
but feeds itfelf : by which means the cutter
has both hands at liberty, for the knife. It
is made at or near Birmingham, and is fold
at molt of the market to\\Tis of the diftrid:.
It is, lK)wever, fomewhat complex ; and
fitter for a man who makes a bufinefs of
** ilraw cutting," than for a farmer's fervant.

The price of cutting is three farthings a
heaped bufhel ; but it is cut extraordinarily
fine.

The STRAWYARD MANAGEMENT, here,
falls between the northern and the fouthern
pra<fVices : rsici are pretty generally botifedy
in the llieds that have been defcribed : but
yotmg ftock flill remain in open yards ; and
fome are kept out, in the Jidd^ a principal-
part of winter.

MARKET^.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. x;^

*4-

Markets.

THE PRINCIPAL MARKETS of the
immediate district of the station, are
Tamivartb, Lichfield , Burton (on Trent),
AJhby (De la Zouch), Atherfioriy Bofwortb,

The firfl three arc good markets ; the lafl
is almoft in difufe ', though lituated in the
Center of a fertile diftri(lt j a charming plot
of countr>\ But there is no ma.iufadorv,
no navigation, nor any great road, within
feveral miles of it ; its own road very bad ;
tv^ith Afhby and Atherllon on either fide of
it; and Leicester within reach.

But the metropolitan market of the diil:ri<fl
is Birmingham, with the manufacCluring
towns of its neighbourhood. The produce
of this diftrid, whether of liveftock or grain,
may be faid to center, eventually, in Bir-
mingham ; which bears a fimilar relation

N 2 to

i«0 MARKETS.

to the market towns of the country round \ii
as London does to thofe in its neighbour-
hood *.

The more fouthern parts of Leicester-
shire and Warwickshire, Northamp-
tonshire, &c. are influenced by the grand
vortex. The fat cattle and flieep of thefc
diftridts go chiefly to Smithfield.

It may be right, in this place, to notice a
difpute, which arofe, during my refidence
in the diflridl, between the townfpeople of
Tamworth and the huckfters of Birmingham :
the difpute arifmg to a degree of riot : the
townfpeople driving the huckfters out of the
market.

This is an interefting fubjeft. Markets
are, or ought' to be, adapted to the mutual
benefit of the producers, and the confumers;
at large ; but more particularly to tliofe of
the given town, and its neighbourhoods
Mere market towns have no hucklters to

fupply

* Lately, a weekly market has been eftablifhcd at
RoTHERHAM, In Yorkftiirc, to which fat flock is driven,
fiotn the northern parts of Leicestershire, Sec. The
buyers, at this market, arc the butchers, not of the manu-
fa(5luring towns of Yorklhirc only, but of Lancafhirc. ^

MIDLAND COUNTIES. jS^

fupply them. Tliey depend entirely upon
the marketday, for their fupply : and if, in
times- of fcarcity, dealers, from large towns,
repair to a country market, they may, in a
few minutes, clear the market ; and leave
the townfpeople deflitute of a week's pro-
vifions.

On the other hand, if dealers be wholly
precluded, even from buying up the furplus
of a country market, the market itfelf, and
of courfe the tbwnijieople, eventually, will
be injured. The producemvill, in prudence,
endeavour to find out a market, where he
can fell his produce, on a certainty ; without
running the rifque of having it to bring
home, or of felling it, at an under price, to
the monopolizers of the town. The market
of courfe becopies badly feryed, and the
ware, in confequence, inferior and dear.

The markets of Lichfield and Walfal (with
many others in the kingdom) are, therefore,
wifely regulated. They open, at eleven o'clock ;
but no HUCKSTER is permitted to buy, until
twelve: fo that the townspeople have an
hour to fupply their wants. By this judicious
regulation, the markets are eventually ferved ;
and this, without injuring the town, in the

N 3 firft

i8i MARKETS.

iirft Inftincf, by rendering its inhabitants
liable to an uncertain fupply.

For remarks on Birmingham cattle market,
fee >iARKETs for fat cattle, in this
Volume.

References to Minutes.

For a defcription of Belton fair, i.
For a defcription of Fazeley fair, 13.
For a defcription of Tarn worth fair, 1 5.
For remarks on the delivery of corn, 3 1 .
For a defcription of Afhbyflallicn (how, 37,

^5-

W II E A T.

I. THE SPECIES prevalent, here, is the
** RED LAMMAS;" the Ordinary red wheat
of the kingdom.

Of late years, the "Essex dun," — fimilar
to the Kentifk ivhite cojk of Norfolk, and
the Hcrtfordjhire brcwn of Yorkshire , — has
been making its way iivto this diflri(ft.

Thofc

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 183

TJiofe who have given it a fair trial, Hke
it, on account of its giving a great produce :
but the millers are not yet reconciled to it ;
though they give no fufficient reafon for
their dillike. But fo it was in Norfolk, on
its firil introduction, there: fee Norfolk,

Secft. WHEAT.

Formerly, cone wheat was grown, in
this diftridl ; but it is, at prefent, out of ufe.

Spring wheat i^triticujn o'jihiwi J is here
cultivated, and with fingular fuccefs ; owing
principally to the time cffo^jing : the wane oi
April !

This proves, that it is a fpecies, widely
dilHnd, in its nature, from the winter wheats.

In the pradiice of a fupericr manager ^'' it
was difcovered, that, by fowing early, as the
beginning of March, the grain was liable to
be flirivclkd, and the flraw to be blighted ;
while that fown, late, as the middle or latter
cr.d of April, or even the beginning of May,
produced clean plump corn ! effedis diredly
cppofite to thofe of winter wheat.

However, it appears to be atprefent (1789)
growing into difrepute : the quality of the
grain is found to he lefs valuable, than that

N 4 pf

♦ Mr, PAGEToflbilock.

x84 WHEAT.

of Lammas wheat. Nevcrthelel's, in lome
fituations, and under fome circiimftances, I
am clearly of opinion, it may be highly eli-
gible : more efpecially in a turncp country.
It appears to me to be well entitled to the
attention of the farmers of Norfolk.

II. SUCCESSION. In the ordinary
pra(flice of the countr}' , wheat fuccceds oats /
Ferhap?, nine tenths of tlie wheat, grown in
this diilriift, is what is termed" brufh wheat:*'
is fown, on cat ftuhblc, provincially ** oat
brufli;" with a fmall proportion of** barley
hruJJ.\" A fad: which a ftranger, ridinor
through the diftridt, and feeing the fine crops
of wheat which it produces, would not readily
credit.

I met with a few inflances of wheat beinjj
fown, on turfy of fix or feven years leying i
and with feveral, on clover ley, once plowed :
alfo with fome, of wheat after turneps *. But
the beft crops which this, or almofl: any other
diflrid: produces, are {own a.{tcr fummerJa//oii\
The practice, however, is confined principally
to one leading man; — Mr. Princep of

Croxall.

Nevqr-
* Weftward of the Tame — the foil a light fandy loam, —
it is the prevailing praclice to fow wheat after turneps, fed
•S" widifheep in autumn,

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 185

Neverthelefs, viewing the diftridl gene-
rally, the univerlal matrix of wheat may bjc
faid to be oat stubble; of which, only,
I ihall fpeak.

III. TILLAGE. The foil procefs varies,
in the praOice of different individuals. Some
plow, o?icey length way, as the old turf was
plowed for oats. Others plow, oncey acrofs,
cutting the plits of the old turf at right angle-;
afterwards, gathering a bout, that is, laying
two plits back to back, in each interfurrow;
to drain more effecflually the wide ridges, in
which the lands of the dillrid: are chiefly laid .
Others break the ground (provincially "work
their bruflies" — ) by /li^o plowings ; the firfl:
acrofs, the laft lengthway : andlbmefewby
three plowings ; lengthway, acrofs, length-
way.

The firft is a filthy-looking, flovenly prac-
tice ; though a common one. The fecond,
with the fame labor, is infinitely preferable i
and, in a wet autumn, may be more eligible,
than breaking the ground, by a greater num-
ber of plowings. When thefeafon and other
circumrtances will permit, the lall is^ nc^
4oubt, to be preferred.

IV, MA~

iS6 W H E A T.

IV. MANURE. The manure procefs
like wife varies. If the turf has been recently
manured, previous to the oat crop, or the
foil othenvjlc in good heart, the wheat is
frequently fawn, without manure. When
manure is ufcd, pung, provincially *'muck,"
is the prevailing fpecjes. If the ground be
only once plovtd, the muck is generally
laid upon the Hubble, and plowed under, with
the one plowing. If the ground be broken,
it is corr,mcn to lay it on the crofs plowing,
and plow i^ under with the feed plowing.

One circumftance, in the manure procefs
for wheat, Requires to be noticed. It is corn-
men, tliough not univerf^l, to fct the muck
upon the land, in a raw long ftrawy ftate ^
carrying it, immediately, from the yard to
the iield^ without having been previoufly
turned up and digeftcd. This is probablv a
dreg of the common field husbandry ; ir^
which the yard muclc was, perhaps judicioufly,
left unmoved ; with the intent that its
ftrawinefs might prevent the too fallowy
mold of- land, fummcvfallowed every third
year, from being ri^n together, by heavy
rains (fee min. 21). But, in pinfallowed m-
clofjrcG, the twitch alone i^, too frequently

more

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 187

more than adequate to this intention -, and
to throw additional incumbrances in the way
of the harrow is certainly reprehenfible.

V. SEMINATION. The time of
SOWING is October. Little is fown, before
jiew Michaelmas : and, if the feafon be fa-
vorable, little after the clofe of 0(5tober.

Preparing the seed is not univerfally
attended to. Much feed is fown, without
preparation; which, I underftand, is of mo-
dern date, as a pratflice, in this dif{:ri(5t. The
preparation, in the beft eilecm, is the com-
pion one of fwimming, in brine, and candy-
ing, with lime.

The mode of sowing, broadcafl, and
generally above furrow; the foil being fel-
flom got fine enough, to plow in the feed.

The QjjANTiTY OF SEED, pretty univcF-
fally, three bu/hels, an acre ; without much
Regard to the time of fowing.

VI. The GROWING CROP— is ge-
nerally HANDWEEDED : noHoiNG of wheat,
in this diilricl. For opinions on eating wheat,
with iheep, and on harrowing wheat, in the
fpring, fee min. 113.

VIL The HARVESTING of wheat has
l)een defcribed. For obfervations on glean-
ing.

i88 W H E A T.

ING, and REAPING BY WOMEN, fee MIN,
80 and on SHUCKING, 10. and 81.

VJII. YARD MANAGEMENT. The
long ftravv is bound in finall truflbs, — pro-
viycially " battins ," with the heads and the
buts feparate -, for thatch -, and- for httcr fcp
inns, &:c.

IX. MARKETS. The millers of the
furrounding country ; who grind it for Bir-
mingham, and the other manufacturing
towns.

X. The PRODUCE is very high. The
par produce is full three quarters, an
acre, nine-gallon meafure. Four and even
five quarters, an acre, are produced : efpe-
cially of the E/fcx dun variety : and particu-
larly in the praQice of Mr. Princep ; who
has grown five quarters, all round y ou
his extenfive farm; and, in the year 1784,
grew, on ffty acres together y fortyfive
bushels an acre !

References to Minutes.
For an inftanc^ of fovving oats^ over a thhi
crop of wheat, fee min. 5.

For experiments and obfervations, on the
cffc<^ yf berbery pu whe^Ui 7 *

For

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 1S9

For an incident on/muly 8.
For oblervations onjhucking wheat, 10.
For an incident on foiling the whole fur-
row of a clover ley^ 40.

For remarks on the nature oi blights ^ 6^,
For an inliance of blight y 74.
For remarks on reapijig by the threave, ']i^
For an inftance of wfc^/Z/Tg- wheat /iubbh,yj.
For remarks on gleanings So,

16.

BARLEY.

THE SPECIES OF BARLEY in cultU
vation, here, are

HoRDEU yi ^ijIicho?i i longeared bar-
ley.

HORDEUM ZCOCritOn ; SPRAT BARLEY.

The latter is the old ftock of the country ;
the former being of late introdu(5lion ; of
not more, I underfland, than about fiftv years
ftanding. The fprat is deerped more hardy,
and requires to be fown, more early ; the

long-

l9# BARLEY.

longear to be the better yielder. The fprat
is thought (by maltfters) to make the bell
keeping beer ; the longear to be " freer" —
to operate quicker — both in the malthoufc
and the cellar.

The longear is not unfrequently procured
from Kent, under the name of Thanet
BARLEY; vvhich, at prefent, is in the firft
cftimation.

SUCCESSION* In the ordinary practice
of the diilridt, barley fucceeds wheat.
XVhere turneps are grown, it fucceeds that
crop.

It is obfervable, however, that on the
flrong lands of this diflricft, the crop, after
turneps, is lefs productive, and much lefs
certairiy than it is after wheat *. But the
fame circumftance is obferved in Norfolk,
where the foil is much lighter. See Nor-
JroLK, Secftion barley.

Barley is likewife fown, and of late year?

not unfrequently, on turf j and with good

fuccefs -f*.

tlL^

♦ On the lighter lands, on the fKiits of the Foreft, it is
tiid to anfwcr pcrfcdlly well after turneps. See min. 92.

f Oi^e fupcrior manager has fown barley on turf, for
taore than twenty years j getting extraoidinary crops from
this prailicc.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 191

TILLAGE. After WHEAT, the foil is
U'inter- tallowed, provincially ** pin-fal-
lowed *," by three plowings : the fir ft,
length way, in November, &c. ; the fecond,
acrofs, in March, &c. ; the lafl, the feed
plowing, Icngthway. Between the two laft
plowings, the foil is harrowed, and the tvv'itch
ihook cut with forks, and left, loofe and
light, on the furface, to die ; being feldom,
in common pradice at leaft, either burnt or
carried off. If the weathsr prove dry and
parching> this may be an eafy way of checking
the foulnefs.

After turneps, the foil has generally
three plowings : for the turneps being molilv^
folded off with flieep, the foil, naturally ct a
clofe texture, is thought to receive a degree
of compa<!^nefs, ill faitedto the fibrils of thi?
delicate plant, until it be broken, and ren-
dered porous, bytillLige.

SOWING. The time of sov/ing, if
the 'tveather will permit, is the two lalt weeks
in April, and the firfl in May : the Midland
farmers going entirely bythe almanack, —
if they can ; not by the se Asox.

The

* Pin fallow. The origin of this term I have not
learnt: it appears to be fynorivnioas with winter fal-
low, or BARLEY FALLOW.

1^2 B A R L E Y.

The QjiANTiTY OF SETD — two bu'bels
and a half, to three bulhcls, an acre -, and, in
the practice of fome nif n, fo much as four
bulhels 1

The METHOD of sowing is broadcaf^;'
nioilly above ; but fometinics, if the land
be got very fine, the i'eed is plowed under.

Adjusting. It the harrow leave any
clods, unreduced, on the furface, they are
broken with the clotting beetle, by women,
Sic. ', and if any twitch be pulled up, in har-
rowing, it is fliook.out loofe, with forks, and
left on the furface, to wither. Both of them
eligible operations — where they are wanteds

The WEEDING,

The HARVESTING, and

The YARD MANAGEMENT of barley ap-
pear, aforegoing, under thefe general heads.

MARKETS. The Burton breweries;
and the MANUFACTURING TOWNS; whcrc
incredible quainities of malt are confumed.

PRODUCE — extraordinarily large. Sn^en
quarters, an acre, is no unufual crop : eig/jt
quarters have been grown. One fuperior
manager frequently grows lix cr feven quar-
ters, round. Four to four and a Z'^Z/'quarters,
an acre, maybe taken as the par produce.

Refe-

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 193

References to Minutes.

For an experiment with b?-rlcy, on clover
Ay, lee min. <).

For an incident on plo'wing in feeil barley, 4 1 .

For inftances of barley badly harvef.ed, 83.

For obfervations on the timeoffowi?jg, 90,

For inftances of barley mifcarrying, cftcr
turneps, 92.

For inftance of froft ripening barley, 93 .

For remarks on my own pra<ftice, 102.

For inftances of the bad quality of barley,
fee MIN. 1 17.

For remarks on the precarioufnefs of the
barley crop, 117.

^7-
OATS.

THE SPECIES OF OAT, at prefent in
efteem, is the "Dutch oat ;" the fame, or
limilar to the Friezlcnd oat of Yorkftiire.
The Poland oat, which was the favorite,
is going out of repute ; on account of the
thicknefs of its ikm.

The SUCCESSION, uniformly, turf, —

OATS.

Vol. I. O The

194 OATS.

The TILLAGE,— one plowing in Fe-
bruary, March, or April.

SOWING. The TIME OF SOWING is the
latter end of March, and beginning of ApriL
ThcQUANTiTYOFSEED— fourtofivebufhels.
TJie fame obfcrvation, with refpe<fl to the
feed of oats, has been made, here, as in York-
iliire; the produce being in proportion to the
quantity of feed : lience, fix or fcwen bulhels
are fowu, in the pradice of fome individuals.
Sow, broadcall; cover, with the harrow;
ADJUST, by turfing. See general head
Semination.

For WEEDING, — HARVESTING, and YARD

MANAGEMENT, fee the general heads.

MARKETS. Notwithftanding the quan-
tity of oats grown in the dirtrid:, a principal
part of them is expended on farm horses I
others go to the inns of the difl:ri6t, and the
furrounding country.

PRODUCE. Sward being the matrix,
no wonder the produce is abundant. Six
quarters, an acre, may be confidered as the
par produce of oats on turf, in the Midland
Diftridt.

For obfcrvations on the time cf fo'tx^ing, fee

MIN. 82.

For remarks on harvejiing, 82.

PULSE.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. f^s

1 8.

PULSE.

IN THE INCLOSURE3 of the Midland
Diflricft, little cf this elafs of grain is culti-
vated.

Beans and dills (afpecies of large vetch;
the Yorkihire^/r/^fj— See Yorkshire) are
the prevailing crop.

The only circumftance of their culture*
which is entitled to notice, belongs to the

SEED PROCESS.

In every other diftridl, in which I have
hitherto obferved, beans are either fown on
the whole plit) and harroived in, or are fet or
plantedy by hand : but, here, the prevailing
practice, at prefent, is to Jonv thefji onjiubbk —
generally wheat flubble — -and to ph'-jo them
under ! with a thin Jiat furro^\^ : aftenvards
fowing the dills, and harrowing them in.

If beans, alone, be the crop, the flirface,
in the praiSice of fome, is nsverthelefs har-

O 2 rowed,

106 ' PULSE.

rowed, as fine as if they had heen fown
abovcfurrow ; in others, the phts are left
whole.

If the ground be broken, as a pin-fallow,
the beans and dills are, fometimes, both of
them fown undcrfurro'uiy and plowed in to-
irether.

c

It is obfervable that beans, plowed under
whole furrows, rife principally in the feams ;
but fome of them through the furrows or
plits* They have even been obferved to
force their way through a footpath, though
trodden as firm as a plail:er Hocr !

The difadvantage of plowing beans under
whole furrows arifes, principally, it is under-
liood, in their lying hollow ; thereby fpend-
inc,^ their firfl and main eitort, beneath the
farrows ; never, in this cafe, reaching the
furface. Hence the ufe of turning the fur-
rows Cl^, fat as poffible. When the feafon
will permit, rolling would, under this idea,
be of fervice.

For HARVESTING bcaus, fee the general
article. Harvesting loose Corn.

POTATOES,

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 157

19.

POTATOES.

THE SPECIES, or rather varieties of
potatoes have, of late years, undergone a
total change, in this diltrid:.

The old varieties, formerly in cultivation,
dwindling in produce, and being, at length,
in a manner deftroyed, by the difeafe of
cuRLEDTOP, two uew Varieties were intro-
duced, under the names of gold finders
and GOLDENDABS J— the former, a yellow
kidneylike root (but with a fcurfy rind, not^
unlike that of the old rulTet potatoe) ; the
latter, ot a fmiilar color, but of a. differam
form, being . fomewhat bellfliaped. • The
coi;fequence has been, the dii'eafe vanilLed:
with the old forts j and is now(i786) imtLi
manner forgot;— in r/^/jneighboux-hood, where:
no other fort is in ordinary cultivation,, 1 —.i^
In 1789, I met with a limilar inftance', in^
Leicc.fierjlKre y where the '' old red fort" was

O 3 entirely

I9« POTATOES.

entirely worn out, with the diieafe ; while a
white fort, now in cultivation, was **' nezer
known to curl.'*

In Rutland/hire^ I had ocular evidence of
4be fame nature. Obfcrving, in a large piec»
of potatoes, two llripes which were almoft
wholly curled, while the rell: of the piece
appeared to be free from the difeafe, I en-
quired into the caufe of difparity ; and re-
ceived in anfwcr, witliout hefitation, that the
healthy plants were ** manlcys," and the
difeafed fthpcs *' rednofcd kidneys;" which,
heretofore, was the prevailing fpecies ; but
being no longer to be cultivated, with any
d^^tQ of fuccefs, a ncwjcrt was, fome years
ago, introduced, under die name of the
*' manlcy,'' which ilill remains free from the
difeafe.

Thefe are evidences, and ftrong ones, that
the difeaic of cur led top is incident to
"jarieties ; ^d the circumftance of the old
forts, which liave been in cultivation from
the firft introduction of potatoes into the
iiland, being now almoU wholly cut off by
it, — renders it probable y that the difeafe is
incident to declining varieties of potatoes,
as . the cankfr is to declining varieties of

FRUlTt.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 199

FRUITS. See Glocestershire -, Se6l.
Orchards. Alio Yorkshire ; Sed. Po-
tatoes.

The cultivation of potatoes, in this
dillrift, though it does not require to b^
given in detail, throughout, is entitled, in
feveral particulars, to notice.

SUCCESSION. Contrary to the prac-
tices of mofl other dii1:ri<fls, potatoes, here,
fucceed turf : are planted, almofl: inva-
riably, on grassland *.

SOIL PROCESS. The plow is feldom
ufed, here, in the cultivation of the potatoe
crop. The foil is broken up with the
SPADE : fometimes, in two fhallow fpits,
throv/ing the fward and the dung, if any be
ufed, to the bottom j covering them, in the
gardener's manner, with the under fpit-f*.

O 4 But,

* Potatoes are fometimes grown, two years together, on
the fame land ; and, in this cafe, it is fold to have been
found, that dibbling in the fets, on the ft ale furface, as left,
on taking up the firft crop, or only levelled with the har-
row, without a previous plowing or digging, is the moft
eligible method of putting in the fecond crop ; this, how-
ever, by way of hint.

f In one inftance, I obferved the furface broken, firft,
with the plow j the plits being dug under, afterward, with^
the fpade.

2C0 POT A T O E S.

But, generally, in one full fpit ; merely in-
verting the I'ward; fitting the fpits-to each
other ; leaving a imcoth even furface of
clear free foil.

*r PLANTING. On this furface, th^ pldnts
are dibbled y very thick, about the middle of
April.

The care of the GROWING CROP con-
ilfls in HOiNG, once, twice, or as often as
circumftances may require ; the crop,
throughout, being mofily, though net alu^ays,
managed in a gardenlv manner.

The crop is TAKEN UP, v/ith forks, in
the gardener's method, about the middle
OF October : the price of taking up is
according to the crop; generally, I believe,,
from id. to 2d. a budiel.

PRESERVING . The method of laying
Vip potatoes, here, is, univerfally, that of
** camping" them : a ir.tlhod wliicli requires
to be defcribed.

"Camps" arc fhailowpits, filled and ridged
up as a roof, with potatoes j which arc co-
vered with the excavated mold of the pit.

This is a happy mean between burying
tjiem in deep pits y ar.d laying them upon the
furface. See Yorkshire.

Camps

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 201

Camps are of various fi^es ; being too
frequently made, in a longfquare form, like
a corn rick ; and of a Hze proportioned to
the quantity to be laid up. It has, however^
been found, by experience, that, when the
quantity is large, they are liable to heat and
fpoil : much damage having fometimes been
fuflained by this imprudence.

Experienced campers hold, that a camp
(liould not be more than three feet wide.
four feet is, perhaps, as ivide as it can^ be
made with propriety ; proportioning the
length to the quantity : or, if this be very
large, forming a range of iliort ones, by the
fide of each other.

The ufual deptlj is a foot.

The bottom of the trench beinj^ bedded
with dry ftraw, the potatoes are depoiited -,
ridging them up, as in meafuring them with
a bufliel. On each fide of the roof, long
wheat ftraw is laid, neatly and evenly, as
thatch ; and, over this, the mold, raifed out
of the trench, is evenly fpread : making the
furfi\ce firm and fmooth, with the back of
the fpade. A coat of coal ailies is fometime*
fpread over the mold j; as a dill better guard
againfl froil.

It

M2 POTATOES.

It is ncedlefs to obfervc, that a cainr>
Ihould have a dry htuation ; or that the roots
ought to be depoiited, in as drv a ftate as
ponible.

Thefe camps are tapped at the end ; fome
battins, or a quantity of k>ore ftraw, being
thrull: clofe into the opened end, as a Lun^
or laicguard.

MARKETSandEXPENDITURE. Bir-
mingham, the other raanufadturing towns,
and the collieries, are conllant markets for
this valuable crop. And belidc what go to
market, great quantities are expended, in a
plentiful year, on the fatting of swine j and
fome few have been given to cattle.

The PRICE, in a plentiful year, is ver\-
low ; feldom more than a fliilling a bufliel :
in 1 7 85, they were fold, at the time of taking
up, at tenpence : in December, they were
fold at a ihiUing ; and warranted to weigh
Bclb. a bufliel. How cheap, as an article of
human food !

PRODUCE. Extraordinary large. By
information, that I have no reafon to doubt,
and in two or three different inftances, fix
hundred bulliels, an acre, have been pro-
duced • fevcn ftrikc?, each **rood'* (of eight

yards

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 203

yards fquare) has, not unfrequently, been
grown. Four to five ftrikes, a rood, or three
to four hundred buihels, an acre, is reckoned
a medial crop.

For the pra(5tice of planting the nooks-of
corn fields, fee iMin. 44.

For an inftance of the mafter and his men'
going halves, in ^ potatoe crop, 63.

T U R N E P S.

THE TURNEP CROP, though culti-
vated in a good manner, by a few fuperior
managers, does not enter into the ordinary
practice of t6is dill:ri(^. At prefent, not one
acre in a hundred, taking the diftridt through-
out, is fubje(fled to tlie turnep culture. I
have rode through a fucceffion of townfliips,
without feeing an acre of turneps ; and, of
thofe that are fown, few are cultivated in a
hufbandly manner,

Never-

fQ4 T U R N E r S.

Nevcrtiiclci>, there are, here ind there,
«n this fide of the Tame, a pitch of turneps
to be fccn, fct out and cleaned in j. huljband-
like mic.

Well of the Tdme, where the fcil is light,
and the fublbil al-lbrbcat, the turnep crop
forms tiic bifiS of the preltnt huibandry :
and tki.s notwithiloiiding the proper. niaiioge-
inent of the cr^p may be faid to be new, to
this quarter of the kingdom. The hoingof
turneps has not been tl^abhihed, as a prac-
tice in hufoandry^ more, perhaps, than twenty
years. To the MaR'SlF^s Townshekd,
who fent hocrs out of Norfolk, the country,
I underftand, i^ indebted for itsellablilliment.

There mav be two reafons, why the turnep
culture doQS not beccnie prevalent, in thii
cifrrict.

Gral's can be had at will ; the whole diftrid:
being prone to it; while the foil and the
I'ubfoil, except in iowiSi {^articular iituations,
are, perhaps^ inelij^ible for this crop. One
lVon» evidence, at le^l^, may be produced
in corrpboraticri of this idea. One of tho
l^rgeft farmers viyjthe diftricl grows no
tvrnepij and givtsthis ^is a reafcn for his
condii-ll.

The

M I D L A N D C O U N T I E S. itf<J

The firll year, after his father gave up the
management of his farm to him, — fome twelve
cr fifteen years ago, — he grcvV a piece of
turneps ; the fiiil the farm produced. The
crop turned out prett}* good ; and he began,
agreeably to the common practice of th«
country, to fold them oft with (lieep. But
the piece lying fiat, and the weather proving
wet, his fheep did'*fadlv:" and what was

' J. y '

worfe, to a young farmer, his father laughed
at him. He littered them in the clofe, with
ftraw; but this would not remedy the evil:
at laft, he drevr the turneps ; and threw them
to the flieep, on an adjoining piece ; hut even
then, th;;^y did no go®d upon them. In
fliort, he fpeaks of eating turneps upon the
ground, with (beep, as a thing impra<fLicable !

I do not mention this circumi1:ance, to
throw a damp on the culture of turneps ; but
to endeavour to affign them their proper foil
and fituation ; by (liov/ing, in striking colors,
the difhculties to which the crop is liable,
on flrong retentive land.

The other circumflance, which has tended
to check the cultivation of the turnep crop,
was the devastation by the turnep caterpillar,
m 1782 (fee Norfolk) : fuice whicli time

its

fp$' TURNERS.

ks' culture has been declining, rathef than
gaining ground.

On a h'ght dry turnep foil, in an upland
iituation, this crop is become in a degred
necejj'ary j and, there, little difficulties are
ftruggled with, and mifcarriages foon forgot.
Here, on the contrarv, where the land will
remain in grafs, and where other arable crops
are more certain and more produEihey the
turnep crop is lefs ejjcntial to good hu(bandry i
though, in particular iituations, even in this
diftrid, I am fully perfuaded, by my own
experience, it may, under proper manage-
ment, frequently be ufcfuL

The only circumftances, in the pradlice of
this diftrict, that require to be regiftered,
fall under the heads succession, semi-
nation, HOING, and EXPENDITURE.

SUCCESSION. There is an inftance of
turncps being fown on old sward, (a rich
bottom) on one plowing, without fodburn-
Ing ; yet witli good fuccefs.

I have {^zvi a clover ley, plowed up
immediately after the firll: crop was off, fown
with turnep>, and v/ith a good appearance
of a crop.

But

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 207

But the mod extraordinary clrciirftftance,
I have met with in the turnep culture, is that
of fovving them on barley stubble, im-
mediately after the crop was olt, 'without
plowing !

Some fheepfeed, in the fpring, is all that
is exped:ed from this practice ; and is not,
it feems, unfrequently obtained. While the
foil is in heart, the crop of barley good, and
the furface of courfe clean- that is, free from
the herbage of weeds, this may, fometimes,
on a fheep farm, and under particular cir-
cumftances, be a valuable expedient. If the
attempt mifcarr\% the feed, only, is lofc. The
thought y at leaft, is v/orth preferving j efpe-
cially as the inftance, which came more par-
ticularly to my knowledge, occurred in the
practice of a judicious manager.

SEMINATION. The deviation, to be
noticed, is in the method of sowing.
Inflead of delivering the feed, from between
the two firft fingers and the thumb, as is
ufually done, the feedman (fome feedfmcn
^l leafh) lets it fall back into the palm of his
hand, and delivers it from thence, in the
manner corn is fown. It is obfervable, that,
in this method of fowing, it is neceilary to

keep

co8 T U R N E P S.

keep the fingers clofe ; othcrwhe, the feeds
of turneps being fmall, they are liable to fly
out between them. I mention this as a de-
viation, rather than a fuperior excellency. I
have feen turneps come up verv evenly Irom
this method of fowing ; but not more evenly,
than I have fcen them rife, in Norfolk, from
the common method.

For obfervations onnoiNC, in this diftri<fl,
fee Miv. 6.

EXPENDITURE. An expedient, which
I have ken pradtifed, in this ftage of the
tumep culture, is that of drawing the turneps
(at the fetting in of a froft, or to clcsr the
ground in the fpring) , and loading them upon
vvag^ons ; which are left landing in the
piece ; where the turneps are fafc, and ready
to be drawn to whence they may be wanted.

Refeklnces to Minutes.

For obs. on tlie Midland pratfticc of /joing,
fee MiN. 6.

For the coft oi bandivecdin^y i6.

For an inftance oi ploiilng in turneps, as a
manure, 34.

For an inftance of young turneps tbrhing
in drought, 43.

For

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 209

For jnflances of the enemies of turneps,
i^e MiN. 61.

For an inftance oihoing cluilers, 79.

For further obs. on turnep hifeBs, 84.

For general obs. on the turnep culture ^ 87.

For pra(ftical obs. on boing^ 87.

For inftances of turneps being unfriendly
to barley i 92.

For obs. ovi turnepifig in froft, 115,

21.

CABBAGES.

THE SOILS of this diftrid: are better
adapted to cabbages, than to turneps. Con-
fidering the facility of the culture of this
crop, and the great produce it yields, when
^ proper fort is planted on a fuitable foil, and
confidering the length of time, which cab-
bages have now been cultivated as a crop in
hufbandry, — it is remarkable that they have
pot entered, more freely, into the general
pradlice of this diilridt ; to Vvhofe foil and
jfituation they are peculiarly well adapted.

Vol. I. P At

210 CABBAGES.

At preient, the quantit}- grown is incon-
fiderable : I Iiave leen, however, feveral
Imali patches, in diiterent parts of the dillridti
and, from the manner in which the value of
thefe is fpoken of, there is feme probability
of cabbages becoming a prevalent crop.

Among the rambreeders ot Leicester-
shire, occ. they may be faid to be already
eftabliflicd, as fuch ; and there is one man
within f/bis dillricl, Mr. Paget of Ibftock,
vho has grown ten, twelve, or fourteen
acres, a year, for mai;y years part:.

On the CULTIVATION o£ this crop, {q
much has be; en laid, the public could receive
little ufeful information, from a recital of thq
practice of this diilxid:.

Indeed, the art of cultivating cab-
bages is fo extremely fimplc, and fo well
underil:ood, by everv' farmer, gardener, and
cottager in the kingdom, it, perhaps, of aH
other operations in hufbandry, requires the
leaft explanation.

Much, however, depends on the va-
riety, or ibrt, for field culture. Not more
on the /iz<\ than on the nutrithencjs of qua-
lity, and the bardinefs in refifling tlic fcverity
of Vv'inter.

There

MIDLAND COUNTIES. tzii

There is, in this country, a valuable fort —
a large green cabbage — propagated by Mr.
Bakewell ; who is not more celebrated
for his breed of rams, than for his 6reeii of

Great care is obferved, here, in raising
THE SEED ', particularly, in not fuffering any
other variety of the braflica tribe, to Slow
near feed cabbages ; by which means they
are kept ** true to their kind." To this end,
fome, it is faid, plant them in a piece of wheat ;
a good method j provided the feed, in that
fituation, can be preferyed from birds.

The principal advantage of largenefs, in
field cabbages, is, that of being able to plant
them wide enough, from each other, to ad-
jnit of their being cleaned with the plow j
and yet to afford a full crop>

The PROPER DISTANCE, therefore,
depends, in fome meafure, on the natural
fize of the fpecies, and the ftrength of the
foil. The thinner they l^and, the larger,
no doubt, they will grow ; but the clofer,
the more numerous : and I am of opinion,
that cabbages, as turneps, are frequently
fet out too thin. Mr, Facet's diftances
P 2 are

212 CABBAGES.

4rc four feet bv two and a half: a full
jdiliancc, in my opinion, for the larg^ cab-
ibagcs, on a rich foil.

The EXPENDITURE of cabbages, here,
is chiefly on sheep ; but cattle and
#wiNB have a proportion. But, what is
extraordinary, J^ have not in this, or any
other dii^idt, met with an inftance of cab-
bages being given to horses : and yet it is
more th^a probable, that, cither alone or
mixed with chaf, or " cutmeat," they might
be rendered a valuable fpecies of hcrfe food.

For ample obfervations on the culture of
this crop, fee Minutes of Agriculture;
in Sdrrev.

CULTIVATED

4^IIDLAND COUNTIES. 213

21.
CULTIVATED HERBAGE.

THE PERENNIAL LEY is feldom the
tobjedt of cultivation, in this diftri(5t; the
culture of grafles being confined to tempo-
rary LEYS, and, chiefly, to one fpecies ;
which may be faid to be peculiar to the
diftrid: ; and which, though of long (landing,
compared with the temporary leys of other
diflridts, cannot be deemed perennial -, its
continuance being limited to fix or feveti
years. In diftindlion, I fhall term it six-
years LEY : befide which, the annua!
©r CLOVER LEY Will require to be noticed.

CLOVER. It appears, by the course
CF PRACTICE already given, that growing
wheat, on a clover ley, agreeably to the
modern pra<flice of the kingdom at large, is
not prevalent, here. Neverthelefs, the
practice is fometimes ufed ; more efpecially

P 3 in

2U CULTIVATED HERHaGE. V

in the common fields, where it has been in *
troduced, in feveral inftances, as a fubditut^
of the bean crop.

When wheat is fown on the firft year's ley,
it is ufual to mow the clover, twice : under
an idea, that a full crop of clover, mown
twice in the feafon, fmpthers weeds of every
kind ; even couch ! It no doubt gives them a
great check.

It is obfervable, however, that, in the com-
mcnfield pradlice, by fowing clover every
third year, the crop, though abundant for
awhile, foon begins to fail : even in fo fhort
a time as twelve or fifteen years.

This circumflance is not introduced, here,
as an evidence againft the cultivation of
clover ; which, on a noncalcareous foil, is
by much the mofl valuable leaf herbajje
agriculture is at prefent acquainted with ;
but to put thofe, who have freih ground in
their polTelTion, en their guard, in its cul-
tivation.

TURF J or SIX YEARS LEY. In the
inclofed townihips, this is the prevailing and
almofl only ley : furnilhing, in its different
ftages, the two principal crops ; clover and

GRASS.

In

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 215

In the ordinary pracftice of the countn%
me method of cultivating it is, merely, that of
fowing about ten pounds of red clover, at
the time of fowing die barley.

Totheredclover, fome j udicious managers,
in this part of the dillirid:, add a fmall quan-
tity of clean raygrass, with a few pounds

of WHITE CLOVER.

There are, however, men, and thofe of the
£rft abilities, on the lighter lands, round the
Ikirts of the Charnwood hills, who, though
advocates for raygrafs, think white clover
unneceiTary ; finding, that whether they fow
any or none, their leys are equally full of it.

When this is the cafe, it would, indeed, be
folly to throw away the feed : but there are
few lands that are bleft with fo defirable a
quality as that of affording, naturally, a turf
of white clover. By manuring, highly, this
valuable herb, efpecially on light free lands,
may generally be obtained, in fufficient quan-
tity ; and It Is by thcfe, who generally ma-
nure their young leys, on fuch land, that white
clover is omitted to be fown.

In the MANAGEMENT of YOUNG? LEYS,

it is obfervable, that, in the common praftice
of the dillrift, and I underfland univerfaJlv,

P 4 they

ii6 CULTIVATED HERBAGE.

they afe eaten off "jcith fieepy in autumn. This
I mention, not as a pattern to be. copied im^
plicitly, but as a circumllance in provincial
pradtice. If they be eaten off, in dry weather,
and not too clolely, the effectj it is pofiible,
may not be lb prejudicial as is generally con-
ceived.

The fiFll:, and fometimes the Icccnd year,
the young leys are mozvn, as clover : the lail
four or five, they are grazed, as gr assl an1>.

The CLOVER of young leys isfeldom mown,
more than once * j but, contrary to the prac-
tice of other diilriift?, it is frequently fuiiered
to run up, into head, as if formowing a fecond
time, before ftock be turned upon it •

In

♦ A rery fuperior manager cf this difJriS pafKires, m
the Tpring, his clover le^.-s which are intended to be mcwn;
tor hay;— forae times ib late as the beginning of June : and
gives a direefbld realbn, m lupport of his pra<Elicc. The
feedage of clover, in May, is valuable : a full crop of clover
is m^de with difSculty aj;d uncertainty : and the nav of fuch
a crop, he conceives to be hfs valuable, in quality, than
what he calls half a crop : and, upon his land, hi? reafoning
may be conclufive : on a rich free loam, in high cultivation,
recently indofed, and the clover crop new to it ; the
pradice may be right. On a lefs prodiKStive foil, howe^'e^,
and this already exhaufted by clover, even half a crop could
not be obtained, wilh any degree cf certainty, by that
<Tunag«T>cn:.

IcilDLAND COUNTIES. ai;

In this ftate, flock of every kind arc ad-
mitted } particularly rams, as will hereafter
appear : but horfes *, and even cattle, are
turned into clover, belly-deep ! and this with-
out apprehenfion of danger : it being found,
by experience, that it is lefs dangerous to
cattle, in this, than in a younger Hate.

References.

For an inftance of drawing the common
thiOle out ofyoung leys, fee art. GornWeeds-;

For the aftermanagement of thcfe
TEMPORARY LEYS, fe-e thc nsxt article j
they being, after the fecond year, confideredy
in praftice, as analogous with older grass

LANDS.

GPvASS-

♦ Ptfr an inftance of clovsr. In Ais ftlte, being affeiflci
by and friendly to horfes, fee itiN. 17.

iiS GRASS LANDS.

PS-
ORAS 3 LAND S.

THE SPECIES OF GRASS LANDS, fit
the DISTRICT of the STATION, 2re, chicfK',-
Lowland grass, or "meadow ;" and

MiDDLELAND GRASS, OF " T URF .*" there

being no upland grass, or sheepwalk
within it ; except Ibme heathlets, toward the
Derbyshire margin.

TURF. This inclucfes the principal part
of the grafs land^ of the diilri(Sl. It confiils,
chiefly, of the temporary leys,- mentioned
in the laft article ; with a flight intermixture
of OLD grass LA:fD, provincially ** old
TURF :" namely, lands that have lain, fome
centuries perhaps, in a flate of grafs j many
of them being now overrun, as fuch lands
too often are in other dillridts, with anthills
and other encumbrances j feme of them are
as full of anthills as a foreft, and almofl cs
rough.

m

MIDLAND COUNTIES. iig

In foil and fituation, thefe old grass
LANDS are fimilarto thofe of the temporary
leys, of the arable lands ; and their manage-
ment is the fame. All, therefore, that re-
quires to be faid of them is, that they ought
not to remain, any longer, a difgrace to the
hulbandry of the diftrid: ; but ought, either
to be fubje(fVed to the general management
of the country, or to be rendered produdlive,
as grafs land, by clearing them from their
prefent encumbrances.

The GENERAL MANAGEMENT, of this

clafs of grafs lands, is that of keeping them,
conftantly, in the ftate of pasturage ; as
grazing or dairy grounds.

In the MANAGEMENT of PASTURE
GROUNDS, a few particulars require to be
noticed : though taken all together ^ the prac-
tice of this diftri(5t (nor indeed that of any
other indhUtial 6!i{!in6i I have yet feen) can-
not be held out as a pattern. See the Rural
Economy of Yorkshire; in which the
fubje<fl of NATURAL HERBAGE is treated
of, analytically, and its feveral departments
explained.

In the SPRING MANAGEMENT OF PAS-
TURES, a pradice prevails, in this neigh-
bourhood.

220 GRASS LANDS.

boHrhood, which I have not met with, ehe-
Avhere.

In grounds, which are fed in winter, cattle
are induced to fly to the hedges for ihelter,
and there to drop theif dung. And it is the
cuflom, here, to fet women to colleft the
dung, thus partially £ind fuperflucjufly /rat-
tercd, into heaps ; and to cart it into the
area of the piece, there fpreading it, upon
the parts which moft require it : while fome
individuals pile it, in large heaps, to be fet
about in winter ; objeding to the pra(ftice of
fpreading it over the grafs, in the fpring, as
tending to foul it : and, under the fame idea^
they objedl to fpreading the dung, dropt in
the area of the piece,— late in the fpring :
eileeming it better management to collect it
and carry it off, in order to be fet about, in
a more fuitable feafon.

The whole of this practice, fo far as relates
to the colledling of dung on pailure lands,
more efpecially eld pafture lands, may be
eligible. But I am of opinion, that dung
thus collected, ought not to be fet upon
pcifture ground ; efpecially fuch as, having
been long in a flatc of palluragc, may be in
a degree filiated with this fpecies of manure^

but

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 22^

but iliould be carted to the dungyard, for
the life of the arable lar^d -, or piled in heaps*
for the ufq of mowing grounds : not, how-
ever, to be fet on, in winter — the woril feafon
poffible— but immediately after the hay is
ofFi refrefliing the pafture grounds, if they
require it, by fome change of manure *,

For th^jhcking Ok.pajfures, fee the article
Grazing.

In what maybe termed the winter ma-
nagement of PASTURES, this diftri(5t fur-
pilhes an inil^ince of practice, which is well
-entitled to a place in this regifler ; namely,

that

* Moles. A remarkable circumflance, Iq the prefent
ftate of agriculture of this dillridl, is the fcarcity of moles.
A mole hill is rarely feen. There are, perhaps, entire'
townfhips, without a fingle mole in them.

Two reafons may be affigned, for this circumftance.
There are, in this diilrifl, few old hedgemoiinds-^ and f\;ll lefs
Vioodland : both of them nurfcries of moles. And while
they are thus deliitute of fliekor, it is the pra<5lice for town-
ihips to join in their deflru(Slion.

The price, in a townlhip which has been negledled and
the number of moles confiderable, is about a penny, an
acre, a year ; afterwards, not more than a halfpenny, an
acre : not more than two guineas, perhaps, for a middle-
fized townfhip : and this, under due attention, becomes in
a few years a mere finecure : except near woods j whcse^
they can fcldom be wbcily overcomg.

J2-2 GRASS LAND 3.

that of fliutting up paiturc grounds, in au-
tumn, for a fupply of spring feed.

Mr. Paget of Ibftock, in whofe fuperior
management I more particularly obferved
this admirable (rroke of practice, fhuts up,
from the middle of September, to about old
Michaelmas, as the age of the grafs, the
leafon, and other circumftances fuit ; making
a point of eating the ground level, and bare,
previoufly to its being freed from ftock ;
from which it is kept free, until it be wanted
for ewes and lambs ; or, if it be intended
for cattle, until the firft flioot of grafs in the
ipring; which, mingling with the autumnal
fhoots, the herbage is found to be more
nutritious to (lock, than either of them arc
feparately. As a certain ;ind wholefouie fup-
ply of food, for ewes and lambs, in early
fpring, this PRESERVED pasture is depended
upon, as the fneet-anchor ^ in preference to
turneps, cabbages, or any other fpecies,
whatever, of what i§ termed spring feed.

For obfervations on preserving after-
grass, as a fupply of fprin^ feed, fee York^
fiiiKF,Art. aftergrass.

" MEADOW." TJie meadow lands, of
this diilrict, confifl of the banks of rivers,

an(i

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 2?3

and of the bottoms, or dips of vallles, fcat-
tered over almofi: every part of it.

Thefe meadows are, in general, kept as
MOWING GROUNDS; and the particulars
of their management, which will require
to be noticed, fall under the heads
Draining,
Watering,
Hay harvefl,
Aftergrafs.

Draining. This operation, whether
with refpe(fl to under drains, ox fur face drains ^
is well attended to, here ; better, I think,
than in any other diflricl, which has fallen
under my obfervation.

Under draining has been already mentioned',
under the article soil process ; and all that
requires to be faid oifurface draining is, that
it is generally done in the proper feafon,—
autumn, or the beginning of winter. Sec
Norfolk, min. 51.

For inftances of prad:ice in draining mea-
dow lands, fee the minutes referred to
below.

Watering meadows. The watering
of meadows cannot be faid to have entered,
yet, into the common pra(flice of this diftridl.

Never-

a<4 GRASS LANDS.

Nevcrtjiekfs, it has made fome coHfiuerabJe
progrefs towards it. Many of the fuperior
clafs of occupiers havfj, already, evinced their
fpirit, at leall:, in profecuting this cardinal

IMPROVEMENT.

There are, indeed, afew inftances, in which
the art has reached a degree of excellency,
equal, perhaps, to tjiat which it has attained,
in any other part of the ifland. But as I ftill
hope to fee this department of rural affairs, on
what niay be termed its own native foil,
the WESTERN COUNTIES, where it appears
to have been firll: pra6lifed, in this ifland, and
where, only, I believe, it has been received
into common pradJlice, — I (hall forbear giving
^ iietai/ of it, in this place. Neverthelefs,
th.ere are circum/fa?fCesj in the pracTtice of this
diftrift, which require to be noticed.

The ORIGIN of meliorating grafs lands,
with water, may be traced, pretty evidently,
in this diflritSt.

The beneht of natural floods, to the
grafs lands they occafionally overflowed, bein?
evident, and in fome inllances great, the
means of producing artificial floods,
)ind of fnreading them over lands, not liable,

m

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 21$

in thtir natural fituatlon, to be overflowed,
would become, of courfe, a defirable objed:.

The moil obvious eiFecfl of floods, or over-
flowings of rivers and brooks, on the lands
over which they fpread, is that of depofiting
'^ their feculent particles ; thereby operating, as
a VEHICLE OF MANURE. It is likewifc evi-
dent, tOGommon obrervation,that foulwaters>
as thofe of floods, let fall their feculencies,
moft freely, in ajiagnantjlate. Anditisalfo
equally evident, that the ftate of ftagnation
of the waters of floods, or a flate that ap-
proaches it, is caufed by fome obftrudlion of
the current, below the place of ftagnation.

Thefe circumfl:ances being feen, and they
could not well be mifl'ed, by any one who
gave the fubjecl a fecond thought, the means
of manuring lands with water, artificially,
were given : in fituations, 1 mean> which
would admit of the requifite obfl;rud:ions.

The dips or vallies which abound, more
or lefs, in every quarter of the kingdom, and
which are mentioned above, were mod apt
fubje(!^s for flooding, artificially, with fouT
waters, on the principle of manuring the
land with their sediment. .

Vol. I, Q^ A bank.

2i6 GRASS LANDS.

A bank, or dam, being made acrofs the
valley, below the part to be manured, the
rivulet, which generally accompanies a valley
of this klrA, efpecially after heavy rains, the
only time when flooding on this principle
coukl be pracliied, would of courfe be ob-
ilructed ; and its waters, fouled, perhaps,
with the richefl particles of arable lands,
would be fpread over the bottom of the
valley, to an extent proportioned to the
height of the bank, and its own flatnefs ; a
valve or floodirate bein^ fixed in the bed of
the rivulet, to let off the waters, when the
whole of their foulnefs were depofited : thus
gaining a principal advantage over natural
flooding ; in which the grolTer particles,
only, are let fall -, the finer, and perhaps
moft valuable, efcaping to the river, and
thence to the Tea, before they be precipitated.

On thefe principles, it is evident, fome of
the meadow lands of this difl:ri<ft have for-
merly been flooded * : and it is not probable,
that fo evident a method, of improving mea-
dow lands, fhould have been confined to this
dirtri(^ ; but may have been common to
other parts of the iiland.

But

• S« MIV. 27.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 327

But the AN TiENT MET HOD of meliorating
grafs lands, by the means of stagnant
WATER, could no longer prevail, than until
the fuperior effects of RUNNING water, on
fuch lands, were difcovered and afcertained.

This important difcovery muft have been
made, by obfervation, on the comparative
effects of running and ilanding water, in the
natural or artificial flooding, above fpoken
of; and muft have been afcertained, by a
long courfe o( experience : it is not likely that
reafon fhould have had any fhare, in ftriking
out the MODERN METHOD of improving
grafs lands, by running water. For
even now, when the reality of the improve-
ment appears to be fully ell:ablifhed, there
feems to be no fatisiadory theory to account
for it. The ivarmth, communicated by run-
ning water, to the grafs it flows over, is the
beft account, that the molt enlightened in
the art can give, of the good eifect of running
water, on grafs land.

Even after the difcovery was made, and
the eftecft fully eftablifhed, it would be fome
length of time, before the art arrived at its
prefent high degree of perfedlicn. It may,
in its prefent ftate, be fafely deemed the moft
0^2 fcienti£c

128 GRASS LAND S.

fcientiiic operation, that has entered into the
common pradtice of hull^andry.

To the memory of the inventor, or in-
ventors, be the highefl praife !

If the art, as it now ftands, were flruck
out on PRINCIPLE, it muft have been on

that of ANIMAL CIRCULATION ; tO which

the operation of mehorating grafs lands, with
water, through the means of floats and
DRAINS, is perfectly analogous.

The Jlcats 2iVt arteries, conveying the cir-
culating fluid to every part of the fubje(ft ;
ambuing every atom: the drains, veins, col-
lecfling the fcattered fluid, and conveying it
back to its natural channel.

In lefs figurative language, the floats
are trenches, receiving, by the means of
floodgates, as occafion requires, the water
of a river, brook, or rivulet, and conveying
it along the upper margin, and upon the tops
of the natural or artificial fwells of the field

of improvement : the drains, counter

trenches, flretching along the lower margin,
and wmding in the dips and hollows, to re-
ceive tlic water fpread over the furface by
the floats.

Each

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 229

Each let of trenches, whether of floats or
drains, bears more or lefs refemblance to a
tree, with its trunk and branches : the
branches of the floats increaflng in number,
and diminifhing in iize, as they proceed
from the river or other fource ; thofe of
the drains, on the contrary, diminifliing in
number and increafing in fize, as they ap-
proach the receptacle.

When the water is at " work" (as it is
properly enough termed) the entire furface
(fuppoling the operation to be perfeB) is
covered with one continued sheet of
LIVING WATER} purliug cvenly ovcr cvcry
part, fome inch or more deep. If the grafs
be very fhort, the water is feen ; and has a
beautiful as well as a profitable effedl : if
not, it fteals, unfeen, among the herbage ; or
fliows itfelf, partially : it being impoffible,
in pracftice, to render the /lieet, throughout,
of a uniform depth or thicknefs,

From this general idea of the method of
watering grafs knds, on the modern principle,
it is evident, that a dead fiat ^ 2^perfe^ level, is,
of all other, the leaft adapted to the pradlice.

A perfe^^ level, however, feldom occurs
in nature : inequalities, fufficiently to pro-

Q^ 3 mote

130 GRASS LANDS.

niotc a circulation of water on tarf, may gcr
nerally be difcovered, if judicioufly fought.

In the Midland Counties, Ihavefeen,
in the pra(!Hce of a fuperior manager, a beau-
tifully fimple expedient prad^ifed, to find out
the inequalities of a piece of ground, nearly
flat : that of covering it with 'Abater ; and pre-
ferving the level by the means of" levelling
pegs :" ftumps or piles driven down, in va-
rious parts, to a level with the furface of the
water ; fo that after the water was let off, the
Jevel flill remained, f he parts lall covered
were, of courfe, the proper ground for the
floats ; the parts laft freed, for the drains :
ART being ufed, where wanted, to give ad-
ditional advantage to the natural inequahties.

Situation?, in general (water-formed lands
excepted), abound fufficiently with inequa-
lities of furface : either natural, as xhtfivells
and hollows <^f lands, lying out of the way of
floods, and having never been plowed : or
artificial, as thofc which have been raifed,
by the plow, into ridge and furro'-JD: in this
cafe, the ridges receive the floats, the furrows
the drains : in tkaty the plummet is the guide
to the floats; the water they throw out, to
the drains.

In

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 231

In this diftri(^, I have feen ihtjide of a hill
watered, with rain water, from a road, running
along the top of it : the fame trench, in this
cafe, acHiing as float and drain ; running, a
zigzag, along the {zct of the Hope; the lower
folds catching the water fpread ou^ by the
upper.

I have like wife obferved, in this diilrid:,
feveral inliances of ridges and furrows being
watered from iimilar fources. In thefe
cafes, whether the natural defcent of the
lands were little or great, the floats wei;e
opened upon the ridges, with clods of turf,
cut out pf the trenches, placed, at diflances
proportioned to tlie defcent, to check the
current fufficiently, to force tht water out of
the trench above, yet leaving it a fufficient
paflage, to fuffer it to carry down ^ fupply
to the parts below.

In this diilridl, alfo, I have met with one
or piore inftances, in which ridges c^nd furrows
have been levelled I at an excefliye coil, by
paring off the turf, throwing down the ridges,
by hand, and replacing the turf ! giying the
Airface one regular gentle defcent : and this,
notwithftanding it is allowed, by thofe who
piay be Ay led mafters in the art, that the

• 0^4 QUICKER

23t GRASS LANDS.

qUICKER THE CIRCULATION, THE MORE
BENEFICIAL THE EFFECT !

Upon the whole, it appears pretty evi-
dently, that the operation, though /tvV;?///?^,
can feldom be rendered mechanical . Straight
lines and plain furfaces can feldom be had,
but at a great and, frequently, an unneceflary
expence. The given fituation of the ground
fhould be confulted, and maturely ftudied,
before the work be fet about. Every fite
may be faid to require a different arrange-
ment of trenches. ' Gf courfe, no man ought
to fet about a work of fo difficult a nature,
until he has ftudied its principles, and made
himfelfmafter of its theory : nor, then, with-
out the affiitance of fraBke^ in himfelf or
others.

To expatiate on the utility of watering
grafs lands would be a wafte of words. In
fituations where a fujficient fufply of water,
of a FERTILIZING QUALITY, can be
commanded, at all fiajonsy it ranks, indubi-
tably, among the highefl: clafs of improve-
ments.

Much, however, depends on the QLTA-
LITY OF THE WATER : not on its color,
pr ckamejsy but the fpecific quality of the

fufpendcd

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 233

fufpended particles. Waters, in their natural
ftate (not purified by diftillation), more ef-
pecially fpring waters, tliougli perfec^lly
tranfparentj and pure to the eye, are various
in quality, as foils are : owing to earthy and
other particles being fufpended in them, im-
perceptibly to the eye j requiring the aid of
chemiftry to detect them. Hence, hard
water, foft water, wholefome waters, and
medicinal waters. For a ftriking efFe<ft of
clear fpring water, fee mi n. 39.

But although very much depends on the
quality of water, for the purpofe of melio-
rating grafs lands, very much alfo de-
pends on the QUANTITY : on having a
fuficientfupply, AT ALL SEASONS. With
this, there are, perhaps, few waters which
might not be rendered beneficial to grafs
land, if thrown over it, at proper feafons, and
in proper quantity : without it, the benefit,
it is pofilble, may not be adequate to the
expenee. The mofi obvious advantage of
watering grafs lands arifes, in a dry feafon ;
and if the fupply fail, in fuch feafons, as fre-
quently happens, in many fituations,* the in-
tention is, in part, fruftratcd : the winter and
early fpring waterings being, in this cafe, all
that can be commandecj.

This,

tU GRASS LANDS.

This, however, by way of caution : not
as a diicoursgemcnt to the pra^ice. There
are, in this ifland, fitaations innumerable, in
^vhich the advantages arifing to the pra<i^ice,
properly condud:ed, would far exceed the
expence of obtainine them : and to aicertain
them is an objecl: of the firft magnitude, to
the ovvners and occupiers of grafs lauds.

Having thus endeavored to convey ^
general idea, to thofe who axe unacquainted
with the fubjeift, of the nature, the operation,
and the effe<rt of watering grafs lands, on the
principle of CIRCULATION, I will mention
a few interefting circumftances of pra(!^ice,
which occurred to my obfervation, in the
Midland diftrid.

Mr. Bakewell of Difliley flands firft, in
this quarter of the kingdom, as an improver
of grals lands, by watering.

Formerly, a fuite of meadows, lying by
the banks of the Soar, received confiderable
benefit, from the water of the river being
fpread over them judicioufly, in the times
of floods. But, now, not only thefe meadows,
but near a hundred acres, I believe, of higher
land, lying entirely out of the way of natural
fluods, are watered on the modern principle.

Mr. Bake-

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 235

Mr. Bakewell, like a man of expprlence in
bulinefs, before he fet about tiiis great work,
ftudied the art, in the principal fcene of
practice ; tlie weft of England : where he
fpent fome days with the ingenious Mr,
BoswELL, who, not many years ago, pubr
lillied a treatife on the fubjedt *.

The great ftroke of management, in this
department of Mr. Bake well 'spra(ftice, which
marks his genius in ftrong charadlers, is that
pf diverting to his purpofe a rivulet or fmall
brook, whofe natural channel fkirts the far-
theft boundary of his farm -, falling, with a
confiderable defcent, down a narrow valley ;
in which its utility, as a fource of improve-
ment to land, was confined.

This rivulet, therefore, is turned, at the
higheft place that could be commanded, and
carried, in the panal manner, round the
point of a fwell, which lies between its na-
tural bed and the farmery : b\ the execution
pf this admirable thought, not only com-
manding the fkirts of the hill, as a fite of
improvement by watering j but fupplying,

by

* Mr. Boswell's Treatise, on watering
pRASS LANDS, Cannot be too ftrongly lecommended, to
thofe who wifh to become acquainted wiih the pra(^ice.

236 GRASS LANDS.

by this ARTIFICIAL BROOK, the houfe, and
farm offices, with water : filling, from it, a
drinking pool, for horfes and cattle j a wadi
pool, for fhecp ; and converting it to a mul-
titude of other purpofes * : acquifitions which
many other fituations in the iikmd are capahle
of affording.

Mr. B.'s improvements, in this department
of rural affairs, are not only extenfive, but
high ; and are rendered the more ffriking,
by ** proof pieces" (a good term for experi-
mental patches) left in each fite of improve-
ment. Mr. Bakewell is, in truth, a majUr
in the art ; and Difhley is, at prefent, a

fchooly

* One of which Is too valuable to be pafled without
diftinc^ion. Three years ago, Mr. B. I remember, w:\s
f ndeavouring to invent a flatbottomed boat, or barge, to
navigate upon this canal j for the purpofe, moft particularly,
of conveying his turnsps from the field to the cattle flieds.
But finding this not cafily pra^icablc, his great mind
itrucic out, or rather caught^ the beautifully firnple idea of
Lunching the turneps themfelves into the water ; and let-
ting them float down fingly with the current ! '* We throw
them in, and bid them meet us at the Barn's End ! ! !"
■where he is now (October 1789) contriving a refervoir,
♦ir dry dock, fur them to fail into : with a grate, at the
bottom, to let out the water , and retain the turneps •,
which will iheie be laid up, clean waihed, and freightfre*,
as :t fupply in frolly weather !

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 237

fchooly in which it might be ftudied, with
fingular advantage.

Mr. Paget of Ibflock is alfo a proficient,
in the fcience and art of watering grafs
lands, on the modern principle. He cuts a
confiderable quantity of hay, annually, frorri
lands which have received no other manure
than water, during the lall forty years. A
ftr iking inftance, this, that water is not merely
2ijiimuliis or force, as fome men conceive it
to be ; but communicates fome real nutri-
ment to the herbage *.

Mr. Moor of Appleby has executed a
confiderable work, of this kind, and in a ju-
dicious manner ; cutting a frefh channel, on
one fide of the fite of improvement, for a
rivulet which winded through its middle ;
in order to prevent its overflowing at an im.-
proper feafon ; and converting the old chan-
nel (partially filled up) into a main float : an
expedient which may frequently be praftifed
with good eifed.

And

* One circiimftance which occurred in Mr. P.'s prac-
tice ought to be mentioned, by v/ay of caution. By
watering an orchard with the wafhings of the flreet and
yards of a neighbouring village (a defirable fpecies of water)
the fruit trees were greatly injured : and in Mr. B.'s prac-
tice, a fimilar gircumftance took place.

«3« GRASS LANDS.

And Mr. WJlks of Meefliam, among ^Is
various and extraordinary exertions 6f genius
and fpirit, has nof negledi^ed the watering of
grafs lands : a fpecies of rural improvement
which he is profecuting with, perhaps, un-
exampled ardor.

In this neighbourhood, there are two in-
flances of practice, which form a ftriking
contraft : one was done at a great expence,
with an uncertain fupply of water : the other
at a trifling coft, with an abundant fupply,
at all feafons. But as the comparative effecft,
of thefc two incidents of prad:icc, will ap-
pear, under ftriking circum-fl:ances, in the
Minutes, it is unnecefTary to fiy more on
the fubjcft, here.

HAYING. The har\^e fling of herbage is
among the iirfl: concerns of hufbandfy. The
quality, and of coiirfe the value,- of hay
depends, in a great meafure, on the ftate in
which it is 'hid up. Grain^ though liabla
to damage, by a long continuance of un-
favorable weather, is much lefs hazardous
than herbage.

Neverthelefs, in many, or mofl, parts o^
the kingdom, we find haymaking, not-
withftanding it is one of the olde ft operations

in

MIDLAND COUNTIES, 239

in hufbandry, the leail: underflood^ or the
moft negle(i^ed. In this diftrid:, it is found
in a ilate of the lowefc neglecl^.

The ordinary pracl^ice of the diftridt is this :
the fwaths are fpread, immediately, or pre-
fently, after the mowers, with Httle or no
regard to the weather : fuffering the grafs to
he abroad, no matter how long, until the top
be dry. It is then turned ; and, the ether
fide being dried, it is raked into rows ; and
carried, as it becomes dry : beginning the
rick, perhaps, as foon as one load is ready;
letting it lie abroad ; continuing to add load
after load, until it be topped up. During
the two hay harvefls I was in the diftri<!^, I
do not recolle(ft to have feen, in its practice,
a HAYCOCK, of any f.ze or form-, fome
bundles of clover hay excepted !

But a main ftimulus to good management,
emulation, appears to be here wanting, \d
this cafe. It is no difgrace to make bad hay.
Every thing is attributed to the weather. All
the praife of haymaking is given to him who
has done firfl: ; and all its difgrace falls on
him who iinifhes laft.

In 1784, a difficult feafon, a firft-rate far-
mer bragged of his having made, that year,

aU

240 G R A 5 $ LANDS.:/

all forts of hay ; as cow hay, Hirk hay, and
" pig hay :" namely, fome Co bad as to be fit
for litter, only.

In 1785, when hay was four or five pounds
a ton, I have feen a very induftrious pains-^
taking farmer tedding his hay, while it actually
rained: giving: as a reafon for his conduct,
that it mud be fpread about, and it might as
well be done fooner as later. Yet I had heard
this very man offering, only a few days be-
forCj a fpeculative price of four guineas a ton
for " goGiT' hay, to be delivered the enfuing
winter, for his own ufe ! Neverthelefs, the
hay under notice lay feveral days, abroad, be-
fore it was deemed fufficiently dry, on the
top, to be turned !

Tliefe circumiVances are not mentioned ill-
nturedly ; but to ihew, the laft more parti-
cularly, which occurred in the prad:ice of one
of the ihrewdeil beii managers in his neigh-
bourhood, that the art is not futFtciently un-
denlccd : though, in the praiftice of fome
few individuals, it may be fuperior to the
ordinary practice of the diflridt.

Fcrprac'liceinSuRREY,feeMiN.ofAGiiic*

For the oradtice of Yorkshire, fee the Re-

gifter of the Rural Economy of that County.

i... For

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 241

For the pradticeof Glocestershire, fee
Glo. Econ.

AFTERGRASS. The management of
aftergrafs, here, is in general judicious. It
is moftly fuffered to get up to a full bite, be-
fore it be broken : not turned in upon, as in
Glocestershire, as foon as the hay is offj
nor fuffered, as in Yorkshire, to Hand until
much of it be wafted. For further remarks
on this fubjed:, fee mi n. 62.

In x\iQ Jiocking of lattermath, like wife, the
Midland graziers are judicious : efteeming it
bad management to overftock it. A cow, an
acre, on well grown aftergrafs, feems to be
confidered as full ftock.

References to Minutes.

For obfervations on the ancient method of
fiooding grafs land, by " floating upward," fee
MiN. 27.

For inflance of pra(ftice mfurface draining,
fee MIN. 32.

For the pra(flice o^ burfiing dead grafs, and
the dangerous confequences, 38.

For the effedl of calcareous water, oa land,
fee MIN. 39.^

Vol. I. R For

2^2 GRASS L A N^ D §.

For obfervations on the ivater oftheDrc^i
iic. fee M I N . 42 .

For an inflance of great profit, by ivatering,
fee MIN.46.

For the propriety c^ catting furf ace drains,
where fods are wanted, 49.

For experience and the expence,in mowing
oft the 'needs oi paflure grounds, 51.

For lifts of grajfes and loeeds, and obferva-
tions on agricultural botany, ^^.

For obferv^ations on baying in drought, and
on the (vr\a\\ produce of hay in 1785, 56.

For remarks on C2.tmg latter mat l\ 62.

For praftice in fpreading the mold ^ifur^
face drains, 64.

For pradice and expence of clearing drink-
ing pits, 66.

For pra(!^ical obfervations on ii'atering
ridges, 68.

For farther obfervations on fpreading the
mold oi furface drains, 69

For an opinion that geefe are eligible in
pajiure grounds, 72.

For obfervations on the meadoiv foftgrnfs,
fee MiN. 'ji.

For obs. on the creeping cr 01c foot, 85.

For inflances oi baying, in September, 88.

LIVESTOCK.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. i^Z

24.

LIVESTOCK.

A DISTRICT, rich in foU, and much of
it in a flate of herbage, naturally abounds

with LIVESTOCK.

In the Midland District, the four
principal fpecies are found in peculiar plenty,
and in a fingular ftate of improvement. The
other three I fhall pafs over. Rabbits can-
hot be deemed an objedt of the rural economy
bf this diftridt ; and with regard to poultry
and BEES, nothing fufficiently ftriking has
occurred to me, to require particular no-
tice *.

Therefore, this divifion of theprefentwork
will be confinfed to

Horfes, Sheep,

Cattle, Swine.

R 2 A country

* Except that game fowls are, here, in the firft efti*
tnation, as a fpecies of poultry ; as producing more eggs,
and being, themfelves, better fiejhed-^ and better flavored,
than fowls in general.

2u livestock:.

A country that has defervedly obtained (o
much credit, by its management of liveftock,
elpecially the three Ipecies firll mentioned,
aiid which has carried on the improvement
of the feveral fpecies, more particularly thofe
of cattle and- fheep, with a fpirit unknown
before, and has raifed them to a height un-
attained, perhaps, in any age or nation, is
entitled to ever)' attention. It would, indeed,
be unpardonable, and altogether inconliflent
with this undertaking, to pafs over its prac-
tice, in a fuperficial manner. The fpirit of
improvement is now in the zenith, and the
improvement itfelf, taken in a general light,
is now, probably, at its height. The breed
of horfes of this difl:ri(ft is allowed to be on
the decline. Its breed of cattle are probably
at its height. And its fheep are, at prefent,
fo near perfection, that it is not probable they
ihould hereafter receive much improvement.
Befide, the grand luminary of the art has
pafTed the meridian, and, though at prefent in
full fplcndory is verging toward the horizon.

It muft not, however, be underflood, by
thofc who arc not locally acquainted w ith this
diftricft, that Mr. Bakewell, though he has
been long, and moil defervedly, confidered

as

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 245

as the principal promoter of the art of
BREEDING, and has for fume length of time
taken the lead, is the only man of diflin-
guifhed merit, in this department of rural
aifairs, in the dillri<ft under furvey. It
abounds, and has, for many years, abounded,
with intelligent and fpirited breeders. I
could mention fome fifteen or twenty men of
repute, and moft of them men of confiderable
property, who are in the fame department,
and feveral of them eminent for their breeds
pf ilock.

Neverthelefs, it muft be and is acknow-
ledged, that Mr. Bakewell is at the head
of the department j and, whenever he may
drop, it is much to be feared, and highly
probable, that another leader, of equal fpirit,
and equal abilities, will not be found to fuc-
ceed him.

Having faid this, however, it will be proper
to apprize my readers, ftill farther, that the
following account mufl not be underftood, as
a detail of the pradice of Mr. Bakewell ;
but as a more enlarged regifter of the pra(ftice,
at prefent eftabliflied, in the Midland
Counties. For notvvithftanding I have
been repeatedly favored with opportunities

R 3 of

146 LIVESTOCK.

of making ample obfervation, on Mr. Bake-
well 's pra(flice ; and have, as repeatedly,
been favored with his liberal communications,
on rural fubjedts, it is not my intention to
deal out Mr. B.'s prhafe opinions, or even to
attempt a recital of his particular pra(5lice ;
any other than as it conftitutes a valuable
part of the pra(ftice of the diftri<ft under
furvey.

In regiflering this practice. It will be re-
quifite, befide a feparate account of the fe-
veral breeds and their improvement, to
defcribe the methods of breeding ai-ud
REARING, each fpccies, and to detail the
bufinefs of grazing, and the manage-
ment of the dairy.

To give full fcope to the enquiry, it will
be necelTary to take a feparate view of eacli
fpecies of liveftock, that are here the objects
pf attention i and, previoufly, to convey fome
general ideas refpecling the principles of
IMPROVEMENT, which have, here, been laid
down, and the means, by which they have
been fuccefsfully, and rapidly, raifed into
pradbice. The fubjecl is new, at leaft to this
work, and will therefore require a degree of
j^^tention adequate to its importance.

The

M I D L A N D C O U N T I E S. 2^y

The mofl: general principle is beauty
OF FORMi — a principle which has been ap-
plied in common to the four fpecies. It is
obfervable, however, that this principle was
more clolely attended to, at the outfet of
improvement (under an idea, in fome de-
gree falfely grounded, that beauty of-
FORM and UTILITY are infeparable) than at
prefent, when men who have been long
converfant in pradlice, make a diftin(flion
between a " ufeful fort," and a fort which
is merely " handfome."

The next principle attended to is a pro-
portion OF PARTS, or what may be called
UTILITY OF FORM, abllradcdly confidered
from the beauty of form : thus, of the
three edible fpecies, the parts which are
deemed offal, or which bear an infe-
rior PRICE at market, (hould be fmall, in
proportion to the better parts. This prin-
ciple, however, appears to have been dif-
ferently attended to, in different fpecies i
and will require to be re-examined, in
taking the feparate view of each fpecies,

A third principle of improvement, which

has engaged the attention of the Midland

breeders, is the texture of the mufcular

R 4 parts

248 LIVESTOCK.

parts — or what is termed flesh : a quality
of liveftock* which, familiar as it may long
have been to the butcher and the confumer^
has not, perhaps, been attended to by
breeders:, whatever it may have been by
Zraxiers. until of late years, in this dirtrict;
where the " flesh" is now fpokcn of,
with the fame familiarity, as the hide or the
fleece; and where it is clearly underftood,
that the grain of the meat depends wholly
on the BREED, not, as has been heretofore
confidered, on the size of the animal*.

But the principle which, at prefent, en-
grolfes the greateil: Ihare of attention, and
which, above all others, is entitled to the
grazier s attention, is fat, — or rather fat-.
TING quality: that is, a natural propen-
fity to acquire a ftate of fatnefs, at an early
age, and, when at full keep, in a fhort
fpace of time : another quality which is
found to be hereditary; — depending, in fome

conliderable

* It appears, however, in the pra6>ice of Yorkshire
(Scc^. Cattle.), that circumftanccs led the breeders of
that cauntr}' to pay fomc attention to the fleih of ccttie:
and I have been informed, by a gentleman converfant in
the Herefordshire breed of cattle, that fimilar circiara-
ftances took place, and probably about the fame time, Ii;
^hat quarter of tlie in.uid.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 249

confiderable degree at leaft, on breed, or
what is technically termed blood: namely,
on the fpeciiic quality of the parents.

Thus it appears, that the Midland breed-
ers reil every thing on breed ; under a con-
vi(ftion, that the beauty and utility of form ^
the quality of the flejhy and its propenfity
to fatnefs, are, in the offspring, the natural
confequence of fimilar qualities in the pa-
rents. And, what is extremely intereiling,
it is evident from obfervation, tl:at thefe
four qualities are compatible; bsii^g fre-
quently found united, in a remarkable man-
ner, in the fame individuals.

Without admitting, or endeavoring to
confute, in this place, that the four quali-
ties, here explained, are the only ones ne-
ceffary to the perfection of the feveral fpe-
cies of liveflock now under review, we pafs
on to the means, whereby thofe principles
have been applied, in attaining the degree
of perfe(flion, which is obfervable, at pre-
sent, in the diflrid: under furvey.

The means of improvement, in the
€n;ablifiied pra<5tice of the kingdom at large,
are thofe of feleding females, from the na-
tive ftocK Qf the country, and crossing

with

ISO LIVESTOCK.

with males of an alien breed; under an opi-
Dion, which has been univerfally received^
that continuing to breed from the fame line
of parentage tends to ivcaken the breed.

Rooted, however, as this opinion has
been, and univerfally as that practice has
prevailed, there is little doubt of the fad:,
that the fuperior breeds of llock, in this dif-
trid, have been raifed, by a pradice directly
contrary; namely, that of breeding, not from
the fame liney only, but the (zmt family : a
pradice which has now been fo long efba-
bli(hed, as to have acquired a technical
phrafe to exprefs it: " breeding inan-
din" is as familiar in the converfation of
Midland breeders, as crossing is in that of
ether dilirids*. The lire and the daughter,
the fon and the mother, the brother and the
filler, arc, in the ordinary pradice of fupe-
rior breeders, now permitted to improve
their own kind ; and through the affilVance
of this pracflice, as will appear, the bold
leader of thefe improvements produced his

celebrated ilock.

The

• Brieding ivandiw. Thif term, however, is not,
I under (land, of Midland origin; clainiing Newmarket as
its birth-place; the idaa it reprefents, being ftruck out,
and ihc praclice in a decree eftabliflicd, by ibe breeder*
«tf race horl'es.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 151

The argument held out, in its favor, is,
that there can be only one beji breed ; and if
this be crojfedy it muft necefTarily be with
an inferior breed; the necefTary coniequence
of which muft be an adulteration, not an
improvetnent.

How far this novel pra(!]lice may, in a ge-
neral light, be coniidered as fuperiorly eli-
gible would be improper to be difculTed, in
this place 3 in which I mean to convey,
only, a general idea of the prefent pra6:ice
of the diftrid:; in order to fave repetition,
and to enable the reader to follow mc
through the feveral parts of the enquiry,
with greater facility. To this intent, it muft
likewife be underftood, that, although much
has probably been done, by breeding
IN AN DIN, much alfo has been done, by
CROSSING; not, however, by a mixture of
alien breeds, but by uniting the fuperior
branches of the fame breed.

The degree of excellency obtained, how-
ever, through thefe means, is not more re^
markable, than the rapidity with which the
improvement of the feveral breeds has been
carried on, and extended; not over this dif-
tridt, only, but to various parts of the
iiland.

Bu;

25^ LIVESTOCK.

But thefe circumdances, likewife, have
^irifen, principally, out of a mere point of
pra(ftice ; which, though not peculiar to
this diftridt, is nowhere, I believe, equally
prevalent (except in Lincolnfliire), and en-
ters not, in any degree, into the pradtice of
the ifland at large : in which breeders of
every clufs re^r, or purchajcy their male

STOCK.-

Here, on the contrary, breeders moftly

AIRE THEM BY THE SEASON, — of a few

leading men, in the line of breeding males
for tliis purpofe ^ returning them, at the
end of the feafon, to their rerped:ive own-
ers ; who, during the time of letting, have
their shows, or exhibitions, to which dai-
rymen, graziers, and ftallion men repair,
to choofe and hire males for the coming
feafon.

Befide thefe private exhibitions, there
are, annually, puiiLic shows, in diiferent
parts of the dillric^l, for the fame purpofe :
thus Ash UY has ii% JIallion JJjo'uj ; Leices-
ter its Jhow of rams ; and Bosworth has
its Jloio of bulls : not, however, merely
for letting, but likewife for fale.

The pradice of letting male flock, by
\\\^ feafon, is a department of rural affairs

HQ.t

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 253

not known to the kingdom at large ; form-
ing a new fubjeft in the rural fcience.

In pradtice, however, it generally hap-
pens, that a breeder of male flock, provin-
cially, (for want of a better term) called a
** TUPMAN," is likewife a dairyman,
and frequently a grazier ; Mr. Bakewell
being the only man, in this diflrid:, who
confines his pradlice, folely, to breeding

and LETTING.

It mufl not, however, be underflood,
that dairymen and graziers, univerfally,
throughout the diftridt, hire their males of
thefe fuperior breeders. Many of them
flill go on, in the old track of rearing, or
of purchafing of each other, agreeably to
the practice of other diilridts.

The pra<5tice of letting out male
STOCK, by the feafon, being a fubjedt new
to this undertaking, it will be proper, in
this place, to examine it with due atten-
tion.

Its ORIGIN does not clearly appear. It
has probably arifen in the letting of stal-
lions, for the fpring feafon. A domeftic, in-
duflrious man has a good horfe ; but is too
attentive to the ordinary bufinefs of his

^ farm.

i% LIVESTOCK.

farm, to follow him every week to three
or four markets, and too diffident, to fet him
off to advantage, and to enter into contefts,
and unavoidable fquabbles, with flallion
men : while, to a man of more leifure, and
lefs modefly, a loofe calling is moft agree-
able. Thus both parties are ferved: the
letter, by receiving a fum certain, and his
h'jrfc again ; the hirer, by getting a greater
number of mares, than the owner could
have got. This mode of difpofal would,
of courfe, give a loofc to the breeding of
STALLIONS; for the breeder not only got
rid of the difagreeable part of the bufinefs ;
buti if his owri neighbourhood were over-
jftocked, he could, by this meansj fend
them to other dillrids. And limilar circum-
itanccs may have led to the letting of bulls
and RAMS.

This being as it may, the letting of
RAMS has ibng been the pra<flice of Lin-
culnfhire; and the letting of horses has
'probably been pradiftd, on a fmall fcale,
in many diitricts. But the letting of male
(lock, viewed in the general light we are
now viewing it, was never appUed, gene-
. rally, to the three principal fpecies, until

of

MIDLAND COUNTIES. i^S

of late years in this diftridl. Mr. Bake-^
WELL, though he cannot be deemed the
projeftor, has certainly been the principal
promoter, of this branch of rural buiinefs.

The EFFECT of letting male ftock has
been greater, probably, than was forefeen.
The great improvement which has been
made, in the flock of this diflridl (particu-
larly flieep) is ftriking; but m.ay be ac-
counted for, in this pra<flice. A fuperior
male, the beft for inftance, inftead of being
kept confined within the pale of his pro^
prietor, or of being beneficial to a few
neighbours only, became, through this-
pra<ftice, a treafure to the whole diflrid; :
this year, in one part of it, the next, in
another. Hence, even one fuperior male
may change, confiderably, the breed of a
country. But, in a year or two, his off-
fpring are employed, in forwarding the im-
provement. Such of his fons, as prove of
a fuperior quality, are let out in a fimilar
way; confequently the blood, in a fliort
time, circulates through every part, and every
man of fpirit partakes of the advantage.

The METHOD of conducting this depart-
ment of rural affairs, and the prices given^
will appear under each fpecies of ftock.

HORSES.

»5& HORSES.

25*

HORSES.

THE SPECIES of horfe, bred in this
tliilrid, is the black carthorse; for
which the Midland Counties have, for fome
length of time, been celebrated. There-
fore, notwithfb-nding a full convid;ion* in
my own mind, of the unprofitablenefs of
this breed of horfes, as beails of draft in
hufbandry, it is neceflary to the due execu-
tion of this work, and for other reafons
which will appear, to regifter the leading
fa<5ts, belongintr to the prefent improved va-
riety of the Midland Counties.

This variety, it is generally and well un-
derflood, took, its rise in fix Zealand
MARES, fent over from the Hague, by the
late Lord Chesterfield, during his em-
baffy at that court.

Thefe mares finally reflmg at his lord-
(hip's il-at at Bret by, in the Derbyfhire

quarter

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 257

quarter of this dlftri<ft, the breed of that
quarter became improved, and Derbyshire,
for fome time, took the lead, in this fpecies
of flock.

But, in cDurfe of time, Leicestershire
(into which this improved breed had travel-
led) either through better fortune, or bet-
ter management^ got the lead> — and kept it :
Derbyfhire having been, for fome years, in-
debted to Leiceflerlliire, for their beft Hal-
lions : fo much depends on fortune, or ma-
nagement, or both, in breeding.

But although this may be deemed the ori-
gin of the prefent breed of Leicefterfliire,
the form his been very much altered, fmce
its firft eftablilhment. During the lail thirty
years, the long forend, long back, and long
thick hairy legs, have been contrafting,
into a lliort thick carcafe, a fhort but up-
righjt forend, and ihort clean legs : it having
been at length difcovered, by men of fupe-
rior penetration, that ftrength and ad:ivity,
rather than height and weight, are the more
eflential properties of farm horfes : .apd there
appears to be, at prefent, fome hope of
men in general gaining their fenfes, fo far,
as to fee them in the lame light.

Vol. L S The

2s8 HORSES.

The handfomefl horfe I have fcen, of this
breed, and perhaps the moft pi^urable horfe
of this kind, ever bred in the ifland, was a
flallion of Mr. Bakewell, named K. He
was, in reality, the fancied war horfe of thf;
German painters; who, in the luxuriance ot
imagination, never perhaps excelled the na-
tural grandeur of this horfe. A man of
moderate fize feemed to fhrink behind hi?
forend, which rofe fo perfedlly upright, his
ears flood (as Mr. B. fays every horfe's ears
ought to rtand!) perpendicularly over his
fore feet. It may be faid, with little lati-
tude, that, in grandeur and fymmetry of
form, viewed as a pi(5lurable objed:, he ex-
ceeded, as far, the horfe which this fupe-
rior breeder had the honor of fhowing to
his majefly, and which was afterwards
fliown^ publickly, fome months ago in Lon-
don, as that horfe does the meaneft of the
breed. Nor was his form deficient in uti-
lity. He died, I think in 1785, at the age
of nineteen years.

But the moft ufeful horfe I have feen, of
this breed, is a much younger horfe of Mr.
B. whofe letter'^ I do not recolle(fl. Hisr

carcafe

* Mr. Bakewell has adopted the fimple plan of dif-
tinguifliing, not his horfes only, but his bulls, and rams,
by letters^ inflead of lefs elegant names.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 25.^

carcafe thick, his back fliort and ftraight, ,
and his legs fhort and clean : as ftrong as an
OX; yet adllve as a poney; equally fuitable
for a cart or a lighter carriage: — a fpecics
of animal, which, if it were fatliionable as
human food, would be full as eligible, for a
farmer's ufe> as an ox, of equal firength
and acftivity.

Another comparative advantage of the
prefent improved variety, over the great
loofe heavy fluggifh forts of this breeds is its
hardlnefs : its thriving quality : its being
able to carry flefh, or ftand hard work, with
comparatively little provender.

Among faddle horfes, this diftindtion, in
individuals at leaft, is very obfervable ; and
there is no doubt of its belonging to diftin<ll
breeds of horfes ; and may, in much pro-
bability, belong to varieties ; may be here-
ditary; may defcend with fome degree of
certainty from parents to their offspring.

If hardlnefs of conftitution> if the natu-
ral propenfity of thriving on a comparatively
fmall proportion of food, obfervable in fome
individuals, be, in its nature, hereditary,—*
be attainable with any tolerable degree of
certainty, by management in breeding, as
S 2 thofe

26o MORSE 5.

thofc who have experience aflert it is, no?
in the horfe only, but in every other fpecies
of farm llock, — it is a moft interefting fajCt,
in the natural economy of domestic

ANIMALS.

BREEDING. To gain a comprchenfive
idea of this fubje<ft, it will be proper to ex-
amine tlie male and the female, feparately.

Stallions. Viewing the diftrid: at large,
ilaliions are bred, and managed, in different
ways. Some are bred by farmers, who
draw tlicm, and cove: with them, in the
leafon. Otliers by breede^-s, who cither co-
ver with them, themfelves, or let them out
to others, for tb.e feafon> or fell them, alto-
gether, to farmers, or flallionmen, who tra-
vel them about the country, as in the prac-
tice of other diftridls.

The letthig is done, either at the bree-
der's private Ihows, previoufly to the fea-
\(^\\ of covering, or at a public fliow,
where they are fold, as well as let; as will
appear in min. yj.

The prices given for ft^llions, — by pur-
chafe, are fifty to two hundred guineas,
— 4/ the feafon, forty to eighty or a hundred,
— by the 7nare, half a guinea to two guineas.

The

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 261

The celebrated horfe K. covered, many
years, at five guineas, and the horle, men-
tioned as having been (hown in London, is
rated at the fame price.

The MARES are moftly kept by arable
farmers, who work them in their teams, un-
til near their times of foaling j and, n^cde-
rately, afterward, while they fuckle i ihut-
ting up the foals, during working hours-;
giving the mares not more, perhaps, than
^ month's refpite from work.

The beft ti??je of foaling is thought to be
March and April : \^& time of ^ivcaning, Odlo-
ber or November.

DISPOSAL. In the ordinary pradlice of
the country, the breeders of thefe horfes
fell them, while yearlings (provincially
•** colts"), or perhaps when foals : namely,
at fix or eighteen months old : byt moil: ge-
i)erally the latter.

The first places of sale, for year-
lings*, are the autumnal fairs of Burton
(on Trent), Rugby (in WarwickHiire), and
Afl^burn (in Derbyfhire), where they are
S 3 moilly

* The PLACES OF SALE, for FOALS, are the autumnal
fairs of Afhby (de la Zouch) and Loughborough (in Lei-
cefterfliire), where they are taken with the dams, prCf
vioufly to their weaning.

tSi HORSES.

nioftly bought up, by graziers of Lelcefler-
fhire, and the other grazing parts of the
Midland DLftridt ; where they are grown^
among the grazing ftock, until the autumn
following; when the graziers take them to

The SECOND PLACES OF SALE, — Staf-
ford and Rugby ; where, at two years and
^ half old, they ^re bought up, by the ara^
ble farmers (or dealers) of Buckinghamlhire,
Berkshire, Wiltdiire, and other weftern
counties ; where they are broken into bar-.
nef«;, and worked until they be five, or,
more generally, fix years old; when thefe
farmers, or dealers who buy them up in the
country, take them to

The THIRD PLACE OF SALE, — London !
where they are finally purchafed for drays^
carts, waggons, coaches, the army, or any
other purpofe they turn out to be fit for.

The PRICES, for the lall ten years, have
been, for foals, five to ten pounds or gui-
neas; for yearlings, ten to fifteen or twenty;
for twoyearolds, fifteen to twentyfive o^-
thirty ; for fixyearolds, twentyfive to forty
guineas.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. This
breed gf horfes, viewed abilradtedly in the

light

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 263

light in which they here appear, are evidently
a profitable fpecies of livestock*. The bree-
der has the foals to help to maintain the
mares, and to ftand, in fome degree, againft
their firft coft, their lofs of work, and their
decline in value, after a certain age. The
GRAZIER is w^ell paid for his year's keep.
And the arable farmer has not their
improvement in price, only, but their work,
to make up, in fome meafure, for their ex-
traordinary keep. While the brewer, the
carman, the CARRIER, the coachman,
and the army contractor, are fupplied
with animals, which they want, and which
they cannot breed or rear, with the fame
conveniency as the farmer.

Therefore, fo far as there is a market ^ for
fixyearold horfes of this breed, fo far, the
breed is profitable to agriculture,

S 4 But

* It muft not, however, be underftood, that all the
horfes, bred in the Midland Dilhict, pafs thro the ftagcs,
and fetch the prices, abovementioned. The breeder keeps ,
them on, perhaps to the fecond ftage ; perhaps to the third ;
befides what he keeps for his own ufe, and brings to a lefs
profitable market. While fome going blind, others lame,
and others dying of the various difeafes, to which this fpe-
cies of animal is liable, are never marketable. What I
mean to convey is a general idea of the nioft prevalen^
pradicc of the diftri.51.

264 HORSE 5.

But viewing the bufinels o( agriculture,
in general, throughout the iiland, not one
occupier in ten can partake of the pront;
and being kept in agriculture, after they
have reached that protitable age, they be-
come, indifputably, one of its heavieft bur--
dens. For, belide a ceffation of imprcrce^
vient, of four or five guineas, a year, a de*
dine in value, of as much, yearlv, takes
place. Even the brood mares, after they
have palTed that age, mav, unlefs they are
ot a very fuperior quality, be deemed un-
profitable to the farmer. Neverthelefs, we
fee the majority of farmers, throughout the
kingdom, working, even barren mares and
geldings, down xht ftage of decline ; though
they know it will terminate in a ditch or a
dog kennel.

References to Minutes.

For an inf^ance of their ai^etibig, and
thriving on, elder y fee min. 17.

For a defcriotion o^ AihhyJiallionficiVy 37.

For an inilance of horfes requiring icatcr,
at grafs, 58,

For initances of the fiaggers in horfes, 70.

For further inftances osi xht Jl agger s^ 104.

For ftill more inllances, fee min. 116.

^IDLANP COUNTIES. 2^65

26.

CATTLE.

I. THE BREED of this diftrid is the
LONG horned: a breed which appears to
have occupied, a length of time, the central
parts of the illand.

In a general view^ the pld ftock of the
country, notwithftanding the fingular efforts
that have been made toward improvement,
remains with little alteration. Each divifion
of the diftrid has ftill its own breed, diftin-
guiflmble from that of the other divifions.
There is a fimilar diftincflion, between the
breeds of StafFordfliire and Derbyfliire, fof
inflance, as there is between thofe of Here^
fordfhireandGlocefterihire(feeGLO.EcoN.).
The breeds of other divifions of the diftrid:
have characfteriftics fufficiently ftrong to fliow,
that the longhorned breed of cattle have,
during fome length of time, been the pre-
vailing ftock of the country i and that, viewr

ing

266 C A T T L 1^.

ijig the diftri<fl at large, Lcicellcrihire ex-
cepted, no radical change, nor any obvious'
improvement or alteration, has yet taken
place. A flriking inflance, this, of the
flow progrefs with which general improve-
ments, in this department of rural econo-
my, are made, even when carried on with
c\tTy advantage.

But, notwithftanding the old ftock may
ftill be faid to be in poffefTion of the coun-
tr\% every divifion of it wears, at prelent,
ll:rong marks of improvement. War-
wickshire, Staffordshire, and Der-
byshire, may contend for fome fhare of
this beneficial change ; and, in Leicester-
shire, the improved breed may be faid to
have gained, already, a degree of eftablilh-
ment.

The HISTORY of this extraordinary im-
provement would be interefting and ufeful ;
as it might furni(h ufeful ideas to the im-
provers of other breeds. All I am able to
give is a fketch.

Craven, in Yorkshire, has long been
celebrated for a fuperior variety of the
longhorned breed of cattle. From this
fource, it is well known, the Lancashire

cowa

MIDLAND COUNTIES, 267

cows have been, and, I believe, flill are
drawn ; — the flower of thefe celebrated cows
originating in Craven heifers.

Formerly, the Craven breed feems to have
extended, in a fimilar way, into Westmore-
land, alio an adjoining county. From
Weftmoreland, bulls and heifers of this
breed found their way into the Midland
Counties. The prefent improved breed
is traceable, by the indifputable evidence of
many perfons flill living, to what was here
palled the " true old Weflmoreland fort *."

It

* The diftridt of Westmoreland, from whence
thefe cattle were drawn, is its fouthernmoft extremity i
about Kirby-Lonfdale, on the borders of Lanc«ifhire, and
in the immediate neighbourhood of Craven.

It h an intercfting faft, that while this breed has been
under the moft anxious cultivation, in the Midland Coun-
ties, it has been declining in Weftmoreland; where it is
now, I underftand, giving way to the Teeswater
pREED. See Yorkshire,

How is this to be reconciled ? Is the Tecf water breed,
for the foil and fituatioB of Weftmoreland, evidently fupe-
rior to the Craven breed ? or has the chani^e been wrought,
foltly-, by the Craven breed being debafed, in Weftmore-
land, through the circumftances of the beft of its bulls and
heifers being drav/n oft", by the Midland breeders, while
the beft of thofe of the Teefwater breed have been brought
intp it ?

This,

t6S C A T T L F.

It is generally ujiiierflood, lierc, ihat
through this breed, and fome fortuitous cir-
cumflances, rather than from any fixed prin-
iciple$ of improvement, Mr. Webster of
Warwickfhire (of Canley near Coventry) be-
came, fome forty or fifty yeirs ago, polTefled
of a fuperior breed of cattle; and continued,
during many years, the leading breeder of
the ivlidland Counties *. I have, indeed,

heard

This, among other chaages of a fimilar kind, that have
taken place in different parts of the ifland, form an intereft-
ing fubjc-iTtof enquiry.

* Prior to Mr. Webster's day (or rather perhaps to
the time Mr. W.'s ftock became popular) a fuperior breed
of cattle made its appearance, in this neighbourhood ; at
Linton ; where one Welby, a blacklmith and farmer, 13
faid, by thofe who remember his day, to have been in pof-
feflion of a \cxy vaJuable breed of cows : which were faid
to have been originally from Drakelow on the banks of
the Trent. Whatever might have been tjic quality of
this breed, it was unfonunattly cut off, by the dillempeirj
or {o far reduced by it, as to Ipfc; its cuabjiihmcnt as a fe-
parate breed.

Since this article, and the above note, wvre written,'!
have learnt from the bcH authority (Mr. Palfrey, a near
neighbour and intimate acquaintance of Mr. Wcbfler),
that Mr. W.'s breed owes its original bafis to the fam«
ourcc: leaving brought with him, from the banks of the
Trent, into Warwickfhire, when he firft fettled there,
fome fixty or ff enty years ago, fix cows of Sir Thomas

Greeley':

MIDLAND COUNTIES. i6q

heard it faid, by a man who has himfelf
been a breeder of forae eminence, ** that
Mr. Webfter had the beft ftock, elpeGiaily
of ^eacey that ever were, or (he believed)
ever will be, bred in the kingdom."

To this bold alTertion, however, I am not-
ready to give full credit. I regifter it merely
as an evidence of the hiojh deg^ree of excel-
lency which Mr. Webfter acquired. It is
improbable that, after twenty or thirty years
anxious attention, not of one man only, but
of feveral, the breed, though excellent then,
(liould not, fince, have received fome de-
gree of improvement*.

This being as it may, Mr. Bakewell is
well knov/n to have got the lead, as a
breeder of cattle, through the means of the
Canley flock. His celebrated bull Two-
penny, that m.ay be faid to have firll; given
the lead to Mr, B. was out of a cow, pur-

chafed,

GresIey's breed: from which cows, and bulls from
Weft mor eland and " Lancafhire," he raid'd his celebrated
ftock.

* Another eminent breeder, on whofe judgement I
can better rely, is of opinion, that in beauty or utility of
form they have received little, if any, improvement fince
Mr. Webfter*s day ; but thinks that in Jlejh^ the mare va-
luable quality^ they have been imp.''OYcd.

ft^ CATTLE.

chafed, wlien a heifer, of Mr. Webftef,
and was got by a bull from Weftmoreland ;
a bull purchafed in Weftmoreland.

Mr» Fowler of Oxfordshire (of Roll-
right on the borders of Warwickshire),
whofe ftock is at prefent in the firft eftima-
tion, owes the fuperiority of his breed to the
fanie fource. His cows are of the Canley
blood; and his bull Skakespear, the befl
ftockgetter, I believe, the Midland Dillriift
ever knew, was got by a grandfon of Two-
penny (out of a daughter of Twopenny),
and a cow of the Can ley blood.

Mr. Princep of Derbyihire (of Croxall
in this diftridt) acknowledges to have railed
his prefent noble herd of cows, — the firft
dairy of longhorned cows in the kingdom,
I believe, for form and lize taken jointly, —
from a cow by the name of Bright ^ pur-
chafed of the late Mr. Chadwick of Gallic
Broniwich : which cow was got by Mr.
Webfler's Bloxedge bull, that is fpoken
of, here, as being the pureft fountain of the

Canlcy blood*.

The

♦ The Bloxedge bull \vas out of a ihreeyearold heifer
of Mr. Wcbiler's beft blood , but v\'as got by what was
called a " Lancadiire" bull, (probably of Weftmoreland

MIDLAND COUNTIES. ip

The PRESENT STATE of the IMPROVED

BREED of the Midland Counties, which

might be well diitinguifhed by the CanleY

BREED, is the following.

Mr. Bake WELL is in pofTelTion cf many

valuable individuals, males and females. His

bull D. generally known by the name of the

** mad bull," is a fine animal; and is a ftrik-

ing proof of the vulgar error, that breeding

inandin, ''iVeakens the breed. He was got by

a fon of Twopenny, out of a daughter and

fifter of the fame celebrated bull -, (he being

the produce of his own dam. Nevertheless,

D. is the fire of Shake fpear, by another

daughter of the fame bull, and is probably

the moft robuji individual of the longhorned

breed j while D. himfelf, at the age of twelve

or thirteen years, is more active, and higher

mettled, than bulls in general are, at three or

four years old.

This

or Craven origin) belonging to a neighbour of Mr. Web-
fter. When a yearling, being unpromifing, he was fold
to a perfon by the name of Bloxedge. But turning out
a remarkable good ftockgetter, iVIr. W. repurchafed him,
and ufed him feveral feafons. He was afterwards fold to
Mr. Harrifon of Drakenedge (Warwickfliire), and Mr.
Flavel of Hogfliill (in this diftri<^), where he died.

xr» CATTLE.

This has lon^ been conlidered as Mr.
Bakewell's bcft bull; and has been kept,
principal Jy, for his own ufe. He was never
let, except part of a feafon to Mr. Fowler;
but has had individual cows brought to him,
at five guineas a cow.

Mr. Bakewell's cows are of the finel^
mould, and the higJieA: quality : and his
HEIFERS beautiful as tafle could well con-
ceive them : clean, and a<flive as does. Mr.
B.'s exhibition of cattle would gratify the
moft indifferent fpe<flator, and could not fail
of being highly iatisfa<3:ory to every lover of
the rural fcience.

Mr. Fowler's cattle arc, at prefent, in
the highefl repute. His cows have long
been conlidered as of the firll: quality: — of
the befl Canlcy blood. And his bull Shake-
SPEAR, already mentioned, has raifed thtm
to a degree of perfeflicn, which, in the opi-
nion of the firfr iudges, the breed of cattle
under notice never before attained.

This ball is a flriking fpecimen of what
naturalifts term accidental varieties.
Tho* bred in the manner that has been men -
tioned, he fcarccly inherits a fingle point of
the longhcrned breed; his horns excepted.

When

MIDLAND COUNTIES. ijg

•vVhen i faw hint in 1784, then fix yeai-s
old, and fomewhat below his ufual condition,
though by no means low in flefh, he was of
this defcription;

His head ehap and neck, remarkably fine
and clean. His cheft extraordinarily deep ;
his brifket bearing down to his knees.
His chine thin ; and rifing above the fhoul-
der points; leaving a hollow on each fide^
behind them. His loin, of courfe, narrow
at the chine; but rem.arkably wide at the
hips ; which protuberate in a fingular man-
ner. His quarters long, in reality; but,
in appearance, fhort ; occafioned by a fin-
gular formation of the rump. At firil fight,
it appears as if the tail, which ilands for-
ward, had been fevered from the vertebrce,
by the chop of a cleaver, one of the verte-
bras extra(5ted, and the tail forced up to make
good the joint: an appearance, which is
found to be occafioned, by fome remark-
able wreaths of fat, formed round the fet-
ting on of the tail : a circumftance, which,
in a piBure^ would be deemed a deformity ;
but, as a pointy is in the highefi: eftimation.
*rhe roundbones fnug ; but the thighs ra-
ther full, and remarkably let down. The

Vol. L T legs

^:i C A T T L E,

hgs fiiort and their bone fine. The car-
cal'e, throughout (the chine excepted), large
— roomy — deep and well ipread.

His horns apart, he had every point of 2
Holdemefs or a Teefwater bull. Could his
horns have been changed, he would have
pajTed, in Yorkfiiire, as an ordinary bull of
either of thefe breeds. His two ends would
have been thought tolerably good ; but his
middle very deficieiit. And I am of opinion,
that had he been put fo cows cf thefe breeds,
his ilock would haxc been of a moderate
quality. But being put to cows, deficient
where he was full (the lower part of the
thigh excepted), and full where he was defi-
cient, he has railed the longhomed breed to a
degree of perfe(ftion which, without fo ex-
traordinary a prodigy, they never miglit
have reached.

No wonder that a form, fo uncommon,
iliould flrike the improvers of this breed of
ftocic -y or that a carcafe, they had been fo
long flriving in vain to produce, fliould be
rated at a high price. His owner, however,
happened to be among the nrft of his ad-
mirers, and could n?ver be induced to part
from him, even for a feaibn j except to Mr.

Princep;

MIDLANID COUNTIES. 275

PRINCEP; who had him two feafons, at the
extraordinary price of eighty guineas, a fea-
fon. A price at which no other bull has yet
been let.

This extraordinary animal is now (1789)
eleven years old, and jfirm in his conftitution -,
but fo lame, in his hind quarters^ as to refl-
der him at prefent, and during the laffc fea-
foh, entirely ufelefs.

His owner, however^ has tefs to regret, as
he is in polleflion of many valuable females
of his produce -, and of one male, now three
years old, by the name of Gar rick *.

This bull was out of a cow, got by a
bull of Mr. Bakewell, called the Hamp-
shire BULL.

Thus, though we find Mr. Fowler, at
prefent, in poffeflion of the lead, he has
evidently obtained it through the affiftance
of Mr. Bake well's flock. But whether he
has gained the afcendancy, by accident mere-
ly, or whether he had the better bafis to
T 2 ' build

* Mr. Paget of LeicefterQiIre (Ibftock in this dif-
triiSl) is likewife in pofTefflon of a promiflng young bull
of the pureft of the Rollright blood j got by Shakefpear,
out of one of Mr. Fowler's beft blooded cows. He is
aow a yearling ; and leaps at £ve guineas a cow.

176 CATTLE.

build upon, may be a moot point, difficult to
determine.

Mr. Fowler's cows (about five and twenty
in number) are many of them of an extra-
ordinary mould ; efpecially in the finenefs of
the forend, and the width and fatnefs of the
hind quarters. A daughter and fifter of
Shakefpear, being got on his own dam, is
among the firll: of his herd: another evidence
of the good efftft of breeding from the fame
family*.

Mr. Princep's cows, of his own breed,
have been mentioned as being of a very
fine quality : neverthelefs, his prefent herd
wears evident mark? of improvement. Ever)'
cow and heifer of tl^e Shakefpear blood is
dillinguilhable, at fight;— by the extreme
finenefe of the forend, — the width of the
hips, — and the formation of the rumpj an

/OT-

* Mr. Fowler condu(^s his bufinefs on the old prirciplc
ai felling, not on the modern way of letting, his bulls.
Such heifers, too, as his own dairy does not require, he
fell*, and at high prices. Mr. Coke of Norfolk has had
all the cow calve?, he could fpare, during^ the laft three or
four years, at, I underf^and, ten guineas each; taking
them while young. Mr. F. has now (October 17S9} ten
bull calves (all, I believe, by Garrick), for which, // is
faidy he has refufed five hundred guineas.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 277

imprejjion which they have received with lin-
gular exadtnefs.

Mr. Princep has two valuable bulls, by
Shakefpear : one of them out of the cele-
brated Bright.

Belide the three herds that are here parti-
cularized, there are many others, in the Mid-
land Diftriift, that are entitled to great at-
tention J but which, for various reafons, I
think may, with propriety, be omitted in this
regifter. Therefore, what remains to be
added to the foregoing account of the pre-
fent ftate of the breed, is a general de-
scription of its hi2:her clafs of indj-

VIDUALS.

The y^T^W long; but light, to a degree of
elegance. The neck thin-y the chap clean ;
the head fine, but long and tapering *,

The eye large, bright, and prominent.

The horns vary with the fex, &c. Thofe of
bulls are comparatively iliort — from fifteen
inches to two feet v — thofe of the few oxen
that have been reared, of this breed, are ex-
tremely large ; as two and a half to three
T 3 and

* A thick {hort head, with a fnub nofe, and a hollow
fice — provincially a " Dutch head" — is condemned, here,
as a moft hateful point.

278 C A T T L E.

and a half feet long: — thofe of the cows,
nearly as long, but much finer; tapering to
delicately fine points. Moft of them hang
downward, by the fide of the cheeks, and,
if well turned, as many of the cows are^
fhoot forward at the points *.

The Jhoulders remarkably thin and fine,
as to bone, but thickly covered with flefh;
not the fmalleft protuberance of bone difr
cernible-f*.

The girt fmall, comparatively with the
fliorthorned and middlehorned breeds ;{:.

The

* Too fiequcntly, however, the double bend does not
take place ; the horns continuing to fhoot d.^wnward, un-
til they would reach the ground, or point inward, luitil they
would gag thz mouth which fupports them, were not the
points from time to time removed : and, in fome indivi-
duals, while one horn is pointing to the ground, or wind-
ing under the jaw fo as to prevent its opening, the other is
fi^joting av.-iy from the head, or taking fome other auk-
"\vard direction: thus tending to disfigure, and dcftroy,
the animal which nature ordained them to ornament and de-
fend.

t The Difhley breed, I think, excels in this point:
fome of the heifers have fhoulders, fijie as thofe of racq
horfes.

J Ncverthelcfs, there are fome individuals, more parti-
culariyo perhaps, of Mr. Fowler's breed, thr.t are tolerablji'
well let down in the girt.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 279

The chine remarkably full, when fat; but
hollow, when low in condition *.

The loin broad, and the hips remarkably
wide, and protuberant -j-.

The quarters long and level i the nache of

a middle width; with the tail fct on vari-

oufly, even in individuals of the highefb

repute \.

T4 The

* This is confidered, by accurate judges, as a criterion
of good flefh ; as the large, hard, ligatures, which in fome
individuals, when low in condition, we fee tightly ftretched
along the chine, from the fettino; on of the neck to the fore
part of the loins, is a mark of the fleih being of a bad
quality.

f The protuberance of the bones of the hips, is a point,
at prefent, in the firft fafliion; but is alwa}'S, I obferve,
mentioned in ihe language of enthufiafm, not of reafon,
A wide loin, with the hips protuberating in fat^ is cer-
tainly a moft defirable thing. But what uJe, or eixn orna-
ment, two knobi of lane ^zxi produce, is not fo evident. In
fome individuals, they give an artificial appearance j as
if the loin were a lid, aiid the hips handles to Remove it.
I can admire z full hip, and conceive its utility; but I am
clearly of opinion, that there are many points of a bullock,
better entitled to the breeder's attention, than z prctuherant
one ; yet, it is more than probable, that, in the improve-
ment, both of this and the fhorthorned breed, points of
real importance have been ^iven up for thefe fefliionablc
knobs of bone.

X The quarters of Shakefpear have been defcribed;
thofc of die bull D. arc not lefs rcmajkablc : his tail ap-
pearing

28o CATTLE.

The roimdhoyics fmall ; but the thighs, in
general, fltfby; tapering, however, when in
the beft form, toward the gambrels.

The legs Imall and clean, but compara-
tively long*. Theje^t in general neat, and
of the middle fize.

The carcajc as nearly a cylinder, as tlie
natural form of this animal will allow: the
ribs landing out full from the fpine ; re-
ceiving the entrails li'ithin them. The belly,

of courfe, appears fmall +.

The

pearing to grow out of the top of his fpine, rather than to
be a continuation of the vertebrae ; the upper part of tha
tail forming an arch which rifes fome inches above the ge-
neral level of the back. This, viewing him as a picture,
has a good effect ; but, as a point, has a very bad one to
the grazier ; as tending to hide the fatnefs of the rump. It
i? remarkable, that in this, and many other points, the fon
and the fire are as difllmilar as if thev had no confan^ui-
rity.

* More owing, however, to the gauntnefe of the car-
cafe, than the pofitive length of the legs.

+ The fmallnefs of the belly is held out as a fuperlor
excellency. The vifcera being lodged within the ribs is
^ertainly fycb. But I cannot bdievc that a paucity of in^
teilines is a valuable property of cattle : inteftines are tq
them what roots arc to trees. The idea.s of «^.', and
largenefs of /s^j^r, have^ ^rri^5j>j, in more points than one,
led fhc iiDprbvers away from perfccliun. , This, how-ver,
|>y the way.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 281

The y?!?//^, of the fuperlor clafs I am de-
fcribing, leldom fails of being of the firfl
quality.

The Nde of a middle thicknefs.

The co/or is various : the brindle, the
flnchback, and the pye, are common: the
lighter they are, the better they feem to be
in efleem *,

The JaUmg quality of this improved breed,
in a ftate of maturity, is indubitably good.

As graziers' stock, they undoubtedly
rank high.

As DAIRY STOCK, hovi^ever, their merit is
lefs evident : dairywom.en, here, and elfe-
where, bear witnefs againil; them : never-
thelefs, the advocates for the breed ailert
their eligibility, in this charad:er : fome, in-
deed, go lb far as to fay, that a cow which

is

* This color, however, appears to be merely a matter
©f faihion. Neverthelefs, it ftrikes me, that a light color
of cattle is advantageous to the grazier. It is a fadl, in
the nature of vifion, that while obje<Sls appear to the eye
larger, than I'ack ones, of the fame fize; and a light-colored
buliock, no douljt, Appears larger in a market, than a
l^arker-colored one, of the fame weight.

It may be remarked, in this place, that the fix cows
which formed the bafis of Mr. Vvebfler's breed, were redj
and it is obferv.able that fonae of Mr. Fowler's beft cows
are of 'Jiat color,

9i8a C A T T L t.

is profitable, to the graziers, is likewife lb,
to the dairyman : a polition that might be
contradi<!^ed by a thoufand evidences.

Neverthelefs, it appears V^ me probable,
that a cow may be fo conil:itutioned, as to
convert her aliment into milk, while milk
is continued to be drawn from her, and,
when the draught is llopt, but not till thcn^
to convert the fam^ current of chyle into
fat: a verfatility of conilitution, hov.'ever,
which, / believe^ does not belong to the
breed under notice ; whofe propenfity to fat-
nefs appears to be too great, to permit their
lad^efcent powers to preferve the afcendancy,
long enough^ for the purpofes of the dairyman.

As BEASTS OF DRAFT, the carcafc of the
Jonghorned breed, viewed generally, ren-
ders them unfit: neverthelels, the carcafe,
of fome of the beft of the variety under
notice, is futficiently powerful, for the pur-
pofe of draft ; while their natural acclivity,
and cleannefs of limbs, are very favorable
to this purpofe.

But the enormous fize of the horns, of
the oxen of this variety, would invalidate
all their qualifications, were they greater
than they really are. If they happen to takq

a con.T

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 283

a convenient form, tbey may be difpenfed
with; but {landing out aukwardly, as they
frequently do, they become an infuperable
objecflion.

A method of preventing their growth, or
even of checking their exuberance, would
be a moil valuable difcovery ; to thofe, cfpe-
cially, who are in polTeirion of the breed, and
wifli to make them ufeful as beafls of draft *.

From this defcription, of the improved
breed of cattle of the Midland Counties, it
appears very evidently, that the princi-
ples OF IMPROVEMENT, laid down afore-
going, have, to this fpecies of liveflock,
been judicioufly applied. The utility of
FORM has been flriclly attended to : the
bone and other offal are fmall ; and the for-
end is light ; while the chine, the loin, the
rump, and the ribs are heavily loaded ; and
with ilelhi of the fined quality.

II. BREEDING. The males and fe-
pales require to be treated of feparately.

Bulls. Viewing the diflricl, at large,
its economy, with regard to male cattle, is

the

♦ Perhaps, applying a cautery, to the buds of the horns,
on dieir firft brealcing, might prevent their farther pro-
grefs.

234 C A T T L E.

the Tame as that of other places. Dairy-
men, in general, ufe their own bulls, ge-^
nerally of their own rearing ; and fmaller
cowkeepers employ thofe of their neigh-
bors. But dairymen, who pay a clofer at-
tention to their ftock, purchafe their bulls,
or hire them by the feafon, of bullbreeders;
of men who rear, perhaps, £vc to ten bulls,
yearly: the fuperior breeders, for letting;
the inferior, for fale.

The praclice of letting^ ' this fpecies of
male flock, originated, probably, in this
country, and in the pracftice of Mr. Bake-»
well, about twentyfive years ago.

In the fpring, previoully to the fcafon of
bufinefs, the breeders have their private
fiows J and belide thefe, as has been inti-
mated aforegoing, there are public fliows j
more, liowever, for the purpofc of fale,
than of letting.

Tlie prices given for bulls, by purchafej
run from five to a hundred pounds ; by the
J^^Jony from ten to fifty or fixtv ; by the co-w,
from half a crown to i^ve guineas.

The let bulls are fcnt outy in April, or
the beginning of May ; being generally If d
ill halters ; or driven fjnely s and are re-
turned.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 285

turned, at the end of the feafon, generally in
Auguft, in the lame manner.

With rcipect to the age, at which bulls
are iuirered to leap, the pracftice of this dil-
trict differs from that of moll others ; where
from two to four years old; namely three
feafons, is the ordinary period of employ-
ment. E'jt. here, they are pretty com-
monly allowed to leap, while yearlings;
and, if good ftockgetters, are kept on fo
long as they are eifedlive -, perhaps till they
are ten or twelve years old. If they grow
vicious, they are kept wholly in the houfe ;
if they throw gates or break pafture, they
are humbled by a " bul] chain," failened
in^enioullv to the noftrils.

It is obfervable, that the bulls of this
improved breed are not unfrequently, even
while youthful, dencient in vigor : the hired
bulls being fometimes returned, prematurely,
on this account.

This might be laid hold of as an argument
againil the pracClice of breeding, inandin. It
is, however, more p-obably owing to a dif-
ferent caufe.

A handfcme bull, — a bull nearly perfect
in all his points,-r-is mofl diiiicult to be bred:

yet

a86 CATTLE.

yet the breeder's objecfl is to render him, to
the eye at leail, as near perfedtion as pofli-
ble. He is, therefore, made up for the
fhow, by forcing food ; as well to evince
his propenfity to fatnefs, as to hide his de-
feats ; thereby fhowing him off, to the beft
advantage : the confequence of which is,
being taken from this high fare, and low-
ered, at once, to a common cow pailure, he
flags.

Hence, it is become a pradlice of judi-
cious breeders, when their bulls are let early
enough, to iower them down, by degrees, to
ordinary keep, previoufly to the feafon of
employment.

Breeding cows. There is only one in-
ftance, I believe, of cows being kept folely
for the purpofe of breeding: the dairy being
here, as every where elfe, a joint inten-
tion.

Such as are not employed in the rearing
of calves, ought certainly, in cominon good
management, to be made to pay for their
maintenance, by milking, or by ivorking :
the laft a ufe to which Mr. Bake well alone,
perhaps, has put them.

One

I

1

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 287

,One circumilance in the management of
breeding cows, praftiied by leading breeders
at leaft, is noticeable. In the practice of
lefs fpirited and lefs judicious breeders, a
cow or heifer, if ihe happen to mifs the
bull, is profcribed, let her form and blood
be what they may ; and, as foon as her milk
is obtained, is condemned, even for the firft
offence.

This, when dairying alone Is the object of
cowkecplng, is undoubtedly judicious ; but,
when breeding is a principal or even a Joint
objed:, as it is in the pra(flice of moft dairy-
men, fuch a condud: may be highly blame-
able. For though it may be ealier to bread
handfome good cows, than bulls of tliat de-
fcription ; yet, when we conlider, how much
of the fuccefs of breeding depends on the
female, it is evidently a want of common
policy, to cut off a valuable cow, for one
mifcarriage.

If (tic do not breed this feafon, let her
maintain herfelf by w^orking, until the next.
Mares are kept, year after year, without
breeding. And if mares are found nearly
equal to geldings, in work ; why fliould not
cows be nearly equal to oxen, in the fame
intention ?

Dairy

4Se CATTLE.

Dairy cows. Under this head, I ihall
confider cows, abilrad:edly, as they relate to

the DAIRY.

In the CHOICE OF cows, dairy farmers zie
guided hy criterions, different from thofe
which have been enumerated, as the fa-
vorite points of graziers, and modern bree*
dcrs.

The Derbyshire cow remains the fa->
vorite of the old '* dairicrs." They argue,
that the grazier and the dairyman, dillinclly
confidered, require different animals, to
fuit their refpeclive purpofes. The dairier's
objedl is milk ; the grazier's beef-, and it is
a trite remark, among dairj^'men in different
dillridis, that a cow which " runs to beef"
is unproli table to the dairy : for, not with-
landing the excellency of her bag, and the
plentifulnefs of her milk, prefently after
calving, her natural inclination to JieJJwiefs
draws off her 7nilk: while a cow that is,
by breed, or natural conflitution, prone to
milkt will fupply this, at the expenceof her
carcafcy let her paflure be ever fo plen-
tiful.

Thefe popular opinions, however, though
they contain much truth, are not altogether

well

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 289

Well founded. They hinge on a falle prin-
ciple. Cows are ufeful, and in a great de-
gree neceiTary, in a twofold capacity : as
dairy cows, and as grazing itock. The dairy -
xnan and the grazier camiot have diftincft
animals : one and the iame individual mujl
ferve both their purpofes. And a breed of
cows fit for the grazier only, is, in a gene-
ral light, not lefs eligible, than a breed
which is fit only for the dairyman.

The Derbyiliire cows are unprofitable, as
grazing llock. They have neither beauty
nor utilit)' of form ; being loaded with oital
of ever); kind. The head thick, the chap
and neck foul ; the bone proportionably
large, the hide heavy, and the hair long :
even the bag is not unfrequently iQ over-
grown, as to be almofl hid in hair ; a point
of milking cows, to which dairymen, of
moft dillrit^s, have an objecition : this how-
ever only ferves to fhow, that popular cri-
terions are feldom to be depended upon.
Were the flefh and fatting quality, of the
Derbyihire cows, equal to their quality,
as dairy cows, the hairinefs of their bao-s
might well be overlcoked.

Vol* I. U The

290 CATTLE.

The 8taff*ordshire cows bear a dif-
ferent chara^teriilic. Taking them together^
they are ratiier adapted to grazLn?, than the
dziry ; moft of them being lolcfw' 'y clean.
But, in general, they are too light in their
carcafes, to be eligible, either as dairy or as
grazing flock.

Neverthelefs, there are individuals of this
breed ; or rather, perhaps, of a breed be-
tween this and the Derbyfhire ; that may be
faid to be at once eligible, as dairv cows and
grazing ftock. At leall, they come nearer
my idea of what a cow ought to be, thaa
any ether breed or variety of the knghorned
cattle, I have yet had an opportunity of ob-
ferving.

Whether the individuals, now under ne>-
tice, have or have not been produced, by a
mixture of the Staiiordlhire and the Derby-
fliire blood, they are the moil prevalent on
the BANKS OF THE Tri.xt, which divides
the two counties : it is, indeed, the breed
which is there found, more particularly on
the Derbvfliire fide, from Walton towards
Stanton, which falls under this defcrip-
cion,

Th^

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 291

The follow'ing are accurate dimenfions of
a middleaged cow of this kind ; fomewhat
low in fiem, and young in calf.
Height at the withers, four feet two inches

and a quarter.

of the briflcet, nineteen inches*

Smalleft girt, fix feet five inches.

Largeit girt, feven feet eight inches and a

half.
Length from forehead to nache, feven feet

three inches.

from ihoulder-knob to the center of

the hip, three feet eight inches.

from the center of the hip to the out

of the nache, twentyone inches.

Width at the {houlders, twenty inches.

at the hips, twentytwo inches.

at the nache, thirteen inches.

Length of the horns, twentyfour inches; their
width from point to point, three feet
four inches.
The forend fine, long, and {landing low.
Tlije head fmall, and the neck thin, but
deep, according with the depth of her bo-
fom.

The ihculders fine ; the ribs full ; and the
loin broad.

U 2 • The

2^1 CATTLE.

The thighs remarkably thin below, as it
to give room to her bag, — large, clean, and
bladder-like ; with long teats,, and remark-
ably large elallic milk veins; furnifliing an
ample lupply of milk.

The legs Ihort, with the bone fine (71 in-
ches 2irt\

The flefli good, ^iiid the hide of a mijdle
thicknefs.

The color a " brinded mottle*" wich a
" finch back," and white legs.

In temper remarkably cadifh, " gentle -,'*
a quality of confiderable value, irt a cow in-
tended for the pail.

The principal diilirKClion, which is ob-
fervable, between the form of v^'hat is here
fpokefi of as a ^airy cow, and that of a
cow Oi the modern breed, or what is more
generally underftood by a ** good grazier's
cow," is, the former is more roomy and
better let down in the cheft; the latter,
better topped ; fuller on the chine and loin ;
and, generally, fuller in the thigh. Both of
tjiem are clean, in the forend, and fhoulder ;
the bone, in both, is fine 3 the fiefh of both
good (but that of the modern breed indif-
putably better) ; and their hides of a mid-
dle thicknefs.

But

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 293

But the moft material difference, and that
^vhich determines the dairyman in his choice,
is, the one lofes her milk, a few months after
calving i the other, if required, will milk
the year round.

The PLACES OF PURCHASE, for dairy
cows, are the fairs of the diilridt, and, du-
ring the fpring months, a weekly market at
D-erby; to which cows, frelli in milk, are
brought, chiefly by drovers, and, moftly,
without their calves.

At the fairs, and in the Oi-dinary praclice
cf this diilrict, cows are almoll invariably
ibid as incahen ; frequently at the point of
calving; fbrruetimes dropping tlieir calves
Gn the read. I recolledl few if any inftan-
ces, of feeing cov/s at market, with cahes
at their feet , agreeably to the ordiijary prac-
tice of moft other difiricbs-

The price of an incalver of the defcrip -
tion lafl recitedj has been, on a par of the
laft ten years, about ten pounds, or gui^
neas.

The LIANAGEMENT of DAIRY COWS. Ll

tht'iT Jiirnmer management, I have met with

nothing of fuperior excellence, in this dif-

tridt. They are turned to grafs, about

U 3 Mayday J

294 CATTLE.

Mayday; allowing from an acre and half, to
two acres, to a cow ; being generally Icept
in one and the fame paflure, until aftergrafs
be ready to receive them ; and have turneps
thrown to them (by thofe who grow tur-
neps) on grafs land, in autumn.

In this diftricfl, one inftance of praCtlcG
occurred to me, which requires to be re-
giftered; namely, that of a dairy, of four-
teen or fifteen cows, being principally i/rie^
off together, on one day ! (in the middle of
December;) preferving two or three, only,
in milk, for the family, during the winter
months ; keeping thefe at hay ; putting the
dried cows to ftraw , for which purpofe,
only, they were dried off, in this remark-
able manner.

It is obfervable, however, that this prac-
tice can be eligible, only, when " cows come
well in together:" to effedl which they are
*' bulled as fall," that is to fay as near to-
gether, " as pofTible."

Unnatural as this expedient will no doubt
be deemed, by many, it may, neverthelefs,
in fome cafes, be eligible : all I /hall fay
farther of it is, that had I not obferved it,
in die pra<5tice of one of the oldeft and beft

manacle rs

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 295

inanagers in the diflridl, I flwuld aot have
;regillered It *.

In the winter management of dairy cows,
one circumftance may be noticed : that of
their being frequently kept (in conformity
to a modern prad:ice adopted by fome lead-
ing men) in fheds, which Jiave Been de-
fcrlbed under the head buildings, conti^
nually throughout winter, from the time of
their being taken up, in ?:utumn, to that
of their being turned to grafs, in the fpring,
generally four months, — without any exer^
cife !,

Some difcernlng individuals, however,
have already difcovcred the inconveniencies
of this praaice, — efpecially that of their
hoofs cracking, — let them loofe in a yard, a
few hours every day, to moiften their ^qqI,
as well as to exerclfe their legs, and clean
their coats.

The DISPOSAL OF cows. In what mlo-ht
be called the natural pradilce of the diftrid,
dairy farmers not only 7'ear hut fat their own
cows. One of the largeft farmers in the
diftria told me, that " he never bought a
cow in his life" ! he rears fifteen, eighteen,

f Mr. Laking, of Hal} End, Warwickfhire.

296 G A T T L E.

or twenty calves, yearly, and fjts his own
lliock ; or, for w.int of room, fells them to
graziers.

This forms a beautifully fimple plan of
management ; well adapted to a middlefoil
farm; andfefpecially eligible for gentlemen,
and others, who are deficient in judgement,
and unacquainted with markets. The pro-
portion of grafs and arable being determined
upon, and the quantity of flock aicertained,
the machine is regulated; and nothing but a
due attention to the number of heifers, an-
nually reared, is wanted, to keep it in con-
tmual and uniform motion. A certain num-
ber of dairy cows, with a lot of fatting
cattle, and another of young (lock to follow
them, in f.immer, and to eat ftraw, in win-
ter. No going to market, but with corn,
dairy produce, and cullen cows. A plan of
general management, beautiful in theory i
and, if one may judge from the comfort-
able independency, which the perfon above
rdluded to is pofiliied of, through a perfe-
verance, by his father and himfelf, in this
courfe of management, it is eligible in prac-
tice.

III.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 297

III. REARING CATTLE. The rear-
ing of cattle is confined, here, to bulls
and HEIFERS, for breeding and the dairy:
there is not, in ordinary pradlice, a steer
reared in the diftrid: ; excepting fome few,
of late years, for the purpofe of draft.
• The METHOD of rearing, here, differs
little from that of other difi:ri(5ls ; except in
the rearing of bull calves, and fome-
times high-bred heifers, by fiiffering them
to remain at the teat, until they be fix,
nine, or perhaps twelve months old ; letting
them run, either with their dams, or, more
frequently, (efpecially where the dairy is
an objecft,) with lefs valuable cows or hei-
fers (bought in for the purpofe, and, when
the intention is fulfilled, fold, or fatted):
each cow being generally allowed one male
calf, or two females.

The cfFeS: of this pracftice is a quick
growth ; and, perhaps, like rearing vege-
tables, in a rich foil, the pradice may afiift
in meliorating the conftitution, and enlar-
ging the frame. Be this as it may, the
growth of calves, reared in this way, is
ft;'ikingly rapid.

The

298 CATTLE.

The bell: method cf dairymen is thiii ;
The calves fuck, a v/eek or a fortnight, ac-:
cording to tkeir jlrcngtb (a good rule): new
milk, in the pail, a few meals ; next, new
jnilk and fkini milk mixt, a few meals more :
then, Ikim milk alone ; or porridge, made
with milk, water, ground cats, (See. and
fometimes oilcake ; — until cheefemaking
commence : after which, they have whey
porridge, or fweet whey, in the held ;
being careful to houfe them, in the night,
until warm weather be contirmed.

Turneps are not thought of, as a food of
calves ', nor, in the ordinary practice of the
diilrict, is either corn, oilcake, or linfeed iq.
ufe ; milk, whey, hav, and grafs, being the
fole food of rearing calves *.

The time of rearing extends, in this dif-
trict, through the winter months ; but is
confined, in a great dcirree, between the be-
ginning of December, and the latter end of
March.

In the treatment ofvouKG stock, I find
little, in the practice of this dilhid, that
requires particular notice.

The

* Until autumn, when turnepe aie fonietimes given.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 299

The bulls, in the common practice of
dain'mcn, are lulTered to leap, while year-
lings ; namely, at fifteen to eighteen months
oldj and the heifers to admit them, while
two years old ; bringing them into the dair)*-,
at three vears old :• generally, keeping them
from the bull, until late in th? fummer,—
as the latter end of July, or the beginning
of Augult ; — it being a pretty general opi-
nion, that heifers lliould-come in, at grafs.
Befide, by this prailice^ one bull ferves
both the dairy cows and the heifers. I have
known a dair}'' of twenty or thirty cows,
and ten or twelve heifers, fprved by a
,*' calf;" a yearling bull.

In the pradiice of fuperior breeders, hei-
fers are fometimes kept from the bull, until
thev be three years old; bringing them in,-
at four : efoecially in that of their enter-
prizing leader ; in whofe fuperior practice,
maiden heifers, as well as dry and barren
cows, are occaiionallv enured to harnefs:
a laudable example, that might be profita-
bly followed by every other breeder of cat-
tle.

IV. FATTING CATTLE. The Midland
Pillridt, viewed colledively, is a grazing

COUNTRY.

)iO C A T T L E.

COUNTRY. South and Eali Leicester-
shire, 2.\id much of Northampton-
shire, fall entirely under this defcription.
Warwickshire inclines Pxiore to the
dairy.

The District of the Station contains
a mixture of the two. There is one man,
in this neighbourhood, who fats not lefs
than two hundred head, annually. Moft
large farmers, t>eiide the cullings of their
own dairies, purchafe cattle, for the fole
purpofe of fatting : — fevera] of them gra-
ZiT)2; fifty head.

The SPECIES of grazing, which is here
practifed, is, in a manner folely, summer
FATTING, on GRASS. A fmall number
^re finished, with hay and kept pasture:
and a few individuals practife s tat l fat-
ting,— with HAY, and what is called
" CUTMEAT;" namely, cats in flraw, cut
in a chait machine ; and fome, but very

few, with OILCAKES *,

The

* Fatting cattle c?c cr. aivs. At Burtan, in
this diftricl, feveral hundred head of cdttle, moftly cow-s,
afe annually fatted with hay and grain s ; the produce of
the breweries of BiRTON ale; which being brewed of
fogdar itrength, zr.dj In the ordinary practice, ktlc fmall-

beer

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 35^'-

The pra(5lice of summer grazing is,
alone, entitled to particular notice : and this
requires to be regirtered in detail.

The SITUATION and soil have been
defcribed, as forming a rich middleland
diftricft : a defcription of country which is
common to every quarter of the kingdom.

The HERBAGE, too, appears aforegoing:
moftly a kind of temporary fv^^ard, which has
been defcribed; with a fmall proportion of
old rou^h 2:rafsland.

The defcriptions of cattle, are cows,
old or barren, and heifers, which have

miffed

beer being made after It, the grains are of a very fupe- •
rior quality. They are moftly ufed, frelli, from the vats
— fometimes warm — but never hot. When a redundancy
happens, the overflov/ings are laid up, in caiks and bin?,
covered up with mold. With thefe dale grains, malt duft
is generally mixed. The ufual quantity of frefli grains is
a bufhcl, a day ; v/ith about half a hundredweight of hay,
a week. From five to fix months is reckoned a moderate
time, for lean cows, to get good meat, vvith this
keep. The price of grains threepence to fourpence a
buHiel.

In the winter of 1785-6, when hay, at Burton, was
exceflively dear — 5s. a cwt. ! a principal part of the pro-
duce of thcfe breweries was bought up, by cowkeepcrs,
and others in the neighbourhood, — at fourpence a bulheL

3C2 CATTLE.

miiTed the bull: dl of them of the long-
horned breed of the diHrict, or from the
more northern counties of Cheihire, Lan-
caihire, &c. There are not, in the pradice
of this diflrid^, any oxen fatted ; except
fome few Welch runts j and except, of late
years, fome Irijh bullocks ; and thefe, by a
few individuals, only.

Places of purchase, in this di{in(^, are
the fpring fairs of the neighbourhood ; to
which they are brought, by dairymen, who
do not " graze," or by drovers, — who pick
them up in tlie dill:ri<ft, thereby robbing
the dairvmcn, or the graziers, of part
of their profit, — or who bring them from a
diftance, performing, in this cafe, the office
of ufcful men.

In South Lciccjlcrfiirc^ and the irore gra-
zing parts of tlie diftrid:, where a fufficient
fupply of cows cannot be ha-d to ftock their
** feeding pieces," the graziers drav/ cattle
from almoil all quarters of the kingdom,
fometimes going, in a fcarce time, as 1786,
tc the very feacoafl o't Wales, to buy them ;
porting, from fair to fair, for a v/cek or a
fortnight, without returning home ; riding
TTiany hundred miles, perhaps, at a journey :

a toil

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 303

a toil which nothing but the hope of *' buy-
ing bargains" could enable them to go
through. In. general, however, they are
brought, bv drovers, into tlie markets of the
diilricl *.

The POINTS moft obferved, by the Mid-
land graziers, would be difftcult to define,
in detail. Thofe already held oat, as the
defirable Dcints of a modern breeder, may
be taken as thofe which are defirable to a
modern grazier ; the modern breed being,
indubitablv, eligible, in a fapcrior degree,
as grazing ftcck. Neverthelefs, tliere f^iil,
remain fome few oldfalTiioned grazier?, who
prefer, or aftedt to prefer, 6ofie to ^/oqJ.

General remark. It may be faid,
however, of the graziers of this diflri<fr, as
of thofe of every other, that they are led to
their choice, not by any fixed principles, or
defined point?, but by INTUITIVE IM-
PRESSION'S, received from GENERAL
APPEARANCES.

An

* At prefent (1789) the markets, and the grounds of
flie more grazing parts of the diilriit, a*-e filled chiefly with
Irish cattle, Qfall fizes ; from thinflefhed lathy fleers,
of forty to fifty ftone, to large heavyflefbed oxen, of fe-'
ven^ or eighty.

3C4 C A T T L r.

An experienced grazier, — one who has hetu
accuftomed to attend fairs and markets, —
knows, at light, (or bv the aflillance of the
flighted touch), whether a cow or a heifer
will fuit him. Her general form and " Icol^s"
pleafe him. She is everywhere, clean ; has
little offal about her. Her eye is fall and
vivid ; her countenance briik ; her fkin alive ;
2nd her fieOi mellow. All together, {he re-
fembles many which he has grazed, with
fuccefs. While he reje<fts another; becaufe
he recollects no iuftance of her likenefs
having done well ; but, on the contrary,
many which fhe refembles, having turned
out unorofitablv.

The art of purchaiing is principally ac-
quired, by practice. The judgement is form-
ed, not altogether by a fcientiiic analylis, in
detail ; but extempore ; being afiifled, in
great part, by the memory. And we may
venture to fay, that no man can acquire an
accurate and quick judgement, fuch as is re ->
quifite in purchaiing cattle in a market,
without fome confiderable fliare of prac-
tice. "

Neverthciefs, I may repeat, here, what I
have faid in another place, on the fame

fubjetfty

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 305

fubjecfi: *, — that the groundwork of this
art, like that of every other, is reducible
to fcience ; and that the principles being af-
certained, the ftudent will be enabled to
acquire the requifite judgment, much fooner,
than he could without fuch affiftance.

The MANAGEMENT of grazing ftock is
the fame, or nearly the fame, here, as in
other diftricfts. Each ground^ provincially
** feeding piece," has fuch a number of
€attk and peep -turned into it, a^, from ex-
perience, it is known it will carr}' ; allov/ing
about one cow and two fheep, to two acres ;
more or fewer according to the quality of
the land,' or its ftate of produ<^ivenefs -f-.

The jJAfting of ftock does not enter into
the praQice of this diftrid: : confequently,
the practice of grazing, by headftock and
followers, is not here in ufe. The flock is
turned in, at Mayday, or the individuals as
they are purchafed, and remain, probably in
the fame pieccj until difpofed of: the only
attentions beftowed, upon this clais of ftock,
being thofe of giving an eye to the fences,

Vol. I. X the

* Glocestershir£.

t From ten to fifteen co%f, and fi/teen to twenty (heep,
to t wenty acres.

3^6 C A r T L E.

the palliure, and the water, — of having a
bull in the piece among cows*, — and of
attending to the health of the individuals.

One circurrilance, in the treatment of
grazing flock, in the Midland Diilridt, re-
quires to be noticed. This is a want of
RUBBING POSTS; cfpccially in the more
grazing parts of the diftrict ; where, to fpeak
with little latitude, there are townlliips with-
out a tree in them, or a poft, of any kind,
for the cattle to rub againll. In this diftri<fl,
hawthorns, and other lingle trees, are com-
mon in moil large pieces -f-.

Another circumftance, however, and which
is common to the difhrict, refle(!^s credit on
the Midland graziers. This is the number

of

• To induce them to refl more qulctlv; and not
under the generally received idea, that cows feed better — fet
fafter — for being in calf. Mr. Princep's cow (fee mix.
119.), though {he fatted extreme])' fafl, and to an extreme
degree of fatnefe, w^ not with calf.

f Rubbing posts. In Xorthru-nptonfhlre, they are
pretty con'jnon \ but there, as in moft other places, they
arc merely a ftraight naked -pofl. VVhere;;*a rubbin<^ poft
cannot be too rugged: a large bough, v.'ith the br^iiches
left two or three feet long, is moi^ natural, and affords the
cattle a. ore a mid/einfftt^ titan, a (moctb hey.fl-poft. Sec
Norfolk, mis. 66. * k-.:

Midland counties. 397

of PENS obfervable in the grazing grounds :
for almol!: every confidcrable feeding
piece has a pen; either excluiively, or
jointly with adjoining pieces ; the fame pen
fometimes ferving three or four pieces.
Thefe pens, which are made high and ftout
enough for cattle, and clofe enough at the
bottom for fheep, are not only ufeful, on
many occafions, as receptacles of flock,
but likewife are convenient as places of com-
munication, between field arid field*,

X 2 Markets

* Grazing in a wet season. I cannot with propri-
ety omit mentioning, in this place, an incident of pra6ticej
which has occurred to me, this autumn, 1789, — -a very wet
year.

The general complaint is, that grazing ftoclc, though
they have this year rolled in grafs, have not done well ;
Mr. Henton of Hoby (in Leicefterihire) being fmgular
in faying, that his feeders have done tolerably. Indeed,
his ftoclc corroborate his aflertion. He had a lot of cows
at Loughborough, the 12th of Auguft, the fatteft in the
fhow.

But his management is more rerharkable than his fuc-
cefs. He " foddered them with hay all the wet weather :"

that is, HE MOWED THE BROKEN GRASS FOR THEM !

beginriing under the hedges and continuing to mow the
CDarfcft patches, throughout the piece.

The fir ft day (the day it v/as mown) the cattle feldom
touched it ; but the fetond or third day, they fell to it

freely ;

308 CATTLE.

Markets for fat cattle. On the
fubje(fl MARKETS, it has been faid, that
the fouthern parts of the diftrid fend their
fat flock to Smitbfield; the northern, to Ro-
therham ; this quarter of it, to Birnnnghamy
ajid the other manufaciuri'ng tcrxns. Of the
laft I Hiall principally fpe^k.

It is obfervable, that t!ie grazed cattle of
this diflricL are fold, much underfat ; unfi-
nillied : mofUy in that ilate, in which cattle,
in NorTblk and Here for dihire, are put to
fatting.

This, however, is not intended as an ar-
gument againfl the Midland prad:ice of
gracing : the practices may be faid to origi-
nate in the markets, for which the ftock is

intended.

treeJy; eating it, " bjtv.-ccr:i whales," in preference to
gr^is. *' In the mornijig it was always the firit thing they
filled their bellies with" I

The cattle having eaten up the more palatable parts of
the herbage, the thiftles a;:d other otFal were raked up, and
carried off the ground : moft exc J'ent management \

His (lock confifted of about lixty hc:ad. At firft, one
man, ojjly, was cmployod in mowing, &c. But, before
the rainy weather ceafed, he fet on another man.

What an admirable thought! thut which other men fut-
fered to ilaud wafle in iil'ek^ an encumbrance to the
g(ou::d, and a nurfcry of weeds, was converted to a food,
more juitritious, in a wet leafon, than the bell of the
Aanding herbage.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 309

intended. In Smithheld, cattk. fell at prices
proportioned to their degrees of fatnefs.
While in the markets of this diOrid, even
in that of Birmingham, where the manu-
fadturers live in a llyle of extravagance*
fcarcely any diiference is made, between
beef that has been highly iinilhed, and that
which is in a ftate of forwardnefs — tlefliy—
*' meaty." This being the cafe, the but-
cher will give as much, or nearly as much,
by the pound, or any other weight, for
what are called ** meaty things," as for
thofe which are fat.

The places of fale are the grazing grounds,
and tlie fairs of the neighbourhood -, where
they are bought, chiefly, by butchers from
Birmingham, with a proportion from Wol-
verhampton, Walfal, &:c, and, fometimes,
from Manchefler ; and fome few are driven
out of this diilri(ft, to London, Birmingham
may, however, be confidered as the grand
mart of the diiiricl*.

X 3 Tn

* Yet, extiaordlhary as it really is, the fairs ef Bir-
mingham are among the word in the country, for fat
flock ! the butchers giving the graziers no encouragement
to bring their flock home to them: rather preferring the
toil of riding twenty, thirty, or perhaps forty miles, from

home

310 C A 1 T L E.

In regard to the art of selling fat cattle,
though it is not, perhaps, equally difficult
as that of buying, it requires, neverthclefs,
great judgment, and of courfe great or long
pra(!lice, to condud: it with propriety. Not
the weight of the quarters, only, but the
quantity of tallow, ought to be accurately
eilimated.

In judging this, the grazier has one advan-
tage over the butcher : he knows the time
which his cattle have had, and how they
have doney during the time they have been
at full keep ; and another, he fees them,
from time to time, himfelf, and perhaps
. takes the opinion of his friends. The but-
cher, however, muft, in the nature of his

employment,

home to feek it ! fpcnding a principal part of their time,
and their profits, in an employment, truly ridiculous.

How convenient it would be to the grazier, as w^H as
to the butcher, to have a weekly market, a Smith-
f.eld^ at or near Birmingham! To ihe grazier, in thereby
having a conftant and certain market, ^whenever he wanted
cither keep or money : and to the butcher, in faving time
and travelling expences. Yet the few which are taken
there, at prefent, are frequently dro\ e out unfold !

But, at prefent, the day, Thurfday, the ordinary mar-
ket day, is improper : Monday or Tuefday would be a
more fuitable day: and Suttox, perhaps, the moll fuit-
ablc place.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 311

employment, acquire a kind of judgment,
\vhich the grazier cannot readily arrive at.
Neverthelels, there are graziers will judge,
with great accuracy, both as to weight and
tallow ; while, incredible as it niay appear,
there are few butchers who are accurate
judges.

On the whole, we may venture to fay,
that THE ART OF GRAZING refts, princi-
pally, on JUDGMENT IN BUYING AND
SELLING : not in this diftricl, only, but
in the other diftridts I have examined. The
myfteries of management are few. Never-
thelefs, it is the moft dangerous department
of rural affairs, the inexperienced can
embark in. Jobbers and butchers are
equally hackneyed, in the ways of dealing ;
and it requires fome pracflice, to be a match
for them. Neverthelefs, by attention and
perfeverance, a fufHcient judgment may, in
no great length of time, be acquired, to rife:
to a par, with the generality of graziers.
For, although there are fome few, who are
deeply verfed in the profeliion, the bulk of
graziers are by no means proficient in the
art,

X 4 Produce

312 CATTLE.

Produce of FATTING CATTLE. There
ire, not unfrequently, inftances of heifers
doubling their firft coft, by the fummer's
grafs. I have known an inftance of two
heifers doing this. But they were bought
under particular circumf^ances : namely, of
a grazier, who, through want of judgment,
thought them ■■ weak conftitutioned :" he,
therefore, fold them to another grazier,
better verfed in the art of purchafe, for
eleven pounds ; and, the fiime day, bought
four cows, at ten pounds each. The for-
mer were fold, in October, for twentytwo
pounds ; the latter, at the fame time, for
thirteen pounds each. I mention this cir-
cumilance (of a thoufand others that might
be adduced), to ihow hqw much of tlis pro-
fits of grazing depends on judgment, in buy-
ing-in ftock.

To fpcak generally of the ordinary pro-
duce 0^ the diftridt ; — five to eight pounds is
tiie par price of lean barren cows, in the
fpring ; and nine to twelve pounds, a, good
price for a fat cow, in autumn : thus leaving
four or five pounds for the fummer's grafs,
interell: of money, hazard, market expen-
CCS, and attention. This, however, is reck-
oned

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 313

oned great profit. Fifty {hillings, or three
pounds, is ti more ordinary profit of ** com-:
mon graziers :" that is, of men Avhofe prac-r
tice is confined, and whofe judgment is fe-
condary: the profits of grazing
resting, principally, o ti judgment
jn buying and selling.

References to Minutes,

For an inftance of the high price of /ea?i
A7///t', with refledlions, fee min. i.

For an inflance of a i^a^^ year, for gra-
ziers, 53.

For opinion on the prefent Jcarclty of
flock, no.

For obfervations on bullocks at tur-
neps, 118.

For an account of an extraordinary y^/
cou\ 119.

For an inftance of practice, in grazing
Scotch runts, 121.

For Rirther obfervations on the fear city of
itock, and on Irljlo cattle, fee min. 122,

DAIRY

;i4 DAIRY MANAGEMENT.

jU I •

DAIRY MANAGEMENT.

WARWICKSHIRE, almofl throughout,
comes under the defcription of a dairy
country; and, in the District of the
Station, the dairy forms a confiderable
branch of the bulinefs of almoll: every farm.
The outlines of practice, therefore, are re-
quiflte to be traced.

The SIZES of dairies, here, are fcldom
large : fifty cows form the largeft in the dif-
trict : thirty are confidered as a large-iized
dairy : twenty a middling fize.

In taking a view of the dairy of this
diflridt, it will be neceffary to feparate the
three principal branches :
Calves ;
Butter;
Cheefc.
I. FATTING CALVES. The male
calves, except fuch as are reared for breed-
ing.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 3*5

ing, are, as has been intimated, almoft in-^
Variably fatted.

Calves are, here, fatted at the teat ; and,
in the early part of the feafon, are kept to
a good age. But cheefemaking once begun,
they are butchered as they drop : at not
more, perhaps, than three or four days old j
nor at more^ perhaps, than three or four (liil-
lings price. The naarket for them is the
nianufa(5luring towns, and the collieries, of
Staifordlliire.

The only circumftance relative to the

MANAGEMENT OF FATTING CALVES,

which requires notice, is an expedient ufed,
by fome individuals, but not, I believe, in
univerfal practice, to make them " lie quiet:"
more efpecially during a temporary fcarcity
of milk; which will fometimes take place.
In this cafe, balls, made of wheat flour,
and a fufficient quantity of gin to form it
into a pafte, are given them ; three balls,
about the iize of walnuts, being given, a
quarter of an hour after each meal. The
effect is, that inftead of wafting themfelves
by inceflant " bawling," they reft quietly^
fleeping a principal part of their time. By
a little cuftom, the Rives get fond of thefe

PASTE

3i6 DAIRY MANAGEMEXT.

PASTE BALLS i eating them freely out of
the hand ;^a proof of their being acceptable
to their ftomachs. As an expedient y they
aie evidently eligible ; and may be of fer-
vice to a reftlefs calf; even \vhen milk i>
plentiful. This,- however, by way of inti*
mation.

II. BUTTER. The only idea, which I
met with refpeifting milk butter, -and
which is entitled to a place, here, is that of
doing away the rancldnefs ofturnep buttery and
the bitternefs of barley Jlr<nv butter, by a
moft fimple and very rational mean. In--
ftead of putting the cream, immediately as
it is ikimmed oft the milk, into the jar or
ether retaining vefTel, it is iirft poured upon
hot ivater, and, having flood till cool, is
fkimmed off the water ! a new idea : but I
will venture to repeat, a moll: rational one i
though I have notmyfelf had an opportunity
of proving it.

In the fame dair/, in Avhich the above
expedient is ufed, a method of improving
the quality of whey butter is pradifed.
This improvement is effeded, h\ fcalding
each meal of cream, as it is taken off the
whevj by hanging it over the fire until

" /calding

MIDLAND CCUNriES. 317

** fcaldlng hot ;" being careful not to let it
boil. , This too, I regifter as a fimple and
rational proce fs, and not as one whofe effi--
cacy I have proved by my own experience.
I regifter them, hovt^ever, on an authority
which I have no rcafon to doubt.

HI. CHEESE. This is the grand objed
of the Midland dairy. Very confiderable
quantities are annually made ; particularly,
as has been obferved, in Warwickihire, and
in this neighbourhood, — where cheefe of a
very fine quality is not unfrequently pro-
duced.

It will, therefore, be proper to take a ge-
neral view of the fubjed: : for although,
after the recital of the pradices of Glo-
cefterllilre and Wiltfhire, much important
information cannot be expected; yet, it is
more than probable, fome intereftmg cir-
cumftances will arife.

The particulars which, in this cafe, require
to be noticed, are

Soil, Rennet,

Herbage, Running,

Managers, Curd, • •

Species of cheefe, Cheefe,
Time of making, Markets, .
QuaHty of milk. Produce.
Coloring, Soils.

3i« DAIRY xMANAGEMENT.

Soils. For an account of the foils of the
hci\ dairy parts of tiis diftri(3:, fee min. 55,
in v/hich it appears that a coo/ foil is favorable
to cheefe.

Neverthelefs, I received an idea, here,
from a moil experienced and ritelligent
manager *, that a very cold '* weak" foil is
improper for the dairy r that is to fay, a foil
may be t09 c9oI for the purpofe. The cheefe
it a^ord?, thcuch good in quality, is found
deficient in quantity. His own farm being
principally of that defcription of land, he
has, during the htter part of his life, made
r€arv:g his principal object j confidering
his dairy nfterely as being fubordinate to that
end.

Herbagk. An account of the herbage
of the cheefe farms of this diftri<ft will like-
wife appear in min. ^^.

What remains to be regiflercd, here, is
the ctrcumftance of cheefe being, not un-
frequently, made from nnv leys ; even of
the firft Or feconJ year ; while they confift
chiefly of red clover, with, perhaps, a mix-
Hire of raygrafs ', yet from this cultivated
herbage, provided t refill make no part of

it/
♦ Mr. Lakikc, of H2II End.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 319

it, good cheefe is made. A fadl which dai-
ry farmers, in Ibme diilricls, would not rea-
dily credit.

?v1anagers. a flriking inftance, of the
follv of dairymen being inattentive to the
buiinefs of cheefemaking, occurs in this
diltrid ; where a dairy farmer declares, that,
one year, he loll: forty pounds, by the mif-
management of his dairy woman. 1 his led
him to an inveftigation of the buiinefs, him-
felf, and this to a fufiicient degree of fu-
perintendance, to prevent, in future, a fimilar
lofs. See Glocfstershire, 6cc. on this
fubjed.

Species of cheese. The only *-^fa5^ors
cheefe y' made in this dirtri(fl, is thin cheefe y
from ne-'dj milk. The lize, that of fingle
Glocellerrhire, or Ibme what thicker *.

For

* The CHEESE VATS of thls diftricl are merely
** hoops" of alh, with a boarden bottom. I do not recoi-
led to have feen one inftance of " turned vats" being in
ufe. The diameter about fifteen inches. The depth two
inches more or lefs.

The *' fillet" of this diftri<5l is of wood : a long {ha-
ving or fplint of afh ; an inch or more wide, and an eighth
of an inch or more thick; not formed into a hoop, but
left open, with the ends tapering thin, and overlapping fc-
veral inches. The part of the cheefc; which rif;s ?bove

the

320 dairV management.

For ** family checfe" more or lei's jkwt
milk is ufed; and fometimes, I underiland,
all ikim milk. But this not beinjr con-
formable to the prevailing cullom of the
countrv, the pra(!^ice is looked upon as for-
did, and wafte becomes the nccellar)' con-
fequencc.

Leicestershire is, at prefent, cele-
brated for its ** cream cJy^eJe^'' -svhich is ge-
nerally known by the name of Stilton

CHEESr*

This fpccies of cheefe may be faid to be
a modern produce of the Midland Dillri^t.
Mrs. Paulet of Wimondham, in the Melton
quarter of Leicefterfiiire, the firft maker of
Stilton cheefe, is ftill living.

Mrs. P. being a relation, or an acquaint-
ance, of the well known Cooper Thornhill,
who kept the Bell Inn, at Stilton (in Hun-
tinedonfhire, on the great north road from
London to Edinburgh), furniihed his houfc
^ with

ib€ vat, bcin^ tighily embraced w,.:. i, r i:iiet, its lower
edge is entered within the vat ; and, a broad chcele board
put ever the u-hoie : the filkt and the upper part of the
cheefe finking down together, into the vat.

1789. T.n p.uii are now become prevalent: an admira-
ble inaprjvenxent. Some care, however, is rcquiGtej it
ieetas, to prevent tt^ir roiling.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 328

with cream cheefe > which, being of a fin-
gularly fine quality, was coveted by his
cuftomers ; and, through the affiftance of
Mr. P. his cuftomers were gratified, at the
expence of half a crown a pound, with
cream cheefe of a fuperior quality -, but of
what country was not publicly known : hence
it obtained, of courfe, the name of Stilton
cheefe.

At length, howevef, the place of pro-
duce was difcovered, and the art of produ-
cing it learnt, by other dairywomen of the
neighbourhood. Dalby firfl took the lead ;
but it is now made in almoft every village,
in that quarter of Leicefbsrfhire, ' as well as
in the neighbouring villages of Rutland-
shire. Many tons are made, every year :
Dalby is faid to pay its rent with this pro-
duce, only.

Thus, from, a mere circumftance, the
produce of an extent of country is changed;
and, in this cafe, very profitably.

The fale is no longer confined to Stilton ;
every innkeeper, within fifteen or twenty
miles of the diftrid of manufa<fhire, is a
dealer in Stilton cheefe. The price, at pre-
fent, tenpence a pound, to the maker ; and

Vol. I, Y ^ a fhillin^

322 DAIRY MANAGEMENT.

a fhilling to the confumer ; who takes it at
the maker's weight.

Cream cheefc being an article of luxury,
merely, and a fpecies of produce which
cannot become of general utility to agri-
culture, the art of making it does not come
within the plan of this work ; I therefore
proceed to the manufafluring of milk cheefe,
agreeably to the pradtice of the diftri<!^ of
the flation.

Season of making. Where the fa-
mily is large, it is cuftomary to begin, as foon
as the cows afford milk enoug-h for a cheefe :
continuing to make " family cheefe," until
the cows go to grafs. From the beginning
of May to the beginning of Auguft, is the
time of making what is termed ** year's
cheefe :" continuing, frorn that time, to
the latter end of Od^ober, to make what is
called the " latter weigh;" llkewife for the
fador : and from that time, until the cows
go off their milk, to make " family
cheefe."

Quality of the milk. It is not fo
cuftomar)', here, as in the other cheefe
countries, to ikim a part of the milk, from
which factor's cheefe is made : neverthelefs,

la

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 323

In fome dairies it is pracflifed : the propor-
tion fkimmed varying in different dairies.

Coloring. In the ordinar\' practice of
the diftridl, cheefe is not colored. Never-
thelefs, fome few individuals ufe coloring ;
and find their advantagrs in doLng it. The
produce of one palles, at market, for War^
wiCKSHiRE, that of the other forGLOCEs-
TERSHIRE cheefe: the faftors, of courfcj
will give more for the latter than the for-
mer. To the cojifumers, therefore, this fil-
thy pradlice owes its prevalency.

Correcting. In this diftrid:, an in-
ftance is mentioned, in which a large lump
oi alum, kept in the cowl during the time of
coaeulation, was believed to be efficacious, in
preventing the cheefe from heaving. This,
howeverj by way of hint.

Rennet* No eflablirhed mode of pre-
paration.

Running. The ordinary heat cf the milk
is 85° to 90°. The time in coagulatingy
which is held out as proper, is about an
hour ; but, in pra([tice, I have feldom of
ever found fo flow a coagulation.

In a confiderable dairy, where tolerable

cheefe was made, the pra<fiice was to bring

Y 2 the

314 DAIRY iM AN AGE ME NT.

the curd in about a quarter of an hour i but
not to break it tip, in lefs than three quar-
ters ! I mention this to fliow how many
different ways there are of producing cheefe
of a moderate quality.

Curd. In feme large dairies, more par-
ticularly, perhaps, under the pradlice lad
mentioned, the breakinr is done, not with a
knife or the hand, but with the ** churn
dafh" ! an admirable thought, fo far as ex-
pedition is thereby promoted. But, in a
cowl of delicate curd, this coarfe tool would
no doubt be improper.

The gathering is done, in the ufual man-
ner, with the hands and the difh, the whey
poured off thro a fieve, and the curd re-
broken.

S:aldi?ig. In the prefent eflabliflied prac-
tice, the curd is not fcalded j except in the
pra(flice of a few individuals ; but generally
the cheefe. It is obfervable, however^ and
to me is very intereRing, that the fineil dairy
of checfcs I faw in the diftri<5t, was not
fcalded, either in the curd, or in the cheefe.

Cheese, in the prcfs. Having been \jur-
ted hard with the hands (or, in fome few in-
ftanccs, previouily fqueezed in the prefs),

and

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 325

and having flood about an hour, it is taken
out of the prefs, and fcaldaiy — by iinmer-
ging it in 'luaterj heated to about 150^, let-
ting the evening's cheefes remain in the
fcalding liquor, all night ; and the morning's
cheefes, until the water be cold -, when they
are placed again in the prefs : in which
having remained a few hours, they are (in
common practice) taken out ; the cloth
finally taken off; the cheeflings falted ; re-
placed in the prefs j and, having ftood ano-
ther meal (in the whole two meals), are
finally taken out of the prefs.

On the JJ:eheSy — the cheefes remain only a
few days, with no peculiarity of treat-
ment.

On the fioor, — the year's cheefe, or firll
weigh, is feldom or never cleaned. The
ed^es of the latter weii^h are fometimes
fcraped \ and fometimes only rubbed with a
HAIR CLOTH; an admirable utenfil in a
cheefe chamber.

Markets for cheese. London^ the
7nanufa6iurtng toivnsy and the north cf Rn-
ghiJidf to which great quantities of cheefe
are fent from this diftri<fl.

Y 3 Produce,

326 DAIRY MANAGEMENT.

Produce. I met with a well aQthentir
cated indarice, in this dirtridl, of the pro-
duce of cheefe being materially influenced
by ihtfeafon.

One year, twentyone cows produced four
tons of fador's cheefe, befide the expendi-
ture of the family ; together, upwards of
four hundredweights, a cow ; yet, next year,
the fame cows, with the addition of four or
five more to the dairy, did not produce fo
much cheefe.

The firll: funimer was warm, and mode-
rately wet ; neither too wet nor too dry ; a
happy mixture of warmth and moillure ; the
paftiires were eaten level, even to a degree
of barenefs, yet they ahvays wore a fredinefs,
and the cows, throughout the fummer,
looked fleek and healthy. The next was a
wet fummer.

The medium produce of a co'-jj is thrc^
hundredweights, and upward.

The produce of the dijiriB would be dilticult
to afcertain j as it has not, with refpecft to the
^airy, any determinate bounds. Warwick-
shire, and the District of the Station
fend a quantity of cheefe to market, nearly
equal, perhaps, to Northwiltshire and
the Vales of Glocestershire.

SWINE.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 327

28-

SWINE.

THE NUMBER of Twine kept. In tliis
diflrid:, is above par. The farms, of fome
cf the more modera farmers, are mere hog
warrens. But in what may be called the
eftabliihed pradtice of the diftri(fl, the num-
ber kept is few -, the lize, however, is ex-
traordinarily kirge ) thirty to forty ftones
(of 141b.).

With refped: to the proportion of
SWINE TO cows, I found, in the practice of
one fuperior manager, only eight hogs, to
twenty cows, though no calves were reared.
And, in that of another, in which calves are
reared, only four or five to twenty cows.
See Glocestershire, fed. Swine.

The BREEDS of fwine, in this diil:ri(ft,

are various. The large black-and-white

Berkfiire breed is the favorite, among the

y 4 orthodox

328 S \V I N E.

orthodox of tbtj diflricfl. But in the yards
of modern farmers, the " tonkey," or half
bred Ckincfe, are more commonly feen*.

Of fwine, as of every other fpecies of
flock, Mr. Bake WELL pofTelTes a fuperior
breed; a mixbreed fort; which I mention
the rather, as it furnilhes the only inflance,
I have met with, of*' this fpecies of flock
being improved, by breeding inandin ; a prac-
tice which, though it is admitted as applica-
ble to the three fuperior fpecies of live-
flock, is confidered by intelligent men, even
of this diflricfl, as unfriendly to the fpecies
under notice.

One fuperior breeder believes^ that he pur-
fued the practice, until all his pigs became
" ricketty ; another, until they were all
** fools" ! and even Mr. Bakewell had a want
of fuccefs, at the outfet of improvement.
He perfevered, however. He continued to
fend his fows, year after year, to the fame
celebrated boar (belonging to a gentlemar^
in his neighbourhood), which boar is the
father of the entire family : his daughters,

and

• There is, in this diftrif^, a very cxtraordirury va-
riety of the biack breed of hogs : a *♦ whole-footed lort :"
the hoof being entire, like that of the ais, not cloven, as
that of hogs m general.

M I D L A N D C O U N T I E S. 329

and his daughters' daughters, having been
regularly fent to him ! The confequence is,
the breed. To far from being worn out cr
weakened, has been highly improved, by
this inceftuous intercourfe.

The LETTING of MALE SWINE has not,
I believe, yet been introduced into pra<5tice.
But the price of the leap is properly raifed
with the quality of the boar ; as from one
to five lliillings, a fow.

In the MANAGEMENT of STORE SWINE,

I met Vv'ith only one idea, that requires re-
giftering ; namely, that of cats^ being, in
the opinion of profeflional men, preferable,
to barley , as a food, not of young pigs only,
but of breeding fows.

Another opinion, however, may be men-
tioned : namely, that young pigs require war?n
meat, to make them gro\v. Corn and cold
water will make them fleek and healthy ; but
warm beverage is confidered as req^iifite to a
quick growth. This, however, is regiflered
as matter of opinion.

The FOOD of FATTING SWINE IS chiefly
hczrley meal. Sometimes potatoes are mixed
with it. Few beatjs or peas are now ufed in
fatting fwine.

In

330 S W 1 N E.

In the MANAGEMENT of FATTIN(5

SWINE, I met, in this diftridt, with a mi-
nutia of practice, which well deferves a
place in this regifter : namely, that of keep-
ing two or three little ftore pigs in the fatting
fty ; for a purpofe which theory would not
readily fuggeft.

While the fatting hogs are taking their
repad:, the little ones wait behind them ; and
as foon as their betters are ferved, lick out
the troughs !

Befide the advantage of having, by this
expedient, no wafle nor foul troughs, there
is another. The large pigs rife alertly to
their food, left the fmall ones fhould forellall
them i and fill themfelves the fuller, know-
ing that they have it not again to go to !

The difadvantage of this pracftice i?, I un-r
derftand, the large ones are apt to lord it,
too much, over the little ones; efpecially
in a confined fty. If, however, they had a
feparate apartment alTigned them, with an
entrance too fmall for the fatting fwine to
follow them, this difadvantage would be in
a great meafiire remedied.

In this diftrid*, I faw a fatting sty,
in a moft admirable fituation : by the brink

of
♦ At FisHERvric^Cjthefeatof theEARLOF Donecai^

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 331

of a Aream ; which runs, on the dog-kennel
plan, through the yard of the fty.

The fty is a feparate building, fubftantial
and commodious ; the entire lite fhelving,
from the gangway behind the troughs, down
to the brook ; in which the hogs, in warm
weather, delight to bathe themfeives : clean-
linefs is a neceflary confequence. A difad-
vantage is that of fome part of the fulUagQ
being carried away by the flream *, *

^9.

SHEEP.

THE MIDLAND DISTRICT abound*
"with SHEEP, — nctwithll:anding the nature pf
the foil J which, in general, may be faid to
be better adapted to cattle, than to flieep.

The fituation and the nature of the foil,
however, are fuch as render it, in general, a

diftridt

» In a fituation, however, like this, where the ftreain
empties into fi/h poolsy no eventual lofe may enfue.

33* SHEEP.

dillricft in which fheep may be kept, with a
degree of fafety.

The INCLOSURES, that are properly freed
from furface waters, and are underdrained
where requifite, may be deemed yiz^W iheep
pafture.

On the contrary, the commons and com-
mon FIELDS are moil: of them dangerous to
this fpecies of flock. In 178^, a memo-
rable ytar for the re/, the ilock of fome of
the fields were fwept away, entirely, by this
fatal difeafe.

I. The BREEDS of this neighbourhood
are various. They may, however, be redu-
ced to two claifes :

Shortivooled Jheep — inhabitants of the com-
mons and fields — provincially ** field flieep ;"
and

Longwooled P:eep — principally confined to
the inclofures — provinciallv ** pufiiire flieep."

Field sheep are, in fome part, reared in
the diftri(rt. But the principal part of the
fheep, feen on the commons, and in the
common field?, are ewes, brought from the
hills of Shropfxiire, Stafibrdfliire, and Der-
byfhire 3 but chiefly from the firli 3 and, hav-
ing

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 333

ing reared their lambs, are either fatted in
autumn, in the inclofures, or Told flefliy out
of the fields, to the Walfal and colliery but-
chers, or are kept over winter, for another
ftock of lambs : — which, in autumn, are
driven into Worcefterfliire, and the lower
lands of Shropfhire ; where they are fatted
either on the autumnal grafs, or are kept over
winter, and linifhed in early fpring ; — the
dealers bringing back a fupply of ewes from
the Shropfhire fairs.

This machine has been going round, —
this circulation has been kept up, — time im-
memorial ; and, on refle<ltion, appears to
be a traffic founded on rational principles^

Befide the dangerous quality of the com-
mons and fields, to a perennial flock, the
feedage they afford is not good enough for the
** pafture fheep" of this country ; but is fuf-
ficient for the maintenance of the fmall
hardy mountaineers. It is not, Jiowever, fuf-
ficiently good to /^/ the lambs, even of this
breed ; but is equal to the purpofe of rearing
them ; though produced by a crofs with a
longwooled ram. On the other hand, the
Shropftiire hills are able to maintain their
own breed, as breeding flock ; but not to fat
theni ; the old ewes are therefore fent, lean,

to

334 SHEEP.

to the open fields of this diftrid -, by which
means the Worcefterlhire farmers are fup-
plied with ftrong lambs, fuited to the rich
lands of that countrv.

This is a remarkable fpecimen of the

INTERCOURSE OF DISTRICTS; which, while

much of the kingdom lay in an open ftate,
was probably more obfcrvable, and much
more conliJerablc, than it is at prefent.

Pasture sheep. Formerly, there ap-
pears to have been only one breed of long-
wooled fheep, in the Midland District :
a ftrong largeboned fort ; which is ftiil com-
mon to Warwickshire, and to much of
the counties of Leicester andRuTLANDj
and may, indeed, be i\i]\ found, in every
quarter of the diilricl.

In Warwickihire, and Staffordibire, this
old breed of the country is dillinguilhed by
the name of the '* Warwickshire" breeds
in Leicefterlliire, Rutlandlhire, Northamp-
tonibiire, and Nottingham ihire, by that of
the " Old Leicestershire" breed.

Of this br::ed, or rather of thefe two va-
rieties, for they have their diftinguilhing
charadterilliics, there may, no doubt, be
many valuable individuals.; and a few liocks,

that

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 53^

tLat have been attended to, are of a tole-
rable quality.

In general, however, they may, without
rifque, be faid to be an unprohtable fpecles
of llock; and, in many inflances, intolerably
bad. I was led to the li^ht of a ** true old
Warwickfiiire" ram, the moil: completely
ugly, and altogether, I think, the woril
ihecD I everfaw*. His frame lar^e, and
remarkably loofe. His bone, throughout,
heavy. His legs long and thick, termijia-
ting in large fplaw feet. His chine, as well
as his rump, as iharp as a hatchet. As u>
fat, he had none ; nor flefh enough to afcer-
tain its quality ; though his paflure was
good : his fkin might be faid to rattle upon
his ribs, and his handle be conceived to re-
femble that of a Ikeleton wrapped in parch-
ment. Yet the proprietor of this creature has
rode his ewes with him, for feveral feafons ;
giving for a reafon, that " he ah7a3's finds

his

* Excepting one of the " true old Leiceflerfhir? fort,"
which was fhown, to be ht ly the feofon^ at Leicefter ram
Ihow. in 1789. This creature mighr be? fiid to be in the
lowed ftate of degeneracy. A naturalifl would have found
(bme difficulty in daSing him ; and, feeing him on a mntin-
tain, might have deemed him a nondcfcript: or a fom.--
thing between a fh^ep and a goat.

^ SHEEP.

his fliecp fat enough at the time he wants td
fell them :" a time, hcwe\ er, which, I under-
ftand, does not arrive, until they be fome
three or four years old.

It mufl not, kowever, be conceived that
all the rams of the " old forts" bear the
above defcription ; or that all the oldfa-
fliioned breeders are equally inattentive to
their flocks : neverthelefs, we may fafely
fay, that, upon the whole, the breeders arc
unpardon-ably remifs, and their flocks, in
general, in a ftate of fliamefiil neglcift.

All that is required to be faid, farther,
of the old ftock of the country is, that it
dill has its warm advocates, and its leading
breeders.

Mr. PaIfrey of Fenham, near Coventry,
takes the lead, in the Warwick/hire breed *>
and

Mr. Frizby of Waltham, near Melton
Mowbray, in the old Leiceilerfhire.

During
* In jufticc, however, to the good fenfe and difccrn-
mcnt of Mr. Palfrev, he appears to have peifevercd the
longer in the old breed, not under the diflates of his own
judj^emcnt, but in compliance with the prejudices of his
cullomers.

Mr. Barsard, near Warwick, may perhaps be faid
to be, at prefent, the imoft iealous fuppoiier of the ^Var-•
wicldhire breed.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 377

During the laft thirty or forty years, the
old flock has been giving way to a modern
BREED — a NEW VARIETY — which may be
faid to be a creation of the Midland Coun-
ties ; in fome parts of which it has already
obtained a degree of eftablifliment, under
the diftin^iion of the " NEW LEICES-
TERSHIRE/'

This being, at prefent, the mo^fajhiofiable
breed of the ifland, and, to the grazier,
one of the moft profitable, its hiflory is an
interefting fubjedt, and its merits an objedt
of enquiry *.

The ORIGIN of this breed appears to have
taken place, in this neighbourhood. Joseph
Allom of Clifton, who had raifed himfelf,
by dint of induflry, from a plowboy, feems
to be acknowledged, on all hands, as the
firfl: who difiinguified himfelf, in the Midland
Diftridt, for a fuperior breed of ihecp.

Vol. I. Z He

* The Tees WATER breed has been already noticed
(fee Yorkshire): the new variety of Li:icoLN-
SHIRE I have not yet jeen. Nothing, therefore, contained
in thefe remarks, muftbe confidered as having any allulloa
to that variety j which, I believe, is the only diftinguifcable
variety of this kingdom, that has not already fallen under
my obfervation.

338 SHEEP.

He was known to buy his ewes at a diflant
market; and was in his neighbourhood, /^;/!»-
f'^fcd to buy them in Lincolnshire ; but,
on better information, it appears, that he
had them, principally, of Mr. Stone of
Godcby, in the Melton quarter of Leices^

TERSHIP.E.

In whatever manner he raifed his breed,
it is certain, that, in his day, it was the
tadiion, among fuperior farmers, to go to
Clifton, in the fummer fcafon, to choofe and
furcbcje ram Iambs ; giving, as I have been
informed, by cotemporaries of AUom, from
two to three guineas, apiece.

This fecms to be the only man who be-
came dijlinguijhable as a breeder of llieep, in
this part of the ifland, previcuuy to Mr.
Bake WELL : and, it may be reafonably fup-
pcfed, the breed, throligh the means of
Ailom's flock, had paiTed the firil: flage of
improvement, before Mr. Bakewell's day.

We may neverthelefs advance, and with-
out rifque, I think, that to the ability and
perfcverance of Mr. Bakewell, the Lei-
ceilerlhire breed of fheep owes the prefent
high date of improvement.

The

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 339

The MANNER in which Mr. Bakewell
railed his Iheep, to the degree of celebrity
in which they defervedly ftand, is, notwith-
ftanding the recentnefs of the improvement,
and its being done in the day of thoufands
row Hving, a thing in difpute ; even among
men high in the profeinon, and living in
the very dill:ri<ftj in which the improvement
has been carried on !

Some are of opinion^ that he effecfted it,
by a a-ofs, v>'ith the Wiltjhirc breed ; an im-
probable idea ; as their form; altogether,
contradiccs it: others, that xSi^Kyelandhio.^!^
(fee glocestershire) were ufed in this
purpofe y and with fome ihow of probability.
\\ any crofsy whatever, was ufed, the Rye-
land breed, w^hether we view the form, the
iize, the wool, the fiefh, or the fatting
quality, is the moil probable inflrument of
improvement.

Thefe ideas, hov/cvcr, are regiftered,
merely, as matters of opinion. It is more
than probable, that Mr. Bakewell, alone, is
in pofieirion of the feveral minutiae of im-
provem.ent -, and the public can only hope,
that he v. ill, at a proper time, communicate
Z 2 the

340 SHEEP.

the foclst for the government of future im-
provers.

V/henever this fliall take place, it will
mofl probably come out, that no cross, with
any a/rcn breed whatever^has been iifed; but
that the improvement has been effedted, by
felefting individuals from kindred hvct^s -, —
from the feveral breeds or varieties of long-
wooled fheep, with which Mr. B. was fur-
rounded, on almoft every fide ; — and by
breeding, in an din, with, this feledtion: fo-
licitoufly feizing the fuperior accidental va-
rieties produced ; afiociating thefe varieties j
and ftill continuing to feleft, with judgement,
the fuperior individuals.

The pradticablenefs of this method of im-
provement will appear in min. 6o ; where
we find an individual of a very inferior kind
of flieep, nearly approaching the befl of the
improved breed. Had this individual been
preferved, by good fortune, or fuperior
judgement, for the purpofe of breeding,- -
from him-, alone, a variety, much fuperior
to the breed that produced him, might with-
out doubt have been raifed.

Let the means of improvement have been
what they may, the iniprovement itfelf,.

viewed

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 341

viewed in its proper light, is evident arid
great ; evincing in a linking manner, the ge-
nius and perfeverance of its promoter.. In
the improvement of horses and cattle,
Mr. Bakevvell appears to haveac^ed, in
competition, with other enterprizing breed-
ers : but the improvement which has been -
£tte(fled, in the Midland breed of sheep, may-
be laid to be all his own.

Mr. Bakewell, however (as other great.
xncn have had) has his disciples, who have
affifted him, very elTentially, in eftabliiliing
and difleminating the " new Leicefterfliire"
breed of fheep; or, as it might well be
named, from the place of its rife, the Dish-
ley breed.

To enumerate the whole of Mr. Eake-
well's followers would be diiiicult and Super-
fluous : neverthelefs, it appears to be ne-
ceflary, to the due execution of this work,
to regifter fuch individuals, as come with-
in the limitation of principal ram-
breeders, of the Midland District:
a talk, whofe only difficulty will be that of
avoiding offence, by a milclaffiiication. The
beft title to precedency appears to be, the
Z 3 length-

342 S H L L P.

length of time, which each has been in what
is termed the ** Diihley blood."

Mr. Stubbins of Holm, near Netting-
ham.

Mr. Pigct of Ibllcck, in this diftrid.

Mr. Breedon of Ruddington, Notting-
hamfhire.

Mr. Stone, Qnarndon, near Lougliboroiigh.

Mr. Bucklcv, Ncrmantcn, Kcttingham-
fhire.

Mr. Walker, Wolfsthcrp, on the borders of
Lincolnshire.

Mr. Bettifcn, Holm, near Nottingham.

Mr. White, Hoton, Nottiighamfliire.

Mr. Knowles, Nailfton, in this diftridt.

Mr. Deverel, Clapton, Nottinghamfnire.

Air. Princcp, Croxall, in this dillri^.

Mr. Burgefs, Hucklefcot, .

Air. Green, Ncrmanton, .

Mr. Robinfon, near Wclford, Northamp-
tonfhire.

Mr. Moor, Thorp, in this difrridl:.

Mr. Aaiey, Odftoh, ^ .

Mr. Hentbn, Hoby, I.eicelierflHrc.

Befide thefe leading men, there are many
ef lefs repute, iji the Midland piftri<^'t, and
m^ny others, fcattered oyer almoft every part

of

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 343

of the ifland, particularly In Lincoln (liire,
Yorkfliire, and fo far north as Northumber-
land; alfo in Worcefteriliire, and Gloceiler-
fhire.

It is obfervable, however, and appears to
me an extraordinary circumftance, evincing,
in a remarkable manner, the weaknefs of
men's judgements, or the ilrength of their
prejudices, that, notwithftanding the rapid
progrefs this breed of flieep are making in
diftant parts of the kingdom, and notwith-
ftanding the decided preference given to
them, by thofe who have had experience of
them in this diflrici:, the majority of the breed*
ers and graziers, not of Warwick (hire onlv,
but of Npirthamptoniliire, Rutlandfliire, and
Leicellerlhirc, even within fis-ht of Diflilev,
arc inveterately againfl the breed ! and this
notwithftanding many of their charming
gi'Ounds> at prefent, are flocked v/ith crea-
tures that would difgrace the meaneft lands
in the kingdom *♦

Z 4 This

* Nqttin'GHAMSHIRE takes the lead, In this improve-
ment- In the country between Nottingham and DifhleVj
the modern breed may be faid to have gained, already, a
i^j 'ree of eftablifljment.

344 SHEEP.

This feeming paradox can be* explained in
no other way, perhaps, than in the iniproper
manner in which the improved breed have
been promulgated.

Had the Dilhley Iheep, twenty years
ago, been judiciouily diftributed over the
difl:ri(fl, and had been, on all occafions, fer-
mitied to fpeakfor thcmfehcs, it appears to me
probable, that there would Icarcely have been
a flieep, of any other breed, now left in the
Midland diftricT:.

No profelTional m.an, whofe judgement was
not biafTed, or entirely carried away, by the
fpirit of oppolition, could hefitate a moment
in his choice. But fo long as the fire is
lanned, and the cauldron is kept boiling, fo
long the advocates of the breed mufl cxpedl
to be in hot v/ater; and, in the nature of
men's paflions, fo long the new Leicefter-
fiiire breed of fheep muft have its powerful
opponents.

It now remains to give a description of
the fuperior clafs of individuals of this breed;
efpecially ewes and wedders ; in full con-
dition, but. not immoderately fat. The rams
will require to be diflinguifhed, in the next
article.

The

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 345

The head long, fmall, and homlefs, with
ears fomewhat long, and ftanding backward,
and with the nofe {hooting out horizontally
forward.

The neck thin, and clean toward the
head : but ftanding low, and enlarging
every way at the bale , the forend, alto-
gether, fhort.

The bofom broad, with the fioulders, ribs,
and ckine extraordinarily full.

The loin broad, and the back level.

The haunches comparatively full, toward
the hips, but light downward ; being alto-
gether fmall, in proportion to the fore
parts.

The legs, at prefent, of a moderate length ;
with the bone extremely fine.

The bone, throughout, remarkably light.

The carcaje, when fully fat, takes a re-
markable form : much wider than it is
deep ', and almoft as broad as it is long.
Full on the Ihoulder, widell: on the ribs,
narrowing with a regular curve towards the
tail.

The pelt thin -, and the tail fmalL

The li'ccly Ihorter than long wools in ge-
neral ', but much longer, than the middle

wools;

34^ SHEEP.

wools ; the ordinary length of ilaple, hve to
feven inches : var)'ing much in finenels and
weight.

The COMPARATIVE MERIT of this breed
will befl appear, by placing it, in its pre-
fent llate, in the feveral lights in which it
may be viewed, comparatively with other
breeds : thereby, at the fame time, afcer-.
t4ining how far the principles of im-
provement have, in this cafe, been judi-
cioufly applied.

In BEAUTY of form, tlic breed under
notice furpalks every other breed I have
f<:en. I fpsak not oi piciurcfquc, but of po-
Jitrcc beauty. Viewed as diAiiKft objedis,
the individuals of it are peculiarly pieafmg to
the eye.

I do not, however, mention this as an
evidence of their fuperiority. There are
men of the firft abilities, and of great know-,
kdge and experience in flieep, who, as. has
been before mentioned, prefer what is called
a ufcfiil to a handfomc fort 3 a rife in the
back, or a fall in the flioulders, to a v/ant
of flcfn and fatting quality. If, however,
beauty and utility can be united, which.
t<icy evidently are in fpme inllauccs, per?

fe(ftion

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 347

feaion may be faid to be more nearly ap-
proached.

Utility of form. The moil diftln-
guifhing charaaeriftic of this breed,— that
which might be confidcred as its fpecific
charaaer,— is the fulnefs, and comparative
weight, of its fore quarters.

This, however, feems to be contrary to the
general principle of improvement, and af-
fords matter of argument to the advocates of
the old ftock -, who contend, that this form
throws the meat upon the leafl valuable
parts; legs and faddles, not fhoulders and
breaits, being the favorite joints.

The advocates, for the new breed argue, in
return, that the majority of the eaters of
mutton are of the poorer clafs, and that the
o-rand object of the improvement is their
fupply J arguing farther, that upon a given
fet of bones, and with a given quantity of
other offal, a greater weight of meat may be
laid on the fore quarters, than on the hind

ones.

Proportion of offal. Another dif-
tino-uifhine character, of the modern breed,
is the fmallnefs of their ^onc, comparatively
with that of the old flock, and moft other

breeds ;

33^ SHEEP.

breeds ; net of the legs pnly, but of the
ribs and other parts. 1 have Teen a rib of a
ihcep, of this breed, contrafted with one,
cf a Norfolk flieep : the difparity was
liriking ; the latter nearly twice the iize ;
while the meat which covered the former
was three times the thicknefs : ccnfequently
the propcrtion of meat to bone was, in the
one, incomparably greater than in the
other.

Therefore, in this point of view, the im-
proved breed has a decided preference. For,
furcly, wliile mankind continue to eat fieCi,
and throw away bone, the former muft
be, to the confi'.mer at leail, the more va-
luable.

The other offal is alfo light. The pelt
thin, and the head fmdl ; and, // is /aid,
the inteftines, and even the blood, are fmall
in a fimilar proportbn.

That the lail two are comparatively fmall,
in proportion to the carcafe, when this is
loaded with fat, in a m.anner that the carcafe
of no other breed of flieep, probably, is ca-
pable of laying on, will be readily granted. .
But that they bear a fmaller proportion to
the carcafe, in tliis breed, than they do in

others

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 3:9

others of the fame natural iize, in the fame
condition, and going in the fame pailure,
remains, I beheve, among many other par-
ticulars relating to liveftock, to be proved,
by a feries of accurate experiments.

Quality of the flesh. The cr iter ions
of good and bad flefh, iDhite the animal is
livingy differ in different fpecies of animals ;
and to afcertain them, with fufficient accu-
racy, to render them fafe guides in every
ftage of poverty and fatnefs, and to render
definitions of them, in the feveral ilages,
intelligible, would require a courle of ex-
periments and obfervations, on a variety of
individuals of each fpecies ; attending them,
through every ftage of fleiliinefs, to that of
finiflied fatnefs; following them from the
grazing ground to the (laughter houfe, and
from thence to tlie table; and this with an
accuracy of attention that has probably never
been given; nor will, in all probability, ever
take place, fo as to become of public uti-
lity, without the patronage of a public

INSTITUTION.

Neverthelefs, in this diflriifl:, there are
men, who, from a long courfs of attentive
pradice, though not, perhaps, fcientifically

purfued.

3S0 SHEEP.

piirfued, have acquired a fufficient degree cf
knowledge of this fubje<fl, to enable them
to judge, by the touch, while the animal is
alive, and low in condition, what the quality
of the meat will be, when fat, and the ani-
mal is flaughtered ; and this with fome de-
gree of accuracy : adequate, at leall:, to our
prefent purpofe ; which is that of giving the
Itudent a general idea of the fubjed:; as
well ar that of regiftcring, for the ufe of fu-
ture improvers, the ideas refpedting it, at
prefent known.

The quality of the flefi of cattle is bed:
afcertained, \vhen the animal is in a ftate of
flefhinefs, — full of condition, but not fat. In
this ftate, if the fiefli be bad, it bundles
hardy with a degree oi harfinefs ', if good, it
i^foft and ftjellciVy with a degree of ** loofe^
nefsy' or rather fupplcncfs, or flexibility ;
which, as the animal acquires a (late of fat-
tiefs, gives place to a degree oi Jirmnejs —
fdflnefs ; — a quality fo nearly allied to hard-
nefs, that, without attending to the general
flatc and condition of the animal, they might,
by the inexperienced at leaft, be miftaken for
each other.

But

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 351

But \\i& flejh of fieep is to be judged, by
fomewhat different criterions. Thefe cri-
terions, however, are not yet fixed, Pro-
feflional men — breeders even of the firfl
clafs — differ in their ideas of the fubjecTt : a
proof that it has not jQt been fufficiently
lludied.

It is, neverthelefs, allowed, by all fupe-
rior breeders, that loofenefs is a I^ad quality
of the flefh oi fiecp, when Hmng ; as being
the criterion of coarfe-grained, fpungey
mutton.

But the criterions oi good flefli are not yet
fettled. One fuperior breeder is of opinion,
that if the fledi is not loofe, it is of courfe
good J holding, that the fleih of (heep is
never found in a flate of hardnefs, like that
of ill fiellied cattle : — while others make a
fourfold dilHnclion of the flefh of flietp ; as
loofe?ieJSi mellownefsj firmnefs, hardnefs: con-
lidering the firft and the lafl: equally excep-
tionable, and the fecond and third equally
delirable ; a happy mixture of the two being
deemed the point of perfection.

The flefli of flieep, when Jlaughfered, is
well known to be of various qualities. Some
is compofed of large coarfe grains, inter

fperfed

352 SHEEP.

fperfed with wide empty pores, Hke a fpunge I
others, of large grains, with wide pores
filled with fat : others, of fine clofe grains,
with fmaller pores filled with fat : and a
fourth, of clofe grains, without anv inter-
mixture of fatr.cfs.

The fiefli of flieep, ivhen d?'cJJ'cd, is equally
well known to polTefs a variety of qualities :
fome mutton is coarfe, dry, - and infipid ; a
dry fpunge ; afibrding little or no gravy of
any color. Another fort is fomewhat firmer j
imparting a light-colored gravy, only. A
third, plump, yZ'^r/, and palatable; afibrding
a mixture of white and red 2:ravv. A
fourth, like wife plump and well flavored j
but difcharging red gravy, only ; and this in
various quaiitities.

It is likewife obfervable, that fom.e m.ut-
ton, when drelfed, appears covered with a
thick, tough, parchm^entlikc integument;
other, with a membrane comparatively fine
and flexible.

But thefe, and fome of the other qualities
cf mutton, may not be wholly owing to
breed 'y but, in part, to the age, and the jiatQ
of jatnefsy at the time offlaughter; and I
wifli to have it underllood, that what is here

offered

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 353

t>#ered, is intended to agitate, rather than to
define with flifficient accuracy, a fubjecft
which is well entitled to a fcientific dif-
cuflion;

Fatting quality. Examined in this
light, whether we conlider the degree of fat-
nefs, or their natural propenfity to a ftate of
fatnefs, even at an early age, the improved
breed of Leicfilerfhire fheep appear with
fuperior advantage.

I have known an inftance, (in the ordi-
nar}^ pradice of a minor breeder) of*' lamb-
hogs" (yearling wedders, — barely a year old),
being fold, in April (1786, a dear time) for
27 s. to 28 s. a head 5 while the common run
of ill bred things were not worth more than
1 8 s. each. There has, I am told, and by
indifputable authorit}'", been an inftance of
yearlings of the befl blood being fold, in
Augull (about a year and a half old), at 35 s.
u head ! and other inftances of their profit-
ablenefs, to the grazier y will appear in the

MINUTES.

The grazier's objedl, undoubtedly, is to
get flieep that will fat, quickly: for even fup-
pcfing them to eat more food, than (lieep
which fat more (lowly, there is a material

Vol. I. A a advantage

354 S H E t P.

advantage accruing from their reaching mar-
ket, a fortnight or three weeks fooner, than
other (heep: grafs mutton, for inftance, bears
a better price, at its firft coming in, than it
does a few weeks afterward; when a glut
feldom fails of being poured into market.
So far, however, from thefe {heep confuming
more food than others, it feems probable at
leafl, that Iheep which are, in tlieir nature,
diipofed to a ll:ate of fatneft, become market-
' able, at a fmaller expence of food, than
fheep which are, naturally, of a leaner con-
llitution.

This is among the firft of the iTiany things
defirable, that remain to be proceed. Some
attemJpts have been made, in thk- diftri(ft.
But experiments, of a complex nature, re-
quire a degree of leifure, a minutenefs of
attention, a fund of patience and perfeve-
rance, and, above all, a habit of expe-
rimenting, that ■ few men of bulinefs
poflefs.

The degree offatnefs, to which the indivi-
duals 6i this breed are capable of being
raifed>-' will;^ I am afraid, appear incredi-
ble, to thofe wha have not had an oppor-
tunity of being convinced, by their own
»"^ ^ - obfervation.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 355

obfervation. I have feen weddet-s, of only
** two Oiear" (two to three years old) fo
loaded with fat, as to be fcarcely able to run ;
anc^ whofe fat lay fo much without the bone,
that" it £eemed ready to be fhouk from the
ribs, pn the fmalleil agitation.

It is common for tl^e iheep of this breed
to have fuch a projection of fat, upon the
ribs, immediately behind the (hoalder, that
it may be ealily gathered up in the hand,
as the flank of a fat bullock. Hence it has
gained, in technical language, the name
of the F OR E F L A N K i a pomt which a modern
breeder never fails to touch, in judging of the
quality of this breed of flieep.

What is, perhaps, ftill more extraDrdinar}^
it is not rare for the rams, at leaf!:, of this
breed to be " cracked on the backj"
that is, to be cloven along the top of the
chine, in the manner fat iheep generally are,
upon the rump. This mark is conlidered as
an evidence of the befl blood.

Extraordinary^ however, as are thefe ap-^

pearances, while the animals are living, the

fadls are ftill more ftrikmg after they are

Jlaughtered. At Litchfield, in February 1785,^

I faw a fore quarter of mutton, fatted by

A a 2. Mr.

356 SHEEP.

Mr. Princep of Croxall, and wliich meafurcd
upon the nh'^fcur inches o^ fat t

Bat this I fawrfar exceeded in the mutton
whole bone has been mentioned, and which,
notwithftanding its extreme finenefs, was
covered with about an inch of mufcuiar flefh,
interlarded, and y^^ur inches of fat ! " •'^^*

Since then (1786) feveral llieep of this
breed have laid fix inches of meat on their
ribs.

It is obfervable, that in flieep of this ex-
treme degree of fatnefs, the mufcular parts
decreafe in thicknefs as the fatnefs increafcs,
and are fo intermingled with fat, as to give
the whole a fatty appearance ; and this mofl
efpecially in aged iheep; which, as aged
cattle, have more fat in proportion to lean,
than younger carcafea. A loin of mutton of
a iheep (ten iliear) of twenty fix pounds a
quarter, weighed, when the fat was taken off,
only two pounds and a half !

Thefe are certainly interelling fa<fts. But
reflection aptly fuggefls the queflion, to
what flomach can mutton like this be
grateful P

The anfwcr held out is, ** fat mutton is
the poor man's mutton: it goes farther than

lean ;

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 357

■lean; and has, of courfe, a fmaller propor-
tion of bone, than lean mutton. A poor
inan gives elghtpence, a pound, for bacon,
but only fivepence for fat mutton."

This femblance between fat mutton and
bacon, is not altogether fanciful. When
faked, and kept fome time in pickle, even the
palate perceives a flrong refemblance. The
advocates for growing bacon on fheep's
bones, indead of producing it, as heretofore,
upon thofe of fwine, will fay, that the art of
preparing it has already been carried fo far,
as to deceive the palates, even of connoifTcurs
in eating. If they can really fupply the
markets with good bacon, at fourpence or
livepence a pound, their country will cer-
tainly have fome reafon to thank them. But
this by the way.

It is alfo obfervable, in this place, that
Xhe breed of flieep under conlideration,
though they lay fo great a quantity of fat
^dpon the bones, feldom, in the butcher's
phrafe, " die we//:" while the Norfolk fheep,
for infti^nce, as feldoni " deceive the butcher."
This accounts, in fome meafure, for the pre-
ference given to the latter, by the butchers irt
Smithfield. Tallow is a kind of boon which,
A a 3 if

358 SHEEP.

if not forthcoming, incurs a difappointment
the butcher cannot brook *.

The Leicefterfliire fheep, however, appear
to me to poflefs a quality, which more than
counterbalances that deficiency. They weigh
above their appearance. They have, like-
wife, lefs offal (head feet and pelt), and,
when fully fat, proportionably lefs *' infide,''
than fheep in general. When highly finifhed,
they appear as a folid lump of flefh. Though
fmall to the eye, they will weigh thirty, or
perhaps, forty pounds, a quarter. Their flefl:\
is, in reality, firmer than that of {heep which
colle6t or lay up their fat within^ while their
mufcles and their adipous membranes are left
porous and fpungey.

On the whole, we may venture to fay,
that, 'in refpedt to carcase, viewed in the
aggregate^ the new Leicestershire flieep
have a decided preference, to moft, if not
all, other breeds; and that the principle

OF

* With refpe<fl to TAJ-LOW, however, much depends
on the ACE at which the animal is butchered ; much, alfo,
onBREED. Thus, were the new Leicefterfhire fliecp to
be kept on, to three years old, their produce of tallow
would be ^creafed : and the Norfolk breed, though moftly
butchered at two years old, are remarkable for their produce
of tallow.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 359

OF IMPROVEMENT is, this far, well
founded.

Wool. Viewing the coat, abflra(5ledly
from the carcale, the Leiceflerfhire flieep,
compared with mof} other longwooled fheep,
appear to difadvantage ; and the Leicefler-
fhire breeders, perhaps, may feem liable to a
degree of cenfure. Indeed, the coat, through-
out the improvement, appears to have been
fet at nought ; the carcafe, alone, having
engrolled the whole attention of the im-
provers.

But tlijs is conformable with the general
principle of improvement. Flefh - humaii
food — is the obje(5t the improvers have had
in view ; and it is highly probable, that the
more fuflenance there is expended on the
wool, the lefs there will reniain for the car-
cafe ; befide a heavy fleece being, at certain
feafons, inconvenient, and not unfrequently
fatal, to the flieep.

Neverthelefs, it appears, evidently, that a
deficiency in the coat has, more than any
other circumftance, hurt this breed of flieep,
in the eyes of the old graziers ; and has,
beyond difpute, greatly retarded their adop-
tion.

A a 4 It

36o SHEEP.

It is a circumftance fomewhat extraordj-.
nary, however, and which, in juftice to the
breed, ought to be made public, that the
deficiency of coat, which has done them fo
much injury, has fcarcely any other exiftence
than in the ayguinents of their own advocates !
who abfurdly affe(^ to prize them, for a po-
verty of wool : holding out, in the ivildfiefs
cf argument y that a breed of flieep without
wool would be the moft delirable ! No won-
der xhdXfuch arguments fhould produce in the
minds of men, who know the value of a
fleece of wool, and who, perhaps, have only
feen the (heep in argument, fhould conceive
unfavorable ideas of them, and confider the
ilir that has been made about them, as a vi-
fionary flight, which is above their compre-
henflon.

I mention thefe ridiculous ar<^i;ments, the
rather, and with greater freedom, as they not
only retard the progi-efs of this improvement,
but militate againfl: its leading principle ;
that of laying weight on the moft valuable
parts : for fuppofing an increafe of wool in-
curs, neceflarily, a decreafe of carcafe 3 yet,
furely, wool at cightpence a pound (the me-
dium price it has now been at, fome years)

is

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 361

is more valuable, to the grazier, than mut-»
ton at fourpence.

The fa^ is, this breed of fheep, when/een
and exa^mnedf are not greatly deficient in
wool. The wedders o^ene rally run about
four to the tod (of 281b.); the ewes about
four and a half; the fleeces, of the former,
weighing fix to eight, of the latter, five to
feven pounds each. •

Indeed, their cooler advocates argue^ and
with fome (how of reajhi on their fide, that
they not only produce more mutton, but
more wool, by the acre^ than anv other breed
of fheep.

This however remains, with the other dc-
fiderata relating to liveftock, to be prsi-cd^
by a feries of accurate experiments.

General Observations on Sheep, as
A Species of domestic Animals.

From this comparative view, it evidently
appears, that the modern breed, of Leictf-
teriliire, are a valuable variety of longvv'ooled
fheep.

In CARCASE, they may be faid to be
nearly perfedl * : fuperlor, at leall, to any -

other

* Viewing this as a diftlnfl breed, the dli'propor:iona:e
weight of the forequarrers appears, Lo mc, an imperfeiTcion.

341t

362 S H L E p.

other breed of longwooled ihecp I have
feen.

In WOOL, however, they fall {liort, I be-
lieve, of every ether longwooled breed :
owing principally, it would feem, to a falfe
principle of improvement.

Neverthelefs, taking them as they are, at
prefent, they are, to the ^r^;;;l'r, profefiionally
and diftin^lv conlidered, a very profitable
breed of flieep.

It now remains to place tliem among the
other breeds of Iheep in the illand, and con-
fider the whole, colledtively, as a fpecies of
domcftic animals.

The ufe and value of the carcase, as a
fpecies of animal food, being obvious, we
proceed to examine the ufes and value of the

WOOL.

In the warmer climates, favages go naked,
and civilized focieties may difpenfe with ve-
getable coverings. Flax and cotton may
fcreen the body from the fun, and give it,
occafionally, the requilite degree of warmth.

But

But confiderin^ the' prefent form of ihefe ihecp, as being
capable of correcling the imperfections of aJmofl evcry^
other breed of longwooled fheep, it might, io figurative
language, be (aid to b? men than perfc^»

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 363

But in more frigid climes, the natural na-
kednefs of the human body requires a warmer
covering : animal produdlions are in a degree
necelTary. In the favage flate, the entire
itins of animals are transferred from brutes;
to the human body. But, in a Hate of civil
fociety and cultivatipn, the native animals
are no longer adequate to the fupply. It
has, therefore, been found requifite, to do-
meflicate an animal, for the purpofe of fur-
pifhing a fubftitute,

In the choice of this animal, there appears
to have been no alternative. Indeed, when
we confider the natural defencelefsnefs of the
^leep, among other animals, in a Itate of na-
ture, human vanity is ready to fuggeft, that
it was formed for the benign purpofe of fur-
nifliing mankind, in a flate of civil fociety.
and in a iituation of inclemency, with co-
vering, of which they are naturally deftitute.
The quantity and quality of their fur, and
the circumfcance of its being ealily col-
letfled, year after year, renders it, indifputa-
bly, in the prefent ftate of fociety, and in
the climature of this ifland, the moft va-
luable of animal productions. There are
many animals capable of affording us food,

#qually

364 SHEEP.

equally wholefome ; but no one, in nature,
able to furnifli us with clothing, equally
comfortable.

Hence, even as a fource of happinefs to
individuals, the coat of tlie flieep is an objecl
of attention. But when w« view it, at the
fame time, as the encouragcr of induftry, and
the main fupport of commerce, it becom.es,
in this country, an obied of ftill higher im-
portance.

This nation, in particular, might be happy
within itfelf, and refpedable among other
rations, without the carcafe, but not without
the coat i which is well known to be the
grand bafis of our commercial, if not our
political confequence. Befide, it is an in-
digenous produce of the ifland, which can
always be had at will, and is not, like many
other materials of manufacHiure, liable to the
fate of conqueft, or dependant on thofe wJiQ
ihall hold the empire of the fea.

Therefore, as an objedl of national
ATTENTION, the coat of the fheep is of the
firft importance ; and every wilful attempt to
fvipplant or debafe it, is an ad: of treafon
againft the ftate.

Extending

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 365

Extending this enlarged view, of the ufe-
ful purpofes of fheep, to the feveral branches
of RURAL ECONOMY, 'a third valuable pro-
perty appears. Sheep, viewed colle<5lively,
befide affording food and covering to the hu-
man body, are applicable to the valuable
purpofe of MELIORATING THE SOIL. And
a fourth is equally evident. Sheep, if pro-
perly chofen, render produdive a clafs of
country, which makes no inconliderable part
of the furface of this ifland ; and which,
without them, would, while it remains in
its prefent ftate, lie entirely wade to the
Community. The defcription of country
here meant is heathy mountain.

In this general view of the intentions
for which Iheep are propagated in this idand,
thtform and difpojition become entitled to no
inconiiderable fharc of attention.

To the mere grazier, it is true, it mat-
ters not how fhort the legs, how compart
the carcafe, or how fluggilh the difpofition -,
provided his fheep will travel to market :
quietnefs is, to him, a defirable quality. It
is immaterial to him, whether the face be
black or white, whether the head has
horns or knots, vv-hether the wool and the

legs

3^6 SHEEP.

legs be Hiort or long, or whether the borlcs
lie in this or that form,— any farther than as
fuch points are charadleriftic, or not, of a
profitable animal, to him. The Ihambles
mufl: determine the value of the carcafe, and
the v/oolforter's'warehoufe the quality of the
cp^t* -^ The butcher and woolftapler, jointly,
are the men whom the grazier has to look
up to; and that fl:ieep which will fat the;
fooneft, on a "given quantity of food, and
whofe carcafe and wool, jointly ^ will fetch
the mofl money when the animal is fat, is
the mofi: profitable iTieep to the grazier ; no
matter as to fize or form, the length or
lightnefs of wool, or the color or length of
leg. Thefc, to a mere grazier, in a well
foiled inclofed country, are not objeifts of
attention; provided a difpofition to wildnefs,
and a defu'e for rambling, are not thereby
encouraged "'^.

But

* It has been obTcrved, aforegoing, that the legs of the
improved breed have been confiderably lengthened, fincc
their firft Hage of irr.provemcnt ; and with good efFcdl ;
tliey are now better nurfes, and better able to travel to
niarket, than they were before. But it appears to ine that
the improvement, in this refpect, has reached the degree
of perfcftion ; and, perhaps in fome individuals, has al-
rt-aJy ovcrcoppcd it : I have feen {trong fymptoms oi iidd-

mfs

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 367

But, to a MOUNTAIN SHEPHERD, aftlvlty

IS an efTential property of his flock. There
are many thoufand acres of heathy moun-
tains, on which the breed of flieep under
notice could not exift. The fame beds of
heath, which afford the deerlike inhabitants
ofthofe wilds a principal part of their {adc-
nance, would j mother a fliortlegged long-
wooled {heep. A furze cover, or a thicket
of thorns and briars, would be, for this, as
eligible a pafture.

For the arable farmer, who keeps
fheep for the purpofe of the fold, the
longwooled breeds are equally improper.
He, likewife, wants an acftive, cleanllm.bed,
longlegged, (hortwoolcd iheep, that can
travel, in all feafons, without fatigue. In
open barren countries, where fheep have half
a mile, or perhaps a mile, to go to fold ; and,
when they return to their walk, have a great
fpace of ground to go over, before their
hunger be fatisfied, remaining upon their
legs almofl the day through, fhortlcgged

long-
nefi in this breed: a property of flieep, adapted folely to
the grazier, which is among the firft of bad properties to
be avoided : and domeflic animals, in general, appear to be
in a confiderable degree wild, or cadifli, according to their
refpcftive powers of flight.

j$8 SHEEP.

longwooled {heep are ufelefs in this intention*
I tried them in Norfolk, on a clean Tandy
foil, with a good walk, and an eafy drift.
They funk under what heath (heep would
have got fat upon ; and on which the larger
breed of Norfolk throve, as flore iheep.

It is, however, held out by the advocates
of this breed, that they are, now, fince their
legs have been lengthened, calculated for the
fold; having been proved in this purpofe.

It is readily granted, that, for a few weeks,
or a few months of fine weather, immediately
after they have been fhorn, they may be well
enough adapted to folding. But, whoever
has feen ** longwookd fieef' (no matter as to
any nice diflindion efforts) waddling to and
from the fold, in any other feafon, with loads
of mud and water hanging to them, equal
perhaps to twice the weight of their natural
coats, would never think of fpoiling a va-
luable fpecies of grafsland (lieep, under an
idea io truly vifionary ; while we have other
breeds, I mean, which are, already, adapted
to the purpole.

Neverthelefs, it is much to be feared, that
their legs have been lengthened, and their
coats Hioitened, under the extravagant idea

of*

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 369

of rendering them fit for all the purpofes of
Rural Economy, thereby qualifying them to
fill every ufeful purpofe of fheep, in order
that they may bcQome the file breed of the
iHand ! ! !

Viewing fheep, generally, and in their
various capacities and intentions, as well
NATIONAL as ECONOMICAL, it appears de~
inonflrably^ that, of the numerous breeds
and varieties, at prefent in this ifland; fome
three, four, or /ur DISTINCT BREEDS
are, indifputably, and indifpenfably, necefiary
to its prefent ftate of profperity;

A very longwooled fheep, as the Lincoln-
(liire *, or the old Teefwatery for the richefl:
of foimd grafs lands j and for the fine ft
worfted manufa6lures.

A fecond, as the new-Leicefteffiiire, for
lefs fertile grafs land, as well as for rich in-
clofed arable lands, on which the fold is not
ufed ; and for the coarfer worfteds, ftockings,
bays, coarffe cloths, blankets, carpets, 6cc.

A third, a middle\yooled breed, as the
Wiltfhife, the Norfolk, or the Southdown
(of SiifTex), Or the three, for well foiled

Vol. I. B b arable

* I fpeak of the old Lincolnftiirc : the new variety, I
undcrftand, are equally well, or ftiU better, wooled. I

370 SHEEP.

arable lands, on which folding is practifed ;
and for cloths of the middle qualities *,

A fourth, a finewooled fort, as the Rye-
land, for the fineil cloths -f-.

And a fifth, as the.5hrop(hire, or a flill
more hardy race, for heathy mountain.

This general view, of the ufeful purpofes
to which iheep are. applicable, in this ill and,
has not been takeii with the intention of
depreciating the breed under confideration ;
but with the defign of placing them in their
true light, and of ailigning them their proper
foil and fituation.

Nor can' it -be publillied with a view to
cenfure tho fpirited improvers of this breed,
while tiic refujt of it reflects on them fumuch
credit : they have evidently railed into exill-
ence a breed of Il\eep, which is pecyliarlv
well adapted to their own foil and fitmcion ;
and, in doing this, have infiniw merit ; as

havins:

* Ry clotlfsof the middle qualities, f mean nar-
row ck)ths,of three of four, to broad cloths, of twelve or
fpurtoep? killings: a. yard: a lattt^<ie of quality which no
*ac ot tiieth^ree breads, hvye particaiarized, caii, I believe,
till up ; the tbrt-e^ or oUier breeds, equally various in the
quairtics of their wools, "being rcquifite to theprefent ftatc
•f the woolkn manutactory ot" this iflar.d.

t Se*^JU)CSSTB»iHl.KJt. . ,

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 371

having; a(fled on the o-rand bafis of" all rural
improvements. And although I have al-
ready exprefled myfelf generally, on this
fubjedl, I think it proper to repeat, in this
place, that J for grafs lands of a middle quality,
as well as for arable lands where the fold is
not in ufci— a defcription of country whigh
includes a large proportion of the valuable
lands of the ifland, — the modern breed of
Leicefiel'iliire fheep may, without undue
praife, be faid to be near perfe(5tion ; and that
Jo long as a full demand for the fpecies of ^nwol
they produce -continues, io long they, in their
nature, muft be, to the grazier, a very pro-
fitable breed of flieep : and further, that, fo
long as any other breed of longwooled fheep
remain, with thin chines and loofe mutton,
fo long they muft be, to the breeder, a frill
more profitable fpecies of liveflock.

II. BREEDING. To give a compre-
henfive idea of this fubjedl, the males and the
females muft pafs feparately in review.

Rams. In the pratflice of the Midland
Diftrid:,. at large, the management, refpedting
rams, is fimilar to that of other parts of the
ifland; the breeders rearing or purchafng
them.

B b 2 It

3/2 b H E L P.

It is obfervable, however, that the advo-
cates of the old breeds, though they will not
adopt the modern ftock, have fallen, in fome
degree, into the modern pra^ice of letting by
ibefeajon.

Mr. Palfrey (mentioned above) lets a
confiderable number of the Warwickfliire * ;
and Mr. Frizby a dill greater number of
the old Leicertedhire : both of them, how-
ever, at low prices, comparatively with thofc
given for the modern breed, of which,
chiefly, I Ihall fpeak under this head -{-.

The rams of the modern breed arc
never fold-, but are pafTed from breeder to
breeder, by tbcfeafon^ only.

For the purpofe of promoting this inter-
courfe, each principal breeder has his snow

OF

* Moftly, however, tinflurcd, at prefent, with the new
Leiccftcrftiire blood.

I Mr. Frizey is faid to let not Icfs than " fourfcorc"
rams, annually, at the price, one with another, of five
guineas a ram. At Waltham fair, in September 1789,
Mr. F. had a fliow — (a fair to himfcif) — confiding ©f
about an hundred rams, of different ages. And every year,
it fcems, the principal part of his rams are let at that fair.
Thus, for nine or ten months keep of a hundred rams, and
keeping open houfe one day, he is making fomc hundreds
a year.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 373

OF RAMS ; commencing, by common con-
fent, the 8th of June ; and lafting until
Michaelmas, or until the feafon of letting be
paft.

During a few weeks, after the fhows com-
mence, everv rambreeder may be faid to keep
open houfe. Breeders and others, from all
quarters of the kingdom, as well as the pro-
moters of the breed who refide in the neigh-
bourhood, attend thefe fhows ; going, in
parties, from one to another : fome to take j
others to fee and pafs their judgements.

Thefe private exhibitions clofe with a
PUBLIC snow, at Lcicefter, the tenth of
Oftober ; when rams of every dcfcription,
but moftly an inferior fort of the improved
breed, are collected ; being brought in wag-
gons J many of them from a conliderable
diftance; fome to be yi* A/: but chiefly to be /<'r.

This rhow has been held, I believ/C, time
immemorial ^ not, however, for the purpofe
of letting J but foY that otijafe.

The LETTING OF RAMS, BY THE SEASON,

has long, I underftand, been a practice in
Lincolnshire *.

B b 3 The

* Whether the letting of rams is, or is not, an ancient
prailiGC, in England, the bufiiicls of dealer in rams is,

probably,

374 S U E L P.

The OR I GIN, in the Mid LAND District,
may be traced — to a r:im let, by Mr. Bake-
well, at Leicefler fair, about forty years
ago, at the low price of fixteen fhillings *.

Humble, however, as was this beginning,
it proved to be the firft ftone of the foun^
dation of a department of rural buiinefs, that
has already rifen to an aftonifhing height,
and may, for fome length of tinae, continue
to bring in a copious fource of wealth to
the country.

The method of conducting this novel
branch of rural buiiiKfs will require to be
detailed^

In the MANAGEMENT OP RAMS,
kept for the purpofe of letting by the feafcn,
the following particulars require attention :
The choice, 6cc. of ram lambs.
Making up rams for Avowing. ♦

Method of fhowing.
The points of rams.

Method of letting.

The

probably, -3^ long ftanding ; or whence the furrame of
TuPMAV ? a provincial appellation, at prcfent, iACommoo

ufe for RAMBREEDER, or DEALER IN' RAMS.

• Mr. B. letting txo more, the Cuec dav, at feventetn
{liiUlngs and fixpencc each.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 375

The conditions of letting.
The prices given.
Treatment after lettini^'.

o

Sending them out.
Method of ufing them.
Expe<5led treatment while out.
Treatment after their return.
The principal r^mbreeders fave, annually,
twenty, thirty, or perhaps forty ram lambs;
caftration being feldom applied, in the firft
inftance, to the produce of a valuable ram.

For, in the choice of thefe lambs, they
are led more, by blood, or parentage, than
by form; on which, at an early age, little
dependence can be placed.

Their tjieatment, from the time they

are weaned, in July or Augull, until the time
of Ihearing, the iirft week in June, confifts
in giving them every indulgence of keep ;
in order to pufli them forward fdr the Ihow :
it being the common pradlice to let, fuch as
are fit to be let, the iirfl feafon ; while they
are yet yearlings — provincially ** fharhogs."

Their firft pafture, after weaning, is pretty

generally, I believe, clover that has been

mown early, and has got a fecond time into

head : the heads of clover being confidered

B b 4 as

376 SHEEP.

as a moft forcing food of flieep. After this
goes off, turneps, cabbages, colewort, with
hay, and, report fays, with corn. But the
ufe ofih's the breedersytv^r^z//y deny ; though,
collecl'rvely^ they may b^ li4b]e to the charge.

This being as it may, fomething con^
liderable depends on the art of making
np, — not lambs only, but rams of all figes.
Fat, like charity, covers a multitude of faults j
gnd, beiide, is the bell: evidence, their owners
can produce, of their fatting quality t—ihtxv
natural prppenfity to a ft^te of fatnefs : wliiie,
in the fatnefs of the lljarhogs, is feen their
degree of inclination to fat, at an airly age.

Fatting quality being the one thing need-
ful, in grazing Itock, and being found, in
fome conliderable degree at leaft, to be here-
ditar\', — the fatteji rams are of conrfe the
bcfi 'y though Other attachments, well or ill
placed, as Xq form, or fafiion.^bk poJNtSy will
perhaps have equal or greater weight, in the
minds of fome men : even in this enlightened
age and diftricl.

The {hearlings which will not make up,
fufficiently, as to form and fatnefs, are either
kept OP, to another year, to give them a fair
chance, or are cailrated, or l^utchered, while
iharhogs. Sho\\v

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 377

Showing. The fhows of the principal
breeders confiil, by eommon confent, of forty
fams each ; moilly from one to five years
old ; they being feldom found efficient, after
that age : fome, however, will continue in
vigour to the fixthor feventh yeac *.

During the fliow, they are moftly kept in
fmall inclofures, of two, three, or four acres ;
with three, four, or more rams in each ; ac-
cording to their ages, and the advancement
of the fpafon.

Ih a corner, or other convenient part of
each paddock, a fmall pen, made with
hurdles, is placed ; for the purpofe of hand-
ling them. Into thefe pens they go, through
cudom, as trad:ably, as worked oxen to their
flails. Indeed, the old rams, from the un-

wieldinefs

* Even at thefe ages, however, the decay of vigour is not
natural j but is brought on, prematurely, by the unnatural
rtate of fatncfs in which they are kept, and of which a
variety of difeafes, as well as a general unwicIJinefs of
frame, are inevir. .ble confequences. Female {hcep are
found to be prolific to a greater age.

it is obfervable, however, that the females, as well as the
males, of the breed under notice, enter the ftage of decav,
(boner than thofe of other breeds. This circumllance is
iccounted for, in their entering the ftage of fatiiefs, fooncr
'ban otlier fijcep.

tf9 SHEEP.

wieldinef> of their frame, and the load of
fat they have to carrv, at this feafon, as well
OS from habit, will futter themfclves to b©
handled abroad : and even appear to take a
pleafure in the refpect which they have
liiown them.

Of late, a tiew tnetf^od of fl:o'wmg has been
ftnick out, by the leading -breeder, and
;Kiopted by en:, at leall, of his followers. In-
ftead of ihowing them, abroad, and driving
three or four of them up together, into a
pen, they are fhut up in hovels, and brought
out, feparately > he'mg never Jlfn together,

Amon? accurate judges, this mode of
fhomng may be well enough ; but, to thofe
who have had lefs exnerience, it ^ives of-^
fence; as it deprives them of their beft guide,
rcmparifon ; and I cm fee no fair advantage
accruing froin it to the letter.

The deiirable points of a ram are thofe
which have been already enumerated. But
the choKe of the hirer is determined, in fome
meafure, by the intention for which he is
about to hire ; as whether it be that of get-
ting 'iveddcrsy or mere grazing llock ; or rams^
for the purpofe of letting. Hence the gra^

zier.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 379

»/Vr, and -the rambrccdcry phoole ■ different
llieep ■* , ,

The chara^eriilic difference between what
is termed a " ramgetter," and a *' wed-
dergetter" or a ** good grazier's iheep,"
is that of the former being everywhere
cleaner, finer: the head fmall, the bone and
offal light, the liefli good, and the form beau-
tiful. The mere grazier likes a ram no
worfe, for having a ftrength of frame, and is
lefs fcrupulous about his form, than the
rambreeder, whofe great objedt is finenefs :
his ewes, and the natural tendency of the
breed, ferve to give his offspring fize and
fubffance -j-.

Letting. A novel circumftance has

likewife taken place, lately, in the bufmefs

of letting. The long eftablifhed cuftom of

Jetting a price js exploded ; at leafl, by Mr,

Bakewell

* There is, however, one general guide,' common to
them both, and to which the judicious part of both pay fome
attention J namely, the imperfeilions of their ewes. In
whatever quality or point they arc moft deficient, a ram
pofleflins; that particular quality or point, ought certainly
to be chofen.

t Some, however, ft-t afide this diftinctionj and, if
there be no poiribility of breeding grazing flock too fiJie,
they are undoubtedly right.

3So SHEEP.

Bake\^*cll and one of his dilciplcs j whofc
cuflomcrs are now left to maJce their ov.n,
valuations, and — bid what they pleafe.

This, as well as fhowing them feparately,
gives great offence ; efpecially to ftrangers ;
who cannot brook the idea of being ** both
buyers and fellers."

The letter, however, has more than one
advantage, in referring the price (provided
he do not thereby drive away his cuf-
tcmers) : he is, in efte(ft, letting to the beft
bidder. Belide, he is, through this mean,
encibied to regulate bis prices to bis cujlomers^
without sivine any of them pointed olfence.

The principal breeders are, in the nature
of their bufinefs, competitors ; and it is no
more than common good policy, in the
leader at leaf!:, to advance himfelf, and keep
back thofe who prefs upon him clofeft. It
is therefore good management, in him, to let
a fuperior ram to an inferior breeder, whofe
ewes are ytt of bafe blood, at a lower price,
than to one who is farther advanced, and
whnfc ewes, perhaps, are nearly equal to his
own : for, if the hirer may not thereby be
able to get the lead from him, he may run
^way with part of the heft prices ; and the'

only

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 3^1

only line, the leader has to tread, is,- citheF
to refufe hihi, or to make him pay in the
iirft inftance. And, again, — fometimes two
or three capital breeders will join, in the
hiring of one fuperior ram ; and, in this
tale, the blood being more widely diiperled,
the price ought to be, and always is ad-
vanced, in proportion to the number of
partners.

Hence, /// the leader^ a refervation of price
may be allowable ; efpecially in the letting

of firftrate rams.

Conditions of letting. Notwith-

ftanding the number of years the letting of
rams has now been in ufe, and the extraor-
dinary height to which the prices have rifen,
the tranfa(ftion does not appear to have re-
ceived, yet, any fettled form ; nor to have
been rendered legally binding, by ajiy written
articles, or conditions of letting ; much being
Hill left to the honor of the parties.

It is, however, generally underllood, that
the price agreed upon fhall not be paid, un-
lefs the ram in contrad:, '* cr a7icther as good,"
impregnate the ftipulated number of ewes.
If, through accident or inability, part only
be impregnated, a proportional part of the

price

5tli SHE K F.

price is abated. If he die while at ride, thd
lofs fails on the letter, whether his deith
happen through accident or n€gle<fl: : no cafi\
1 underlland, having yet been otherwife de-
termined.

It is likewil'e itnderftood, that the hirer
fhall net fufFer him to fers'e any other thari
his own ewes: and, of thefe, no n-iore than a
illpulated number, which is proportioned to
the age or ability of the ram, and the mode
of iifinghim. And further, that if a grazier
hire a vaiuabic ram, at a •wcddergetters price,
(which is not unufual at the wane of a feafon,
when valuable rams happen to be unlet) it
is underftood — or rather a:rreed — that he
£hal! net rear ratiis from him : a condition
which may frequently be advantageous to
both parties. The letter pockets five or ttn
guineas, which othenvife he might not have
had ; and the hirer, by fuffering himfelf
to be " tied down" as it is termed, gets a
greater improvement in his flock, than
otherwife he could have got, for the fame
money.

The time of paying the money is, 1 ufl-
derftand, unfixed : feldom, I believe, untrl
after the ewes have brought progfs of the
ram's efficiency.

The

MIDLAND COUNTfES. 3$^

The prices for rams, by the season.
From the firft letting (fee page 374.) to the
year 1780, the prices kept gradually riling,
from Jixteen Jhillings to a guinea ; and from
one guinea to ten. In 1780, Mr. Bake well
let feveral at ten guineas each; and, — what is
rather inexplicable, — Mr. Parkinson of
Quarndon, let one, the fame year, for twenty-
Jive guineas : a price which then aftonilhed
the whole country *.

From that time, to 1786, Mr. Bakewell's
(lock rofe rapidly, from ten to a hundred
guineas ; and, that year, he let two thirds of
one ram (referving one third of the ufual
number of ewes to himfelf) to two principal
breeders, for a hundred guineas each ; the
entire fer^dces of the ram being rated at three
hundred guineas ! Mr. Bake well making that
year, by letting twenty rams only, more than
a thoufand pounds ! !

Since that time, the prices have been llill
riling. Four hundred guineas have been re-
peatedly

* This ram was of the Difliley blood : but, though he
was let at this fuperior price, and to a man of fuperior
judgement, he did not long prefer ve the lead. Mr. Bake-
well has been the greateft gainer by the circiunftance ; by
which, in much probability, he has profited fome thoufand
pounds.

aJ4 S H E E P.

peatedly given*. Mr. Bakewell, this yeary
(1789) makes, I underhand, twelve hundred
guineas, by three rams (brothers, I beheve),
two thoufand of feven, and, of his v/holc
letting, full three thoufand guineas ! ! ! -f-

Befide this extraordinary fum made by
Mr. Bake well, there are fix or feven other
breeders, who make from five hundred to 2
thoufand guineas each. The whole amount
of monies productd this year, in the Mid-
land Counties, by letting rams of the modern
breed, for one feafon only, is eftimatcd, by
thofe who are adequate to the fubjecll:, at the
almofi: incredible fum of ten thousand

POUNDS.

It is, I knovv-, a popular idea ; efpecially
of thofe who, living at a diftance, have only
heard of thefe extraordinary things, without
having an opportunity of coming at fa^fts ;
that the extravagant prices, which are talked
of, are merely nominal ; the principal part of
the money being rcrurncd^ the actual prices

given,'

♦ Not, however, bv i:idividu-; breeders: three hundrecf
have been given by an indiviaua!.

t Mr. B. now lets nothing under twenty guineas : »
well judged rei^ulation, which will probably be benefi«ial
\y.)i to himieif -nd his cultomcrs.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 385

given, being fmall, in proportion to thofe
held out.

This, however, is, I believe, and on the
befl authority, an erroneous idea. At the
firft fetting out of the high prices, there
might be fome tranfadtions of that nature ;
but, if they ever exifted, they have ceafed
long ago. Mr. Bakewell, at prefent, has
the name, at leaft, of being parfimonious,
even to the ihepherds of the flocks on which
his rams are employed. His highefl pre-
fent, I underfland, is five fliillings; if the
price be under fifty guineas, only half a
crown.

The enormoufnefs of thefe prices may be
explained on other grounds.

The high prices are not given, by gra-
ziers, for the piirpofe of getting wedders^
as grazing ftock; but by rambreeders,
for the purpofe of getting rams, to be let
to graziers : the highejl being given by the
principal breeders, only; not for the
purpofe of getting rams, to be let to graziers,
as weddtrgetters; but for that of getting
rams, to be let out again, tg inferior tupmcn,
sis ramgetters.
. Vol. I. Co The

386 SHEEP.

The grazier s prices run, even now, from
one to ten guineas. I have not heard of more
than ten guineas being given, by a mere gra-
zier, for a ram, for th^fole purpofe of getting
grazing flock : five or fix guineas is the com-
mon price.

Suppofmg he give the higheft price, ten
guineas, and that the ram ferves a hundred
ewes, or even gets a hundred lambs (fome
fingle fome double,) the expence of getting
amounts to no more than two Ihillings, a
head ; which is inconliderable, compared
with the difference, between a well and an
ill grazing fheep : between a fheep that will
get as fat, at two years old, as another will, at
three: or, in other words, which will, at
two years and a half old, fetch ten or fifteen
fliillings more than his comrades, of another
breed, but of the fame natural fize, and going
in the fame pafture*.

The tmddle prices y — as thofe from twenty
to fifty guineas, — are, under prefent circutn-
JhinceSy equally reconcileable to common
fenfe. If a breeder, who gives fifty guineas,
rear ten tolerable rams, fit for the grazier's
ufe, and let them at five guineas each, he

brings
• See MiM. 30.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 387

brings himfelf home, even the firft feafon
of letting ; befide having the rams for another
and another feafon ; and befide a general im-
provement in his itock.

Thofe who give the higher priceSy — 2%
one to two hundred guineas, — have, or ought
to have, proper bafes to build upon — fuffi-
cient ftocks of well bred ewes : in which
cafe, they have a fair chance of prodi^cing
ramgetters, worth — while the prefent fpirit
of improvement lafls — twenty to fifty gui-
neas a feafon *.

With refpedl to the very high prices ^ they
are given by a few firftrate breeders, who are
playing a high game — running a hard race —
for the pride and profit of being leader, when
Mr. Bakewell // not. A contention which may
laft as long as Mr. Bakewell; and be, at once,
an honor to his genius, and a reward of his
fervices.

C c 2 Treat-

* There are inftances, though they are not very com-
mon, of the 'more valuable rams being kept, as ftaUions;
the owners taking in ewes to be ferved by them. The
price by the exvesy ten to fixty guineas a fcore.

It is likewife in practice, efpecially on letting the more
valuable rams, for the letter to rcferve a ftipulatcd number
of ewes to himfclf; either ufing the ram before he be fent
out, or fending the ewes to the hirer's grounds.

388 SHEEP.

Treatment of rams after let-
ting. The breeders of rams, as well as of
bulls, find it expedient to reduce them,
from the cumbrous {late in wliich they arc
fhown, previoufly to the feafon of employ-
ment ; the old rams, in particular, being
frequently returned upon their hands, non-
efficient. Hence, as they are let, they are
transferred to private paliures, and moderate
keep ; it being a pretty general rule not to
ficw a ram, after he is let.

Sending out let rams. The Bfual
time, of beginning to fend out, is the middle
of September. The t?ieans cf conveyance —
carriages of two w^heels, with fprings, or
hung in flings; fome of them being large
enough to hold four rams. In thef», fheV
travel from twenty to thirty miles, a day :
being fometinies fent, in this way, two or
three hundred miles.

The METHOD OF USING thefe rams has-
lately received a very great improvement.

Inflead of turning the ram, loofe, among
the ewes, at large, as heretofore, and agree-
ably to the univerfal pradiice of the ifland, —
he is kept apart, in a feparate paddock or
I'mall inclofure, with a couple of ewes only,

to

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 389

to make him reft quietly ; having the ewes
of the flock brought to him, fingly; and
leaping each, only once.

By this judicious and accurate regulation,

, a ram is enabled to impregnate near twice

the number of ewes, he would do, if

turned loofe among them ; efpecially a young

ram.

In the old pradlice, fixty or eighty ewes
were e deemed the full number for a ram :
in the new, from a hundred to a hundred
and twenty are allowed : feven fcore have
been ferved by one ram in a feafon.

The expected treatment of a ram
AT RIDE, is merely that of keeping him well,
and free from diforders, fufFering him to ferve
no other than the hirer's own ewes, and of
thefe the limited number only, and to return
him, fafe, when he has done j generally, the
beginning of December ; or, if the hirer has
met him on the road (which is cuftomary),
the latter, in return, meets him on his journey
home.

The AFTER TREATMENT confifts in
ftriving, by every devifable means, to reload
his carcafe, and make him fat and handforae,
for the cnfuing fliow.

Cc 3 ' Ewes,

393 SHEEP.

Ewes. The^ze of breedijig fiocksy view-
ing the diilri>5t at large, is various. Some
GRAZIERS, namely, men who breed for then-
own grazing, keep five or fix hundred ewes.
But the ewe flocks of the rambreeders of
the modern breed (pf which, only, I fhall
fpeak) run generally froin one to two hun-
dred.

In the MANAGEMENT OF EWE
FLOCKS, there is no myltery, I believe ^
nor have I mei with any thing extraordinary
in it, or ftrikingly different from that of
other breeding flocks. The management of
ewe flocks, however, being a fubjedt which
has not yet entered fully into thefe regifters,
it will be introduced ^vith Angular propriety,
in this place.

The fubjedv divides, analytically, into

The choice of ewes.

Their fummer treatment.

The tiine of admitting the ram.

Their winter treatment.

Their attendance at lambing tinie.

Their treatment after lambing.

Weaning the lambs.

Treatment of ewe lambs.

Culling the aged ewes.

In

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 391

In the CHOICE of ewes, the breeder is
led by the fame criterions, as in the choice
of rams. Breed is the firll objedt of con-
ii deration. Excellency, in any fpecies or
variety of liveftock, cannot be attained with
any degree of certainty y let the male be ever
fo excellent, unlefs the females employed,
like wife inherit a large proportion of the
genuine blood -, be the fpecies or variety
what it may. Hence, no prudent man ven- .'
tures to give the higher prices, for the
Difhley rams, unlefs his ewes are deeply
tin(flured with the Difhley blood.

Next to breed is Jiejhy fat y form, andu'j?i>/.

With ewes pofTelled of thefe qualities, in
any tolerable degree, and with a ram of the
fame defcription, good weddergetters,
at leaft, may be bred, with a degree of cer-
tainty : and with thofe, in a higher degree,
accompanied with a fuperior degree of neat-
nefs, cleannefs, finenefs, and with a ram of
this defcription, ramqetters may be rea»
fcnably expedled,

Summer treatment of ewes. After
tjie lambs arc weaned, the ewes are kept in
Ciimmon feeding pieces, at moderate keep ;
without any alteration of paflure, previoufly
to their taking the ram.

C c ^ The

392 SHEEP.

The ufual time of admitting the
RAM is, as has been intimate4, about new
Michaelmas ; Iboncr or later, according to
circumftances.

The winter treatment confifrs in
keeping them, well, on grafs, hay, turneps,
and cabbages : no difference, I underlland,
being made in their keep, previous to the
time of lambing. But fee Yorkshire, as
above *.

With TcCpcO: to attention at lamb-
ing TIME, it may be taken for granted,
that, where the lofs of a firgle lamb may,
polTibly, incur the Ipfs of a thcufand guineas,
no attendance or attention is fpared.

The ewes of the modern breed, however,

lamb with lefs difficulty, I underrtand, than

thofe of moll: ether breeds of longwooled

fheep -f-j the heads of the modern breed

being much finer. Their fhoulders, I un-

derfland, are the mpft common caufe of pb-

flrudion.

Treat-

* The alterations of keep, that arc here intimated, may,
however, be Itfs reCjUifite, in the m^iiiagement of the floclcs,
now more immediately under notice, ^vhich are alwa^-s at
full keep, than in that of more ordinary and lower kept
flocks.

t See Norfolk, mik. 76.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 393

Treatment AFTER LAMBING. From
the time of lambing, to the time of weaning
the lambs, the ewes are treated with every
indulgence of food : not more on. account of
a general defire to pufh the lambs forward,
than on that of the ewes of this breed being,
generally, bad nurfes ;— deficient in milk.

As the modern breed of Midland cattle
" run to beef," its modern breed of fheep
** run to mutton;" and ftom the fame caufe;
a natural propenfity, of extraordinary flrength,
to a ftate of fatnefs. I faw a ewe, in the
flock of a principal breeder, which, though
{he had reared two lambs, was, in the be-
ginning of Auguft, in a high ftate of fatnefs.
The fa(5t was, that, at weaning time, the
latter end of July, this ewe was entirely dry,
und how long fhe had been lb, was not then
to be afcertained.

This property of the m.odern breed is not
held out as a charge againft them : it is, on
the contrary, a circumftance that appears, to
my mind, much in their favor. The ufe of
the milk of cwcs (in England at lead) is
merely that of rearing their lambs ; and is
not, like that of cows, extended to the dairy.
If a ewe can keep her lamb, on milk, until

it

394 5 H L E P.

it can'keep itlclf, on herbage, flie has, to a
Kore lainb at Icaft, done her duty. More
f:han will effedl this is fuperfluous, and fome-
times inconvenient or dangerous ; and is, no
doubt, a check to her thriving.

Weaning. The t'une oi weaning is the
latter end of July, or the beginning of Auguft.

Previous to the feparation, the lambs are,
or ought to be, identifiedy by ear-markir.g, or
otherwife * j to guaivl againfl: accidents, and
the imperfections of the memory.

It is true, an experienced an4 attentive
fhepherd requires no other diitinguifhment,
than theii" natural forms and countenances ;
v;hich, from a continued attendance, become
as familiar to him, as the perfons and faces
c.f his neighbours. There are fhepherdsj
not in this difl:ri(fl only but in others, who
are able to couple the ewes and lambs of their
rcfpedive l^ocks ; drawipg them from two
fcparate pens, one containing the ewes, the
ether the lambs ; fcarcely miftaking a fmgle
countenance. But th^ overfeer of a plan-
tation

* For the fire, the ear is generally rnarked : for the dam,
ochre, or pitch, is ufcd ; marking the c.vc and her lamb,
prcvioufiy to the weaning, in the iissit part, or with di?
faftie nunr.ber, or letter.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 395

tatlon knows every negro upon it, though
they are in a manner naked ; and an officer,
every foHier of his regiment, though their
dreiTes are exacfrly the lame.

Treatment OF THE EWE LAMBS. The
female lambs, on being weaned, are put to
good keep, but have not flich high indulgence
fliewn them as the males : the prevailing
pra<J^Ice being to keep thern from the ram,
the firll autumn.

Culling the ewes. At weaning time,
or previoully to the admiflion of the ram,
the ewes are culled, to make room for the
"thaves," or fhearlings,whofe fuperior blood
and fafhion entitle them to a place in ths
breeding flock.

In the work of culling, the ramereeder
and the mere grazier go by fomewhat
different guides.^ The grazier's guide is
principally age ; feldom giving hi^ ewes the
ram after they are four fhear. The ram-
breeder, on the contrar)^ goes chiefly by
mcrii : a ewe that has brought him a good
ram or two, is continued in the flock, fo long
as fhe will breed : there are inftances of ewes
having been prolific, to the tenth or twelfth
year ; but, in general, the ewes of this breed
go off, at fix or feven lliear.

396 SHEEP.

In the practice of fome of the principal
rambreeders, the ** culling ewes" are never
flittered to go out of their hands, until after
they are flaughtered : the breeders not only
fatting them, but having them butchered, on
their premifes.

There are others, however, who fell them j
^nd, fometimes, at extraordinary prices.
Three, four, and even fo high as ten guineas,
each, have been given for thefe outcafts.

There are, in the fiocks of feve^al breeders,
ewes that would fetch, at auction, ■ twenty
guineas each. Pvlr. Bakewell is in poffeflion
of ewes, which, if they were now put up, to
be fold to the beft bidder, would, it is efti-
mated, fetch no lefs than fifty guineas each ;
and, perhaps, through the prefent fpirit of
contention, much higher prices.

It is now, I underlland, in agitation to
LET EWES BY THE SEASON, in the manner
rams are let.

Where this fpirit of breeding will end, or
what will be its effe(fts, time only can deter-
mine.

III. FATTING SHEEP. The ilittipg
of fliecp is a fubje^ new to this work. The

ouUine

xMlDLANI) COUNTIES. 39?

outline of the pradilce may, therefore, be
Sketched, with fingular propriety, in this
place ; immenfe numbers being fatted, every
year, in the Midland Diflricl.

The fubjed divides into the following
branches :

Situation and foil.

Materials of fatting.

Defcription of fheep.

Mode of obtaining them.

Managem.ent during podeliion.

Markets.

Produce,
Situation. The Midland District
has been defcribedyas a well foiled middleland
trad ; chiefly in a ftate of grafs ; but with an
intermixture of arable land ; efpecially in the
District of the StatiOxM.

But the more grazing part of the dif-
tri<ft, namely. South and Eaft Leicester-
shire, with the adjoining margins of
RutlandHiire, Northamptonfhire, and War-
wickfhire, confifb chiefly of large grafs
** feeding pieces," which are mod of them
Aocked with a great proportion of fheep.

The MATERIALS OF FATTING are prin-
cipally ^ra/s and &ay -, with fome few /«r-

neps

3<58 S H E E I*.

nepsznd cabbages ; but, even in tlic Diilrid^
of the Station, the two latter can fcarcely be
faid to enter into the ordinary pra^ftice of the
country.

The DESCRIPTION OF SHEEF varies ^'ith
the fyilem of management: in the Dis-
trict of the Station, the prevailing flock
is culling cvjcsy partly of the longivookd^ and
in part of the yZ'i/r/'zcWc*^ breed, as has been
already mentioned, at the head of this fec-
tion*

But, in the more grazing parts of the
Midland Diilrid:, the hngiDookd breed, and
moftly tiijo-fiear weddcrSj with a proportion
oi culling eii-es, are almoll the only defcription
of fatting flieep.

The MODES OF OBTAINING thcfc feveral
forts of fheep are various. The ** graziers'"
many of them rear a con fide rable part of
their flock ; others furchafe wcdder lambs
of the breeders who do not ** graze." On
the contrary, the arable " farmers" mofl of
them purcbafe \ exxcpting fome leading men,
who, having adopted the modern breed, rear
their ov/n ilock of grazing fliecp.

T^ be places of pur chafe, of the fhortwooled
ewes, have been moiitioned to be, princi-
pally.

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 399

pally, the fairs of Shropfhire and Stafford-
Ihire : Dudley is the moft noted place for
thefe fheep. The longwooled ewes, which
are fatted in this dillrid:, are purchafed at
the autumnal fairs of the neighbourhood ;
but more particularly, at the market of Tam-
worth ; to which, in autumn, they are
brought, weekly i fome out of Glocelter-
fhire ; but moftly out of Leicefterfhire, and
chiefly by one dealer -, who brings fome thou-
fand fheep, every year, into the diflridl.

It is obfervable, that, in the lots of theftf
two defcriptions of fheep, individuals of all
fizes and all ages, from a thave to a crone,
are intermixed ; no other feparation being
made, than that of keeping the two forts
diftind:. This circumftance, however, dif-
gufting as it may be to a ftranger, who has
been ufed to fee Iheep forted, agreeably to
their ages, is the caufe of lefs inconveniency,
inafmuch as they are all. of them equally in-
tended to be fatted, in the courfe of the en-
fjing fummer.

In the choice of grazing iheep, graziers
tiitter, and in the moft ellential points. While
one man is choofing a lot, for their neatnefs
and cleannefs from offal, another buys a pen

of

#66 SHEEP.

of ** rare ilrcng boney llieep ;" of which
defcription the markets of longwocled iliecp
principally coniill:.

The MANAGEMENT OF FATTING SHEEP.

The e*wes have the ram about Michaelmas,
or later : fome before, fome after they are
purchafed. Grafs being the only dependence,
here, for ewes and lambs, it is thought bad
management to bring the lambs too early in
the fpring*.

Tlie k'Kp varies with the llock. The wed-
ders, the firft year, while fliearlings, and
the ewes the firlt winter, are kept as llore
flock * ; but the ewes, from the time of
lambing, and the wedders, the fecond fum-
mer, are of ccurfe at prime keep ; tlie firft
"wedders reaching market, about September.
The culling ewes are feldom ready, until tlie
Cnfuing fpring.

The method oi jiocking has been men-
tioned, to be that of mLxing them with tat-
ting

* Little or no foldikc is done, ia the Midland Dif-
tx\(X : I do not recollecl feeing one inftance ; except
in a light fandy fieI4 (Qucniborough's) between Leiccftcr
and Melton. In this cal'e, the hurdies were fet leaning
outward, and propped with forked props, as in Glocefter-
ih:rc : not fet upright, in the ground, as in moli dillricls.

i

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 401

ting cattle, or dairy cows, in the proportion
of two to one : and, taking the dill:ri6t
throughout, this may be the nearefl propor-
tion ; but, in Ibme of its more grazing parts,
I have obferved large tradls of ground^
which appeared to be flocked chiefly with
Iheep ; the proportion of cattle being (mall *.

The only circumflance that requires partir
cular notice, ii^ tlie inanagement of eives and
lambs y is that of the lambs being, lometimes,
taken from the ewes, before they are fit fo^
the butcher ; and fatted, without the ewes, on
clover, or other prime keep, a novel pradticei
in grazing.

The leading principle, at leaft, is good.
The ewes, of courfe, come fooner to market,
thap they would if the lambs remained with
them a longer time : and thofe who prac^
life this n-^ethod fay, that, after the firfl: flufli
of milk is gone, the lambs thrive better, on
grafs alone, away from the ewes, than they
would if kept with them ; by reafon of their
hanging after a little milk, in this cafe,
which prevents their feeding freely on her-
bage.

Vol. I. D d I rcr

* Thefe, however, arc, I believe, chiefly ftore fheep, on
the moil ordinary land, too weak for grazing builoclcs.

*,^% SHEEP.

I regifter this, not as the prevailing prac«
tice of the diftrid:, but as that of fome in-
telligent judicious managers, who wouldnot
follow it, if they, themfelves, were not con-
vinced of its eligibility *.

In the SHEPHERDING of flicep, in this
country, a few circumflances may be men-
tioned with propriety.

Trimming the buttocks in the. fpring,
provincially " belting^' in this diilrid:, and
^* ddgghigy' in the grazing country, is well
attended to; and the produce turned to pro-
fit. There are graziers, keeping perhaps fome
thoufand £l;ieep, of different defcriptions,

who

* Fatting lambs on herbage. The keep of the

Jambs, in this call, ought certainly to be extraordinary; as

raygrafs atul white clover, early; and red clover in head^

later in the fummer.

An improvement of this method is evident, Ewes vary,
exceedinglv, in the time of lofmg their millc; and tq
take away thofe lambs, whoA; dams arc yet in full milk, is
il'lfevidcntly viTong; as removing thofe, vvhofe dams are de-
ikicat in milk, from the ordinary pafture of the ewes, to
better food, is more than probably right. Hence, exa-
mining the ewes, from time to time, and removing the
iambs from fuch as are fjund aeficicnt, appears evidently,
to be the line of right management.

Rambrecders, at leaft, might, it is more than probable,
profit by fuch a prafticc. Many of the ram lambs, a,t
v.'caning time, appear in very low condition.

MIDLAND COUNTIES^ 403

who will make np a pack or two of *' dag-
locks," yearly ! The locks are waflied, fpread
on the ground to dry, and packed up like
fleece wool : a new fpecies of marketable
produce ; which is ufed, I underftand, chiefly
in the carpet manufa(5lories.

As a preventive of the jfy, the Midland
fliepherds ufe various applications ; efpecially
to the lambs. Train oil is found to be effica-
cious; but it fouls the wool, and makes the
Iheep difagreeable to touch. An ointment
mad« of butter and the flowers of fulphur
feems to be in the heft repute *.

Infecfts certainly have their antipathies,
and to find out thofe of the fliecp fly is an
interefting fubjed of enquiry.

The method of dejlr eying maggot s^ here, is

effectual; and, if applied in time, Ample and

eafy. Inflead of cutting the wool off the

part affedted, and fcraping ofl' the maggots,

D d 2 with

* The butter being melted, a fufficiency of brUaftoners
ftirred into it, to form an ointment of a pretty firm confift-
ency. In application, a piece the fize of a fmall walnut is
rubbed between the hands, and thefe drawn along the backs
of the {heep.

There are feme noftrums, in the (hops, fold for this pur-
pofe; but thofe whofe efFei>s I have had an opportunity of
obferving, difcolor the wool.

4H SHEEP.

with the points of the fhears, the wool i%
parted, and the maggots picked out with a
knife, — or otherwile didodged, — without
breaking the coat j and. a fmaU quantity of
white lead fcraped, from a lump, among the
wool ; which being agitated, the powder is
carried evenly down to the wound. Too
much diicolors the woolj a little prevents
any farther harm from the maggots, that may
llill be lodged among it; driving them away
from the wound; and, at the fame time, is
found to promote its healing. In well
fhepherded 'flocks, which are iccn regularly
twice a day, there is no appearance of a broken
coat.

Artificial ii^afi pools are here common. In
fome countries, fhcep are driven, perhaps two
or three miles, to the wafh pool : a pra\5lice
which is not only inci)nvcnient to the lliep-
kcrd, but dangerous to the (lieep; Hercy
tlie fmallefl rill is rendered fubfervient to the
purpofe of wafliing flieep. In a convenient
part, a wall is built acrofs the rivulet, with
an opening in the middle, to let the water
pafs, in ordinary ; and with a fmall floodgate
fixed in the opening, to flop it occafionally.
On one fide, is the pen -, and, on the other, a

paved

MIDLAND COUNTIES.' 405

paved path, for the {beep to walk up, out
of the pool.

With refpedl to fiearingy I have met with
nothing noticeable ^ except the extreme
neatnefs with which the fheep of this diftridt
are fonietimes fhorn; efpecially the Ihow
rams:

Markets for fat sheep. The mar-
kfets, for carcafesy have been mentioned :
London y for the weddersj &c. fatted in the
fouthweftern quarter : Birmingharny 6cc. for
the ewes and lambs, fatted in the diftridl of
the ftation.

The markets iovivoolzxt various. Here-
tofore, moll of it has been bought up, by
woolftaplers, living in different parts of the
diftridl. Some of it is for ted -, and, what is
not wanted for the manufactures of the dif-
tri€t (namely, hofiery in Leicefterfhire, and
Coarfe worfleds in Northamptonfhire), is fent
to the diftant mahufadtories, for which it is
fuitable.

But, of late years, the manufad;urers,
themfelves, from Yorkfhire and other dif-
trifts, have bought up fome (hare of the
wool, immediately of the growers.

The

4C6 SHEEP.

The price oi " paflure wool," — namely, of
the wool of the longwooled llieep of this
countr\% — has been, during tlie laft fevcn
years, lixteen to twenty (hillings, a tod, of
twentyeight pounds. The price, this year
(1789) rofc from feventeen to nineteen (hil-
lings ; — with fcarcely any diftindtion as to
quality ! though, to the forter or the manu-
fafturer, it may vary feveral fliillings, a tod.
But the " breaking" of wool is a mvfterv,
which lies not within the province of the
grazier.

Produce of fatting sheep. The
wedders, in eighteen or twenty months, are
cxpeifted to pav, on a par of years, ten to
twelve fliillings, a head, in carcafe-, befides
two coats' of 'i^'^^/, worth £ve or iix (hillings
each ; together, twenty to twentyfive (hil-
lings ; or about threepence halfpenny, a. head,
a week.

The ewes and Iambs, of the longwooled
breed, pay mere. Suppofe the improvement
of the ewe itv^w or eight (hillings, and the
produce of the lamb as much, with the fleece
of the ewe four or five fliillings; together
twenty fliillings, — for twelve or fourteen

months

MIDLAND COUNTIES. 407

months keep of the ewes, and two or three
months of the lambs.

The fliortwools ^re allowed to pay flill
better, but they are wilder, and more mif-
chievous ; and are chiefly in the hands ot
the fmaller farmers. The Shropiliire wool,
however, though fine, is very light : the
ewes feldom yielding more than one to two
pounds, each fleece ; worth, perhaps, from
a fliilling to eighteen pence, a pound j or
about tv,'o lliillings, a fleece.

References to Minutes.

For a ftriking accidental variety of flieep,
fee MiN. 60.

For obfervations on the fatting of young
flieep, 105.

j:nd of the first volume.

^