THE
RURAL ECONOMY
O F
NORFOLK^
COMPRISING THE
Management of Landed Eftates,
AND THE
PRESENT PRACTICE of HUSBANDRY
IN THAT COUNTY.
By Mr. MARSHAL L,
(Author of MINUTES OF AGRICULTURE, &c.)
RESIDENT upwards of Two Years in NORFOLK.
IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOL. II.
LONDON:
Printed for T. C A D E L L, in the STRAND.
M,DCC,LXXXVII.
D D R E S S
T O T-H E
READER.
IN regiftering the practice of this Dif-
tricl:, I purfued a two- fold method.
Such eftablifhed rules of management as are
generally obferved in common practice, I
committedto a SYSTEMATIZED REGISTER,
as they occurred to my obfervation. But
fuch particular operations, and peculiari-
ties of management, as required an accu-
rate detail of circumftances -, — alfo fuch
complex obfervations, as included a plu-
rality of fubjecls ; — alfo fuch inftances of
practice and opinion, as I found peculiar to
individuals j — I reduced to MINUTES, in
ieries, with thofe on my own pra&ice.
A 2 In
2GOG8-10
iv ADDRESS
In preparing thefe materials for publi-
cation I was defirous, on the principle of
fimplicity, to have united the two regif-
ters : that is, to have incorporated the
MINUTES with the fyflematized matter.
But this I found entirely incompatible
with the fimplicity I was feeking. Many
of the individual minutes pertaining
to a. variety of diflinct fubjects, would
not aflimilate with any one of them 3
while others were, in flrictnefs, foreign
to the fyftem of practice prevalent in the
Diflrict -, being upon incidents in my own
practice, and upon obfervations and reflec-
tions on fubjects not efpecially connected
with the rural affairs of Norfolk, but
equally relative to the rural economy of
the Ifland at large.
Thus, feeing the neceffity of keeping
the two regifters diflinct, in fome degree, I
thought it right to let them remain (with
a few exceptions) in the manner in
which they were written : but, in order
tp connect them as intimately as the nature
of
TO THE READER. *
of them would admit of, I digefted the
fubjects of the MINUTES, andfufpended
them to their correfponding fubjects in the
SYSTEM ; through which means the two
regifters may be read together, or fepa-
rately, at the option of the reader.
I was induced to adopt this method,
with lefs hefitation, as I am ftill more
and more convinced that PRACTICAL
KNOWLEDGE is never conveyed more forci*
bly than in MINUTES, made while the
MINUTIAE of practice are frem in the
memory, and the attendant CIRCUM-
STANCES are frill prefent to the imagina-
tion. Nor am I fingular in this opinion.
A mafterly writer conveys the fame fen-
timent, in more elegant language. " It
mutt," fays he, " be acknowledged, that
the methods of difquifition and teaching
may be fometimes different, and on very
good reafon undoubtedly; but, for my
part, I am convinced that the method of
teaching which approaches moft nearly to
the method of inveftigation, is incompa-
A 3 rably
ti ADDRESS
rably the beft; fince, not content with
ferving up a few barren and lifelefs truths,
it leads to the flock on which they grew ;
it tends to fet the reader himfelf in the
track of invention, and to direct him in-
to thofe paths in which the author has
made his own difcovery, if he mould be
fo happy as to have made any that are va-
luable."
I will place this fubjecl: in a light com-
parative with two of the learned profef-
iions. MINUTES, in rural economy, are
as CASES in phyfic and furgery, and as
REPORTS in law. They are all, and
equally, if equally authentic, PRACTICE
IN ITS BEST FORM. For an agricultor
cannot regifler an incident,— a furgeon, a
cafe, — nor a lawyer, the proceedings and
decifion of a court, with any degree of
accuracy and perfpicuoufnefs, until he
has afcertained, and fct before him, the
facls and attendant circumflances refpecl:-
ing it 5 — and has revolved in his mind
the caufe, the operation, and the effect.
In
TO THE READER, vu
fn doing this, he not only finds it neceflary
to afcertain minutial fadts and circum-
fiances, which, otherwife, he would have
overlooked -, but is led on, by reflexion,
to inferences which, otherwife, would
not have occurred to him : and, if he
regiftcr fully and faithfully, he knows no
more of the given fubjedr, when he has
finifhed his regifter, than the perfon who
may, afterwards, have read it. Confe-
quently, he not only thereby renders his
practice more valuable to himfelf ; but,
by reading his report, his minute, or his
cafe, the fludent gains full pofleffion
of the practice of a practitioner.— Hence,
principally, a barrifter is enabled to ftep
into court, and a phyfician into a fick
room, without the afliftance of felf-prac-
tice.
I will place thefe fubjedls in another
point of view. The attorney, the apothe-
cary, and the common farmer, are enabled
to carry on their refpedive profeflions, or
callings, without thofe fcientific helps*
A 4 The
viii ADDRESS
The former depend upon the practice of
their- inaftsrs, and their own pra&ice,
during their clerkfhip, or apprenticeship;
as the farmer does upon that of his father,
and the country he happens to be bred in.
But why do we, in difficulties, fly from
the apothecary to the phyfician, and from
the attorney to the counfellor ? Becaufc
they have ftudied their profeffions fcienti-
-fically, have obtained a general know-
ledge, .and taken compreheniive views,
of their refpeclive fubje&s ; — as well as of
the fciences and fubjects which are allied
to them; and, added to thefe fcientific aids,
haye made themfelves rnafters of the prac-
tice, and the opinions, of the able prac-
titioners who have gone before them ; as
Wcllasof COTEMPORARY PRACTITIONERS.
With refpectto the following MINUTES,
it only remains necerfary to fay, that they
were written in an adtive fcene, and that
more attention was paid to circumftances
. than to language. Tliofe on hulbandry
,were written, as I conceive all minutes on
the
TO THE READER. ix
the fubjecl: ought to be written, in the
FAMILIAR LANGUAGE OF FARMING;
and, many of them, in the provincial
phrafeology of the Diftrid: they were
written in. I confefs, however, that, in
revifing them for publication, I thought
it prudent to do away fome of the
FAMILIARISMS of the original Minutes.
If, in the prefent form, they furnim fuch
PRACTICAL DATA and NATURAL FACTS
as may, in the end, be ferviceable to the
main defign, and, in the inftant, be ac-
ceptable to PRACTITIONERS, and ufeful to
the STUDENT, the intention of publifhing
them will be fully obtained.
London, Feb. i, 1787.
CONTENTS
O F T H E
SECOND VOLUME
MINUTES.
1780.
No.
H E meafurement of - — —
1. /T^
2. X
2. The Norfolk method of - underdrawing.
3. Steeping the feed, and — -- refowing turneps.
4. The Norfolk method of • • exchanging lands.
1781.
5. On tenants — — — — -- pruning hedgerow timber.
6. An inftance of -- — — --- burning ant-hills.
7. On the practice and profit of - mowing pajlures.
8. Incidents on ----- mixing cattle andjheep.
9. On planting Ivy againft -- fea-Jione fence-walls.
10. Effedb of -- Jhwelings of a faepfold on grafdand.
AUGUST.
12. Obfervations on the -- titrnep-caterpUIar.
13. On the evil effects of die — . . . btrbtry plant.
CONTENTS.
14. An inftance of ----- mwjir.g ivkeat.
15. The method of laying - clay hay-chamler-f.cors .
16. Experiments and obfervations on --- weld.
I". ---- — • — on -- putting e^ves to rcms.
1 8. -------- on -- manures for wheat.
19. -- - on the mode of -- fowing wheat.
20. Obf. on the Anbury and other — enemies of turneps.
21. Inftance of fheep-fold checking the — turnep-fly.
SEPTEMBER.
2.2. Obfervations on the caufe of the --- Anbury.
23. The rife and practice of --- dibbling wheat,
OCTOBER.
24. Inftance of -- — --- fowlng clover in autumn.
25. Obfervations on the ---- peaks of gables.
26. Further obfervations on - dibbling wheat.
27. Obfervations on the - buttock-fair of St. Faith'' 's.
28. Further obfervations on --- dibbling wheat.
29. Sundry experiments with ---- -— . — lime.
NOVEMBER.
30. Refle£lions on ----- furze-food.
31. -- on the -- unproduStiuenefs of a fair-Read*
32. The Norfolk method of -- thatching with reed.
33. A fecure way of -- • -- laying pantiles.
34. Obfervations on the — time of cutting hedge-Wood.
35. On the utility and the height cf — — check-beams.
36. Obfervations and incidents on - tapping oaks.
. 37. Inftance of fuccefs in - tranfplanting oaks.
38. Obfervations on the proper foil, &c. for - the ajh.
39. Description of ------ Holt fair.
40. On the profitablenefs of the — Ijk-of-Sky-ScoU.
Dz-
CONTENTS.
DECEMBER.
41, On laying up wheat-lands among phtafan;s.
4-2. A regulation for the frefervatfon of hedges.
43. Incident on filing wheat between-fiirrcw.
44. The Norfolk method of opening drains.
45. Obfervations on making ditches on hill-fides.
1782.
46. Mr. Bayfield's obfervation on — — rearing catik.
47. Reflections on the time of receiving rents.
48. Obfervations on laying pantiles.
49. On the Norfolk farmers partiality for — arable land.
50. The method of <c gelding" ant- hills.
51. General obfervations on — — — Norfolk tneadows.
52. A fingular inftance of fatting fwine.
53. Inftance of practice in rearing calves.
54. An account of the peat-grounds of the fens.
55. Obf. on ' marling in Soutb-Waljham hundnd.
56. Obfervations on bullocks at turnips in the yard.
57. in tht field, &c.
— . Obfervations on •". — •• hoeing turneps.
— . a fingular light land foil-procefs.
58. Reflections on the prefent poverty of -farmers.
FEBRUARY.
59. Inftance of an . . oak thriving infand.
— the abforbency of the . Norfolk foil.
60. Obfervations on — — buttreffes.
61. Inftance of preferring turneps
62. : a flourifhing though — difiarked ajh.
63. Obfervations on — • ivied ditches.
64.
CONTENTS.
64. Obfer\rations on the annual . repair of roofs.
65. Jnftance of fhanaeful management of meadows.
66. Obfervations ou - rubbing-pofls.
67. Mr. Bayfield's method of f owing wheat.
68. Obfervations on the . .- price of turneps.
69. General obfervations on •• bullocks at turneps.
— . Practice of individuals in bullocks at turneps.
70. Practice of individuals in — rearing calves.
71. Particular • feed-process for turneps.
72. Norfolk treatment of choaked bullocks.
— . Comparifon between bomebreds and Scots, &c.
73. Gen. obf. on — farm-yard management of Jlraw.
74. Inftances of the — winter-management of Jlore-cattle.
75. Obfervations on different • • breeds ofjheep.
76. Inftance of inconveniency of — long-wooled Jheep.
77. Obfervations on the Norfolk ••• ditch-rnould.
^g. . on the effeft of fevere weather on — lambs.
79. Inftance cf convert, arable 'and to — rabbit-warre?:.
So. Defeription of the bufmcfs of a — Norf. corn-market.
81. On the choice of the fpecies of tree for — planting.
MARCH.
82. A remarkable effecft in crafting Jbeep.
83. On turners as afpring feed for cows.
84. Obfervations on bullocks breaking turneps.
85. on. thinning • ledge-row timbers.
86. Inftance of the prolincnefs in Norfolk Jheep.
87. General obfervations on - remiving hedges.
gg. .», ' furze-hedges.
89. On the Norfolk method of cutting reed.
90. Gen. obf. on hedge-row timbers and pollards.
91.
CONTENTS.
e>t. Inftance of damage to roofs by a - high
f)2. Obfervations on the • - • rejidence of workmen.
9 3. The effect of fevere weather on — bullocks at turners.
94. Obfervations on • •• •• Aylejham fair*
95. Incident and obfervations on —weeding plantations.
APRIL.
96. On Mr. Horflcy's management of his — — meadows.
97. Obfervations on two Jots of ~ — bullocks at turntpf.
98. Inftance of fmall expence of - farming in Norfolk,
99. Inftance of - • cutting ridgih.
100. On the alcrtnefs of the Norfolk farm — workmen*
MAY.
101. Obfervations on Norwich — - clover-feed market.
102. Inftance of bullocks fold at --- Smhhjield.
. --- Calculation of profit of - -- bullock: at turneps.
103. Inftance of the bad conftruclion of—Norf. ditches.
1 04. On furze- fkreens and method of— -/owing furze -feed.
J05- Obfervations on - . ---- Waljhamfatr.
je6. Obfervations in the • - Fleg hundreds.
107. Obfervations on --- War/lead fair.
1 08. Experience in . --- . - cheefe-making.
jog. Experience in ---- making butter.
j 10. Obfervations on two lots of — bullocks at turneps.
, --- Obfervations on -- — - — buying bullocks.
Hi. Obf. on felling bullocks and on — Smithficld-market.
ji2. Obf. on the -i -- Eajiern coajl and Ingham fair.
JUNE.
JI3- Obf. on two lots of bullocks fent to — Smith field.
. --- General obfervations on — - buying bullocks.
i --- Obfervations on - . •— bullocks at grafs,
114. In-
CONTENTS.
1 14. Inftance of improper— — management of a wet fell.
115. Obf. on the height of farm-yard fence-walls.
lib. Obf. on carrying up • fea-jlone walls.
li 7. on the pay-day of a Smitbfield drover.
' on the uncertainty of — Smith field-market.
1 1 8. .. the . Bioivfield hundred and Yarmoutb-marfoes.
119. the fale and profit of — — homebred bullocks. '
1 2O. Inftance of burning the furface of a — dunghill.
121. . -. of wet weather injuring •• fcalds.
AUGUST.
122. Obfervations on the ' * turnep-caterpillar.
123- • Cawjion Jbeep-Jhow.
124. Further obfervations on the — turnep Tentbredo.
SEPTEMBER.
125. Inftance of a backward feafon.
Regifter of the advancement of fpring.
126. Incident of a depopulated hive of — — btes.
127. Experiment on the time of — manuring grafsland.
128.' Incident relative to another difbarked ajh.
129. Further obfervations on the turnep Tentbredo.
130. Reflections on the • . Midfummer JJjoot.
131. Defcription of a cheap * - •» '• hog-ciftern.
132. Final obfervations on the "• turnep Tentbredo,
OCTOBER.
133. Experiment on wheat with a • berbery plant.
134. Obfervations of the — — bullock-fair of St. Faith.
335. Defcription of a •• — furze-faggot fence.
136. The cxpence of marling by water-carriage.
137. Particulars relative to Felbrig • inclofure.
PROVINCIALISMS -•. page 373
MINUTES.
M I N U T E S
1 N
NORFOLK
I.
1780. SfiPTEM-rT^HIS morning, meafured MANURE.
BER 22d. a fheepfold, fet out for
600 fheep, confifting of ewes, wedders, and
grown lambs.
It meafures eight by five-and-a-half rods,
or forty-four fquare ftatute rods; which is
fomewhat more than feven rods to a hundred,
br two yards to a Iheep.
SHEEP.
2.
OCTOBER 27th. A few weeks ago a tenant
afked for foine top-wood to under- drain
part of a clofe of arable land ; which part
being cold and fpringy, fcarcely ever pro-
duced a crop ; and, this morning, I have been
to fee the procefs of under-draining in this coun-
try.
Having from feveral years obfervation mark-
ed the fpringy parts, he began by circumfcrib-
VOL. II, B ing
DRAINING.
2 MINUTES OCT.
2. ing them with a drain, made as hereafter de-
DRAINING. fcribed, and then drew others within it in fuch
directions as he knew from obfervation (not
methodically) would convey the fuperfluous
moifture from the wet parts to a main drain
and outlet.
The drains were formed by two men, each
of them having a tapering fpade, and a hook-
ed fcoop. The firft man took out a fpit, with a
iquare-pointed fpade ten inches long, feven
inches wide at the tread, and five inches at the
point; and, to make a fmooth footing for the
next man to Hand upon, drew out the crumbs
with a five- inch fcoop.
The other man funk it about eight inches
deeper with around-pointed fpade, eight inches
long, five inches wide at the tread, and three
inches near the point; clearing out the bottom
with a narrow-mouthed fcoop •, namely, two
inches and a half to three inches wide : the
drain, when finifhed, being a foot to fourteen
inches wide at the top; from eighteen to twenty
inches deep ; and about three inches wide at
the bottom.
Thefe drains were filled with oak and alder
boughs in this manner : —
The fpray being ftript off, the woody parts
(from an inch and a half to three inches dia-
meter)
1780. NORFOLK.
meter) were laid in the bottom of the drain. 3.
If crooked, they had a chop given them in DRAINING
the elbow, and then prcficd down to the bot-
tom with the foot. If large, one, if fmallj
two or three of thefe flicks were laid at the
bottom ; upon thefe the fpray, with the leaves
on ; and upon this a covering of heath. The
whole, when trodden down, appeared to fill the
drain within a few inches of the top;
7'he mould was then laid on and ridged
up over the drain.
A roller pafled along and finifhed the opera-
tion.
The land was immediately plowed for
wheat.
The quantity of land drained is about three
acres :
The expence about five pounds, or one
pound thirteen {hillings and four pence an
acre, viz.
Opening and filling in 184 rods at
3d. - £.260
Three loads of boughs (given him by
his landlord) fuppofe - — — i 10 o
Two loads of heath i^s. carriage los. i 40
B 2 He
MINUTES
Nov.
2. Fie has repeatedly experienced this method
DRAINING. of draining, and has found it anfvver his ex-
pectations. He is a cautious judicious hufband-
man, and would not lay out £/. los. without
a moral certainty of gain.
TURNEPS.
NOVEMBER 8. An experienced farmer in
this neighbourhood fays he has frequently
found that fleeping old turnep-feed in water,
and letting it lie a few hours in the fun before
fowing, has brought it up much fooner than
fowing it dry.
He adds, that this year, having neglected
to deep it, he had turnep-feed lay three weeks
in the ground before it came up. He was
advifed to plow in the few ftraggling plants
which appeared foon after fowing, under an idea
that the fly had eaten off the remainder : but
he judged from experience that the principal
part of the feed was flill in the ground ; he
accordingly waited until rain fell, and has now,
I fee, a very fine crop of turneps.
This is a valuable incident ; for it is highly
probable, that in the beginning of the feafon,
when old feed is obliged to be fown, many
crops of turneps have been prevented by
plowing the ground prematurely.
No-
1780. NORFOLK.
4- 4.
NOVEMBER n. A. and B. having feve- EXCHANGE
ral fmall pieces of land lying intermixed
with each other's eftates, agreed upon an ex-
change by arbitration.
The particular lands to be exchanged, and
the general outline of the agreement having
been previoufly determined upon ; and each
party having made choice of a referee •, arti-
cles of agreement for exchange were figned.
The matters left to reference were thefe :
ill. The rental value of the refpe£tive lands in
exchange.
2d. To determine which of the timber-trees
growing on the premifes fhould be taken down
by the then prefent owners (and removed off the
premifes before July next enfuing) and which
fhould be left Handing.
3d. The value of the timber, ftands, pollards,
and (tub-wood, which the arbitrators fhould
judge proper to be left (tanding on the premifes.
4th. A principal part of B.'s land lying at a
diitance from any of ./f.'s farms, except one
which is let on a leafe that has fix years to
run, during which time it remains at the
option of the tenant whether or not he will
B 3 rent
6 M I N U T E S Nov.
4. rent thcfe lands -, it was agreed that each party
EXCHANGE fhall, if required, hold his own land (or find
OF LANDS. . . • . f
a proper tenant; during the laid term ot fix
years, at fuch rent, and under fuch covenants,
as the arbitrators fhould fix on.
On Monday the 6th inftant, the arbitrators
met ; and having preinoufly named an umpire,
or third perfon, in cafe they fhould difagree in
their award, entered upon the bufinefs •, which
was thus conducted.
Having firft taken a cnrfory view of the fe-
vcral pieces to be exchanged ; and having fet-
tled between themfelves the mode and rate of
valuing the wood; they took the whole before
them in this manner :
The arbitrators, both of them men of fuperi-
or abilities in the bufinefs they had undertaken,
wentfirft; pointing out \vhich of the trees
fhould {land, and which be taken down : the
latter were marked by chopping off a piece of
the bark with an adze. The pollards and
ftub-wood deemed fit to (land were valued
and minuted by the arbitrators themfelves;
and the timber-trees meafurcd by two carpen-
ters (one chofcn by each party), an account
being minuted by an affiilant ; by whom like-
wiiethe number of ftands were taken.
The
1780. NORFOLK.
The arbitrators, as they paffed along, caft 4.
their eyes upon the land, and feparately put EXCHANGE
OF LAN, s.
their private valuations upon it.
The lands having been prcvioufly furveyed
by two furve} ors (one for each party) and the
rate of valuation of the timber and other
woods to be left {landing on the prcmifes hav- y
ing been previoufly fixed upon by the referees,
— it now remained to afcertain the value of
the fevcral parcels of land ; for which purpofe
a fpecial meeting was appointed and held,
yefterday.
To fimplify this important part of the bufi-
ncfs, and to render it as little liable to unne-
ceffary cavil as poffible, it was agreed that the
difference of rental value, whatever it might
happen to be, fhould be calculated at twenty-
five years purchafe.
The rental value of the refpedtive pieces
therefore now remained the almoft only thing
in fufpence. But in this they had differed
widely in their valuations : in fome pieces fo
much as four {hillings an acre.
Argument having been tried without effed:
to reconcile the differences, it was propofed
by one of the referees to leave the matter to
the umpire.
B 4 Finding
I N U T E S
4-'
EXCHANGE
OF LANDS.
RENT.
Finding things in this ftate, I ventured to
propofe a mode of fettlement which appeared
to me not only brief but equitable. This was,
to lay afide intirely the particularized efti-
mates ; and, after fetting a part which was
tythe-free againft a part of an inferionr qua-
lity, to exchange acre for acre. — It was agreed
to by all parties.
There being a balance in the quantity of
land under exchange of about four acres and
a half, the buiinefs was now to fix a fair rental
value upon this furplus. After fome conver-
fation it was fixed at fifteen Ihillings an acre.
The rent of the land for the next fix years
was alfo fixed at the fame rate ; and the princi-
pal covenants entered into were, that the feve-
ral pieces fhould be left, as to crops, &c, in
the fame ftate in which they now are.
Laftly, the value of the wood to be left upon
the premifes being afcertained by calculation,
the bufinefs was ended.
The referees had put down in their efti-
mates the rent of the land at twelve to fixteen
{hillings an acre *.
* The quality of the lands in exchange are, confidered
colledtively, fomewhat above the par of lands in this
diftrift.
The
1780.
NORFOLK.
The oak timber they valued at eighteen
pence, and the afh timbers one milling a foot,
mcafuring all above fix inches timber- girt *.
Thejtands, one with another, at a {hilling a
piece (lefs than fix inches a ftand, more than fix
a timber tree).
The pollards principally from one to three
fliillings a-piece — fome few at four Ihil-
lings.
T^s Jhtb -wood in proportion to the pollards.
5-
TIMBER.
FIREWOOD.
1781. MAYS. It is imprudent to truft,
in any degree, to tenants, in the pruning of
timber-trees.
This feafon I took unufual pains to inflruft a
young man, whofe farm is unmercifully loaded
with wood, in what manner he fhould fet up
fome trees which were particularly injurious to
his crops (namely, to' take off the fmall
boughs clofe to the ftem, and to leave live
growingtwigs upon the large ones, to draw the
fap, and thereby keep the flumps alive) ; never-
thelefs the havock committed on his farm is
,-ihameful.
* The timber in general coarfe.
It
HEDGEROW
TIMBER.
I N U T E S
MAY
HEDGEROW
TIMfctR.
ANT-HILLS.
It is true, he blames his men ; but this 15
no excufe : he promifcd to attend minutely to
the bufmefs himlelf. I pointed out the boughs
which were proper to be taken off: but for one
I pointed out, he has taken off three.
Nor is he the only one who has made the
fame wilful miftake ; and it is a want of com-
mon prudence to leave to a tenant a bufmefs of
fo much importance to an eftate as the pruning
of timber-trees ; for he has a double intereil in
abufing his truft :-— he difencumbers his farm,
and fills his wood-yard.
In future, when I fee it ncceffary that timber-
trees Ihould be lightened of their low-hang ng
boughs whether for the prefervation of the
hedge, or the relief of the crops, I will fend
a wood-man to do it in a proper manner ; and
charge the faggots at a fair price to the
farmer *.
6.
MAY ro. Some time ago, gave a tenant
leave to cut and burn ant-hills off a dole be*
longing to his farm, upon 'a common.
* This rule I afterwards obferved ; and found it not
only beneficial to the eftate, -but agreeable to the tenant ;
for under this regulation he found more of this neceflary
work take place, upon his farm, than he hud theretofore
been able to get done.
His
1781.
NORFOLK.
ii
GRASSLAND.
His motive is the improvement of his farm 6.
by the afhes ; and his pretext the improvement MANURE.
of the common : both of which good purpofes
will probably be obtained. He is to level the
ground, and rake in grafs- feeds.
His procefs is to cut them up with a heart-
ihaped fliarp fpade or {hovel, in irregular
lumps of ten to fifteen inches diameter, and
two to five or fix inches thick. Thefe are
turned grafs-downward, until the mould-fide
be thoroughly dry, and then fet up grafs-out-
ward until they are dry enough to burn.
The fire is kindled with brufli-wood, and
kept fmothcring, by laying the fods or lumps
on gradually as the fire breaks out, until ten
to fifteen or twenty loads of afhes are raifed in
one heap. The workmen have agreed to com-
plete the procefs for a fhilling each load of
afhes.
This is a cheap way of raifing manure; be-
sides, at the fame time, removing a nuifance :
and no man having fuch an opportunity in his
power ought to neglect making at lead an ex<
periment. On fome foils afhes are found in
themfelves an excellent manure ; and, perhaps
generally, aihes railed in this way would be
found highly advantageous as bottoming for
farm-yards and dunghills.
12 MINUTES JUNE
7- 7.
GRASSLAND. JUNE 28. The herbage of the dairy paf-
tures (lee GRASSLAND, vol. I. alfo MIN. 107.)
confifting of rye-grafs, white clover, and a
few of the taller graffes, having run up in
patches to feed, I had it fwept over with the
fithe ; partly to improve the feed, which would
foon have been much incumbered by the dry
flrawlike bents ; and partly for the fodder, this
year of fcarcity of grafs for hay.
Shut them up for a few days to frefhen :
gave one {hilling an acre for mowing ; and to-
day have finilhed carrying fourteen jags (about
nine or ten tons) of hay off forty-feven acres.
The hay is more than tolerable ; for the
pailures not having been too hard flocked, there
was a fine bottom of white clover ; which mixed
with the frelh ftalks of the blade-grafles, like-
\viie cut in the fulnefs of fap, and the whole
made flowly in fmall cocks, the hay is green and
fweet to a great degree ; and will next winter
no doubt be worth from fifty {hillings to three
pounds a ton.
Nine tons of hay at 55*. - - £. 24 15 o
Mowing 47 acres £.2 7
Making and carrying,
about ---27 4140
Neat profit j£. 20 o o
befides
1781.
NORFOLK.
bcfides the fightlinefs ; the improvement of
the feed; and the prevention of thirties and
other weeds from feeding on the ground, and
being blown about the neighbourhood.
8.
JULY 10. Perhaps cattle and fheep fliould
be kept feparate.
While the dairy paftures were fwept (fee
laft MIN.) the cows were fhifted into a grazing
ground ; but, nptwithftanding there was a good
bite, and the grafs apparently of a defirable
quality, they did not fill thcmfelves, nor milk
fo well as they did before they were put in,
and after they were taken out ; though their
pafture afterwards was apparently of a worfe
quality. But in the grazing ground were a
flock of fheep ; whilft the dairy paftures had
nothing in them except the cows and a few
hor'fes,
Mr. Thomas Baldwin, of North Walfham,
fays, that having ihcepfokkd apiece of ground,
which, a drought fetting in, he could not, as
intended, break up ; a good bite of grafs came
up where the fliccp-toid had flood. He put
his
GRASSLAND.
STOCKING
PASTURES.
CATTLE.
SHEEP,
9-
SHLEP.
MINUTES
JULV
his cows in to feed it off : they would not
touch it : he turned his horfes to it, and they
eat it into the very ground.
WALLS. JULY 21. Perhaps plant ivy aga'mR fea ftone
walh to prevent their burfling.
Part of a wail before a cottage at Thorp is
overgrown with ivy, part of it naked : the for-
mer is firm and upright — the latter burft in
many places; fo as not to be made flrong again
without a coniiderable part of it being taken
down and rebuilt.
10,
JULY 21. In December lafl, fomc Iho-
vellings of a iheepfold were fet experimen-
tally upon a piece of grafsland : — this hay-
time I obferve the fvvath there is nearly dou-
ble to that in any other part of the piece. —
The foil a good fandy loam.
I I.
SHEEPFOLD. JULY 29. Mr. Samuel Barber has, upon his
Staninghall farm, a piece of olland * barley,
* CWtfff</-barley ; that is; ba? ley fown after Olland ; a coa-
MANURE.
GRASSLAND.
1781. NORFOLK.
a fmall part of which was (heepfolded once 12.
in a place ; the reft undreilccl.
Where the fold flood the barley is, I ap- BARLEY.
prehend, double the crop. The vefliges of
the fold are difcriminable to an inch. The
crop is thicker upon the ground, the
llraw (Ironger and taller, and the ears fuller
and much larger. There cannot be lefs than
three coombs an acre gained to the firft crop,
by one night's (heepfold ; befides an advan-
tage to enfuing crops. The foil a light fcorch-
ing loam.
12.
AUGUST 2. The turnep crops of this TURNEP
CATiiRP
neighbourhood have fuffered coniiderably this
year from a fpecies of caterpillars — provinci-
ally •' black cankers" — which prey upon the
plants after they are in 'rough leaf; eating
them down to the ground ; and totally deftroy-
ing the crop wherever it happens to be attack-
ed by thefe voracious reptiles.
It is oblcrvable, however, that the deftruc-
tion is partial ; many pieces being left un-
traction of cMlanJ, — and is now applied univerfally to
lays , or ftvard, produced by CULTIVATED G K AS : • E s .
touched,
j6 MINUTES AUG.
12. touched ; andthofe which are affedted are only
TJRNEP partially eaten, in irregular plots; which per-
haps are entirely eaten off, while the reft of the
piece remains uninjured.
It is flill more remarkable that the fea-coaft
has fuffered molt; themifchief decreafing with
the increafed diltance from the fca. Perhaps
the parent-infects were brought by the north-
eaft winds which have prevailed this year.
That infedb attempt, at leaft, to crofs the
ocean, feems evident from the obfervation of
Mr. Arthur Bayfield, of Antingham, who fays,
that being on the fea-lhore fome years ago, he
faw myriads of flies, rcfcmbling the cantharides,
left dead upon the beach by the tide. Thefe,
probably, being becalmed, or meeting with
contrary winds in their paflage, became fpent,
dropt into the fea, and were drowned.
Mr. Thomas Shepherd, of Northreps, fays,
that this year a piece of early-fown turneps
was feen to be almofl covered with a fpccies of
fly refembling the grey horfc-fly ; with this
difference, that the head is black and the body
yellow. From former obfervations of this kind
he foretold the deftruction of that piece of
turneps by the " cankers :"— and his appre-
henfions were too well grounded ; for it was1
totallv
1781. NORFOLK.
totally eaten up by them. What he adds is re- 12.
markable; he fays that thefe flies were brought TURNER
by a long-continued north-eafl wind, and that
the wind getting round to the fouth, there
was not, in a few hours, a fmgle fly to be
found in the piece.
It is highly probable that thefe infedls tra-
vel in flights, and that they are led about from
place to place by the winds, or by other cir-
cumftances.
To prevent or check the devaftation com-
mitted by the caterpillars, various devices
have been practifed by farmers whofe crops
were ailailecl by them. Some rolled with
a heavy roller. Some fovved lime over the
plants. Others employed ducks ; and others
women and children to pick them off the
plants;
Mr. Arthur Bayfield found ducks the moft
efficacious ; he collected feventy or eighty,
and faved feveral acres of turneps through their
means. He fed them twice a-day with corn,
under an idea that "cankers," alone, would kill
them.
Mr. William Barnard found hand-picking
anfwer his purpofe. Five women and boys
picked over ten or eleven acres of hoed plants
in one week ; about eighteen pence an acre.
VOL. II. C Mr.
!* fa I N U T E S AUG.
1 2^ Mr. James Carter, having one fide of a clofe
"CATER?. entirely eaten up, and the other fide, which
had been fown later, entirely free from ca-
terpillars, dug a trench between the two
parts, and put fome lime in the bottom of it,
- by which artful expedient he fitved his turneps :
for the caterpillars, in attempting to crofs the
trench in fearch of frefli pafturage, fell among
the lime, and were fmothcred. Mr. Bayfield
fays, that if the weather be dry, digging a
trench without the lime will flop them : for
the fide of the trench being dufty they cannot
crawl up, but roll back to the bottom ; and
by repeated attempts become exhaufted.
The farmers who hoed their plants while the
caterpillars were upon them, and without
ufing any precaution, inevitably loft their
crops, befidcs lofing the expence of hoeing ;
for after the operation the whole of the cater-
pillars fell of courfe upon the comparatively
few plants which then remained, and prefently
eat them down to the clods.
In this cafe, the only remedy is to plow
up the ground and fow a-frefh ; an expedient
which has been obliged to be pradtifed on,
perhaps, fome hundred acres of turnep-ground
this year.
About
1781;
NORFOLK.
About twenty years ago, it feems, the whole 13.
countrv was ftripped by this means ; the firft TURNEP
1 * CATEKP.
fowings being deftroyed throughout the county.
AUGUST 3. It has long been confidered
as one of the firft of vulgar errors among
hufbandmen, that the berbery-plant has a per-
nicious quality (or rather a myfterious power)
of blighting the wheat which grows near it.
This idea, whether it be erroneous or found-
ed on facl, is no where more flrongly rooted
than among the Norfolk farmers ; one of
whom mentioning with a ferious countenance
an inftance of this malady, I very falhionably
laughed at him. He, however, ftoo'd firm,
and periifted in his being in the right ;— inti-
mating, that fo far from being led from the
caufe to the effedr, he was, in the reverie, led
from the efTedt to the caufe : for obferving a
ftripe of blafted wheat acrofs his clofe, he
traced it back to the hedge, thinking there to
have found the enemy j but being difappoint-
ed, he crofled the lane into a garden on the
oppofite fide of it, where he found a large ber-
bery-bufli in the direction in which he had
looked for it. The mifchief, according to his
C 2 de-
BERBERY.
WHEAT.
20 MINUTES AUG.
13. defcription, flretched away from this point
BERBERY. acrofs the field of wheat, growing broader and
fainter (like the tail of a comet) the farther it
proceeded from its fource. The effect was
carried to a greater diftance than he had ever
obferved it before; owing, as he believed, to an
opening in the orchard behind it to the fouth-
weft, forming a gut or channel for the wind.
Hearing him thus particular in his defcrip-
tion, and knowing him to be accurate in every
circumflance as to fituation, I afked him how
he accounted for the mifchicf. He anfwercd
to this efTedt: the berbery and wheat blow at the
fame time, and the duft, or farina, of the ber-
bery being blown over the wheat when in
bloom, is poifonous to it, and caufes the blight.
This, I confefs, flaggered my incredulity ;
for if the farina of vegetables be carried to a
confiderable diflance, and at t&at diilance
have a quality of fruduofity towards their own
fpecies ; — and if fome vegetables are falubri-
ous, others poifonous, to the animal creation,
why may not the farina of one vegetable be
carried to a confiderable diftance, and there be-
come poifonous to the fruitfulnefs of another
of a diflimilar genus * ?
* This, however, is evidently not the caufe ; for I have
&nce
1781. NORFOLK. 21
Being defirous of afcertaining the fact, be it 13.
what it may, I have enquired further among BERBERY.
intelligent farmers concerning this fubjedt. —
They are, to a man, decided in their opinion as
to the fact ; which appears to have been fo
long eflabliflied in the minds of principal
farmers, that it is now difficult to ascertain it
from obfervations ; berbery plants having (of
late years more particularly) been extirpated
from farm-hedges with the utmoft care and
afliduity : one infiance, however, of mifchief,
this year, I had related to me, and another I was
myfclf eye-witnefs to. Mr. William Barnard,
ofBradfield, fays, that this year feeing a patch
of his wheat very much blighted, he looked
round for a berbery-bum ; but feeing none
confpicuous in the hedge, which was thick,
he with fome difficulty got into it, and there
found the enemy. He is clearly decided as to
the fad. Mr. William Gibbs, of Rowton,
telling me that a patch of his wheat was blight-
ed in the fame manner, and that he believed it
to proceed from fome fprigs of berbery which
remained in the neighbouring hedge (which a
few years ago was weeded from it) I went to
fince obferved, that the berbery blows feveral weeks before
wheat (hoots into ear.
C 3 infped
MINUTES
Auq.
BERBERY.
HARVESTING
WHEAT,
infpecl the place; and true it is, that near it we
found three fmall plants of berbery ; one of
which was particularly full of berries. The
ftraw of the wheat is black ; and the grain, if
it may be fo called, a mere hufk of bran ;
while the reft of the piece is of a much fupe-
riqr quality.
Thefe circumftancesare undoubtedly ftrong
evidence ; but do not by any means amount to
proof.
14.
AUGUST 9. Laft night in riding from Nor-
wich, I faw a farmer, at Hainford, mowing
fome wheat, which was dead ripe, and free
from weeds. The gatherers immediately fol-
lowed the fithe, and the waggon the gatherers;
fo that it was harvefted at a trifling expence
(at a time when all the corn in the country is
ripe, arid hands of courfe unufually fcarce) and
was fecured in the barn, without any rifque from
the weather. This, at a pinch, may be worth
imitation.
HAY-CHAM-
BER FLOOR
AUGUST 22. An excellent and cheap hay-
chamber floor is made in this country with clay.
and rods,
Finished
NORFOLK.
Finifhed one to-day upon a farm at Suf-
field.
It meafures fix yards by eight, or forty-
£ight fquare yards,
It took three hundred fplints (alder and
willow rods, about the thicknefs of a man's
wrift down to that of his thumb) at
is. 6d. — — £.046
Three loads of clay (cafting and
carriage near) — 046
A waggon-body-full of flraw o 2 p
Five days of a bricklayer and la-
bourer, at 2S. 6d. — 0126
One ditto to plaifter it when it is
dry on the under- fide, 026
HAY-CHAAf-
BER FLOOR.
£. i 6 a
or fixpence half-penny a yard fquare.
N. B. The price, by meafurement, for labour
alone, is four pence half-penny a yard ; which
is a great deal too much.
This floor was made in the following man-
ner :
The rods being trimmed (namely, the twigs
and tops taken off), they were laid acrofs the
joifts as clofe to each other as pofiible. If
crooked they were " crippled" (had a chop in the
crooked part with a hook or hatchet) fo as to
C 4 mako
^4 MINUTES Auo,
I ? . make them touch every joift, as well as each
HAY -CHAM, other. No nails or other confinement.
RFP VT nOR
The clay being well foaked-with water, the
principal part of it was mixed with long wh'eat-
ftraw; which was well worked into it by the
means of a horfe, or man, treading it, and by
raking it about with a turnep-hook ; the reft
made mortar-wife, with a fmall quantity of
fhort ftraw.
The rods being bedded, and the clay prer
pared, the " dauber" laid a plank acrofs the
rods to prevent his mifpkcing them with his
feet ; and, {landing on this, laid en a thick
coat of the ftrawy clay, fo as to cover the
thicker! of the fplints about an inch thick,
with a dung-fork ; working it well in be-
tween the crevices of the rods, and making it
as level on the top as that rough tool would
make it. This done, he went over it again
with the mortar-clay, (ftill (landing on his
plank) and gave it a thin finifhing coat with a
trowel. The thicknefs of the rods and the
two coats of clay is about three inches :—-thc
thinner they are the fooner they dry, and the
lighter they are for the joifts and timbers.
Where, from the uncouthnefs of the rods, the
clay forced through between them, the dauber
with
1781. NORFOLK. a$
with a hoe cut it off level with the rods on the 15.
under-fide, and for this purpofe drew his hoe ^11 "FLOOR!
over every part of it — a job prefently done.
In the fpring, when the floor is thoroughly
dry, it is intended to be plaiftered on the un-
der-fide, to cover the rods, and give it a par-
lourable appearance. This will take about a
day's work.
A clay floor is preferable in two refpects to
a boarded one : it is cheaper and tighter.
Boards, except they be well fealbned, and with-
out they be plowed-and-tongued, and laid
down at a greater expence than can be beftowed
on a farmer's hay-chamber, will let the duft
and feeds through upon the horfes and harnefs ;
whereas clay renders it as tight as lead.
Mentioning my doubts to the workman as to
its duration, obferving that the rods, I was
afraid, would foon rot; — he anfvvered, that did
not fignify, for if the ftraw be well worked
into the clay, the floor will remain firm,
though t;he rods be rotten.
Mr. John Baker, of Southreps, whofe opini-
on in this cafe is decifive, corroborates the
idea of clay floors being preferable to boarded
ones ; and of their lafting a great number of
years.
AUGUST
MINUTES AUG,
16. l6.
AUGUST 29. Laft year, to try whether
weld (Refeda luteola—- dyer's weed) be an
object of the Norfolk culture, I fowed one
acre and three-eighths with two pints of tur-
pep-ieed, and two pints and a half of weldr
feed, the i6th of Auguft.
The foil, a lightifh fandy loam, had been
plowed three times as a fallow for wheat ;
gave a fourth plowing ; harrowed ; — fowed
the turnep-feed ; harrowed ;— fowed the weld-
feed ; re-harrowed, the horfes trotting.
Jt was hoed at a confiderable expence with
{mall carrpt hoes ; it neverthelefs got full of
poppies and other weeds.
On one end of the piece, where the turneps
were a bad crop, the we^d was very good ;
but, upon the whole, only indifferent.
I am certain that in this experiment the
turneps were extremely prejudicial to the weld;
and there wasnofeed from them worth turning
the Iheep to, until the plants began to run, in
the faring; and then, in a few days, they darted
up, and drew the weld up with them, flender
and fickly. I am very clear in that, had the
weld been fown alone, and been twice hoed,
the
I78i. N O P. F O L It,
the crop would have been much better, and the 1 6,
foil left cleaner. WELD.
I apprehend there is no occafion to leave the
plants fo thick upon the ground as is ufually
clone. lam perfuaded that fix or eight inch hoes
might be ufed with propriety in fetting out the
plants. If fo, the expence of hoeing would be
little more than that of hoeing turneps,
I am of opinion, from this experiment, as
well as from others that I find have been tried
in the county, that weld may be railed with
confiderable profit in Norfolk ; efpecially at
prefent (during the war), when weld is dear ;
but I am at the fame time clearly of opinion,
that it is not the intereft of landlords to encou-
rage the culture of it, without fome rigid re-
ftridtions in their leafes to prevent their tenants
from carrying off their eftates fuch a quantity
-of vegetable matter, without replacing it with
an equivalency of manure, agreeably to theufual
covenant relative to hay and ftraw : for it is
not the corn only, but the ftraw likewife, that
is carried off the premifes in the fliape of weld :
perhaps to the amount of a ton or upwards an
acre.
AUGUST 29. Laft autumn, in order to afcer- SHEEP.
tain the proper time of put ting ewes to the ram, I
made the following experiment :
a8 MINUTES AUG.
I 7. The 2Oth September put a fcorc of long-
SHEEP. vvooled ewes of different ages to a Leicefter-
fhire ram, and a fcore of Norfolk ewes to a
Norfolk ram. Being in rather low condi-
tion, few of them took the ram till the begin-
ning of October.
The i9th of October put twenty-three long-
wooled and forty Norfolk ewes to the fame
rams, keeping the two breeds feparate.
The zoth of November put the fame rams
to a fcore of each fort referved for the pur-
polo.
The early lambs were much the {louteft
and beft for florcs ; and grafs lamb was out of
feafon before the late ones were fit for the
knife.
But the crones * which took the ram early
were not able to fupport their lambs in winter :
for grafs was fcarce, and they could not break
turneps.
Therefore, this year, all the young ewes
have been put to the rams a week ago, and all
the old ones are intended for the butcher
before this year's grafs be gone : for in
a country where turneps are the principal
fpring food, crones appear to be unprofitable
flock.
« Crones —old ewes which have loft their fore teeth.
AUGUST
1781. NORFOLK. 29
18. 18.
AUGUST 29. Laft autumn, made an accurate MANURES
experiment on a large fcale, with different WHEAT.
manures for wheat, on a fandy loam, fummer
fallowed.
Part of an eighteen acre piece was manured
with fifteen or fixteen loads of tolerably good
farm-yard dung an acre ; part with three chal-
drons of lime an acre ; the reft folded upon
with (heep, twice ; the firft time at the rate of
fix hundred fheep to a quarter of an acre (fee
MIN. i.) 5 the fecondtime thinner.
In winter and fpring the dung kept the lead ;
and now, at harveft, it has produced the great-
eft burden of ftraw.
The iheepfold kept a fteady pace from feed-
time to harveft, and is now evidently the belt
corned, and the cleaneft crop.
The lime, in winter and fpring, made a poor
appearance, but after fome Ihowers in fummer
it flourifhed much, and is now a tolerable crop ;
not lefs, I apprehend, than three quarters an
acre : and in this country, where dung is fo
fingularly valuable for the turnep crop, it is a
fatisfaction to know that fummer fallowing and
lime alone will infure a tolerable crop of wheat.
From
$c> MINUTES Auo.
j8. From thcfe data, the value of fheepfold, in.
SHEEPFOLD. tkis cafe, may be calculated.
By Mi N. i. it appears that one hundred fheep
manured feven fquare rods daily. But the fe-
cond folding was thinner ; fuppofe nine rods,
this is, on a par of the two foldings, eight rods
a day each folding.
The dung could not be worth lefs than half
a crown a load ; and the carriage and fpreading
ten Ihillings an acre ; together, fifty (hillings an
acre ; which quantity of land the hundred
fheep teathed twice over in forty days.
Suppofing them to be folded the year round,
they would, at this rate^ fold nine acres annu-
ally ; which, at fifty {hillings an acre, is twen-
ty two pounds ten Ihillings a hundred — or four
Ihillings and fix pence*a head.
In fome parts of the iiland the fame quantity
of dung would be worth five pounds an acre,
which would raife the value of the teathe to
nine fhillings a head ; which, at two pence a
head a week, is more than the whole year's
keep of the Iheep.
It does not follow, however, that all lands
would have received equal benefit with the
piece in confideration ; which, perhaps, had not
been folded upon for many years ; perhaps
never
1781. NORFOLK. Ji
never before; and fheepfold, like other ma- 1 8.
nures, may become lefs efficacious the longer SHEEPFOLD.
it is ufed on a given piece of land.
19.
AUGUST 20. In the above-mentioned piece
-^
of wheat, I made a comparative experiment
on the mode of fowing.
Part was plowed-in, agreeably to the com-
mon practice of the Diftrict, laying up the foil
in narrow ridges : part fown on the lafl plow-
ing, and harrowed in : part put in with Mr.
Duckett's drill-plow; which, from fome
practical knowledge of it, I had confidered to
be well adapted to the Norfolk foil.
The fowings being made acrofs the manur-
ings, the two experiments became diflinct ; and
the refults clear and decifive. The time of
lowing the gift of October.
The refult of this experiment was not fo
ftriking as that of the lafl. The part fown
over the furrow of the plow, and harrowed
in, is however, very perceptibly, the worfl ;
but on comparing the part plowed in with
the part drilled, no obvious difference is to be
perceived. Had the drills been nine inches
inftead of twelve inches apart, I am of opinion
they
M I N U T E S
AUG.
SOWING
WHEAT.
SEED-
PROCESS.
they would have gained a preference ; bur,
from this experiment, there does not appear
to me to be any advantage to be expected from
the drill worth changing the cuftom of the
country for.
Laft fpring I made fimilar experiments on
the ule of this implement with peas and barley.
During the fummer the drills feemed to gain a
preference ; but, at harveft, it is a moot point
whether the drill or the common plow has
the preference : and although thefe feveral
experiments were feen and attended to by fome
good farmers of the neighbourhood, I do not
find that any of them are fo much {truck with
the refult as to be inclined to give up their
prefent practice : neverthelefs I am of opinion
IMPLEMENT, that this ingenious implement merits further
trial. Barley appears to be the crop for which
it is mod efpecially adapted in this country.
N. B. In November laft, I attempted to try
the fix-rowed, or winter-barley, againft the
common barley, as a winter crop ; (owing
fome of each fort above ; fome under ; and
fome in drills : but the pheafants, rooks, hares,
and other vermin, fubverted the experiment,
and nearly deftroyed the crop : therefore, to
fave it from difgrace, the fcattered remains were
plowed up in the fpring, and the land fown
with common barley. AUGUST
X78r. NORFOLK. 33
2O. 20.
AUGUST 31. What a variety of enemies
have turneps in this country ! The " fly," the
kc canker," the " maggot" fat the root) and
the " anbury," have this year already deftroyed
myriads.
The fy took them in their infant ftate ;—
the grub and eater-pillar whilll their tops were
yet fmall ; and, now, when their tops have ai-
med got their full fize, they are hourly dwin-
dling with the anbury.
The grub in itfelf would not perhaps be fa-
tal ; but the rooks, in order to come at it, pull
up not only the plants which are attacked, but
thofe alfo which are free from itj and by this
means clear them as they goi
The anlury is a large excrefcence, which
forms itfelf below the apple. It grows, it
feems,to the fize of both the hands; and, as foon
as the hard weather fets in, or it is, by its own
nature, brought to maturity, it becomes pu-
trid, and fmells very offenfively.
Atprefent, the ftateof three fpecimens which I
have taken up, and examined attentively, is this :
— The apples of the turneps are juft forming
(about the fize of walnuts in the hulk) while
the anburies are already as big as the egg of a
VOL. II. D goofe.
34 MINUTES AUG.
20. goofe. — They arc irregular and uncouth in their
TURNEPS. form, with inferior excrefcences frefembling
the races of ginger) hanging to them. On cut-
ting them, their general appearance is that of
a hard turnep •, but on examining them through
a magnifier, there are veins, or itring-like vef-
fels, difperfed among the pulp. The fmell and
talle fomewhat refembie thofe of turneps ; but
without their mildnefs ; having an auftere
and fomewhat difagreeable flavour, refcmbling
that of an old flringy turnep. The tops of
thofe which are much affefted turn yellow, and
flag with the heat of the fun ; fo that, in the day-
time, they are obvioufly diftinguifhable from
thofe which are healthy.
It feems to be an idea among farmers, that
the caufe of the anbury is the foil's being tired
of turneps •, owing to their having been too often
fown on the fame land. This, however, Fpofi-
tively erroneous ; for the piece from which I
drew thefe fpecimens was an old orchard, and
never before bore turneps in the memory of
man.
Quere — Is it not caufed by the above-men-
tioned or fome other grub, that, wounding
the veflcls of the tap-root, diverts the conrfe
of the fap ; which, inftead of forming the ap-
ple, forms this excrefcence ?
AUGUST
1781. NORFOLK.
21.
AUGUST 31. One fide of an eighteen acre
piece of turneps was folded upon ; the reft of
the piece manured with dung.
The part iheepfdlded efcaped the devaftation
of the " fly" obvioufly better than the part
dunged. —
Quere — Were the flies increafcd by the dung,
or were they trodden to death, or fhut up and
fuffocated in their burrowSj by the feet of th6
fheep ?
22.
SEPTEMBER 8. Mr. Thomas Drurey, ofEr-
pingham, a man whbfe opinion is valuable in
matters of hulbandry, fays, that marl is a cer-
tain preventative of the anbury. — He is alfo of
opinion, with other judicious hufbandmen, that
teathing the barley-ltubble which is intended
for turneps, will caufc the anbury : his landj
he fays, although it be old-marled land, is by
this precaution in general free from anburied
turneps.
21.
TURNEPS;
SHEEPFOLIX
TURNEPS.
SEPTEMBER 12. Mr. William Barnard, of DIBBLING
Bradfkld, who was born (and refided until WHEAT>
D 2 about
36 MINUTES SEPT.
23. about three years ago) at Great Ellingham,
DIBBLING near Artleborough, gives the following ac-
count of the rife and practice of the dibbling of
ivbeat.
The dibbling of peas, he fays, has been a cuf-
tom of that part of Norfolk time immemorial ;
but the practice has not been extended to wheat
above eighteen or twenty years ; nor has it
been in any degree general for more than ten
years.
The practice of dibbling wheat probably
arofe in this manner. — At Deepham, an adjoin-
ing parifh to Ellingham, lived one James
Stone, a labouring man, who was, in that
neighbourhood, a noted dibbler of peas, and
who cultivated for himlelf a few acres which
he rented with his cottage. — He had three chil-
dren, who were as expert at " dropping" as the
father was at " dabbing ;" and having tome
acre or two of clover- lay, which came in courfe
for wheat, he conceived the idea of dibbling
in the feed ; probably thinking that he mould
thereby keep his children from idlenefs, and
fave them, at the fame time, an unexpected
fupply of bread.
He accordingly fet about putting Us fibtine
in execution, and prefenrly brought his neigh-
bours
1781. NORFOLK. 37
hours about him. Some of them fmiled, and 23.
others laughed at his experiment ; he never-
thelefs proceeded with his little corps, and
finiflied his parch.
The land being in good condition, and the
work being done inamafterly manner, the plants
came up fo ftrong and beautiful as to draw the
eyes not only of his fellow-panfhioners, but of
the whole neighbourhood.
Mr. Barnard well recollects the circumftance;
for he pafTed the clofe (which lay by the fide of
a public road) every day in his way to and from
ichool : and fays, that he has frequently feen the
neighbouring farmers, in their way to market,
light at the gate, and go into the piece, to view
the crop, which was now become popular.
At harveft the crop proved extraordinarily
good ; and the dibbling of wheat has, from
that time, been more or lefs praclifed in
this circleof the county : the only one in- which
the practice is, even yet, become general among
farmers.
Enquiring of Mr. B. the proportion which
dibbled wheat in that country bears to the
wheat knvn broad-call; he fays, there is as much
dibbled as there can be hands got to put it in ;
and apprehends that one-half of the wheat
D 3 about
3$ MINUTES SEPT.
23. about Wyndham and Attleborough is dibbled
*n » adding, that when wheat is dear the workr
people are engaged fome months before-hand ;
and frequently, when they are paid off for dib-
bling peas in JV!arch? they are engaged for the
wheat- feed-time.
SucceQion. A clover- lay once plowed is what
is generally made ufe of for dibbling ; it has
however been tried, with a confiderable (hare
of fuccefs, on fallow ground.
Manure. The common practice is to fpread
the dung, or. qther manure, prefently before
the ground be plowed. Some lay it on after
the feed is in by way pf top drefling. But Mr.
B. is of opinion, that fetting on the manure in
July, and letting it wafh into the foil before
plowing, is the molt eligible way of manuring
tor dibbled wheat.
Soil procefs. It" the foil be light and the wea-
ther dry, the plowman keeps pace with the dib-
blers : — the holes wil\ nototherwife fland ; the
land running in and filling them up. The
furrow— provincially " flags" — fhould be cut
about ten inches wide, and be turned over flat
and even ; and, to make them lay ftill fmoother
and firmer, they are rolled pretty hard before
flibblicg.
1781. NORFOLK. 39
The dibbles made ufe of in this operation are 23.
of iron. The ading part is an egg-fliaped DIBBLING
knob of iron or fteel fomewhat larger than a
pigeon's egg. The fmaller end forms the point
of the dibble ; whilft from the larger riles a
firing of iron, about half an inch fquare, and
two feet and a half long. The head of it is
received into a crofs piece of wood (refembling
the crutch of a fpade or (hovel) which forms
the handle.
The dibbkr makes ufe of two of thefe tools ;
one in each hand ; and, bending over them,
walks backward upon the flags ; making two
rows of holes in each. The rows are uiually
made about four inches apart, and the diftance
in the rows from two and a half to three
inches ; namely, four holes in each length of
the foot of the dibbler.
The great art in making the holes lies in
leaving them fmooth and firm on the fides ;
fo that the loofe mould do not run in to fill
them up before the feeds are deposited. This
is done by a circular motion of the hand and
wrift •, which make a femi-revolution every
ftroke : the circular motion beginning as the
bit enters, and continues until it is clearly dif-
engaged from the mould. The dibbles muft
D 4 come
40 MINUTES SEPT.
23. come out clean, and wear bright, or the ope-
DIBBLING ration is not perfect.
WHEAT.
Another difficulty in dibbling is to make
the holes 'at equal diftances ; more efpecially
to keep the two rows ftraight- and parallel with,
each other : for the dibbles being two di-
flinct inftruments, it requires fome practice
to guide them with precifion ; fo as to pierce
the flag in the exact point required. To re-
medy this, couples have been invented to keep
the dibbles at a given diftance -, but this ren-
ders the implement complex, and prevents the
learner from ever being able to ufe them fingly.
A man muft be aukward indeed if he does not
in a few days without this incumbrance make
himfelf a tolerable mafter of dibbling.
A middling workman will make two mo-
tions, or four holes, in a fecond.
One dibbkr employs three droppers ; there-
fore one man and three children are called a
fet. Each dibbler takes three flags, which he
performs upon by ftages thus : He firft takes
an outfide flag, and having gone fome yards
upon that, he returns ; not upon the next flag,
but upon the other outfide flag of the three ;
and then finifhes his flage by taking the middle
one. T}m is done to keep his three droppers
fully
J78r. NORFOLK, 41
fully employed, and at the fame time to pre- 23.
vent his filling up the holes with his feet be- minuxG
fore the feeds are depofited. Were he to carry
but one flag with him', the droppers would have
to pafs each other repeatedly, and have three
times the ground to walk over; whereas by the
above contrivance they are always uniformly
progreflive, and each child fmiflies its own flag.
'The droppers keep up with their dibbler,
putting two or three grains of wheat in each
hole (but of peas only one); the girls carry the
feed in their aprons, the boys in their hats or
other contrivaace. Out of thofe they take ,
about half a handful, and deliver the feed in-
to the holes through an aperture made be.
tween the firft and fecond ringers. Much
time and patience is neceflary to teach a child
to perform this petty bufinefs with propriety
and difpatch.
¥be prefent price of dibbling a free light
foil is nine (hillings an acre and beer. It for-
merly was half a guinea. If the foil be ftiff or
ftooy, it is now worth more than that money.
The dibbler is a fort of matter of his fet ; for if
he has not children of his own, he hires his
(hoppers', giving them fixpence a day each if
expert
42 MINUTES SEPT.
23. expert hands, or threepence a day if learners;
DIBBLING two of them being employed on one flag, each
7*
taking one row of holes : fo that he pays for
dropping, threepence a day for each row of
holes. An expert dibbler will " hole" half an
acre a day, which at nine millings is four and
fixpence, out of which he pays one milling and
tfxpence to his droppers : but one-third of an
acre is reckoned a fair day's work ; which at
nine millings an acre is three millings ; out of
which paying one milling and iixpence, he has
one milling and fixpence left for his own day's
work.
Quantity of feed. One bumel to fix pecks an
acre; and, if the flags crack much in plowing,
fome throw on half a peck or a peck an acre,
broad-caft, before rolling.
Covering the feed. This is ufually done by
going twice in a place with a bum-harrow,
made by drawing thorns into a gate or a large
hurdle. Either of thefe however Mr. B. fays, and
with reafon, makes too large an Implement ;
for in fo large a fpace as this covers at once,
there will be protuberances which it will lay
hold of too much, and probably pull up, and
hollows which it will wholly mifs.-— He has
ufually
1781. NORFOLK. 43
ufually preferred a waggon ladder, which does 23.
not cover more than four or five flags at once;
and to finim this bufinefs more completely, he
always carries a fort of broom in his own hand,
when overlooking the work-people ; in order
to cover more effectually any part which may
be paitially miffed.
The advantages held out. There is a faving
of about a bufhel and a half of feed; which,
when wheat is fix fhiilings or upwards, is alone
an equivalent to the extra expence of dibbling.
The rolling and treading is efleemed highly
ferviceable to the light lands of this country.
The edges of the flags being intimately united
by the rolling and the trampling, and the re-
maining fiffures being filled up by the harrow,
the graffes are thereby thought to be kept un-
der ; and fhould feed-weeds appear in the fpring,
the hoe has free admifiion between double row
and double row, to extirpate them; an opera-
tion, however, which I underftand feldom takes
place.
The feed being wholly buried in the body of
the flag, there is no " under-corn" ; the plants
are uniformly vigorous ; the flraw, collectively,
is confequently ftouter, and the grain more
even, than that which is ufually produced from
(owing
44 M I N U T E S SEPT.
23. lowing the feed broad-caft over the rough flag.
For in th's cal~c' Part of the fced falls trough
between the flags, and being there too deeply
buried by the harrows, the young plants are
longer in reaching the furface than are thofe
from the feed which happens to fall in a more
favourable fituation ; and which thereby gain
an afcendancy they never lofe : hence a number
of underling plants, and hence the fmall Ihri-
velled grains, which render the fample un-
fightly and unfaleable.
Another good effedt remains to be noticed,
the employment of the poor; and whether we
view this in a moral, a political, or a private
point of view, it is equally defirable. For the
poor's rates of a country village fall principally
on the farmer ; and if he docs not employ the
poor, he mult fupport them in idlenefs ; more
efpecially children. — Mr. B. fays, that in the
circle above-mentioned wheat feed-time is con-
fidered, by the poor man, as a fecond harveft.
Mr. Smith, of Heavingham, gives a
fomewhat different account refpedting the ad-
vantages of dibbling wheat. He fays, that he
has frequently had eight or ten acres of dib-
bled wheat in a year; that he has ufually
made the holes as thick as they could ftand,
ib
1781. NORFOLK. 45
fo as not to disfigure or interfere with one an- 23
other ; and has dropped two bufliels, at the ex-
pence of twelve or fourteen millings an acre.
He is clearly of opinion, that dibbling wheat
makes the land foul ; efpecially if it is not
dibbled thick ; and gives a very good reafon
for this opinion ; namely, where corn is thin
weeds will be thick. He is pofitive that the
grafs gets up more among wheat which is
dibbled than among that which is fown broad-
caft over the rough flag of one plowing : add-
ing, that after dibbled wheat he has ufually
been obliged to fow turneps the next year,
inftead of firft taking a crop of barley; the
common practice of this part of the country. He
however acknowledges fully, that the draw of
dibbled wheat is ftouter, and the grain evenner,
and of a better quality, than that from wheat
fown broad-cafl after any procefs whatever.
Mr. John Baker, of Southreps, fpirited and
judicious as he is in matters of hufbandry, has
never had a fufficiemly good opinion of dib-
bling wheat to give it a trial ; not even by way
of experiment. His chief objection to it is, that
in this country, where the foil is mallow, and
the lays generally grarTy, wheat cannot be
fown in any manner with propriety on oae
plowing.
46 MINUTES
SEPT.
23. has tried it two or three
DIBBLING different times : the firfl trial was on a piece of
WHEAT,
good land, with about three pecks of feed
an acre : the crop good, and flood when moil
of the wheats in the county were lodged. — .
The laft was on a light fhallow foil : it proved
greatly too thin : not half a crop.
From the fum of this information the dib-
bling of wheat appears to be peculiarly adapted
to rich deep foils ; on which three or four pecks
an acre dibbled early, may fpread fufficiently
for a full crop : whereas light, weak, fhal-
low foils, which have lain two or three years^
and have become grarly, require an additional
quantity of feed, and consequently an addition
of labour, otherwife the plants are not able to
teach each other ; and the graites of courfe find
their way up between them ; by which means
the crop is injured, and the foil rendered foul.
Dropping being the mofl difficult part of the
bufmefs, it feems to be ineligible to begin with
wheat ; the grains of which being fmall and ir-
regular, are, to a learner, difficult and dif-
agreeable to feparate ; whereas thofe of peas,
being larger round and flipper}', arc more agree-
able to the touch, and more eafily parted iri
the hand ; fo as to drop one or any other given
humber into each hole;
it
1781.
O R F O L K.
It further feems ineligible to fend children
into the field, in any cafe, until they have prac-
tifed, at home, in the art of feparating the
feeds ; by which precaution a wafte of feed, and
a disfigurement at lead of the crop, may be
prevented. For the fame reafon it feems pro-
per, that a young dibbler Ihould be exercifed
on fallow or other frefh-plowed ground notin-
icnded to be dibbled, before he be admitted in-
to the field of pradlice.
24.
OCTOBER 10. Laft year Mr. John Joy, of
North walftiam, having a piece of turnep-ground
which miffed, he fowed it with wheat ; and, to
keep his land in courfe, laid it down with clo-
ver, the feed of which he fowed in autumn, pre-
lently after lowing the wheat.
I faw the feedling plants early in winter;
when they looked remarkably healthy. To-
wards fpring I faw them again ; but fome feverc
frofts had cut them entirely down, fo as to
make it doubtful whether they would recover
or not.
I defired Mr. Joy to acquaint me with the re*
fult; and yefterday we walked over one of the
fined fets of clover that ever grew : not having
been
DIBBLING
WHEAT.
SOW I WC
CLOViiR.,
24.
SOWING
CLOVER.
MINUTES
OCT:
been yet fed, the heads of the plants now (land
above the ftubble ; but for which a fine fwath
of clover-hay might be mown.
'} his is the firft inftance 1 have met with of
fowing clover-feed over wheat in autumn.
25-
BUILDINGS. OCTOBER 10. Formerly, a ridiculous prac-
tice has prevailed in this country of running up
the peaks of gables above the roof of the houfe.
In many old houfes the coping of the gable
Hands eighteen inches, perhaps two feet above
the thatch or tiling, The efTe& of it is, the
water of driving rains is collected by this un-
neceflary elevation of the wall, and either drains
through between the gable and the roof, or, if
an offset be made to prevent this, foaks into
the wall itfelf.
An old-fafhioned " flue" rotted by this
means, was the other day, upon this cftate,
thrown down by a guft of wind.
I mention the circumftance the rather, as this
abfurd cuftom is not yet altogether laid afide ;
though the flues are now made much lower
than formerly. In flricl: propriety, the coping
of the gable ought to be level with the cover-
For
1781. NORFOLK.
For common buildings, when the covering
is of tile or flare; moreefpecially for a lean-to
liable to the drip of the m an roof; the belt
way is to continue the covering over the gable
or end-wall ; which is thereby effectually pre-
krved at an eafy expence*
49
BUILDINGS.
26.
OCTOBER 18. This morning rode to Wit-
ton to fee ibme labourers from the Attleborough
fide of the county dibble wheat. They
had finished.
Mr. Elmer {hewed me what they had done
for him : — the plants come up very ftrong, and
look healthy. The quantity of feed, fix pecks
an acre ; dropping four or five grains in a hole.
Mr. E. mentioned one advantage which did
not occur to me before : the feedage of the lays
from July to Odoben
DIBBLIXC
WHEAT.
27.
OCTOBER 25. On Wcdnefday i;th inftant MARKETS,
went to the firft day of the Fair of St. Faith's ;
a village near Norwich, where one of the largeft
fairs in the kingdom is held annually on that
day for cheefe, butter, and a variety of wares ;
but mod efpecially the firft; which is brought
:in great quantities out of Suffolk to fupply this
VOL. 1L E country
MINUTES
OCT.
27.
CHEESE.
CATTLE.
FATTING
CATTLE.
country during the winter months; when a
Norfolk cheefe is not to be purchafed in this
part of the county.
The firft day of this fair alfo draws together
a good mow of cattle •, principally " home-
breds;" either for (lore, or for fatting on turneps
the enfuing winter : for which purpofe, a fhow
of Scotch bullocks are alfo exhibited upon a
rifing ground at a fmall diftance from the Fair-
field.
The fale of Scotch cattle continues for a
fortnight, or longer time, until this quarter
of the county be fupplied with that fpecies of
flock. (See BULLOCKS, Vol. I )
Yefterday, attended the bullock fair.
There are fewer cattle this year than has
been known for ibme years pad (about four
hundred upon the Hill yeflcrday), owing chiefly
to a great many having been killed by contract
for the Navy ; a thing not praftifed before in
Scotland ; and there were yefterday a greater
number of buyers in the market than ufual
(about fifty of the principal farmers in the
county); fo that the Scotchmen had the game
in their own hands.
The principal drovers are Tate, Wigglel-
worth (Lord Galloway's fteward), MofTatt,
Campbell, Stewart.
It
1781. NORFOLK. 51
It is atfonifhing to fee the flare and condition 27.
of the cattle: they look as frefli and as fleck *AIR °F
* ST. FAITH'S.
as if they had not travelled a mile from home :
fome of them tolerable beef. Even fo high as
eleven pounds a piece was afked for fome bul-
locks ; it was however to choofe four out of a
large drove : but teri pounds was alked to draw-
fifteen or twenty.
Mr. John Baker bought fix fpayed heifers,
which he drew out df a lot of thirty, at y/. 15^.
a head ; and another neighbour drew twenty-
one of the remainder df the lot at 7/. a-piece i
he afterwards bought fcven of an inferior qua-
lity at 6/.
There were half a fcore in the fair fo low as
4/. but the price in general ran from 61: td 9/<
a head; for cattle which will fat to from forty
to fixty ftone ; but high as ttiefe prices are, Mr.
Tate (the oldeft drover) fays, he has known
them fome years ago twenty or thirty ftiilHngs
a head dearer than they are even this year.
Each drover hires meadows or grazing*
grounds in proportion to his quantity of cattle ;
—the farmers in the neighbourhood preferving
for the purpofea full bite of grafs ; for which
the Scotchmen pay very amply. The charges
on fale muft run high. The number of
E ^ at-
MINUTES
OCT.
FAIR OF
ST.JFAITH'S.
DIBBLING
tt'HEAT.
attendants, the high price of grafs, and treat-
ing the farmers, " to the amount perhaps of a
couple of guineas a day," muft lower the neat
proceeds very confidcrably, even of each bul-
lock taken feparately *.
The drovers do not bring their whole flock
on to the " Bullock Hill" at once ; but let
them remain in the paftures until they are
wanted ; nor do they bring very large droves
at once into the country ; but keep them back
in Lincolnshire, or perhaps in Scotland, until
they fee how the demand is likely to prove.
I did not learn the annual demand on a par
of years ; but was told that Tatc alone brings
ibme thoufands every year into this country.
The larger bullocks are principally of the
Galloway polled breed, and moft of. them very
handfome ; in general four or five years old ;
Jiioilly black, Ibme brindled, foine dun, and
ibme few red. (See article BULLOCKS, Vol. I.)
28.
OCTOBER 27. This morning rode again
to Witton to fee fome work-people dibble
wheat ; and fortunately found them at work.
* The charges of drift from Scotland to Norfolk are,
I have been told, from five {hillings to fifteen fliillingi
a head, according to the fizc of the bullock.
One
j-Si. NORFOLK. 53
One man and one young woman dibbled, 28.
\vhile three women and three girls dropped. DISBMVC
They proceeded thus : the man carried three
flags, the women two. The man was followed
by one woman, taking the firft flag, and three
girls taking among them the remaining two.
The woman was followed by the other two
women, each of them taking one flag. When
the weather holds fair, the fet do about three
quarters of an acre a day, at ten Ihiilings and
fixpence an acre.
The man, the woman dibbler, and the two wo-
men " head- droppers," come from the Suffolk
fide of the county : the other woman and
the girls are of this country; this being
their firft feafon^ One of them drops very
badly; fometimes putting fix or feven
" kernels" in a hole ; befides fcattering a
great many upon the furface. This fhews
the impropriety of fuffering children to come
untutored into the field. The head-drop-
pers do it - very quick and very neatly ;
dropping two, three or four kernels in each
hole; and about five pecks an acre.
The diftance of the holes, and the method
.of dibbling and dropping (except the arrange-
ment of the droppers), exactly the fame as de-
E 3 fcribed
54 MINUTES OCT.
28. fcribed by Mr. Barnard ; whofe account is, I
am now ^u^ convinced, a very faithful one,
The feed was brined and limed.
The droppers carried their feeds in boys
hats fewed up about half way acrofs, leaving
an opening fufficient for the hand, with a firing
by way of a bow or handle, J\ bufhel with
the feed flood in the middle of the clofe ; out
of this they replenifhed their hats, every time
they paffed it.
The foil lightilh loam (too light I am afraid
to be dibbled with wheat), but had been marled
lafl year. It is a fecond year's lay, and was
paftured this fummer.
It is plowed fleet, and very badly, the flags
being much broken, and very uneven : were it
plowed a little deeper, which I apprehend it
might be with fafety, the flags would not break
fo much, and there would be a better bed for
the feed. The dibbiers are obliged to keep a
lie;ht hand, and make their holes lhallow, left
otherwife they fhouid flrike their dibbles quite
through the flags.
The flags are rolled before and " buflied" af-
ter dibbling ; the latter with a harrow made of
a ftrong large hurdle, covering better than half
a rod at once.
The
1781.
NORFOLK.
55
DIBBLING
\VIIfAT.
MANURE.
The plow and roller keep time with the dib- 28,
bles ; for if much rain fall upon the flags they
daub, "and are difficult to dibble ; if the wea-
ther prove dry, the fand runs in and fills up the
holes as fail as they are made.
29.
OCTOBER 28. In May laft I made an ex-
periment with lime for turneps, by fpreading a
chaldron of lime (at the rate of three chaldrons
an acre) acrofs each of two pieces of turnep TURNEPS.
fallow, and marked the ftripes with flumps.
No apparent benefit arofe from the lime un-
til the late heavy rains fell ; fince which the
plants have flourimed, and the good effedt of
the lime is become evident.
In March laft I alfo made a (imilar experi-
ment with lime for barley ; but the crop did BARLEY.
not, in any ftage, receive apparent benefit from
it. The fummer, until after the barley had
iinilhed its growth, was dry.
In the experiment with lime for wheat (fee WHEAT.
MIN. 1 8.) the crop received no apparent benefit
from the lime until the foil had been moiftened
with fummer rains.
From thefe and other observations I am of LIME-
opinion, that lime does not aft as a manure un-
E 4 til
56 MINUTES OCT.
20. til it has been thoroughly flaked in the foil ;
LIME. and, f rom the laft mentioned incident, it feems
as if the rains of fummer were neceffary to pro-
mote its operation.
3°'
FURZE- NOVEMBER 6. In a furze-ground, in which
a large plot was cut down lad winter, there is
now a crqp of young fhoots from two to two
and a half feet high : if thefc were now mown
(which if , the ftubs be cut tolerably level they
might be with great cafe,) there would be
I. apprehend two load of tender fucculent herb-
age an acre.
If furze-tops be that hearty and wholefome
food they are represented to be, how eaiily and
with what advantage they might .be in this
manner collecled : Cut the flubs low and level;
mow; and bruife the herbage with a broad
wooden wheel in the cyder-mill manner.
Lands which will afford no other crop will
produce furze j and although poor lands would
not throw up fnoots like thofe alluded to,
the crop might, no doubt, be mown, and
the fhoots, if very fhort, be collected in a re-
ceptacle at the heel of the lithe.
"
men-
N O R F O L K. 57
I mention this incident, and communicate 30.
my rcfledions upon it, the rather, as I have ™{^'
not met, cither in theory or practice, with the
idea of collecting furze-food with the tithe *
the only thing wanted, perhaps, to bring it
into common ufe.
NOVEMBER 10. The Bullock Hill at St. Faith's MANURE.
is laid to receive no benefit from the teatbe of
the bullocks which every year are fliewn upon
it daily, during a fortnight or three weeks.
This year it was wheat; and if one may
judge from the flubble (notwithftanding the
wheat was dunged for), the crop was a very in-
different one. — The foil a lightifh fandy loam.
This is an interefting fact. It is faid to be
owing to the worthlefsnefs of the teathe of
" drove bullocks." This I much doubt, how-
ever ; for the bullocks being many of them in
high cafe, and kept in grazing-grounds about
St. Faith's, fome of them perhaps within *
quarter of a mile of the Hill, the driving is
little more than the driving of fheep to a fold.
Some of them may, no doubt, come on to the
Hill immediately from Scotland ; and they are
all of them of courfe driven more or lefs ; and
there may be fome truth in this opinion.
That
MINUTES
Nov.
YAIRSTEAD.
T£AIIi£.
MANURE.
That the teathe of lean flock, and more par-
ticularly of cows, is much inferior to that of
fatting bullocks, is a fa£l univerfally acknow-
ledged throughout this county; and this may
in fome meafure be accounted for from the
oleaginous matter carried off by the milk of cows,
and imbibed by the vafcular carcafes of lean
{lock in general. On the fame principle, if flock
be hard driven, and much exhaufted by perfpi-
ration, and want of regular nourifhmcnt, their
teathe may become infipid and of little ufe to
land ; confequently this reafoning may in part
be applicable to the Bullock Hill at St. Faith's :
but, as before has been obferved, there are
numbers that come in good condition, and
from good paflures, at a very fmall diftance
from the Fair-hill, and there is no obvious rea-
fon why the teathe of thofe fhould not be nearly
equal to that of other fatting cattle : therefore,
upon the whole, it feems probable that driving
alone docs not produce this interelling fact.
May we not venture to think it poffible that
land may be fatiated, or tired, even of the dung
of cattle ? The Hill in queflion has been the
lite of a large fair for cattle during time irru
memorial : perhaps, were the fair removed and
the foil manured with lime, marl, or fuch
other
1781,
NORFOLK.
59
other new manure as experience would point
our, it might continue to throw out great crops
for many years.
This is a fubject worth inveftigating; for upon
old grazing grounds, which have been fed and
teathed with cattle during a length of time, the
dung which falls from them cannot, on this
hypothefis, be of any ufe to the land ; confe-
quently the ftpck may, without injury to the
pafturc, be driven off in the night-time totcathe
fome arable land ; or the dung may,, with ad-
vantage, be collected and carried off; whilfl by
mould, afhes, foot, &c. the grafsland may re-
ceive improvement.
32.
NOVEMBER 17. To-day compleated the
*' roofing" of a reeded barn.
I have attended particularly to the method
of laying the reed, and of fetting on the " roof-
ing" of this building.
The method of laying reed is this:
No laths being made ufe of, a little of the
longeft and flouteft of the reed is fcattered ir-
regularly acrofsthe naked fpars, as afoundatioa
to lay the main coat upon : this partial gauze-
like covering is called the " fleaking."
Oa
MANURE.
GRASSLAND,
THATCHING
WITH REED.
M I N U T E S Nov.
32' On this fleakiog the main covering is hid,
an<^ fa^ene^ down to the fpars bv means of long
rods — provincial])-, " fways"— hid acrofs the
middle of the reed, and tied to the fpars with
rope yarn ; or with " bramble bonds -," which,
formerly, were much in ufc ; but which arc
now pretty much laid afide, cfpccially for new
roofs.
Reed is not laid on in longitudinal courfes,
in the manner that ftraw-thatch is ufually put
On, nor is the whole eaves fet at once. The
workman begins at the lower corner of the
roof, on' his right .hand for inftance, and keeps
an irregular diagonal line, or face, until he
reach the upper corner to his left.
A narrow eaves-board being nailed acrofs the
feet of the fpars, and fome fleaking fcattered
on, the thatcher begins to " fet his eaves," by
laying a coat of reed^ eight or ten inches thick,
with the heads refting upon the fleaking, and
the butts upon the eaves-board. He then lays
on his fway (a rod about the fize of a fmall
edder ) about fix or eight inches from the lower
points of the reed ; \vhilft his affiftant, on the
infide, runs a needle, threaded with rope yarn,
clofe to the fpar; and, in this cafe, clofe to
the upper edge of the eaves-board. The
thatcher
1781. NORFOLK. 61
thatcher draws it through on one fiue of the 32.
fway, and enters it again on tlie contrary fide,
both of the fway and of the fpar : the afilftant
draws it through ; unthreads it; and, with the
two ends of the yarn, makes a knot round the
fpar •, thereby drawing the fway, and confe-
quently the reed, tight down to the roof:
whilft the thatcher above, beating the fway
and prefling it down, afiifts in making the work
the firmer. The aiTutant having made good the
knot below, he proceeds with another length
of thread to the next fpar ; and fo on till the
fway be bound down the whole length ; name-
ly, eight or ten feet.
Another ftratum of reed is now laid on up-
on the nrft, fo as to make the entire coat
eighteen or twenty inches thick at the butts;
and another fway laid along, and bound down,
about twelve inches above the fir ft.
The caves being thus completely fet, they
are adjufted and formed •, not fquare with the
fpars, but nearly horizontal : nor are they
formed by cutting ; but by " driving" them
with a " legget ;" a tool made of a board
eight or nine inches fquare, with a handle two
feet long, fixed upon the back of it, oblique-
ly, in the manner of the tool ufed by gar-
deners
6a MINUTES Nor
32. deners in beating turf. The face of the leg-
LAYING get is fet with large-headed nails to render it
rough, and make it lay hold of the butts of
the reed.
Another layer of reed is laid on, and bound
down by another fvvay^ fomewhat Ihorter thart
the laft i and placed eighteen or twenty inches
above it; and above this another and another^
continuing to fhorten the fways until they be
brought off to nothing, and a triangular corner
of thatching formed.
After this the fways are ufed their whold
length* whatever it happens to be, uhtil the
workman arrives at the finilhing corner.
By proceeding in this irregular manner feams
between the courfes are prevented ; and unne-
ceffary ihifting of ladders avoided.
The face of the roof is formed and adjufted^
like the eaves, by driving the reed with the
legget ; which operation, if performed by a
good workman, not only gives the roof a beau-
tiful polilhed furface^ but at the fame time
fattens the reed ; which, being thickefl to-
wards the buttSj becomes, like a tapering pinj
the tighter the farther it is driven.
Reed running from four to fix or eight feet
long, the heads meet at the ridge of the roof-r
whilft
NORFOLK.
whilft the butts arc ilill at a. diftance from
each other. For this realbn, as well as for that
of the wear being lefs toward the ridge, the
fhorteft (which is generally the worft) reed is
laved for the upper part of the roof. But even
fuppoling the uppermofl courfes to be only four
feet long, and that the heads (belonging to the
two fides) be interwoven in fome degree with
each other, the butts will flill remain fix or
fcven feet afunder ; and the ridge of the roof
confequently be left in a great meafure expofed
to the weather.
To remedy this inconveniency, and to give
a finifh to the ridge, a cap — provincial!)', a
" roof" — of draw is fet on in a mafterly, but
in an expenfive manner.
In this operation, the workman begins by
bringing the roof to an angle with ftraw laid
long-way upon the ridge, in the fame manner
a rick is topt up ; and to render it firm, to keep
it in its place, and to prevent the wind from
blowing it off, or ruffling ir, he pegs it down
ilightly with " double broaches" ; namely,
cleft twigs, two feet long, and as thiek as the
finger, ftiarpened at both ends, bent double ;
perhaps with a twiil in the crown ; and per-
haps barbed, by partial chops on the fides, to
make them hold in the better.
This
LAYI.VG
KEED.
SETTI \GOJf
ROOFLtT*.
64 MINUTES Nov.
32. This done, the workman lays a coat of
SETTING ON ftraight ftra-vv, fix or eight inches thick, acrofs
the ridge ; beginning, on either fide, at the up*
permoft butts of the reed, and finifliing with,
ftraight handfuls laid evenly acrofs the top of
the ridge.
Having laid a length of about four feet in
this manner, he proceeds to fatten it firmly
down, fo as to render it proof againft wind and
rain. This is done by laying a " broachen
Jigger" (a quarter- cleft rod as thick as the
finger, and four feet in length) along the mid-
dle of the ridge, pegging it down at every four
inches with a double broach, which is firft
thruft down with the hands, and afterwards
driven with the legget, or with a mallet ufcd
for this purpofe. The middle Jigger being
firmly laid, the thatcher fmooths down the
draw with a rake and his hands, about eight or
nine inches on one fide, and, at fix inches from
the firft, lays another ligger, and pegs it down
with a fimilar number of double broaches :
thus proceeding to fmooth the ft raw, and to
foften on Jiggers at every fix inches, until he
reach the bottom of the cap. One fide flmih-
ed, the other is treated in the fame manner ;
and the firft length being completed, another
and another length is laid, and finiihed as the
firft;
i78r.
NORFOLK,
SETTING OK
ROGFLETS.
BUILDINGS.
firft; until the other end of the ridge be 32.
reached.
He then cuts off the tails of the ftraw, fquare
and neatly with a pair of ihears, level with the
uppermoft butts of the reed; above which the
cap (or molt properly the ROOFLET) fliews an
cave?, of about fix inches thick.
Laftly^ he fweeps the fides of the main roof
with a bough of holly ; and the work is com-
pleted.— (For the expence, fee BUILD INGS and
REPAIRS, Vol. I.)
33-
NOVEMBER 17. A very fecure way of laying
pan-tiles is fometimes practiled in this country.
Having nailed on the pan-tile laths, the ti-
ler diflributes reeds, fo as juft to touch each
dther, between the pantile- laths -, and, to keep
them in their place^ inferts one end of a piece of
old plaftering lath or other fplinter, under the
ty ling- lath ; prefles it down upon the reed ;
and inferts the other end under the next lath ;
weaving, a$ it were, thefe fplinters between the
pan-tile laths and the reed.
Upon the reed he fpreads a coat of mortar,
and on this lays the tiles.
For dairy or other lean-to's, and for common
garrets, the reed is covered on the infide with
VOL. II. F a coat
66
MINUTES
Nov.
33
LAYING
PAN-TILES.
a coat of plaftering ; which, with the fpars,
<kc. being whitc-wafhed, gives a neat appear-
ance at a very trifling expence ; and keeps the
room as free from dufl as if it were lathed and
ceiled.
This is not a common practice ; but it is a
very good one •, and is much cheaper than the
ordinary practice of " interlathing'' with plaf-
tering laths.
HEDGES. NOVEMBER 19. It is not the earlicft-done
hedging which makes the ftrongeft moots from
the flubs. A piece of hedging was done on the
lands late Mr. -- 's in the month of April.
The face of the ditch ftands remarkably
well ; and the fhoots of white-thorn, cut down
clofe to the face, are uncommonly numerous,
and large ; fome of them being near five feet
high.
Perhaps there is an advantage in cutting
thorns at that time of the year. When they
have been cut off in winter, the fpring air has
no furface to act upon ; except the flump,
which barely fhews its- head above ground :
whereas thofe which fland till the fap begins
to iHr, have, by their quantity of iurface, roufed
the
1781.
NORFOLK.
TIME OF
CUTTING
HEDGE-
WOOD.
the fap in the root, without having yet ex- 34.
hauded any of it ; confequently when the top is
taken off, the ftub throws out many and
ftrong fhoots.
Therefore, if this reafoning be good, there
is a judicious moment for cutting hedges and
underwoods : namely, when the fap has begun
to rife, but before any part of it has been ex-
haufted : and perhaps this time is when the
tree or fhrub is beginning to bud : the young
quick againft Suffield Common was cut in this
ftate, and the Ihoots are remarkably ftrong *.
35-
NOVEMBER 23. Having frequently feen the
mifchiefs done to the lean-to porches of barns ;•
by loads of corn being drawn furioufly againft
them in harveft ; I have long wifhed to try
fome method of prevention.
In building a new barn at Antingham, I CHECKBEAM
threw the ends of an old beam into the jambs
of the fide-walls; fo as to reach acrofs the
floor, at the entrance of the porch ; low enough
* There is however a difadrantage in cutting thorns in-
tended for hedging materi.'.ls in this ilate ; as they are lefs
durable than when they are cut in winter, when the fap it
down.
F 2 to
68 MINUTES Nov.
2$. to take the top of the load, arid high enough to
be out of the way of the flail ; fettingaman with
his flail to give the workmen the proper height.
I find, however, that either the thralher, or
the bricklayer, has made a miftake ; for yefter-
day the thralher toid me, that he frequently hits
his flail againft the beam.
The height from the floor, I find, is nine
feet ; fix inches more, he fays, would be high
enough ; however, he being a middle-fized
man, a foot may be neceflary : and ten feet
may perhaps be taken as a general height.
Themifchief is ufually done by large loads ;
to draw in which (efpecially if the barn-floor
lies much higher than the yard) the horfes are
obliged to exert their utmoft ftrength ; but the
load being once landed upon the floor, no far-
ther exertion is neceflary ; neverthelefs the
horfes being roufed and fpirited, or not under
command, rufh furioufly on till they come to a
check -, which is generally the roof of theporch.
A fmall load requires no extraordinary exer-
tion, but is drawn in deliberately, and the hor-
fes of courfe are flopped atpleafure. The height
of a pair of full-fized barn-doors is fourteen
feet, and a high load will nearly touch the phte.
Twelve feet high is but a fmall load. There-
fore,
1781. NORFOLK. 69
fore, in every refpecT:, ten feet high is a pro- ^c.
per height for a CHECK-BEAM. CHECKSEAM
36.
NOVEMBER 25. Oaks are obferved to grow PLANTING.
bcft, and make the fined plants and the moft
beautiful trees, when they are raifed undifturbed
from the acorn. The oak having naturally a
ftrong tap-root, it is almoft certain death to re-
move a large plant which has not been tranf-
planted or tapped whiift young : neverthelefs
if the tap-root has been properly taken off
from the feedling plant, it may afterwards be
removed at pleafure, with fafety.
Oaks may be tapped by taking up the plants
and taking off the tap-root with a knife, or it
may be done as they ftand, with a tapping
iron, or even a common fpade ground to an
edge. This, being introduced at a proper
depth beneath the furface of the ground, cuts
off the tap-root; leaving the principal part of
the lateral horizontal fibres unditlurbed. When
the plants have got large (four or five years old
for inftance), this is perhaps the fafeft way of
treating them ; for the lateral ilioots in this cafe
receive no check whatever, but continue to
throw up a regular fupply of fap to the plant;
F 3 whereas
7°
MINUTES
Nov.
36.
TAPPING
OAKLINGS.
whereas by taking them up' and removing them
into a frefh fituation, they are feveral days ber
fore they begin to work ; in which time the
plant may receive irrecoverable injury.
A feed-bed of oaklings, five years old,
I treated in this manner : In March-April tap-
ped them all with common fpades, ground
Jharp; pruned fuch as were in any degree
Straight ; and headed down the reft near the
ground, to throw out; ftraight fhoots to be
trained.
Not a plant I fee is dead.
Had there been more of them cut down,
the effect would have been flill better.
37-
PLANTING. NOVEMBER 25. A ftriking inftance of fuc<
cefs in tranfylanting large oaks for flandards oc-
curs on Gunton Ccmmon. Scarcely a plant, of
fome thoufands, has milcarried, and very few
which do not flourim.
A pcrfon who had fome fhare in the bufinefs
of this plantation tells me, that it was the em-
ployment of two men and a couple of horfes,
almoft all the firft fummer after they were
planted, to water them ; not by a pailfull,
but by a hogfnead, at once ; which ferved for
rhe fummer.
1781. NORFOLK. 71
This was a rational method ; a pailfull only 37.
tantalizes and balks the plant ; whereas a hogi- PLANTING.
head depofited at its root affords a natural and
regular fupply, to be drawn up leiiurely by
the fun during the courfe of the fummer,
38.
NOVEMBER. 25. The afh delights in a moid THE ASH.
fituation, and will thrive even in an undrained
moory foil. How healthy and luxuriant are
thofe on Gunton Common, which grow upon a
low moory fwampy part; almoft upon a level
with the water; and even thofe on the ozier-
beds vie with the aquatics.
The afh is a thirfty plant. The road under
an alh is obferved to be always comparatively
dry ; and it is probably from this abforbent
nature, that it is fo great an enemy to the her-
baceous tribe. Turneps, a fucculent plant,
ftarvcs under the alh j and corn never thrives
in its neighbourhood. — Clover, however, feems
to be an exception to this theory.
It is neverthelefs an undoubted facl, that the
afh is a dcftruttive enemy on arable land ; and
it is highly improper to plant it in hedges.
It ought to be planted in wafle nooks and
corners ; or, perhaps, for two reafons, on un-
F 4 im-
72
MINUTES
NoV,
38. improvable fwamps, and on the fpringy fides
THE ASH. of hills : it would be rendering them ufeful as
fites of plantations ; and, perhaps, by its abr
forbent nature, would render them firm.
THE ALI>ER. The alder, on the contrary, is obferved to
make the ground it grows on flill more rotten
and boggy : it ought therefore, for two rea-
•fons, never to be planted ; namely, the injury
to the land, and its own worthleffnefs.
39-
MARKETS. NOVEMBER 26. This morning took a ride
to fee Holt Fair.
This is a fair for " homcbreds," or Norfolk
flock only ; no Scotch drovers frequenting it.
A neighbour bought nine three-year-olds
(coming), five of them fleers, four fpayed
heifers, forward in flefh, at 4/. ys. 6d. a piece.
A farmer in the neighbourhood bought two
of the lame age, but lean, though larger, and
not out of condition, for //.
Some kind-growing two-year-olds (coming)
were afked fifty-five fhillings a piece for.
Cows and calves fell very low in Norfolk.
They were fold to-day from about fifty-five fhil-
lings to three pounds ten fhillings a couple.
It is alfo obfei vable, that lean flock — "flraw-
r^cks"— fell very low in this country, at this
time
1781.
NORFOLK.
time of the year ; while fnch as are forward
'enough to be finished with turners, or with the
addition of a little fpring-grafs, fo as to be
got early to market, fetch aftonifhing prices.
Witncfs the forward cattle to-day, and the bul-
locks at St, Faith's.
The reafon is this : — A farmer has fo many
more acres of turneps than he wants for his
prcfcnt ftock ; — he mud therefore either run
the rifque of felling his turneps, or buy ftock
which he can finifli in the fpring, oiherwife he
will be ovcrftocked the next year.
It is obfervable that the heifers (of the nine
above-mentioned) are forwarder than the fleers;
infomuch that thepurchafer hopes to finiih them
with turneps ; but the fleers he expects will
require fome grafs at the fpring of the year.
It was an obfervation made, and agreed to,
that the grazing - grounds about Foulfham
(where thefe came from) fatten heifers fafler
than they do fleers. In corroboration, a by-
ftander faid, that he this year fent a parcel
of young ftock to thefe grounds ; the heifers
came home almoft meat, the fleers little better
than when they went.
This, if a fad, is highly interefting.
73
39-
HOL.T FAIR.
CATTLE.
GRASSLAND.
NOVEMBER
74 MINUTES Nov.
40- 40.
FATTING NOVEMBER 28. How profitable are the lit>
tie IJle-of-Sky Scots to the Norfolk farmer, who
has rough meadows for them to run in ?
had eleven bought laft Hempton-
green fair (juft twelve months ago) for three
' guineas a piece. They were kept entirely on
flrawand rufhy grafs, which nothing elfe would
have eaten, until the month of May ; when they
were turned into fome Norfolk meadows,
(worth about ten fhillings an acre) where they
remained until September : fmce when they
have been at good latter math. They are now
fome of them quite fat, and the reft nearly fo ;
one with another, they are worth about fix
pounds a piece.
Suppofing each occupied an acre of meadow,
which (with town charges) reckon at - - o 12 o
Straw over and above the dung - - o 50
Ten weeks lattermath, at 10 Shillings
(the price for fuch cattle) - - o 10 o
£ i 70
A neighbouring farmer bought a parcel
at the fame time, and at the fame price;
alfo fome refufe ones fo low as ftve-and-twenty
fhillings
NORFOLK.
75
fhillings a piece ; two of which he fold a few 40.
days ago for eleven pounds four Ihillings. CATTU^
Thefe, however, were followers atturnepsthe
firft winter. In fummer they were fent to a
grazing-ground : fince harveft they have been
in the ftubble and " rowens,"at good keep.
His other bullocks had nothing but ftraw in
winter ; were fhifted about in the meadows du-
ring fummer; fince harveft they have been in
the ftubbles; and are now at turneps. They
have grown very much, and are now getting on
very faft.
It is obfervable, however, that all thefe Scots
were bought in very cheap.
41.
DECEMBER i. A prudent farmer in this WHEAT.
Diftrid: makes a very proper diftinction between
laying up "wheat-riggs" where there are phea- GAME.
fants, and where there are none. In a part of
his farm tolerably free from game, he lays it up
in fix-furrow work ; but towards the covers,
in wide flat beds ; having found by experience
that pheafants always begin to fcrape on the
fides of the furrows, where they can eafily
come at the grain ; the mould being there loofe,
and eafily falls back into the furrows : therefore,
the
MINUTES
Dtc.
41.
PLOWING
for
PHEASANTS.
HEDGES.
the fewer inter-furrows the lefs mifchk-f they
are capable of doing : for while they fcrapc
upon a fiat furfacc, " they bury two grains by
fcraping up one ;?* bcfides its being a work of
much greater labour to come at them.
He fays he always u lays" to lofe the two
outfide furrows or drills ; if therefore he laid
his land in fix-furrow ridges, one-third of his
crop muft be inevitably loft, at feed-time; bc-
fides the depredations he is liable to, during
the winter, and at the approach of harveft.
42.
DECEMBER 6. The mal-treatment of hedges
in this country is painful to look upon ; and
there appears to be only one way of prevent-
ing a Norfolk farmer from deftroying them.
UnnecefTary reductions I confefs are hateful ;
but to fuffer unncceflary deftruction of things
fo cffcntial to an inclofcd eftate as are live
hedges, would be equally unpardonable ; and
I am determined henceforward to ftem, if
pG/jible, the vile practices, fo prevalent in this
country, of " outholling" and " cutting
kid* :"
•'* •« Outholling" — fcourinp; out the ditch — provincially,
the *' holl ' — f»r manure, \virh-ut returning any part of" the
r.iould to the roots of the quvk. -— " Cutting kid" —
V.-:i''A-;g off the kwer boughs of tall hedges ; leaving
vrlde«
NORFOLK.
77
A regulation of this kind will not be taking
from the farmers the privilege of cutting kids
for their " par-yards," nor of collecting mould
for their yards and dunghills; but it will be
obliging them, while they furnifli themfclvcs
with thefe two neccfiary articles, todojuftice
to their fences.
Under this regulation the farmer will not
calculate how few rods of ditching he can make
fhift with; but how many loads of mould and
hundreds of kid he fhall be in want of. Thus
the intereft of the tenant and that of the land-
lord will become intimately connected.
42.
HEDGES.
43-
DECEMBER 14. This autumn I met with a
fingular inftance of fowing °xb:ai after turneps
by i-wo furrcii'iiig. (See SOIL PROCESS.)
The firft plow fkimmcd the furface, and threw
it into the lad-made trench ; on this farrow the
feed was fown, and covered with the bottom
furrow brought up by the fecond plow; the
wide- fp reading tops, to over-hang the young- (hoots, and
{mother the underling phnts ; rendering, of courtc, the
bottom open and fcncelefs ; whilft the roots of the l\u-
•viving tree-like plants being left naked of. mould, thefe
in length of time dwindled away for \v.iiit of a proper
fupply of nouriihment. See art. HEDGES, vol.1.
feed fm an
SOWIN'G
WHEAT.
I N U T E S
SOWING
WHEAT.
43. feedfman always keeping between the plows,
and fowing the feed by hand between the furrows.
The plits being taken off very thin, the two
reached only a mean depth ; fo that no frclh
ioil was brought up.
Two plows and one feedfman finifhed from
an acre to five roods a day. The harrow was
juftrun over to break the furface, and let the
feedling plants freely out. The land is laid in-
to warps, not into ridges.
This method is fomewhat tedious ; but the
plants come up beautifully even, and the fur-
face, of courfe, is free from rubbifh.
The plants do not come up in drills, but pro-
mifcuoufly ; occupying the whole furface. This
the Norfolk farmers feem to think preferable
to their ftanding in rows : and, no doubt,
the foil in this cafe is the mod uniformly occu-
pied by the plants.
44,
MEADOWS. DECEMBER 17. The "water-workers" in
Norfolk have a very expeditious way of fcour-
ing-out old drains which are grown up with
grafs and iilt.
They firft mark out the edges of the drain
tvith a fharp fpade, or other inftmment, cut-
ting
1781.
NORFOLK.
79
ting through the depth of the mud. If the
drain be wide, they make another cut along
the middle, and then crofs ir, fo as to fcparate
the whole into large fquare pieces of three or
four fpits each.
The workman then takes a large hook, with
three flat prongs, and a (lout long wooden han-
dle— provincial!}-, a " mud-croorn," — and,
(landing by the fide of the drain, draws out the
"tuflucks;" placing them regularly on either
fide ; and, laftly, with a (harp (hovel, forms the
bottom of the drain, and (hovels out the
loofe mould.
44.
SCOURING
DRAIXb.
4-5-
DECEMBER 18. In my ride this morning I
obfervcd two or three inftances of young hedges
which are ruined through the bank being fet
injudicioufly on the upper fide of the ditch.
Ditches on hill fides (hould be made
to face up-hill; efpecially where the fub-
foil is fpringy. For if the fprings work
through, under the bank, they foon undermine
and let down the face, together with the layer,
into the ditch. The outfide of the ditch (hoot-
ing in is of much lefs confequence.
HEDGES.
46.
I N U T E S
REARING
CATTLE.
46.
1782. JANUARY 9. Obfervirig, to a good huf-
bandman, that his three-year-olds were rather
fmall ; he faid, Yes, they are ; adding, that his
turneps were but indifferent lad year; and that
he was too eager after bullocks ; but he now
\vifhed he had clone better by his ftore beafts :
for he always found that they paid beft for
" grazing -."—that is, for good keeping.
This was the obfefvation of a fcnfiblc, el-
derly, judicious, capital farther; and came im-
mediately from experience,
47-
REST-DAYS. JANUARY 9. The times of the year for the
receiving of rents mould be regulated by the
produce of the country, and the objects of the
farmer's culture. — He ought not to be obliged
to difpofc of his produce to a difadvantage, nor
fell it under the market-price. Nor ought he$
after his money is received or due, to have too
great indulgence ; left he may be tempted to
fpeculations » which, in the end, might hurt
both himfelf and his landlord*
In a corn-country, Chriftmas is of all others
the molt improper time for the farmer to pay
his
1782. NORFOLK. ?i
his rent at : he has juft time enough to do 47.
himfelf all the injury poffible. Stimulated RENT-DAYS.
by an honeft pride of carrying the whole ba-
lance ; or fearful of the frowns of his landlord ;
he hurries out his corn, unmindful of the low-
nefs of the price, or the wafte he is commit-
ting on his " ftover."
Were he called upon at Michaelmas, he
could not commit this unpardonable wafte :
if at Lady -day, he could have no temptation to
do it. Befides, at Chriftmas, tithe, tradefmen's
bills, the land-tax, and other quarterly rates
come upon him ; and it is not the lofs of the
(lover only, but the mealmen and maltfters>
knowing his fuuation, take their advantages.
This year furniflics a ftrikinginftance of the
impropriety of receiving at Chriftmas in Nor-
folk.
We have not yet had fcarcely fo much as a
hoar froft, nor one flake of fnow ,• cattle in
many places are even yet abroad, at grafs ; yet
the major part of the tenants of this neighbour-
hood have already thrafhed out threes-fourths of
their corn. Many of their yards are fcveral
feet thick with ftraw, with fcarcely any in-
termixture of teathe ; and fome of them
without being fo much as trodden.
' VOL. II. G There
82 MINUTES JAN'.
47. There is another evil confequence, in Nor-
KEXT-DAYS. folk, of receiving rents at Chriftmas : it is full
as much as the poor farmer can do, with all his
mifchief, to raife mpney for his landlord : he
dare not lay out a fhilling on bullocks to feed
off his turneps j which he is of courfe obliged
to fell at fuch a price as he can get, and have
them eaten off when and in what manner beft
fuits the purchafer ; whereas, had he time to
thrafh out his corn deliberately, he would find
money to buy bullocks, and to pay his landlord.
Suppofing the farmer to have paid his laft
fhilling to his harveft-men (which God knows
is at prefent the cafe with farmers in general)
his only refource is confequently his crop. He
firft begins upon his wheat, in order to raife
money for his fervants wages, and the parifli-
rates, at Michaelmas. His feed-wheat muft
next be tbrafhed out, or purchafed : a few bul-
locks is probably wanted; and the next quarter's
rates, tithe, and tradefmen's bills muft be paid
at Chriftmas. Thus without opening one Iheaf
for his landlord, he muft do confiderable in-
jury to his ftover. What then muft be the con-
fequence, if, in the fame time, he thrafh one
in addition thereto more than his halt-year's
rent ?
How
i7?2. NORFOLK. 83
How differently this matter would ftandj were 47.
tenants indulged until the latter end of Fe- RENT-DAYS.
bruary or the beginning of March.
The bufinefs of the barn would then take its
natural and regular courfe : the fervants wages
and Michaelmas rates being difcharged,and the
feed-wheat and fome bullocks being provided,
the farmer would, about the beginning or mid-
dle of December, get his ftock into his yards,
and begin in earneil upon his barley.
By Chriftmas he would find no difficulty in
difcharging his tithe, tradefmen's bills and pa-
riih-rates ; and would have the two principal
months for thrashing before him (befides per-
haps a furplus in hand,) to raife money for his
landlord.
His rent being cleared up to Michaelmas,
and his flails ftill being of courfe kept going,
hisEafterand Lady-day rates wduld be regularly
paid ; befides a fufficient overplus for the pur-
chafe of fuch clover or other feeds as might be
wanted during the fpring feed-time;
In April and May his bullocks travel to
market^ and, by the beginning of June, his
purfe begins again to overflow ; but after this
his receipts are trifling.
The beginning of June^ therefore, is the
time when he ought to pay to his landlord §*
G 2 much
M I N U T E S
JAX.
47-
*ENT-DAYS-
much money on account of the current year's
rent as 'would leave him a fufficiency (with his
dairy and other fmall receipts) to pay his Mid-
fummer rates and get in his harveft.
The firft of March and the firft of June
have one peculiar advantage as rent-days ; not
only in Norfolk, but in every other country ;
they do not interfere with quarter-days; and,
in Norfolk particularly, they are leifure-times
of the year.
BUILDING. JANUARY 10. It is economical to lay tiles
on mortar, or ceil the room they cover; they are
otherwife fubject to every guft of wind ; not
from its action upon the outfide, but from
finding, when pent up on the infide, an eafy
paflage through the covering.
An inilance occurred the other day : afarm-
houfe had two or three yards fquare of tiling
blown off by the late winds ; not on the wind-
ward, but on the leeward fide of the houfe ; and
from over the only room about it which is not
ceiled.
49-
JANUARY 10. How ftrong and lafling is
the current of cuftom ! The Norfolk farmers,
while
,.
NORFOLK.
while corn fold high, were affiduous to culti-
vate every inch the plow could reach : old
marl-pits were levelled : nooks and corners
grubbed, and broken up : and even bogs were
converted into arable land. Grafsland, of
courfe, became wholly out of fafhion, and to-
tally neglected : and now, when corn is low,
the fame practice ftill prevails : fcraps of
arable land are flill purchafed at more labour
than they are fometimes worth; while the
meadows are fuffered to remain a difgrace to*
the country ; notwithflanding they would pay
trebly for improvement.
49-
GEN. MAN.
FARMERS.
JANUARY n. The other day, I obferved MEADOWS.
in the practice of a fuperior hufbandman the
following method of deftroying ant bills. With
a common fpade, ground fomewhat lharp, he
divided the hill into four quarters. With the
fame inftrument he then pared off the fward of
the quarters, an inch to two inches thick ;
leaving the triangular turves pared off faft at
their bafes, folding them back upon the
adjoining fward. This done, he dug out the
core of the hill ; chopping and fpreading the
mould abroad ; and leaving a hollow bafon where
G 3 the
MINUTES
JAM,
$o. the hill flood, in order to collect the winter's
AKT-HH.LS, rains, and thereby effed a radical cure. Laftly,
the folds of fward were returned as a cover to
the excavation, leaving the furface graffy,
nearly level, and fcarcely difcernible from the
furrounding fward.
This operation is aptly called "gelding;"
and, though not univerfal, is a mofl excellent
practice.
Between Michaelmas and Chriftmas is the
proper time for performing it; for then the
excavated mould becomes tempered by the
winter's rains and frofls ; and the folds of
fward have time to unite with the foil before
the fummer's drought fet in.
MEADOWS.
GENT. MAN.
FARMERS.
JANUARY 13. What a difgrace, and what a
field for improvement, are the meadows of this
county ! The farmers hire marfhes and grazing-
grounds at the diflance of twenty or thirty
miles, and give high prices, when at the fame
time many farmers might, with a common
ihare of attention and management, have them
at a much cheaper rate within the limits of
tjieir own farms.
But,
1782.
NORFOLK.
^EN. MAN*.
OF FARMS.
But cuftom and prejudice are doughty
champions to deal with : whilft a Norfolk
farmer is bellowing more " coft" upon his
arable land than, at the prefent prices of corn,
he can ever regain from it, he is " doing
rarely well by his land ;'* but the moment the
foot of improvement fteps on to his grafs-
lands, be it even to open a few gripes to let
off the furface-water, the eyes of the country
are upon him •, for he is " buying his mea-
dows." Were he to carry a Joad of muck
from his par-yard on to his meadow-land, a
ilatute of lunacy would be the probable con-
fequence.
Prejudice, however, is not the only thing MEADOWS.
againft the improvement of the Norfolk mea-
dows. A want of knowledge in the art of
draining is a fifter.caufe ; for of the few who
attempt to drain their meadows, fcarcely
any arc acquainted with the method of
performing it property. They make their
drains much too fmall, too numerous, and
cut them in improper directions ; nor do
they ever go to a proper depth to do
the work effectually ; for fhould they chance
to dip to a bed of gravel they have done won-
ders, and there they (lop ; for their fpades
and " mud-crooms" can go no farther.
G 4 Nor
MINUTES
JAN,
5'-
MEADOWS.
ALDER.
Nor is the method of draining the only part
of the mifmanagement of the Norfolk farmers
in regard to their meadows, — they do not
feem to be aware that preffitre is a main im-
provement of boggy moory land. I have
never feen nor heard of a roller being drawn
over a meadow fince I came into Norfolk !
There are, however, fome few exceptions
to this general mal-treatment of meadows to
be met with.
The Rev. Mr. Horiley of Sway field has
drained his meadows in a capital ftyle, and
Mr. Samuel Barber of Stanninghall is manur-
ing his with foot, &c. and clearing them from
ant-hills, furze, alders, and other incum-
brances.
This laft is a great nuifance in meadows ; an
alder not only encumbers the fpot it ftands on,
but is allowed on all hands to render moory
foil ftill more rotten. It is a vile inhabitant of
or in the neighbourhood of a meadow ; for the
feeds being blown about by the wind, they are
trodden by cattle into the foil over the area of
the meadow ; where, fpringing up among the
herbage, the young plants embitter the grafs,
and render it altogether impalatable to flock.
In improving meadowy, the main objeft is to
dilengagethe mould from' collected moifture :
for
1782. NORFOLK. 89
for while any part of the black moory peat- 5 1 .
bog foil lies in contact with water, the whole MEADOWS.
will, like a fpongc, be filled with moiiture :
and it is in vain to attempt to render the fur-
face dry, while the bottom remains in water.
Therefore, drains deeper than the bed of
moor are cflfentially neceiTary.
Meadows have generally a rivulet running
through them : this, although it may have worn
itfelf down to the gravel, Ihould neverthelefs
(as it in general may) be confiderably deepened;
enough to lowrcr the furface of the water below
the moor ; and {till enough more to allow for a
defcent in the drains to be laid into it.
The rivulet ihould be deepened (as fhould all
"water-work" be performed) in autumn;
when the foil is in its firmeft Hate : not in the
fpring (as is the almoft univerfal practice), when
the moor is fopped with water, and the quick-
fands all alive.
The rivulet, or other common Ihore, being
lowered •, and the fand OF gravel (if any) fpread
over the adjoining moor (or, if a bad mould,
uied to level the inequality), and the furface-
water (if any) let off into the fhore ; the mea-
dows ought to remain in this ftate until the
cnfuing autumn j by which time the lower mar-
gins,
90 MINUTES JAK.
5 1 , ginsj towards the main drain, will have acquired
MEADOWS. a degree of firmnefs, perhaps, iufficicnt to ad-
mit of the lateral drains being cut to their full
depth.
Very rotten meadows, lying on a blowing
oozy quick-fand, cannot however, with any
propriety, be finiftied the next year : therefore,
in thefe, the upper moory ftratum alone fliould
be raifed; laying it as far from the edge off the
drains as the arm and fpade can reach.
In the courfe of the enfuing fummer the
mould ought to be turned over to forward its
digeftion ; and to bury the weeds, which never
fail to grow upon it in great abundance ; and
which being turned under in the fulnefs of fap,
are very beneficial in promoting the digeftion
of the whole mafs,
In autumn the drains ought to be finiftied —
the inequalities done away, and the manure
fpread over the furface ; provided this can be
yet done with fafcty.
But fliould the quiek-fand be ftill fo ftrong as
to endanger the fides of the drains, go no
deeper the third year than can be done with
fafety; deferring the finishing fpit until another,
or even another, fummer has rendered the fub.~
foil firm, and the fprings are cfteclually killed.
This
1782. NORFOLK. 91
This is dividing the expenrc ; doing the 51.
bufmcfs erTc&ually ; and treading fnre ground. MEADOWS.
The drains fhould not be cut, as is generally
the cafe, perpendicular to the rivulet; but
either parallel with it, or, if their mouths be
laid into it, in an oblique direction ; in order
that they may aft more effectually upon the fub.
foil ; as well as to clear their mouths the better
at the rivulet.
Norlhould the open drains be too numerous :
for by that means the roller and carriages arc
prevented from being turned between them.
Above all, the drains ought to be made of a
fufficient fire : their depth mould be regulated
by the depth of the moor and its fubftratum
of quick fand, and confequently by the rivulet,
which ought to follow the workman a confidcr-
able way up the new-made drains. Their width
ought to be fufficient to deter (lock from at'
tempting to crofs them ; otherwife the fides are
foon trodden in, and the Hock endangered.
Nothing is more common than to hear of
(lock being fmothered in the meadow-drains :
laft fummcr, a horfe was fmothered in a fuite
of meadows, which for a trifling expence might
be made firm enough to bear any ftock, and
lay feveral weeks before he was found.
The
92 MINUTES JAN-.
rj^ The utility of large wide drains is obvious
MEADOWS. in a meadow adjoining to the fuite abovcmen-
tioned ; a drain fix or eight feet wide, and five
or fix deep, lays dry a meadow of eight or ten
acres : a carriage might, .even now, pafs with
fafety by the fide of it.
If the beds be made lefs than twenty yards
wide there is not, as has been obferved, room
to turn a roller or waggon with fafety upon
them ; if, therefore, the open drains, at that
diftance, be not furHcient to make beds of that
xvidth fufficiently dry and firm, under-drains
Ihould be laid into them.
If the beds be made wider than thirty yards,
a carriage will be wanted to fet about the mould,
which rifes out of the new-made drains, and
which will afterwards arife from the parings of
the fides, and the fhovellings of the bottoms.
But if they be made within that width, a ma*
will be able to manure the whole without that
additional expence ; for if the mould be caft,
in the firft inftance, as far as may be from
the drains, and be afterwards, in turning it
over, removed ftill farther from them, the
farthefl {hovel -full will not require to be caft
more than ten yards.
It is obvious that, in draining a meadow in
this manner, the paltry gripes and \vater-
furrow
1782. NORFOLK. $
furrow with which meadows in general abound, 51.
would become uielefs ; and would require to MEADOWS. -
be filled up with alders, other rubbifh, and
dead mould, dug out of the new drains. The
furface mould however ought, as above inti-
mated, to be referred for a better purpofe ;
namely, to be fpread over the finifhed beds as
a manure. Its erTecls on a meadow which laft
year I had frequent opportunities of obferving,
was ftriking ; it appeared to kill the rufhes
and other aquatics ; and brought up a thick
matt of white clover, and other luxuriant
grades.
52-
JANUARY 19. A fingular inftance of fat-
ting fwine now occurs in this neighbourhood.
The other day, Mr. S. of C. had thirty or
forty bacon-hogs at peas; put into long open
troughs, in the middle of the yard. Now,
he has fifty or fixty porkers at barley and oats.
The pigs look healthy and well, and, Mr.
S. fays, fat apace. He keeps the yard weil-
littered, and they have water to go to.
He fold fifty laft week at the Hill at Nor-
wich at nineteen Ihillings and fixpence, and
fifty more this week at home at feventeen (hil-
lings.
94 MINUTES
52. lings. He bought them a few weeks ago at
about half a guinea a head,
He fhewed me one which he had killed for
XValfham market : the meat was peculiarly de-
licate, and quite fat enough ; it weighed four
^one, valued at four fhillings to four fhilHngs
4ind fixpence a ftone.
Mr. Si fays, he not only finds that they fat
\7ery faft; but that the drovers are particu-
larly fond of pigs fatted in this manner j
they travel better than fty-fed hogs ; and do
not fhrink fo much with their journey*
They are making him a valuable yard
of dung, with very little attendance, and
without the expence of houfe-room. There
is a cart-fhed in the yard, under which they
liiay run in bad weathen
Mr. S. argues in favour of his plan, that
pigs never do better than when they help
themfelves, as in flubbles, or at a barley-
rick : give a pig acorns, he fays, in a fty,
and they are wafted upon him ; but let him
pick them up himfelf under the oak, and he
will get fat.
Mr. S. mixes one builiel of oats to a coomb
of barley; in order that the pigs may grind the
barley, and thereby prevent its paffing through
them
1782.
NORFOLK.
95
52
them whole. It has the defired and, indeed,
a (Inking effect. — Mr. S. broke feveral parcels
of dung, but not the trace of a whole grain
of barley in the yard. The oats not being a
favourite food, prevent the pigs from eating the
barley too greedily ; as well as being hufky,
they require a longer time to be chewed. Mr,
S. treats buck in the fame manner, with the
fame effect : peas I find are not unfrequently
put among buck for the fame purpofe.
This is to me a new idea. Mixing chaff
with oats for hories, to promote the maftica-
tion of the latter, is an old, and now almoft
univerfal, cuftom ; and mixing different forts
of food for hogs, in order to obtain the fame
valuable effect, is felf-cvidemly judicious.
53.
JANUARY 24. Mr. S. of W. a fteady mo-
CALVhJJ.
ney-getting farmer, rears his calves in this man-
ner. (See REARING CATTLE, Vol. I.)
He begins about Michaelmas, and continues
till about Candlemas.
Their food is Hum-milk with a little wheat-
'fiour. They have alfo chopped turneps in a
trough and hay in a rack.
As foon as they learn to eat turneps freely,
the pail is entirely left offj the turneps afford-
ing
96 M I K U T £ S JAK-.
53. i'ng them both meat arid drink; thefe with a
REARING little hay being their only fuftenance. Some
farmers give them oats and bran ; but Mr. S.
efteems them dear feeding.
The time of their taking to turneps is un-
certain : where there are older calves that have
learnt to eat turneps plentifully, the young
ones readily learn, by picking up the crumbs
made by the old ones *.
About March, the firft-reared are turned out
among the fatting bullocks, in the day-time j
and in a few'days, if the weather permit, are
turned out altogether.
During Cummer they are kept in the clo*
Vers, or at other high keep ; and by next au-
tumn are flout enough to ftand the par-yardi
This is efteemed a main advantage of rearing
calves early in the feafon ; for thofe reared late
in the fpring want two years nurfing.
The price of calves, about ten days old, is
eight or ten millings 3 and of buds or yearlings*
from twenty to thirty fliillings -, fo that twenty
(hillings is an out-fide produce of a reared
calf j fifteen fhillings, perhaps, is nearer the pan
* Breaking the turneps with a mallet has been found
to induce calves to take to them fooner than when thcy
are cut with a {harp-edged tool. Perhaps, pounding them,
and mixing the pulp with milk, would be ftill better.
This
i7*2. NORFOLK; 97
This cannot be adequate to twelve months ex- ^ 3.
traordinary care, expence, and hazard i efpeci- GEN. MAN.
OF CATlLt.
ally to a large farmer, who has, at preferit, more
material objects to attend to.
Mr. B. of the fame place, convinced of
tKis, rears no calves' : lie finds that he can at pre-
fent buy young home-breds and Scots cheaper
than he can rear his own flock. But Mr. B. is
a good judge of ftock. For a fmall farmer, or
for any one not thoroughly converfant in the
bufinefs of buying and felling, it may be more
prudent, and certain, to bring up his own calves :
for, having learned from experience, how much
ftock his farm will carry, he goes cm mechani-
cally ; fo many cows— fo many three-year-olds
— an equal number of two-year-olds — and the
fame number of buds— with every year nearly
the fame quantity of turneps and clover to feed
and fat them on. If his turneps prove under
par; he fells part of his three-year-olds; if
above, fells part of his turneps ; and this feems
to be the natural lafis of the Norfolk huU
bandry.
VOL. II. H 54.
98 M I N U T E S JAN.
54- 54-
FENS. JANUARY 24. The following is an accu-
rate account of the peat-grounds of the fens.
The " turf-man" pays for rent £.040
For cutting from is. 6d. to 2s. 019
For " chimneying" (that is, piling
them lattice-wife to dry) 006
For boating to the ftaith 6d. to is. o o 9
£• ° 7 °
Profit and hazard (great quantities
are fometimesfwept away by the floods) o i 6
The felling price per thoufand £.08 6
The peats, when cut, are about four inches
fquare (but dry to about three inches and a
quarter) ; and from two to three feet long, or
of a length equal to the depth of the moor ;— •
every foot of which, therefore, affords nine
peats: each yard 81 : each rod 2,450^: and
each acre 392,040 : which, at 4^. per thou-
fand amounts to the turn of £.78 8/. 2tt. an acre :
belides the additional advantage of having un-
covered a ftratum of earth, which, in many
parts, produces reed, fpontaneoufly ; and on
which, it is highly probable, that valuable
aquatic might on every part be propagated.
JANUART
1782.
NORFOLK.
99
55-
JANUARY 25. The farmers of Woodbaft-
wick, in the fouthern part of this Diftrict, have
their marl chiefly from Norwich in boats
round by Yarmouth, forty or fifty miles. Some-
times they bring it by way of back-carriage
from Thorp-next-Ndrwich, about fix miles ;
at other times from Horftead, and other neigh-
bouring pits, convenient for back-carriage :
none within five or fix miles.
The ufual quantity fet on is eight or ten
middling loads an acre. At Norwich they pay
one ihilling— at Horflead eighteen pence a
load, uncallowed.
The carriage (as back- carriage) is reckoned
worth about three millings or three fhillings
and fixpence ; fo that it cofts them about four
to five ftiillings a load ; or fifty Ihillings to
three pound an acre.
The marl brought by the wherries is worth
at the ftaith about four Shillings the middling
load.
56.
JANUARY 25. Mr • of Woodbaftwick
has eleven large Scotch bullocks (from fifty to
H 2 feventy
55'
MARL.
CATTLt.
100
MINUTES
JAN.
56.
BULLOCKS
IN YARDS.
fcventy Hone) at turneps in the yard. They eat
nearly two load a day — fix would eat about a
load. — They are given to them whole (except
the tails, which are cut off in the field) with
their tops on ; in double bins ; with flraw
fcattered about the yard j ferving them both
as fodder and litter.
Thefe bullocks cofi the latter end of October
orie with another about yl. los. ahead. Sup-
pofe they weigh by the latter end of April fix-
ty (lone on a par, and fell for fooir fhillings at
(lone ; the produce, deducting the expence of
fale, will be about 4/<— at 4*. 6d. a (lone,
$1. ioj. — at 5/. a ftone, jL
If fix bullocks eat a load of turneps a day,-
one bullock would eat thirty loads in fix
months. Twenty loads an acre is efteemed a
fair crop. Therefore, at four (hillings a ftone^
thefe bullocks will pay 2/. 135. 4^. an acre ; at
4;. 6d. a ftone, 3/. 13^. 4^. ; and at 55. a (lone,
4/. 13^. 4d. an acre for the turneps, ftraw, and
attendance : — fuppofmg them to take fix
months at turneps to bring them to fixty ftone
Ahead; which, I apprehend, is near the truth*
FATTING
CATTLE
ABROAD.
57-
JANUARY 2£.~ Mr. Samuel Earbef, whofe
accuracy may be depended on, fays, that twelve
acre*
1782.
NORFOLK.
101
BULLOCKS.
ABROAD.
acres of turneps upon his Stanninghall farm, 57,
have carried thirty-five fatting bullocks, fol-
lowed by forty-five cows, Highlanders, and
other lean (lock, together with fourfcore fat-
ting fheep, five weeks and three days ; that is,
reckoning eight fticep to one bullock, forty-
five fatting, and forty-five lean bullocks j from
forty to fifty (lone each.
In fix months thefe bullocks would not eat,
at this rate, quite fixty acres : but the turneps
are very " thight" and very good.
Mr. Barber attributes the good proof of his TURNEPS.
turneps this year on his Stanninghall farm chiefly
to their " thightnefs." He fays he never minds
how clofe the hoers leave the plants, fo that they
draw their hoes between them. He fays he has
fuffercd fome pounds this year, on his Baflwick
farm, through the hoers, in his abfence, being
fuffered to hack them out too thin *.
The fame judicious hulbandman fays,he treats
his Stanninghall farm (a light dry fqilj for tur-
neps, and for olland barley, in this manner :
thefirft plowings, whether they be two. or three,
* Mr. Baker of Southrcps, whofe opinioa in this cafe
is equally valuable, holds out the fame ideas ; faying-,
that he is always attentive to his hoers, to fee that they
do not fee out the plants too thin.
H 3 he.
SOIL-
PROCESS.
MINUTES
57-
SOIL- PRO-
CtSS.
TURNEPS.
BARLEY.
FARMERS,
he gives very fleet, and fetches the foil up the
laft plowing a full pitch ; by which means he
fows his feed amongft a mould which has never
beenexpofedtothedroughtj and, confequently,
contains a degree of moifture very favourable
to the feedling plants.
To this management he attributes, in fome
meafure, his great fuccefs in turneps this year,
They are indeed the beft in the country, and on
a foil whereon turneps have not grown, with
any degree of fuccefs, for many years.
For olland barley, he endeavours to break
the flag as little as poffible, fo that the grafs be
killed: he therefore would chufe not to break
up his olland till after Chriftmas. With this,
procefs he fows the barley above-furrow.
58-
JANUARY 29. In a converfation, to-day,
with two of the firft farmers in the county, a
comparifon between the prefent times and thofe
of fifteen to twenty years ago, became the fub-
jeft.
The price of barley was, then, from five
millings to feven millings a coomb ; of wheat,
from ten millings to fourteen millings; and
Ijeef three millings and fixpence a ftone. Now,
barley
1782, NORFOLK. 103
barley is eight Ihillings, wheat twenty-two fhil- 58,
lings, and beef four (hillings to four fhillings FARMERS.
and fixpence ; yet, in thofe days, farmers had
plenty of money, and actually increafed in
riches -, whereas, now, they are moneylefs,
and arc every year finking in poverty.
To explain this paradox feemed difficult ;
the price of day-labour is fomewhat decreafed ;
fervants wages the fame, now, as then ; houfe-
keeping fomewhat more expenfive, as to the
price of its particular articles ; but, upon the
whole, it is not more fo ; for farmers, principal
farmers, now keep lefs company than they did
in thofe times. One of them obferved, that he
pays the fame price for a coat, and the fame
for a fhirt, he did formerly ; and as to market
and other perfonal expences, he is .clear that
among capital farmers they are lefs now than
they were then. The poor's rate, it is true, falls
heavy at prefent; but he fays that he pays only
fourteen pounds now for what he then paid ten
pounds : this therefore is not of material confe-
quence ; and this excellent hufbandman, fenfi-
ble and well-informed as he is, feemed willing
to affign the caufe to fome inexplicable hid-
den myftcry.
H 4 At
i°4 MINUTES JAX,
58. At length, however, he produced an idea
FARMERS. which goes a great way towards explaining the
apparent riches of former, and the apparent
poverty of the prefent,, times.
In every corner there are moneyed men : for-
merly they diffufed their riches through the
neighbourhood they lived in :— it was no un-
common circumftance for a farmer even to be
afked to take money; whereas, now, through
a want of private credit and moneyed faith be-
tween man and man, and (till more through the
prefent high rate of intereft to be made on go-
vernment fecurity, the monies which were dif-
perfed in the country among farmers and tradef-
men are now all called in,
This explains very fully the apparent riches
of former times and the apparent poverty of the
prefent : but it does not explain why farmers
formerly grew rich, but now grow poor.
The late rife of rents at once fully developed
the whole myftery. For although the ufurer's
money might affift the farmer in purchasing
flock, &c. to an advantage ; yet this advantage
was in great meafure cancelled by the intereft
which he had annually to pay for it : whereas
the money anting from the comparative low-
nefs of rent required neither intereft nor even
principal to be repaid.
Thus,
1782. NORFOLK. 105
Thus, fuppofing farms to be raifed thirty 58,
per cent, within the laft fifteen or twenty years ; RISE OF
and fuppofing that, among middling farmers,
the rife in the poor's rates, and the extra ex-
pence of houfe-keeping, is adequate to the ad-
vance of produce; the farmer whonowjuft
makes ends meet on a farm of one hundred and
thirty pounds a year, had formerly a furplus
of thirty pounds left in his pocket to buy flock,
&c. at the bcfl market *.
This, even the fecond year of his leafe, he
found of great advantage ; but the third year,
the thirty became fixty; the fourth, ninety, or
perhaps one hundred pounds ; for the intereft,
or a proper management of the money, had in-
creafcd his flock ; fo that by intereft upon in-
tereft, or by other advantages made of the mo-
ney, a careful, induflrious, fortunate man
found himfelf, at the end of his twenty-one
years leafe, to be worth eight hundred or one
thoufand pounds ; and confequently got, very
defervedly, the name of being a rich farmer.
* A ftrikiag inftance of the Iof3 arifing from a want of
loofc money to buy flock when the markets are low,
occurs this year : at Kipping and Kenninghall fheep-fhowi
(a few months ago) the lame lambs might have been
bought for five (hillings and fixpence, which are note
worth half-a.guinea a head.
But
jo6 -M I N U T E S JAN.
58. But the cafe of the man who now takes a
farm of a hundred and thirty pounds a year, is
ii.ii K IS*
very different.
Let us fuppofe him to have a capital juft
fufficient to ftock it, and help him through the
extra expences of the firft year.
His crops turn out tolerably, and having
common good luck with live ftock, the neat
produce of his farm juft clears its expences,
buys him a new coat, and pays his landlord : but
this done, he finds himlelf without a fixpence
left in his pocket for manure, or to go to a
cheap market with.
This however is not all. In the courfe of the
year, he lofes a cow, perhaps a horfe. What is
to be done ? He is pennylefs, and cannot bor-
row a milling in the whole country. Why, he
muft either do without, to the great prejudice of
his farm, or fell fome other part of his ftock
to replace them with.
The next year his wheat or his turnep-crop
fails him. He has not a milling before-hand
to carry him over the difficulty ; he confe-
quently becomes in arrear with his landlord ;
his fpirits are broken ; his, land not only wants
manure, but even labour and teathe •, for he
is glad to fell his bullocks before Chriftmas ta
keep
iy82. NORFOLK. 107
keep his landlord in temper : — the confequence 58.
need not be traced.
Thus it appears that the poverty of prefent FARMERS.*
farmers, more particularly of middling and
fmall farmers, refults in fome meafure from an
advance in the expences of houfe- keeping and
an advance in the parifh-rates ; but principally
from the prefent fcarcity of money, and from
the late rife of rents.
59-
FEBRUARY 5. In finking a well near Gun- TUB
ton-Houfe, the workmen it feems traced the
tap-root of an oak, through an uniformly
white fand, to the depth, I think, of twenty
feet. The tree was neverthelefs uncommonly
healthy and beautiful.
This ihews that a ftrong foil is not neceffary
to the production of fine oaks.
There might, however, be one circumftance
favourable to this oak. The ftratum which it
grew in might be impregnated with the drain-
age of the houfe and offices ; for of fo abfor*
bent a nature is this bottomlefs bed of fand,
that it drinks up the whole drip of the houfe,
together with the overflowings, and wafte wa-
ter, and filt of every denomination.
Nor
*o8 MINUTES FEB.
59. Nor is this a fingular inftance of the ab-
SUBSOIL. forbency of the Norfolk foil ; for of a fimilar
nature is the moft frequent fubfoil of the
county : dig a marl-pit through to the fand,
the water immediately vaniihes.
60.
REPAIRS. FEBRUARY 5. Bvttrejfts, to flay-up old
buildings, are very aukward, very expenfive,
and very fubject to decay, if not well fecured
from the drip of the building they fupport :
yet, if walls lofe their upright, fomething is
neceffary.
Buttrefles, however, may frequently be
avoided, by thickening the foundation, and
forming an arch-like foot or underpinning to
the whole part affedted. — Witnefs a tall fence-
wall at Northreps; and a dwelling-houfe at
Bradfield ; where a buttrefs, in the front of a
good houfe, would have been very unfightly.
1\\tfpring or width at the bale, as alfo the
height, Ihould be in proportion to the degree
and height of the bulge to be fecured.
Where the whole wall has given way and
pverhangs much, a tall buttrefs may be ne-
ceffary ; though even in this cafe, fupporting
the beams and rebuilding the wall from the
foundation
NORFOLK.
109
foundation is generally more prudent : — a large
buttrefs fwallows up a great quantity of brick
and mortar ; and, when railed, is but a tem-
porary relief*
A large blue Hate forms an admirable roof
for a buttrefs : — an inflance occurs upon Ari-
tingham-hall farm.
61.
FEBRUARY 5. A neighbouring farmer
having one fide of a clofe of turneps which he
could not get off faft enough to be fowri
with wheat, he cut off their tops with a fpade^
gave the tops to his cows, carted the bottoms
into a new-made adjoining ditch, fbacking
the cart and tipping them in) and covered
them over with a little ftraw j and, over this^
with bramble-kids, to keep the flock from
them.
Here they lay until wanted in a froft, when'
the cart was again backed to the ditch, and
the turneps loaded with a fork.
He fays, tliat his bcafts eat them as well
or better than frefh-drawn turneps ; and that
in general they came out as found as when
they went in. Had the tops been depoficed
With the ro'ots, they would probably have
brought
60.
BUTTRESSES.
PRESERVING
TUKNEPS.
MINUTES FEE,
brought on a fermentation, and have fpoilcd
the whole deP°flt-
Might not this practice be extended to the
prefer vat ion of turneps in the fpring?
Turneps, this yearj began to run the be-
ginning of January : they have now, in ge-
neral, got fpring fhoots five or fix inches
long •, and, if the prefent open weather con-
tinue, the roots muflbe confiderably exhaufled^
and the land very much drawn, long before
bullocks in general are finifhed, or grafs be-
gins to grow. But if they were now (when
labour is cheap and plentiful) topped and
carted into dry ditches, or formed into flacks
with ftraw *, their goodnefs might be pre-
ferved, and the land be got into forwardnefs
for barley.
If they were Hacked in dr near the yard^
there would not, for fhed or ftraw-yard bul-
locks, be any labour loft.
Whether, after this remarkably mild win-
ter, the fpring prove very mild, or very fe-
Vere, they would, by this means, be removed
but of harm's way.
61.
THE ASH. FEBRUARY 7. There is, in a grove at Gun-
ton, a large afh, Cat leaft a load of timber in
* Perhaps hurdles, fet chequer-wife, would be found
convenient receptacles.
it)
NORFOLK. in
it) which is dijbarked entirely round the ftcm, 62*
about a foot from the ground* On one fide THE ASH-
the upper and lower barks are feparated about
a foot from each other -, on the other fide not
more than three or four inches : they fcem to
be drawing towards each other, and may in a
few years unite.
This tree was probably dilbarked by VEGETABLE
1 J ECON'OMY,
deer, from five to ten years ago j yet it is not
only alive, but apparently as growing and
healthy' as any tree in the grove*
630
FEBRUARY 7. I have frequently obferved ncr-' I
that the face of a ditch over which ivy has
fpread itfelf, ftands invariably*
Perhaps, on a fandy foil, where the face of
the bank is perpetually running down like an
hour-glafs, plant or fow a drill of ivy near th<3
feet of new-made ditches*
64*
FEBRUARY 7. Thereof out of repair, the REPAIRS.
whole fabric is in danger. — Not only the
fpars, but the " phnfher," nay, even the
ground-
ii2 MINUTES FfB.
64^ ground-floor, I have feen rotten through a
IMPAIRS, bad roof.
Perhaps fend a thatcher and bricklayer round
to each farm annually : if nothing be wanted
upon it, there may no doubt be half a day's-la-
bour loft ; but if there is, a few millings laid
out in time may, in a courfe of years, produce
a confiderable faving.
If the landlord take care of the roofs and
foundations— the tenants will, for their own
conveniency, be ready enough to remind him
of the repairs wanted on the infide.
65.
MEADOWS. FEBRUARY 7. A ftriking inftance of the
fhanieful management of mcadowland iri Nor-
folk occurs upon the church-farm at- .
The late tenant was afraid to truft his flock
in one of his meadows '. he has loft feveral cattle
and horfes in it— the fkeleton of a horfe
now lies there;
The prefent tenant could not get his flock
into it, until, at a confiderable expence of
heath and land, he made a gangway. — To hint
(who has taken it for only One year certain) I
could not value it at more than five fhillings
an acre : yet I will venture to fay, that for the
trifling
1782. NORFOLK. 113
trifling expence of twenty (hillings an acre, pro- 65.
perly laid out in the coiirfe of next fummer, it MEADOWS.
would, in two or three years time, be worth
from twelve to fifteen (hillings an acre.
I will give an eftimate of the expence, to
ihew the real improvement which the mea-
dow-lands of Norfolk are capable of.
This meadow' is a parallelogram lying on a
flat, and contains five acres, two roods, feven
perches.
A rivulet runs on one fide of it, upon a bed
of gravel, and fiveor fix feet below the furface
of the meadow. Acrofs the meadow, perpen-
dicular to the rivulet, are two drains, grownup
with haflbcks, and trod in by caftle ; and round
it is a watery ditch, alib full of ^ afs and mud.
There are about eighty flatute i ds of ditch-
ing, and about forty ftatute rods oK1 raining.—
The ditches might be fcoured for V (hilling,
the drains be opened for fixpence, the long
rod.
80 flatute is about fixty-three long
rods, at u. - 3 3 o
40 ditto, about thirty-one, at 6d. 0156
£3 18 6
But the drains could not be opened level
with the rivulet for that money j nor could
VOL, II. I theVj
iH MINUTES FEB.
65. they, for that, be made fences : for one ihil-
MEADOWS. ling a rod they might, I apprehend, be done
effectually, which is an addition of- 0156
£4 H °
Nor could the ditches, perhaps, be
carried round level with the rivulet
(which they ought to be, the workmen
leading a dead water all round) for one
fhilling a rod : for fourteen-pence I be-
lieve they might : this is a further ad-
dition of - - o 10 6
£5 4 6
Befides this three trunks, or arches, would
be wanted as an entrance, and for communica-
tions between the beds ; the fluff, too, would
require to be fet about : thefe, however, come
under the idea of annual and ordinary expences ;
we may therefore fay, that for the inconfider-
able purchafe of five guineas an improvement
worth fifty or fixty pounds might be obtained,
perhaps when a meadow is fo fituated that
the rivulet can-not be funk below the moor, lay
the main drains into wells, dug at a convenient
diftance from the rivulet, and pump the re-
maining water into it. One length of tree would
do, and a man would pump out a great quan-
tity of water in a day ; and what are a few days
works
1782.
NORFOLK.
115
works compared with the difference between a
drained and an undrained meadow ?
Perhaps a ftubborn quickfand might be
overcome by digging a well near it.
66.
FEBRUARY 8. It is an excellent cuftom of
the Norfolk farmer to erect rubbing-poft* in the
different parts of the inclofure he is feeding of
teathing ; they keep the flock from the fences,
and furnifh them no doubt with an agreeable^
and perhaps a falutary, amufement.
Some I fee draw the crown of a tree; with
the lower part of the boughs left on, into the
middle of the clofe : this is lefs trouble than
putting down a poft, is eafily rolled out of
the way of the plow, and feems to be ftill
rriore agreeable to the cattle.
67-
FEBRUARY 9. Mr. Arthur Bayfield (whofe
good fenfe and judicious management have re-
peatedly engaged my attention) fows the prin-
cipal part of his wheat in four-furrow work,
with this peculiarity : — He fows only half the
feed before the plbws. (See WHEAT, Vol. I.)
The firft plowman fets out a very wide
*' back"; fo that the tops of the firft two fuc-
I 2 TOW
65.
DRAINING-
OUICKSAXD.
RUBBING-
WHEAT.
MINUTES
FEB.
67,
SOWING
WHEAT.
rows do but barely touch each other. The
feedfman follows, and fows the remaining half
of the feed in the trenches made by the firft
plow. — Another plowman follows, and, with a
neat narrow furrow, covers the feed and makes
up the ridges.
It was on my obferving to him, the other
day, the evennefs with which his wheat comes
up, that he told me his method of putting in
the feed.
. Farmers in general he thinks fow too much
of their feed on the warps, by which means the
tops of the ridges have more than their propor-
tion of feed ; unlefs the ridges be made very
narrow, which occafions a lofs of labour.
Mr. B.'s four-furrow work is nearly as wide
as the fix-furrow ridges of fome farmers ; end
it is impoffible for wheat to come up more
beautifully than his does this year.
TURNEPS.
68.
FEBRUARY 9. Lafl year, there were turneps
fold as high as 5/. an acre ; a price fcldom, if
ever, before known in Norfolk, At the begin-
ning of this feafon, four pounds ten {hillings*
fome fay four guineas and a half, an acre was
re-*
1782. NORFOLK. 117
refufed for turneps— The fame turneps are now 68.
worth about three pounds. — Good turneps are
fold for fifty Ihillings, tolerable ones for forty
{hillings.
The reafon for this rapid fall of turneps is
twofold : the opcnnefs of the winter, and
the fcarcity of bullocks, this year ; owing
to their high price at Michaelmas, and to the
poverty of the farmers.
A. gives forty fhillings for tolerable ones,
and is allowed to bring fome home ; but he
pulls and tends the reft himfelf {A. fays pull-
ing and ftraw is worth twenty fhillings).
B. took in lean three-year-olds at two Ail-
lings a week, but their owner would not con-
tinue : B. therefore fold him the turneps at
fifty millings an acre (middling) ; B. to pujl
and tend ; but the purchafer to find ftraw
(B. reckons pulling, &c. worth ten fhillings an
acre. )
C. agreed (early in the feafon) with P. at
three pounds ; P. to pull, tend, and find ftraw ;
which C. reckons at fifteen millings, viz., five
millings the ftraw, and ten millings the attend-
ajace.
I 3 69.
ii8 MINUTES FEB.
69- 69.
AT FEBRUARY a. It is a general obfervation,
TURNEPS. .'...' 11, • r> i
that in this remarkably warm open winter, Ihed-
bullocks have done very badly ; while bullocks
abroad have done extremely well. — A perfon
who is a competent judge in this matter in-
itances fome bullocks, which he faw the other
day, that have fcarcely got any thing during
feveral weeks they have been at turneps :—
his remark was, tint they fweat out as much
as they lay on ; that their coats are continually
wet ; tbeir backs being covered with drops of
fweat.
In cold winters, bullocks are obferved to
do beft in (heds ; but they do not travel fo
yvell to market as bullocks fatted abroad or in
the open yard.
This being an interefting fubjedt, and of
great importance to this and every other light
land Diflrict, I have collected the particular
praclice of fuch individuals as bufmefs, or
other circumftance, has thrown in my way.
Mr. Barber, at Baftwick, (a fomewhat tender
foil) gives his bullocks turneps in bins in the
open yard. AtStanninghall,(a dry firm foil) he
keeps them wholly abroad, fhifting them every
day, or every two or three days, giving them
draw in a moveable four-wheeled ftraw-rack.
Mr.
1782. NORFOLK. 11
Mr. Thomas Seago, of Hanworth, throws 69.
the beginning of the ieatbn, and afterwards BULLOCKS
chops the turneps, and gives them in bins in TURNERS.
the ftraw-yard.
Mr. JohnHylton, of Felmingham, fats them
abroad.
Mr. Arthur Bay field, of Antingham — Abroad
in the day ; and, if near home, puts them into
the ftraw-yard at night ; but rather than drive
them any diftance, backward and forward,
keeps them abroad altogether, with very little
flraw. Says, that his land being light requires
to be trodden. Thinksthat bullocks kept wholly
in the yard fhould have their turneps in cover-
ed bins,-— a kind of double narrow flied acrofs
the yard ; for in cafe of froft and fnowy weather,
the turneps given them over-night, in open
bins, are frequently left untouched, and are
obliged to be taken out, and replaced with frefh
ones, the next morning.
Mr. Robins Cook, of Feltmngham — Abroad
in the day; in the ftraw-yard at night; no
turneps in the yard, nor draw in the field. —
Says, they eat the ftraw greedily on their
coming into the yard in the evening : — ufed to
^ive them ftraw upon the headlands ,* not feat.
I 4 tered
lao MINUTES FE».
69. tered about thin, but all in one place, fo as to
BULLOCKS be able to make a little manure; but this was
TURNEPS. only becaufe he had not a fpare yard to " ftow">
them in.
At Albro' (a more tender foil) he ufed gene-
rally to gra^e half a dozen bullocks in the
houfe : he attended them himfelf, chopping
all their turneps. They eat, he fays, (contrary
to common opinion J as many turneps in. the
houfe as they do, abroad : fix of them more
than a load a day. Four o'clock in the af-
ternoon, he fays, is their principal hour of
eating :- — ufecl to rack them, up with the tops :
the offal thrown to the buds.
Mrs. Swan, of Suffield, fats them abroad.
Mr. Forfter, of Bradfield — Abroad ;; with
ilraw fcattered under the hedges.
Mr. Jonathan Bond, of Walfham-— Fourteen
abroad.
Mr. Henry Helfden, of Antingham, fats
them at two' years old'. — has no meadows, and
cannot keep them till three years old. Has
them always at " high keep :" being from the
time they are dropt either at turneps, clover,
or in the flubbles :— fats them abroad.
Mr. James Helfden, of Suffield — Sixteen
abroad.
Mr.
1782.
NORFOLK.
Mr.F.LeNeve, of Bradfidd, has ten abroad;
6-9:
TURNEPS.
BREED QF
CATTiE.
and two cpws « by the head."-Why keep the BULLOCKS
n. t j i « T>
cows in the houfe and the reft abroad ? " Bc-
" caufc the co'.vs are backyarder than the
" other, and I fliall be able to bring them
" forward by good tending in the fhed."
Mr. John Jov, of Waifham, has five Scots;
one four year-old home-bred ; eight three-year-
old ditto-, one two-year-old ditto ; andtwo cows
with their calves by their fides.
The four-year-old home-bred is a beautiful
bullock, and very fprward : — the three- year-
olds, being more given to growing, do not fat
fo fad. Mr. Joy is clearly of opinion, that a
four-year-old home-bred will beat any Scot.
The cows and calves are quite new to me;
though Mr. Joy fays, that " running calves"
a,re, and have been, very common things in this
country. They are fent up to London with the
cows, and !v,ve been known to fetch as high as
fix or feven pounds a piece *. The cows are
very old ; yet notwithstanding the calves draw
* I was afterwards told that a ger.tlem.rn near Nor-
wich fold a year-and-half-old calf for ten pounds ! It wa»
offered to the butcher at nine pounds, or at live {hillings a
{tone : he accepted the latter. On weighing it, the four
quarters weighed forty flonc ! But it feems to be well un-
,derftood that " running calves weigh like lead."
them,
CALVES.
122
MINUTES
FEB.
69.
RUNNIXG
CALVES.
REARING
CATlLi.
BULLOCKS
AT
FATTING
CATTLE.
them, the wonderful effeft of turneps is fuch
that they are getting fat apace : one of the
calves (a heifer) is as fleek as a mole ; and
has already dropt a dug of confiderable fize :
the other is not fo forward ; its mother being
very old, and gives little milk. The calves
eat turneps as freely as the reft of the cattle.
What an admirable end is this for old cows !
Some of the three-year-olds, and the two-
year-old, are fnayed heifers ; but, through the
negligence of the cutter, fome of them have not
been clean fpayed, and are frequently running
to bull •, a circumftance which is of great hin-
drance to their fatting.
Mr. Joy keeps his bullocks entirely abroad;
giving them ftraw fcattered over the clofe •, or,
in hard weather, under the hedges : he never
puts them into the yard at night; thinking
that driving them backward and forward is
prejudicial to their fatting.
Mr. Jonathan Bond, of South-Reps, has eight
two-year-olds at turneps; generally grazing two-
year-olds ; this year they are rather backward ;
but expeds they will reach about thirty ftone a
piece with about iix weeks grafs. Two-year-
olds he allows do not ftnifli fo early as the three-
year-olds ;-,but, if they be kept well from the
time
1782.
NORFOLK.
123
time they are dropt, they pay very well. It is
obfervable that the heifers are not only for-
warder but larger than the fleers, though dropt
at the fame time : they are open, and had the
bull about Chriftmas.
Mr. William Mann, of Bradfield, has fix two-
year-olds at turncps ; they are doing very well ;
and, with a little grafs, will be very good meat.
They were early calves (between Michaelmas
and Chriftmas) and have a mixture of the Suf-
folk breed in them. One of them (a duny but
bornej} will weigh upwards of forty ftone : this
is one inftance in favour of the Suffolk breed.
Mr. Baker of South-Reps keeps his beauti-
ful heifers bought at St. Faith's (See MIN. 27.)
entirely abroad ; giving draw under the hedges ;
and fiiifting them every day : they have thus
far done well indeed.
70.
FEBRUARY 9. In riding over the eftate, I
have alfo made a point of collecting informa-
tion reflecting the rearing of calves, a fubject
.of considerable importance in every county.
Mr. Barber rears none : he fats his calves, and
kills them for the Pad-market at Norwich.
(See CATTLE, Vol. I.)
Mr. Thomas Shepherd, of North-Reps, rears
none : but fhrewdly obferves, that he cares not
how
69.
FATTING
CATTLE.
BRF.ED OF
CATTLE.
BULLOCKS
AT
TURNEPS.
REARING
CALVES.
* MINUTES .FEB.
70. how many his neighbours rear. Mr. S. (as
LV£XG WC*1 as ^r? **') 's aJuc*ge °f ft°ck> ancl a
frequenter of fairs and markets ; and finds, no
doubt, he can buy young Hock cheaper than he
can rear them.
Mr. — , of — , gives milk once a day (look
hut indifferently") with turnep-tops and oats and
"bran mixed together in a trough, and hay in a
rack (the hay bad) : — begins about Chriftmas. —
Says, that one early calf is worth two backward
ones; andinftances it fromlaft year's experience.
Mr. William Barnard— Milk twice a day
with bran qnly (look well) : — gives neither tur-
reps nor tops, till they are a month or five
weeks old.
Mr. John Hylton rears twelve to fifteen (he
has a marfh)- — reared three this feafon in Au-
guft ; they are now almoft as large as yearlings.
Theie had milk four months ; in common he
gives millc twice a day, with turnep-rops, for
two months j and once a day for as much lon-
ger as he has milk : if milk be ibarce, he makes
milk-porridge.
Mr. William Sewell rears eight or nine.—
Says, that he has had calves get quite fat on tur-
ncps and hay, when he has had bullocks in the
yard; and the calves have been, of courfe, well
tended ;
1782. NORFOLK. fajj
tended : much, he fays, depends upon attend- 70.
Mr. Rcbins Cook rears about twelve ; keeps
them at the teat twice a day, till three or four
weeks old ; and once a day, till three or four
weeks older : then offers them the pail ; but*
if they refufe, or are difficult to learn to drink
at that age, he leaves them to take their
chance at turneps, hay, and water.
Generally lofes three or four a year in the
gargut *.
Mr. Arthur Bay field rears twelve to fifteen ;
ufed to rear eighteen or twenty, — Takes them
off the cow at a fortnight or three weeks old :
finds no difficulty in learning them to drink at
that age :— keeps them at milk twice a day,
until ten or twelve weeks old ; with turneps,
turncp-tops and hav; but no bran,&c. Cuts the
turnep-tops, to prevent their being littered
about.
Mr. Jonathan Bond, of North-Walfham,
keeps eight cows ; rears ten calves : buys
them chiefly of the drovers : — -drove calves
very dear this year; from twelve to fifteen
* ** Gargut," or " murrain," taken fuddcnly : a
fort of mortification between the fkin and the flefli : the
fldn upon the part is faid to be "as hard and Kjrfii'as th-
crackling of roaft pork*"
(hillings
RF.AUIN'O
CALVIiS.
126
MINUTES
FEB.
REARING
CALVES.
GEN. MAN.
OF
CATTLE.
Shillings at a fortnight old. Gives them tur-
neps, hay, and about three pints of milk, once a
day. Says, that too much milk makes them
neglect the turneps ; but keep them mort of
milk, and they foon take to them : turns
them to grafs about the middle of April j by
which time he reckons they coft him about
twenty {hillings a head ; and fays, that a bud of
a year old may be bought for twenty-five {hil-
lings. But he adds, that 'bringing them up
within himfelf, he does not mifs the charge of
them.
Generally lofes two or three every year by
the gargur.
Mr. James Helfden, of Suffield — Eight cows:
rears about ten calves ; fats fixteen to twenty
bullocks (his farm of the middle fize) : gives
his calves hay, turneps, and milk twice a day,
while young; after ten weeks or three months,
onqe a day : begins about the middle of March
to put his oldeil out into a piece of turneps,
three or four hours in the middle of the day,
to play about and eat the turnep-tops.
Mr. keeps eight cows ; ufually rears
eight calves; but turneps being fcarce, he rears
none this year, meaning to buy eight or ten buds
at the fales*
Mr.
1782.
NORFOLK.
127
70.
RF.ARIN'G
CALVES.
Mr. John Waller brings up fix : takes
them off at two or three days or a week old :
milk twice a day as long as he can give it j
and then once a day as long as he has it ; gives
alfo hay, turneps, and bran ; but no oats.
Mr. John Joy takes them off at about a fort-
night old : milk twice a day for about a month,
and once a day for a month or fix weeks lon-
ger ; until they can be turned out in the fpring
into a pightle of turneps : alfo gives them tur-
neps, hay, and barley-flraw, which, by way
of a change, they eat as well as hay. Mr. Joy
generally lofes fome every year in the gargut. GARGUT.
He fays, as foon as they are dead there is a jel-
ly formed between the fkin and the flefh : they
are taken fuddenly, and die prefently after being
taken : fome bleed and rowel them with "gar-
gut-root" (btlleborus fanidus) in their tail or
dewlap •, feldom recover.
Mr. — , of South-Reps, begins between
Michaelmas and Chriftmas.— Takes them from
the cow about three weeks or a month old, and
endeavours to make them "lufty;" — gives
them about half a pint of milk once a day,
with hay, oats, and bran ; but no turneps. I
alked him why ? He gave me for anfwer, that his
father, mother, himfelf, nor any of the family,
had
ia3 MINUTES F.EB;
TO. had ever given their calves turneps : — he added
FATTING however, that oats and bran are heartier food ;
CATTLE.
and that the milk is enough for them without
turneps : his calves, no doubt, leok well, and
fo do his buds and two-year-bids. Afked hirri
if he did no't find oats and bran expenfive. He
faid, that the fix which he has now, have eaten
about three bufhels of oats, and two bufliels of
bran, in about fix weeks; which time they
have been from the cows ; they being now about
ten weeks old. This is no great expcnce j not
being above three-pence a head a week (// he
be accurate]. He fpeaks in raptures of oats for
calves. He keeps them at milk until the tur-
neps are gone; when he begins to make
cheefe.
Mr. William Mann, of Bradfield, has already
eleven this year : begins between Michaelmas
and Ch rift mas : lets them fuck ten days : milk
twice a day for a month or five weeks after-
wards ; and once a day until they do well upon
hay and turneps; or until he can turn them
but a few hours in the day into a turnep-clofe.
Thinks that the milk is of little ufe to them,
after they begin to eat turneps well : gives
them the turneps whole ; only tailing them,
and freeing them a little from dirt : gives no
oats-
1782.
NORFOLK.
dats nor bran : he is remarkable for fine young
ftock : he is very affiduous in keeping his
calves well-littered.
Mr. Henry Helfdeh. of Antingham, begins
before Chriftrrias : takes ttierri off at a fortnight
old ; fbmetimes at three weeks ; b'y which;
time they get ts rarely ftrong", but do hot take
to the pail fo well : gives them new milk twice
a day for about a fortnight ; and flammed
twice a day for a fortnight longer •, and about
three pints or two quarts once a day afterward;
until the weather be warm eno'Ugh to turn' therri
out entirely to turneps : gives them the turneps
in the houfe, whole, thrown upon the litter :
learns them by cutting off the crown, breaking
up the furface, and pouring milk into the ine-
qualities. If hay be fcarce or bad, gives a few
oats and bran : look very well;
,. 7°'
REARING'
CALVES.
16. Young Swann, of Sufficld,
had, the winter before this, fome of the beft
turneps in the country. Seeing him,' laftfum-
mer, fowing fome in what appeared to me a flo-
venly manner, the furface being covered with
chick-weed, grodridfel, charlock, and other
fubbilh pulled up by the harrows, I afked him
VOL; II. K why
SHOWING
TURNEPS.
MINUTES
FEB.
SOWING
IURNEPS.
why he did not give his land another earth be-
fore he fowed it. He anfwered, that the land
was not foul; and that he, purpofely, let the
feed-weeds get to a head : having found, from
the experience of two or three years back,
that his turneps fucceeded beft when the feed
was fown in that manner : faying, that he be-
lieved the " wreck" lhaded the young plants,
and kept the fly from them. I afked him if
the rubbifh was not in the way of the hoe : he
faid, not much j for being young, and ten-
der, it withers away to little or nothing, be-
fore the plants be fit for the hoe.
Two or three days ago, I examined this clofe
of turneps ; the plants are thinner than one
would wifli, (perhaps owing to their being bad-
ly hoed) but there is not a " filially patch" in
the whole piece.
There may be two advantages arifing from
letting the foil lie fome time before the laft
plowing r it acquires a degree of texture, and
moiftnefs, favourable to the infant plants ;
and is prevented, by the dead weeds, from
being, afterwards, run together by heavy rains.
CATTLE AT
72.
EEBRUARY 10. Afking Mr. A. Bayfield, if
his cattle were not fometimes ehoaked wkh
turneps ;
1782,
O R F O L
turneps ; he faid no ; he never loft but one in
his life. I afked him if he ufed a rope : he
faid he had one ; but never ufed it^ except the
time he loft his cow. If fait and water will not
cure them* he pours down a hornful of fait and
fneltedgreafe ; fuch as hog's-lard or any kind of
common greafe. This he never (except the
once) found fail.
This is an idea worth preferring : warm oil
and fait would perhaps have the fame effect.
Mr. Bayfieldi who may be called one of the
moft orthodox farmers in Eaft Norfolk, is clear
in that a tbree-year-old " homebred" will fat as
kindly as a four -year-old " marfhlander" or
"Scot."
He inftanced it, to day, in a tnree-y ear-old of
his own bringing up, which he bought^ when
a ealfj of the ealf-drovers ; and which evidently
difcovers a nestr felatiorifhip tb the ihort-horned
breed; He is now at turneps with the reft of
the three-year-old Norfolk flock ; bur, riotwith-
flanding he was at hea'd keep all laft film-
rner, he is neverthelefs ftill a rawboned grow-
ing fleer ; while the Noffolks are as foft
as molesi and fevefal of them begin to dropi
their pointSi The Norfolks will fat to from
forty to forty-four flone ; the Lincolnfhire, if
K a hs
72,
CATTI.F. AT
TURN EPS.
ikkkb o j
CATTLE.
MINUTES
FEK.
BREED OF
CATTLE.
he were to be kept another year, would reach at
leaft feventy.
But this peculiar quality of the Norfolk
flock does not depend on fize ; for Mr. B. fays,
that a three-year-old Scot (flill fmaller perhaps)
is as difficult to fat as a three-year-old marfh-
lander. He fays, it is bad management to
attempt it ; but keep them on until they be four
years old, and they will make famous " over-
year" bullocks : adding, that at that age they
will generally pay for keeping over-year.
FARM-YARD
MANAGEM.
73-
FEBRUARY 10. It feems to be a received
idea among the Norfolk farmers, that the draw
which is eaten by cattle is in a manner wafted
as to manure. Mr. S. I remember, as an argu-
ment in favour of his plan of fatting pigs loofe
in the open yard, faid what a rare parcel of
muck they make, compared with what neat
beafls would have made from the fame ftraw.
" A parcel of lean hungry flock, fays he, come
" into a yard and eat up all the flraw : fee there
*' lies a bundle of draw as big as aman can carry."
Mr. B. the other day, intimated the fame
idea : however, on putting the queflion, he ac-
knowledged
1782.
NORFOLK.
knowledged that a little dung and a little trod- 73.
den flraw do well together. FARM-YARD
M ANAGtM.
In the north of England the farmers make
their cattle eat almoft every blade of their
ftraw, fo that they have fcarcely any left to lit-
ter their flails with. Give a Yorkshire and a
Norfolk farmer equal quantities of flraw, the
Yorkmireman would keep more cattle, and
carry out his dung at a lefs expence ; whilft
the Norfolkman would make more muck.
But quere, Whether is the manure better or
worfe ? and quere, Which of the two, upon the
whole, is the better management ?
Much perhaps may depend on the quality of
the foil to be manured, A large quantity of
long dung would, perhaps, for fliffcold land,
be better than a fmaller quantity of fhort. But
perhaps, for zloamy foil, fliort dung is the beft.
74-
FEBRUARY 12. In my rides, this winter, I CATTLE,
have endeavoured to inform myfelf refpe&ing
the •winter-management of ft ore-cat tie.
Mr. A. Bayfield's yearlings and milch-cows
follow his bullocks, and lie in the par-yard at
night : his two-year-olds, and dry cows, go
abroad in the meadows, &c. in the day, and are
K 3 put
134 MINUTES Frs.
74. put into the par at night : they have not yet
WINTER had a turnep. Mr. B. fays, however, he fhall
MAN. o? . * . ' '* \
CATTLE. now begin to give them lome ; tor if young
flock are fhirved in the fpring, they are dinted
for the whole year. Cows in calf, he alfo juftly
obferves, will do with lefs keep than any other
flock, until within a few weeks o.f their calv-
!»
Mr. John Hylton. — His turneps failing, he
has few bullocks this year ; and thefe he buys
turneps for ; and brings home fome for his
cows. Neither his two-year-olds, nor even his
buds, have yet broken a turnep this year; he
^having the principal part of the few turneps
he grew {till upon the ground; faying, that he
fhould be diffracted if he had not a plenty of
feed in the fpring ; fo as to be able to favour
, his ol lands, until they got a good bite, and
the ground covered. A good farmer never
flarves his flock.
Mr. Jonathan Bond, of Walfham, make$
three divifions in his par-yard : his buds ; his
two-year-olds ; and his cows. Says, that the
gargut, ibme people think, comes from the
buds being '? horned" by the larger cattle 5
but fays, he does not believe that there is any
thing in it ; for notwithflanding his precaution,
he has loft three this year by the gargut.
Mr.
1782.
NORFOLK.
Mr.JamesHelfdcn,of Suffield, flows his buds
in a battoncd flack-yard, at the end of a barn.
He always takes care to place fuch corn in this
Hacking-place, as will require to be " barned"
the beginning of the fcafon ; fo that he has it
every year free in time enough for a " calves
par" (a good plan).
Mr. John Joy, of Walfham, has now fix or
eight cows, ten two-year-olds, and eleven buds
follow his bullocks: his young flock had no tur-
neps till after Chriflmas.
Mr. Edward Bird, of Plumflead, has his two-
year-olds out at keep as followers at one Ihil-
ling a week : they have plenty of turneps, and
go into a par-yard at night,
Mr. William Mann, of Bradfield, has eight
buds out at keep for ten-pence halfpenny a
head a week. They have their fill of frefli tur-
neps, every day ; going " at head ;" not as fol-
lowers. He grazes his two-year-olds, this
year : in general he fells them in the fpring to
be kept over-year; but this year they being for-
ward he fats them himfelf, and they are doing
•xtremcly well.
74'
WINTER
MAN. OF
CATTLE.
WINTER
KEEP ON
TURNtPS.
FEB.
75.-
GEN. MAN.
of
BREED OF
SHEEP. •
75-
FEBRUARY 12. Every foil feems to have it§
pwn ftock.
In Lincolnfhire the foil is rich ; the grafs long
and foft ; and the fheep there are large and in-
active : In Norfolk the foil is lefs productive ;
the grafs fhort and hard ; and the fheep light
and active.
A fheep- walk, in this neighbourhood, flocked
jointly with thefe two varieties of fheep, con-
tains alfo a variety of foil : one part, lying
low, is a rich, moift foil j bearing a foft rich
grafs : another lies high, and is a drier lighter
foil ; bearing a hard benty grafs.
The prefent ftock were principally bred in
this ground ; and, whether Norfolk or JLincoln-
fhire, were many of them perhaps dropt near
the fame fppt on the fame day ; neverthelefs
turn them milcellaneoufly into this ground and
they will, in a fhort time, feparate themfelves,
even to a fheep ; the Lincolnfhires * drawing
off to the Lincolnfhire foil ; and the Norfolks
to their own dry fandy loam : and, whilft there
continues a plenty of grafs in both parts, the
two breeds will keep themfelves as diftindt and
feparate as rooks and pigeons.
* Including a mixture of the Huntingdon and Leiceller-
(hire breeds.
1782.
NORFOLK,
'37
BREED DI-
SHED.
M/|N. OF
SHEEP.
76. 76-
FEBRUARY 12. The long-wooled ewes (fee
laft MIN.) have lambed with great difficulty,
this year. The fhepherd has been obliged to
aflift the major part of them.
Ihefe ewes were therefore kept at grafs until
$fter they had dropt their lambs ; the {hep-
herd having been taught by experience that ewes
9t turneps are liable to mortify, upon receiving
tl>e fmalleft injury in lambing; much more
liable than at grafs.
77-
FEBRUARY 12. There feems to be fome- SOIL-
thing peculiar either tp the air or the foil of
this county. The face of a ditch, though
formed of a dead ill -coloured fubftratum of
mould, becomes, in a few years, black and
rich in a high degree ; fo as to be coveted by
the farmer almoft as much as dung. When he
re-makes his fence he carefully faves this rich,
or rather enriched, mould (for according to
the cuftom of ditchers the face is always made
of the worft mould) : or, if he throw down a
fence, he as afiiduoufly preferves both the face
and the back for the bottoms of his farm-yard
or dung-hills.
Does not this incident afford us an idea ap-
plicable to the enrichment of the foil in gene-
ral ?
MINUTES
FEU.
77-
SOIL-PRO.
CLSS.
MAN. OF
SHEEP.
ral ? Is it not highly probable, that by ridg-
ing up a fallow fo as to referable the banks of
ditches, or as nearly as could be done with im-
plements and horfes, the foil would thereby
be meliorated ?
It might certainly be done in this way :
with a common plow, gather up the foil into
four-furrow or fix-furrow ridges, and after-
wards, with a heavy double-mould-board plow
and a ftrong team, force up thewhole, by degrees,
into high, fharp, angular ridges ; which, in due
time, might be reverfed in a fimilar manner *.
78.
FEBRUARY 16. Laft night being uncom-
monly fevere, by wind froft and fnow, I roic
early this morning, to obferve the effects of fuch
unufual feverity upon the young lambs.
I expected to have found them fhivering
and fetting up their backs, pinched through with
cold : inftead of which they were prancing
againfl the trees, and running races in a flack-
yard upon fome hay which the ewes had pulled
out, as if the fun had fhone out in the middle
,
* This would likewife gfvean opportunity of deepening
the foil ; and of forming, if practicable, a frefh fan.
(&eSoii., Vol. I ).
•f
1782.
NORFOLK.
»39
of April !— not one pitiful tone, nor a crooked
back, among near a hundred and fifty.
The ewes have been well-kept all winter -,
and have now plenty of turneps and a rough
hay-flack to run to. This fhews the effed: of
good keep : the Ihepherd very properly ob-
ferved, that let lambs have plenty of milk, and
they neither fear nor care for any weather.
What a pleafure, and how profitable, to do
well by flock! Had thefc ewes been ill-kept,
numbers of lambs mufl have been loft during
the laft fortnight of fevere weather; whereas,
with their prefent flufh of milk, fcarcely one
pf feven or eight fcore has fuffered by it,
79-
FEBRUARY 23. A confiderable part of a
farm which lies toward the coaft, being hilly
and very badly foiled — more efpecially the tops
and fides of the hills, which have always been
full of rabbits in fpite of all endeavours to de-
ilroy them—- the tenants laft year applied for
leave to convert this part, about ninety acres,
into a rabbit-warren. Leave was given, and an
allowance made them of half the eftimated ex-
pence of raifing a fodwall fence round thcfe
pinery acres.
The
78.
MAN. OF
SHEtP.
RABBIT.
WARREN,
140 MINUTES Fm.
79. The fence is nearly finiftied, and the warren
nas tm's Year turned out beyond expectation :
it is valued, by one who ought to be the beft
judge of its worth, at forty pounds a year;
which is nine (hillings an acre.
As the part of a farm, thefe ninety acres arc
not worth five (hillings an acre : at the prefent
price of barley,, they are not worth more
than four ftiillings an acre.
Thus, for ten pound a real improvement of
twenty pound a year has been made and fc-
cured ; for the warrener will, through necef-
fity, hereafter keep the fence in repair.
The fence is made about four feet high, and
three feet thick ; faced with green-fvvard ; and
capped with furze, fo as to project eight or
ten inches over the face. Some of it was done
for a {hilling a rod ; but the fpring putting in,
fourteen or fifteen pence a rod of feven yards
was obliged to be given.
A neighbouring warrener, this winter, gives
nine-pence for the wall, without the capping -,
which he does not mean to put on till the wall
be thoroughly fettled. This is very judicious:
feveral rods of that abovementioned Ihot down
in different places.
There are feveral patches in the vallies and
fome on the tops of the hills which have ufually
been
1782.
NORFOLK.
141
been tilled. Some of thefe were laft year, and
fome of them ought to be every year, culti-
vated for the rabbits : thus, when the grafs
gets foul or mofiy, plow it up ; fallow ; fow
turncp-feed for prefent feed (they will not let
rape get up), and to prepare the foil for barley
and grafs-feed the enfuing year. Thus a re-
gular fucceflion of feed might be kept up.
The way the Norfolk warreners take to de-
ftroy eagles, kites, and other birds of prey is
natural and fimple. Thefe birds are ftiy and
fufpicious : they like to fettle where they can
have a clear view round them for fome di-
ftance : a naked ftump or a hillock is their fa-
vourite refting-place. The warreners, therefore,
raife mounds of earth of a conical form in dif-
ferent parts of the warren, and place fteel
traps upon the points of thofe artificial hil-
locks.
80.
FEBRUARY 28. About two 'months ago I
took a fample of wheat to North-Walfham
market ; with an intent to make myfelf ac-
quainted with the bufmefs of the corn-markets
in this country.
North- Walfham is an afternoon-market (fee
MARKETS, Vol. I.) ; corn all fold by fample;
fome
79-
RABBIT-
WARRliM.
MARKETS.
142 MINUTES FEB.
80. foirre" in the market-place; but chiefly at the
N.WALSHAM Inns.
CORN-MARK,
Having made my election or a miller, and
finding that he " quartered" at the Bear, I
went to his room (he was not in till near fix,)
and fhcwedhim my fample; namely* about two
handfulls, put in a piece of brown paper;
which, agreeable to the faftiion of the country,
was gathered up in the hand, and tied with a
ftring, in the manner of a pounce-bag.
He aiked the price ; I told him the beft he
gave that day : he faid a guinea was the
higheft : I had previoufly tinderftood that a
guinea was " the top of the market/* and fold
it him at that price. He afked how much there
was of it ; I told him about fifteen coombs;
He marked the name, the quantity, and the
price upon the bulge of the paper, and the
bulmcls was done*
His room was fet round with farmers, who>
the converfation being audible, were witneffes
to the bargain.
Another fample I took to his mill j wifhing
to fee the conduction and economy of a Nor-
folk mill ; — and afterwards fold him the re-
mainder of the quantity ; namely, about thirty
coombs.
Not
1782. NORFOLK. 143
Not having received for the two former par- 80.
eels, he defired I would give him a week's no- N.WALSHAM
• i r T 11 J \- f v. CORN-MARK.
tice before I called upon him for the money.
— Laft week I gave him notice, and this even*,
ing I have been to receive it.
His room was full of farmers, fmoaking their
pipes, and drinking punch ; excepting one, with
\vhom he was doing bufinefs at a fide-table.
My turn prefently fucceeded ; and we agreed
the account thus :
1)82.
Jan. 10. 15 Co. 3 Bs. " bare ;" or 15
Co. full meafure, at 2 1 s. a
coomb, or 2i/. a laft of
21 Co. - 15 15 o
26. 16 Co. 3. at 2 1/. IQS. -if 2 ii
Feb. 9. 15 Co. 3. at 22/. los. - 16 17 6
16. 14 Co. 3. at ditto - 15 16 i
63 Coombs bare £. 65 1 1 6
From which he deducted is. a laft (of
21 Co.) for what he called "car-
riage," being a perquifice to his fer-
vants, - -030
£.65 8 6
Having received the amount, figned a re-
ceipt, and thrown down a fhilling towards the
liquor, the bufinefs was finally concluded.
144
MINUTES
FEB,
81.
PLANNING.
BREEDING
81.
FEBRUARY 28. Mr. A. Bayfield afldng me
if I would not have fome " wood-layer" put
into the places where the pollards (oaken pol-
lards) were taking out againftSnffield Common,
I told him yes, he might have a little oak-layer.
" Why," fays he, with his ufual coolnefs and
good fenfe, "would not a little aihen-layer think
" you, Sir, be better? I have known afhes thrive
" rarely well after oaks, but have feldom known
" oak-layer take where an oaken timber or
" pollard has been taken down."
This is a valuable obfervation. It has long
been obferved, that an old orchard feldom
bears planting as an orchard a fecond time ;
ftor is wheat after wheat, equal to pulfe or
grafs, after wheat; or wheat after pulfe or
grafs.
82.
MARCH i. In drawing off fome mixt-breed
hoggards for fale, it is obfervable, that thofe
between long-wooled ewes and a Norfolk ram
are handfomer (lock, and forwarder, than tho'fe
which have been bred from Norfolk ewes by
a Leicefterfhire ram ; and that in this cafe the
ewes have always great difficulty in lambing.
NORFOLK.
J45
83- «3-
MARCH 2. Afkinga fenfible intelligent far- TURNEPS.
mer, who rears a large proportion of calves to
the number of cows he keeps, how he gets
milk for his calves, he anfvvered, " turneps give
the cows fuch a flufh of milk the calves feldom
want/*
Turneps, he fays, are fine things for cows : cows.
they fcour and cleanfe them, and fet them for-
ward in the fpring, when they come to be
turned out to grafs ; adding, that cows kept at
dry meat, not only lofe their milk in winter^
but the beft part of the fpring-grafs is gone
before they get to the full of their milk.
This may be one reafon why cows which
have no turneps do fo badly in this country;
whofe hay is dry and ftrawy ; and the grafs far
frem being of a fucculent quality.
84.
MARCH 3. This morning I flood a con(i-
derable time to fee fome fatting heifers " break"
their turneps. Being all at feed, they let me
ftand among them unnoticed; and having
been about four months at this employment,
they performed it with a dexterity, which af-
forded me confiderable entertainment.
VOL. II. L In
BULLOCKS
BREAKING
TURNEPS.
146 MINUTES MAR.
84. In theory, it feems difficult for an animal, dc-
BULLOCKS flitute of paws, and with teeth only in one jaw.
'BREAKING . . . . ,
TURNEPS. to get to pieces a turnep, which he cannot con-
tain in his mouth ; more efpecially when it is
thrown loofe upon hard ground : one is led to
imagine, that it would roll or flide away from
him, as he attempted to bite it; but no fuch
thing happens. I faw feveral turneps begun
and fmifhed without being moved an inch from
the place they fell in from the cart. Had the
bullocks been furnimed with paws, or even
hands, to hold them with, they could not have
clone it more dexteroufly.
Having fmelled out a turnep they like, they
prefs it hard againft the ground with the gums
of the upper jaw, applied upon the top of the
turnep, toward the fide which lies fartheft from
them, fleadying it with the upper lip : then
inferting their teeth on the oppofitc -fide and
biting fomewhat upward, they take off a fmall
piece, proportioned, in fome meafure, to the
fize of the turnep. Having tailed the firft
bite, and fmelt at the broken part, they take
another flice ; perhaps not thicker or larger
than a crown-piece : and thus continue to take
off, or rather fcoop out, flice after flice until
nothing is left but the tail of the turnep,. and
a fliell
jyb'2. NORFOLK. 147
a Ihcll of rind, in the fhape of a fleeting difh,' 84.
and of a fimilar thicknefs ; carefully fmelling, BULLOCKS
J! & BRtAKIXCi
between the bites^ at the part they intend next
to take off.
The crdwn and upper part of the rind they
eat, but feem ftudioufly to leave the tail, and
the under part of the rind, which had flood in
contact with the foil.
If a bullock break off a larger piece than he
can gather up with his tongue as his head hangs'
downwards, he lifts up his head, and fhoots out
his nofe and neck^ horizontally, until he gets'
it between his grinders. Crowns, and very
fmall turneps, he treats in the fame way.
This part of the bufmefs, however; he per-
forms fomewhat clumfily ; and it is, probably,-
in this act that a fmall turnep, or a piece of a
large one, glancing from between the teeth, gets'
into the throat and caufes fufflation, or u choak-
ing".
The tongue of a bullock is lefs flexible, and
\vorfe adapted to the purpofe of turning over
and adjnfting a morfel of folid aliment, than are
the tongues df carnivorous animals, or thofe of
the human fpecies. The natural food of
graminivorous animals is foft, and no way
liable to flip from between the teeth in grind-
L 2 ing j
i48
MINUTES
MAR.
84.
BULLOCKS
BREAKING
TURNEPS.
ing ; their tongues being adapted to the pur-
pofe of gathering up their aliment, rather
than to that of aflifting them in chewing it.
85-
TIMBER. MARCH 3. In thinning timber-trees, whe-
ther in hedges, or in open grounds, it is gene-
rally advifable, when two trees grow amicably
together, their branches intermixing, and their
tops of equal height, forming as it were one
top, to leave them both {landing : for, if one of
them be taken away, the beauty of the other is
fpoilt, and its atmofphere changed : the evil
effect of this treatment I have frequently ob-
ferved.
But when one of them has got the fuperiori-
ty fo far as to overhang the other, it is general-
ly right to take the underling away, and there-
by add beauty and ftrengrh to the mafter-plant.
Twin timbers, however, — more particularly
double (terns growing from the fame flub, — are
dangerous to horned cattle. I have lately
heard of more than one accident by trees grow-
ing fo near together that cattle could 'juft get
their horns through between them ; and having
got them there could not find the fame way to
ex-
1782. NORFOLK. 149
extricate them ; but falling down in the ftrug- 85.
ele, were ftraneled. I have fince heard of a' HEDGEROW
TIMBER.
horfe being loft in a iimilar manner *.
86.
MARCH 5. Mr. John Waller, of Antingham, SB*£\EP° OF
ihewed me, to-day, feven ewes with fourteen
lambs by their fides : and a fifteenth, which he
gave to his boy, is alfo alive.
Laft year he had nine lambs from three
ewes ; eight of which he actually reared, and
are now alive ; namely, fix with the ewes, and
two " cotts" or " cotties" (a name for lambs
reared by hand; a common practice here).
His fheep are, in appearance, of the true Nor-
folk breed. He fays he has had the breed
eight or nine years, and they have feldom had
lefs than two lambs a piece. He keeps them
well.
The Norfolk ewes, in general, bring but one
lamb.
* A ftill more fingular accident occurred to my own
knowledge. A mare, probably in fighting with the flies,
ftruck her hind-foot into a cleft between two ftems of white-
thorn, open at the bottom but narrowing upward ; and
being a high-bred, fpirited mare, ftruggled until fhe
tore her foot off; leaving it behind her in the cleft !
L3 87.
15° MINUTES MAR.
87. 87.
MARCH 5. When the white-thorn is dead thro*
HEDGES.
age or improper treatment, or from being overr
hung by trees or Hub-wood, it is difficult to get
young layer to " take" in the old banjc. There
are two things againft it ; the drynefs of the
bank ; and its having been already cropped.
Thefe two objections are in a great meafure
removed, with little inconveniency, or addi-
tional expence, by throwing the bank entirely
> down, about Michaelmas; letting it lie fallow
all winter ; tabling the new ditch the latter
end of February ; and putting in the layer,
and fihifhing the fence, the beginning of
March : for, by this means, the mould gets
a thorough drenching, and receives the benefit
of a winter's expofure to the froft and fnow.
There are generally roots and flubs in an
old ditch-bank fufficient to pay (in this county)
for the labour of throwing it down ; and the
difference between making a new ditch and
vamping up the old one, is not more than two-
pence a rod.
This Alinutearifcs from a tenant's being defirous
to remake a ditch, which is loaded with ftub-
vvood of forty or fifty years growth ; and which
hag
1782.
NORFOLK.
has fo totally dcftroyed the quick, that freih
layer would be wanted from end to end.
On examining the bank I found that, from
the cover of the pollards and ftub-wood, it is>;
even now, as dry as chalk ; and entirely occu-
pied by roots and fibres of various forts. I
therefore advifed him to let it remain until
Michaelmas, and treat it in the manner above
defcribed.
He acceded to this the rather, as it is a
plan which is far from being theoretical in
Norfolk, being, I find, frequently pra&ifed.
88.
MARCH 5. Riding acrofs Felmingham
Heath, to-day, I obferved a piece of new
ditch-bank, out of the face of which young
furzes were {hooting, in the place where quick-
fets are ufually put in ; but without any being
amongft them.
Looking round, I perceived that this was not
a mere experiment ; for the neighbouring
hedges Cof a fort of an encroachment) were of
the fame Ihrub ; and many of them invulner-
able fences ; even againft the heath llock.
One which had been recently cut in the face
(with a few left on the top as a blindj was as
L 4 thigh t
RENEWING
HEDGBS.
FURZE-
HEDGES.
152 MINUTES MAR.
88. thight as a wall. In general, however, they
FURZE- were getting much too old -, fome of them dy-
iiLDGES.
ing j and others thin at the bottom.
I am neverthelefs fully convinced that a furze-
hedge, with proper treatment, is, upon a light
unproductive foil, a fufficient and eligible
fence.
89.
THATCH. MARCH 7, This morning, went to fee ibe
method of cutting reed.
The time of cutting reed does not commence
until Chriftmas ; and continues till the young
flioots begin to appear : the fap is now begin-
ning to rife ; the ftems, below the water, being
already green.
The cutters have a boat to carry them from
the banks to the " reed-rond"; which, in this
cafe, lies at a fmall diftance from the fhore.
Some they cut {landing in the boat ; fome
ftanding on a plank, laid partially, or wholly,
upon the mud and roots of reed, matted in-
timately together.
The workmen cut it upwards, gathering the
reed in the left hand and arm under-handed,
with ficklcs (reaping-hooks are too flippery for
the reed) as much below tine water, confc-
quently
1782.
NORFOLK.
'53
quently as near the root, as may be; it being 89.
an idea, even unto a proverb, that one inch CUTTING
REED.
below the water is worth two above.it; for the
part which now appears green changes to a
blackifh-brown, and becomes as hard as horn ;
whereas that which grows above the water is
brittle, and of a more perilhable nature.
Having encumbered their boat they pufh it
to the fbore, and make up the reed into
fheaves (with thumbands made of ftraw) of
fuch a fize that five of them will make a fa-
thom of fix feet in circumference : (fome-
times the fheaves are made fix to a fathom)
fixty of thofe fathoms are a load ; and a hun-
dred and twenty are termed a hundred of
reed ; worth about three pounds.
The matts of roots frequently feparate in
cutting the reed, and float about the water,
ftill propagating reeds in fmall clumps ; not
larger, perhaps, at firft than the top of a
bufhel.
This feems to be the fpeediefl way of propa- PROPAGAT.
gating reed ; namely, feparate the beds of roots;
drag them to different parts of the water ; and
fatten them with flakes, until the roots get
hold of the bottom.
The ftarlings have done confiderable da-
mage to this patch of reed : the outfides look
fair ;
OF REZD.
M I N U T. E S
MAR.
STARLINGS
EN'EMlfcS
TOREKD. .
fair ; but the infidcs of the clumps are very
much broken down, by their roofting among
it; more particularly while it was green, be-
fore it had received a firmnefs of Hem to bear
them. I have feen thoufands at once light
among it. In the fens, the reed- men are great
enemies to thefe birds; and (if one may judge
from the proportional damage they have done
in Snffield-pond) with great reafon.
HEDGES.
HEDGE ROW
TIMBhR.
9°.
MARCH 8, I have at length nearly finiflied
fetting out this year's wood and ditching.
In the courfe of the feafon I have made
the following obfervations, and have endea-
voured to adhere to the following rules re-
fpecting timber-trees and pollards in hedges.
In regard, to TIMBER-TREES, however, I
have not been able to purfue entirely the line
of conduct I have laid down from this and
laft year's experience : it may, neve-rthelefs,
be right, while the fubjedt is full and frefh in
my mind, to minute my prefent ideas on this
important department of rural economy.
I am clearly of opinion, that all fuch tim-
ber-trees as are now decaying •, alfo fuch as
are full-grown, though not yet decaying, but
are fo fitnated as to overhang or otherwife
CTQWfk
17*2. NORFOLK. 15$
crowd the neighbouring ffands or timbcrlings, go.
or the young timber-trees which are in a mo- e HEDGE ROW
'I I \I B F R
youthful and growing {late ; alfo fuch part of
the growing timbers themfelves, as, by {land-
ing too clofe, crowd and check each other,
iliould be marked and fold at the prefent mar-
ket-prices ; though thefe prices may be fome-
what below par.
For if to the intercft of the money, which
would arife from fuch fale, be added the de-
creafe of value, or the injury incurred by fuf-
fering timber of the above defcription to re-
main {landing, the proprietor of fuch timber
is lofing annually from five to ten per cent.
of its prefent value, by fuch improper con-
(dudl. Thus fuppofe an eftate has five thou-
fand pounds worth ot timber upon it, bear-
ing the above defcription ; its proprietor is
loiing from three to five hundred pounds a
year by fuffering it to remain {landing.
Whenever the price {hall hereafter rife to
what may be efleemed a fair felling price,
then, but not till then, falls ought to be made
of all full-grown timbers ; alfo of fuch grow-
ing trees as, from their fituation, are or may
foon become injurious to each other. Much,
no doubt, depends on embracing the lucky
moment of falc ; nevcrthclefs, perhaps, more
money
J56 M I N U T E S MAR.
90. money has been loft than gained, by fpecu-
BEDGEROW lating nicely in this delicate matter.
The dead wood and hanging boughs of all
timber-trees left {landing ought to be removed ;
and the younger timberings trained in fuch
manner as will induce them to take the de-
fired outline, and rife in the mofl profitable
form. Oaks in hedges naturally grow low
and fpreading, doing more injury to the hedge
and the adjoining inclofures than their own
value, in that form, can ever repay ; whereas
tall well-headed oaks are at once ornamental
and valuable to an eftate ; — without being, in
any confiderable degree, injurious to the occu-
pier.
Being fully convinced of this, from almoft
daily obfervation, I am clearly of opinion, that
every opportunity ought to be taken to propa-
gate oaks in hedges ; not by putting in young
plants where old trees have been taken down ;
but by fearching for, and preferving, young
feedling plants (more efpecially where a hedge
is cut down), and carefully training them up
wherever a vacancy will admit them : — Or, if
fuch do not rife naturally, by putting in tranf-
planted plants in vacant hedge-banks and wafte
corners •, at the fame time dibbling acorns
round them, in order that, in the courfe of a
few
178*. NORFOLK.
few years, the woodman may have his election
of the propereft plant to be trained.
This however is not the bufmefs of a day,
nor of one year, but requires an annual atten-
tion ; embracing convenient times, and favor-
able opportunities, as the bufinefs of the eftate
is profecuted ; confidering this as one of the
mo'ft material objects belonging to its manage-
ment.
With refpedt to the POLLARDS, I have fol-
lowed thcfe rules : —
Such as were not likely to throw out, in
twenty or twenty-five years, a top equal to the
prefent value of their Items, I valued to the
tenants as fire-wood.
Thus fuppofing the body of an old pollard to
be worth, as fire-wood, two Ihillings ; but
from the appearance of the prefent top, when
compared with thofe of the neighbouring pol-
lards, it was not likely to throw out, in twenty
or twenty-five years time, another top of two
{hillings value, I marked it to come down,
and charged the tenant two (hillings for it, over
and above the value of its prefent top : for the
intereft of the money will, at the end of that
time, be more than the top-wood would have
been had it been left (landing; befide the
mould-
90.
TIMBER.
HEDGE ROTI
POLLARDS.
15* MINUTES MAR,
90. mouldering and wafle of its own body, and
HEDGEROW the iiicumbrancc it would have been to the
I'Ol LARDS.
eftate.
Such, alfo, as flood particularly in the te-
nant's way, or which crowded a young ftand
or timber, or where they flood too thick, I
took down, valuing them to the tenant as
fire-wood ; but with this invariable provifo,
that if, on cutting off their butts, they proved
found, they were to be taken for the ufe of the
„ landlord •, the tenant having a dednftory al-
lowance made for the quantity of firing-blocks
fo taken.
Alfo, if a pollard, of a proper fize, appeared
to be at prefent found enough for a gate-poft
(more particularly if gate-pofls were wanting
upon the farm they flood on), but which from
its prefent appearance it would not be at the
time the ditch would want to be made the next
time, I marked it to come down : — for a good
hanging-pofl is worth five fhillings ; whereas a
firing-pollard of the fame fize is not worth
more than one milling.
But fuch thriving pollards as did not ftand
particularly in the way of the fence or the te-
nant, and fuch as were not wanted for any
particular ufe ; alfo fuch as were likely to throw
out
1782.
NORFOLK.
'59
out another top, and flood well upon the bank,
fo as not to injure materially either the tenant or
the fence, I invariably left Handing : for, al-
though coals may at prefent be plentiful, and
coafting-veflels fufficiently numerous, and have
an unobftrufted paflage from Newcaftle to
Cromer; yet who can foreknow the revolu-
tions in nature and nations which may here-
after take place ? and who will be hardy
enough to fay that Eaft-Norfolk cannot
experience a want of materials for firing ? The
face of the country is no doubt at prefent too
much encumbered with pollards, to the great
inconveniency of its prefent occupiers : but it
may be well to leflen their number with a
prudent hand •, left, by fvveeping them away
indifcriminately, we may entail on pofterity a
{lill greater inconveniency.
90.
HFDGEROW
POLLARDS.
91.
MARCH 14. On Monday evening laft,
about eight o'clock, the wind rofe very high ;
blowed hard all night ; continued blow-
ing all day on Tuefday ; and in the evening
blew a violent gale.
There
REPAIRS.
166
1 N U T E S
MAR*
91* There has fcarcely one thatched roof upon
REPAIRS. this eftate efcapedj entirely, its fury. Many
of them however are only ruffled ; but great
numbers (an hundred at lead) are broken, more
or lefs ; fome of the breaches confiderable :
whilft the tiled roofs have efcaped without
any confiderable injury.
Had the practice propofed in MIN. 63. been
adopted a few years ago, perhaps not a breach
Would have happened ; for where the roofs
have been overlooked in the courfe of the laft
year, even the thatched ones are hardly ruffled ;
whereas, in the flate in which feveral of them
Hill remained, there is three or four months
work of a thatcher to repair them.
THATCH. Reed in particular ought to be driven or
relaid whenever it begins to flip, or the bind-
ings begin to decay :— it is the reed-roofs in
general which have fuffered.
REED. There is one advantage in reed, however ;
it may mod of it be gathered up and re-*
laid.
REPAIRS. MARCH 14. The bricklayer and thatcher
employed upon this eftate live at a diftance. —
This
1782.
NORFOLK.
161
This inconvenicncy I have frequently ex-
perienced, but never fo much as now, when
fuch a number of petty, but exigent, jobs have
been created by the late high winds : — the
tenants are folicitous to have their furniture
and their corn fecured from the wet, and I
cannot give orders to the thatcher or brick-
layer without riding or fending two or three
miles to them, or their coming as far out of
their way to me;
Upon a large eftate^ a matter or foreman
carpenter, matter bricklayer, thatcher, and
blackfmith, ought to live in the immediate
neighbourhood of the manager.
92.
REPAIRS.
GEN. MAN.
OF ESTATES.
93-
MARCH 16. Since the late fevere weather
fet in, it has been remarked that bullocks
abroad have done uniifually ill ; whilft thofe
in flieds have done well. (See MiN; 69.)
Are not thefe a fufficient hints to farmers to
keep their bullocks abroad in warm weather,
and take them up, or at leaft par them, in fevere
weather ? Whilft they are buds and two-
year-olds, they are nurfed in a warm well kidded
par-yard; but, at a time when they are en-
Voi.. II. M titled
BULLOCKS
AT
TURNEPS.
i6* MINUTES MAR.
93. titled to every indulgence the farmer can give
BULLOCKS them, they are expofed to the weather, be it
ever fo inclement ; with fcarcely a hedge to
flicker them : their only Ihelter being too
frequently nothing better than a row of naked
" buck-ftalled thornen bulls."— No wonder,
then, that after the remarkably mild weather
we had at the beginning of winter, the late
fudden change mould give a check to fuch as
have been expofed abroad * ; deftitute of fhelter,
and, confequently, deftitnte of that tempera-
ture of mind as well as of body, which, perhaps,
is effential to their thriving.
Mr. Cook, of Felmingham, whofe opinion
in this cafe is valuable, corroborates thefe ob-
fervations ; fo far, at leaft, as they relate to
the temperature of the body. A good lodging.
he fays, is a great thing to a bullock: — his
expreffion was, " it keeps them warm within ;
*< and when they get up they ftretch them-
" felves, fhooting out their hind legs as if
" they meant to leave them behind in the par-
" yard." — Whereas after having lain upon
the cold ground, more efpecially if it be wtt%
*l they become cold on the infide; and, on
" riling, flick up their backs, with their four
* Homebreds are here fpokcrt of,
" feet
1782.
NORFOLK.
163
" feet drawn together, as if they were afraid to
*' move them from the place they ftand in.*'
Cold weather,he fays> no doubt checks bullocks
which go abroad very much ; more efpecially
if it be wet ; adding, that " if their backs be dry
"they do not fo much mind the cold."
94.
MARCH 25. AYLSHAM FAIR. This feems
to be a fair appropriated to dealings between
farmer and farmer, rather than to drovers and
profeflional dealers. It is chiefly noted for
plow-horfes ; which, at this feafon of the year,
become valuable to the Norfolk farmer ; every
hand and hoof becoming bufily employed
againft barley feed-tirnej. It is, however, upon
the whole, a fmall fair ; and the fairftead un-
commonly fmall and incommodious.
To-day the number of cattle were very few :
not more than one hundred head in the fair :
and thofe in general of a refufe kind.
It feems to be a fact, univerfally underflood,
that the quantity of flock in this county, has
of late years very much declined. There have,
it is generally allowed, been fewer young cat-
tle reared of late than there were formerly :
owing, it is thought, to the lownefs of price ;
M 2 arifing
BULLOCKS
AT
TURNEPS.
MARKETS,
CATTLE.
.164
MINUTES
MAR.
94.
FAIR OF
AYLSHAM.
CATTLE.
HORSES.
arifing probably from a fcarcity of money, and
from the failure of the turnep-crops for fome
years back.
The few which were in the fair to-day fecmed
principally to confift of fuch as had been at
turneps ; and had got a little flefhy ; but flill
required a confiderable time, and good keep,
to finifh them. There were alfo a few cows and
calves, and a little young flock. The number
of horfes was confiderable (perhaps a hundred)
fet up againft rails, placed on a rifing ground,
to ihew their fore-hands to advantage. Ten to
twelve pounds the highefl prices; even for
young horfes.
95-
PLANTING. MARCH 26. This morning marked out the
weedling-plants of a plantation, made by the
late Sir William Harbord twenty-five to thirty
years ago *.
It confifts of th<
Oaks,
Afli,
Beech,
Chefnut,
following fpecies of trees : —
Scorch Fir,
Larch,
Alder.
Hornbeam.
* On counting the rings of different fpedes, I found the
number to be thirty or thirty- one.
The
1782. NORFOLK. 165
The Scotch fir has outgrown every other 95.
fpecies ; and the plants, though few, are be- PLANTING.
come a burden to the grove. The wood being
of quick growth, the plants have not only out-
topped the reft, but have, in general, had time
enough to furnifh themfclves with boughs on
every fide ; fo as to cripple the beautiful oaks
and beeches which ftand near th? m. If there-
fore Scotch firs be planted in a grove, by
way of variegation, they ought to be kept trim-
med below ; which would check their growth,
and in fome meafure prevent their doing
mifchief : but, even with this reftriction, they
ought to be admitted into fociety with a fpar-
ing hand.
The larches, too, where they (land free from
the Scotch firs, are of a confiderable fize ; but
they are not equally mifchievous withthofe;
their boughs being lefs extenfive, and more
rotted off below: they are, neverthelefs, injuri-
ous to their deciduous neighbours. Where
they ftand thick, among the firs, they are
drawn up. ftrikingly tall and flend,er, or are fo.
much over-hung as to be crippled, or entirely
(mothered. — Marked great numbers that were
dead or dying.
The oaks are many of them beautiful plants ;
but are either entirely crippled by the firs and
M 3 larches,
i6« MINUTES MAR,
95. larches, or, where there is any head-room, arc
PLANTING. drawn up much too tall and flender.
The fame may be faid of the beeches ; and it
is curious, though painful, to fee how they
ftruggle for the light, wherever they can fee a
peep-hole.
The a/bes, too, where they ftand among the
firs and larches, are either fmothered outright,
or are drawn up much too tall and flender. In
a part where they ftand alone, without any ad-
mixture except a few alders, there are fome
moft beautiful plants.
The cbefnufs, if one may judge from this inr
{lance, is totally unfit for a mifcellaneous
grove. There is fcarcely one of this fpecies
enjoys the fmallefl portion of fun-fhine : the
few which flill exift are chiefly underlings;
and fome of them not much larger than when
they were planted.
It muft be obfervcd, however, that much
may depend on the foil. This plantation di-
vides a rank moory meadow from a good,
{bund, upland foil ; fome parts of it partaking
of the former, fome of the latter quality, i
The larches and the chefnuts, obvioufly, do
beft on the dry foil. The Scotch firs, too,
feerri to have gone off upon the moory foil ;
there
1782. NORFOLK. 167
there being fome, but very few, left upon it; nr.
and thofe coarfe and ftunted. The alhes do re- PLANTING.
markably well on the moory parts. In one parti-
cular place ; not the wetteft ; there is a parcel
of perhaps the moft beautiful plants that ever
grew —their fkin as fmooth and clean as that of
the beech ; and, though not more than
twenty-one inches in circumference, they are
not lefs than forty feet in height ; and as
ftraight as gun-barrels. The oaks, beeches,
and a few hornbeams, thrive wherever they
have been planted, and can get their heads out.
They do not, however, feem to have been
planted on the very wet parts.
The larger! of the firs meafure in circum-
ference, at five feet high, - 39 inches.
Larches, - 36
Chefnuts, r - 28
Beeches, 32
Alders, - 32
Aflies, 21
Oaks, 28
Hornbeams, - —
The greateft collective height of the planta-
tion is about forty feet.
This plantation furnilhes a ftriking inftance
of the mifchiefs enfuing from the want of a
proper attention to infant-groves.
M 4 In
x68 MINUTES MA*.
95. In this cafe, judicious thinnings would,
PI^NT^ evidently, have been highly advantageous.
xiONg. Great numbers of plants have perifhed, and
come entirely to wafte; and, of the two hun-
dred and eighty which I have now marked,
one hundred are dead, or nearly fo.
This, however, is the fmalleft fhare of the
lofs j for thofe Hill remaining are drawn up
too tall and Gender ; and with tops too fmall
and infignificant, to make due progrefs to-
wards large timber-trees.
In point of profit, the beft method now to
proceed by would be, to take down all, or the
greatefl part, of the Scotch firs ; trimming up
the few, which perhaps might be .left with
propriety ; and thinning very confiderably, but
by degrees^ the larches, and fuch of the other
fpecies as might require it.
But, in point of ornament , this, for a few
years, might be injurious : however, in the end,
both ornament and utility would, beyond a
doubt, be increafed by it •, and the immediate
acquifition of materials for repairs would be
yery confiderable.
How many entire roofs of cottages, lean-to's,
and other out-buildings ; and what a fupply of
rails, common ladders, and rough fcantling
mieht
1782.
NORFOLK.
169
TIONS.
might be drawn from this fmall plantation : 95.
enough to keep the common buildings of the WEEDING
eftate in repair for fome years : and this, too,
with a trifling expence of fawing, compared
with that which is necefiary to the redu&ion of
grown timbers into fmall icantling*.
96,
APRIL 3, Spent the afternoon with the
Rev. Mr. Horfelcy, of Swayfield ; and walked
with him over his improved meadows.
They are the only meadows in the county
(at leaft that have fallen under my obfervation)
which have been managed with any degree of
fpirit or judgment.
Mr. Horfeley fays, that when he purchafcd
them (fome eight or ten years ago) they were
a mere morafs : fo very rotten that it was dif-
ficult even for a man to walk acrofs them;
producing very little herbage fuperior to rufhes
and mofs. They are, now, (even after this
uncommonly wet fcafon) firm enough to bear
the largeft cattle; and are covered with a turf
equal in appearance to the richefl grafsland.
* I flatter myfelf nn apology is neceflary for the length
of this Minute : planting is an important branch of rural
affairs ; and it is in tall plantations, rather than in the
nurfery, we ought to ftudy the great principle! of ihe art.
Mr,
MEADOWS,
170 MINUTES MAR.
96. Mr. H.'s plan of improvement was this :
MEADOWS. Having lowered a rivulet, which runs through
them, fo as to fmk the furface of the water about
four fcet below the furface of the meadow, he
cut drains, feven feet wide, and four feet deep,
parallel to the rivulet ; and, with the excavated
mould, filled up the fmall drains which had
formerly been cut ; and levelled the other
inequalities ; fo as to render the furface fmoath
jmd even.
Thefe drains were at firft made at about
twenty or thirty yards diftance from each other ;
but Mr. H, is now filling the major part of
them up ; they having performed the office of
laying the ground dry ; and he is of opinion,
that the rivulet and the fence-drains, alone,
will be fufficient to keep it fo,
Thefe meadows confift of eighteen acres ;
divided at prefent into four " Ihifts," by the
rivulet and two parallel main drains; whicfc
are barely feven feet wide ; but the cattle fome-r
times attempt them ; and eight feet— -fay half
a rod — is the lenft width that fence-drains ought
to be made.
The rulhes were fubdued by the fithe, thje
mofsby manure, and the herbage improved by
the fwecping of the hay- chamber fcattered on
in
1782. NORFOLK.
in the fpring. Neither the harrow nor thp 96.
roller has yet been introduced. M
Mr. H's method of treating his meadows,
now in their improved flate, is, to feed them
every year, and to Ihift his ftock repeatedly •,
beginning at one end, and proceeding regu-
larly, fq as to make two or three revolutions
in the courfc of the fummer : and, whenever he
t..Kes his flock out of one of his pieces, he
makes a point of fweeping down the weeds
and rough grafs. An admirable practice ; by
which a frefh rowen-like bite is prepared
againft the return of the {lock ; befides the
weeds being thereby effectually kept under.
Mr. H. fays, that he has fatted both Iheep
and bullocks on (his improved morafs ; and
that they fat very kindly. He further fays,
that it gives cows a great flow of milk ; and
Mrs. H, fays, that the butter from it is per-
fectly good.
Enquiring of Mr. Horfeley, if he had kept an
account of his expences fmce his firft purchafe ;
he faid, no ; but was clear in the main fact ;
namely, that the improvement greatly exceeds
the expence of improving : adding, that he
could have fold the land in its improved ftate
fpr twice the amount of the pur chafe-money.
It
M I N U T E 5
APR.
96. It has every appearance of being now worth
MEADOWS. from twenty to twenty-five {hillings an acre.
BULLOCKS
AT
TURNUPS.
97-
APRIL 14. I have given particular atten-
tion to the management and progrefs of the
two lots of bullocks, which I was prefent at
the buying of, at St. Faith's fair. (SeeMiN. 27.)
It is a finking and interefting fact, that, not-
withftanding there was only fifteen {hillings a
head difference in the purchafe-money of thefe
two lots, there is not lefs than forty (hillings
a piece difference in their prefent value.
A great advantage, no doubt, arifes, to a
juelge of cattle, from having the choice of a
drove; drawing out only a few of the head
bullocks. But in this cafe the drove was
fmall ; and I remember Mr. B. was dubious in
his choice of the laft two or three of his lot :
the dii'parity, therefore, at the time of pur-
chafe was not very great ; being, in fome in-
dividuals, fcarceiy perceptible to the eye of a
judge.
From thefe and other circumftances, I am
convinced that much depends upon the ma-
nagement of bullocks at uirneps, as well as
upon
I782.
NORFOLK.
upon judgment in purchafing them: for, of 97.
fcveral parcels of fatting bullocks, which 1 BULLOCKS
have had an opportunity of making my obfer- TURXLPS.
vations upon this winter, none have done
equally to Mr. B's lot of heifers.
His turneps, no doubt, are good ; and fo
are thofe of many of his neighbours ; and
the fuperiority of management appears to lie
in letting them have plenty of frefh turneps;
with plenty of followers ; and in their being
regularly Ihifted every day.
98.
APRIL 14. What a trifling expencc of la-
bour has been incurred by farm, from
Michaelmas 1780, to Michaelmas 1781.
It contains near four hundred acres of arable
land; with about fifty acres of meadow.
The whole expence of workman's wages,
the harveft month included, is no more
than - £. 186 2 -j{-
To which muft be added, the bai-
liff's falary S5 ° °
GENT. MAV.
OF FARMS.
£.221 2 7*
Thus the whole expence of labour and houfe-
keeping (for the bailiff and all the men boarded
themfelves and drank their own beer) is not
nearly
I H U T E S
APR*
9?.
LABOUR,
RENT*
LABOUR.
SOIL-PROC.
nearly equal to the rent of the land : for this
farm, if freed from game> is worth from two
hundred and fifty to three hundred pounds a
year.
A farm of the fame magnitude in Surrey
or Kent could not have been managed for
twice the money. And this accounts for the
high price which land bears in Norfolk. Land
which lets here for fifteen Shillings an acre,
would not in Surrey or Kent fat twenty miles
diftance from LondonJ let for more than half
the money.
The lownefs of day^wages * the quick dif-
patch of bufmefs ; and, moft efpecially, the
practice of plowing with two horfes, and going
two journies a day ; account in a great meafure
for the difparity.
99'
SHEEP. APRIL 16* The ftiepherd telling me that
a cutter in the neighbourhood could extract the
concealed tefticles of ridgil lambs; and he having
laft year experienced the inconveniency of three
or four of thefe troublefome and dangerous
animals, I let him fend for him. This
morning he has cut three ; the whole number,
it feems, this year. They are now from fix to
eight weeks old.
Having
1782. NORFOLK. 175
Having cut off the end of the bag, and 99.
drawn the tefticle contained in it, he proceeded CUTTING
to'take the other out of the fide oppofite to that LAMBS.
on which the palpable tefticle lay*.
The lamb was laid flat on its fide, upon the
ground ; one man holding it by its neck and
fore legs •, and another ftretching it out, by
drawing its hind legs back ; both of them at
the fame time preffing their hands hard to the
ground ; fo that the lamb had no liberty to
ftruggle.
The cutter then dipt off a patch of wool,
about the fize and fliape of a duck's egg, clofe
below the loin, and about half way betweea-
the huckle and the Ihort ribs. '
He then made an incifion wide enough to
admit, freely, his fore finger ; with which ho
fearched for the ftone, and prefendy brought
it out; and, difentangling it very dexteroufly
from the film with his knife, drew out the
firing.
He immediately fowed up the orifice, and
coated over the wound with cart-greafe.
It is remarkable that the concealed tefticles
* It increafes the difficulty in cutting ridgils, when the
palpable tefticle has been priorly extracted ; as the ocera-
tor, then, knows not which fide to cut on ; and is fre-
quently obliged to out both iides before he finds the con-
cealed tefticle.
176 MINUTES APR;
9p. all lay on the fame fide •, namely, the right fide;
CUTTING the contrary fide to that on which females are
LAMBS. cut. This made the operation rather awkward
to his hard ; he never thelefs performed the bu-
finefs fo fkilfully, and with fo much dexterity^
that he extracted the two firft in a few minutes.
But the laft was a remarkably difficult cafe ;
the tefticle being very fmall, and braced up
clofe to the vertebras ; and it is obfervable,
he could fcarcely draw the palpable tefticle of
this lamb out of its bag : the punifhment to
the animal feemed full ap much in one opera-
tion as the other.
The price of cutting^ a Hulling a piece.
APRIL 22. The wind being cold, kept them
in the houfe all night : — tut the cutter, though
the wind continued very pinching, thought it
proper for them to go out in the day-time for
the fake of exercife : they got very {tiff for fome
days, but are now doing very well.
APRIL 30. One of them, neverthelefs, is
iince dead : — owing, I apprehend, entirely to
their being too much expofed to an unufually
piercing eafterly wind.
100.
N O R F b L k;
177
too. ioo.
APRIL 20. There is an alerthefs in the fer- WORKMEN.
vants and labourers of Norfolk, which I have
not obferved in any other diftrict.
That " cuftom is fecond nature" is verified
every hour. How quick and alert are the tradef-
people and handicraftmen in London ! They
will difpatch as much buiinefs in a given time
as the very fame people, had they been bred in
Tome parts of the country, would have done in
twice that time. The cafe is fimilar with the
Norfolk hufbandman. Whilft a boy, he is ac-
ciiftomed to run by the fide of the hbrfes while
they trot with the harrows. When he becomes
a plowman, he is accuftbmed to ft'ep out at the
rate of three or four miles an hour : and, if he
drive ah empty team, he either does it Handing
upright in his carriage, with a peculiarity of
air, and with a feeming pride and fatisfaclibn,
or runs by the fide of his horfes, while they
are bowling away at full t: ••.
Thus both his body and his mind become
adtive : and if he go to mow, reap, or other
employment, his habit of activity accompanies
him ; — and is obvious even in his air, his man-
ner and his gait.
VOL. II. N On
MINUTES
MAY
loo.
WORKMEN.
On the contrary, a Kentifh plowman, accu-
flomed from his infancy to walk, whether at
harrow, plow, or cart, about a mile-and-a-
half or two miles an hour, preferves the fame
fluggifh flep even in his holidays ; and is the
fame flow, dull, heavy animal in every thing
he does.
That the Norfolk farm-labourers difpatch
more work than thofe of other countries is an
undoubted fact; and in this
may be fully accounted for.
way, I think, it
IOI.
MARKETS. MAY 4. Went this morning to fee the
clover-feed market at Norwich.
The feeds are brought chiefly from Suffolk.
and the Suffolk fide of Norfolk. Many of
them are in the hands of the growers them-
felves ; fome in thofe of jobbers, who collect
them of the farmers. They are principally
contained in coomb facks, containing four
bufhels, of fixty-fix pounds each, together with
two pound a bufhel for over-weight; fothat a
bufhel is only a term ufed for fixty -eight pound
of clover-feed, at Norwich market : or for fixty-
fix pound, in other parts of the county.
The feeds are principally brought into mar-
ket in thefe coomb facks; in which feveral
hundred
1782. NORFOLK. 179
hundred bufliels may be feen {landing: and 101.
in -the middle of the market are a pair of
large fcales, adapted to the weighing of a whole
fack, or a lefs quantity ; the farmers paying fo
much a draft for the uie of them.
Betide what are thus brought into market,
the dealers have quantities at their refpe&ive
warehoufes * ; and great quantities are alib
fold by corn merchants, and even bankers, by
fample. Indeed, at this feafon of the year,
almoft every man of bufinefs, who has got a
little loofe money, is a dealer in clover-feed.
The market, however, does not confift
wholly of red clover-feed :— there are pro*
portional quantities of " fuckling" (white
clover) ; alfo of " hulled Nonfuch" (trefoil) ;
alfo of " black Nonfuch" (trefoil in the
hufkj ; alfo of <c white Nonfuch" (darnel or
rye-grafs) ; and of " black and white Non-
fuch ;" namely, a mixture of the two laft
forts. *
* One Cunningham is by much the largcft dealer : he
lives near Harleftone ; and buys up his feed in that neigh-
bourhood, and in Suffolk. Enquiring as to the quantity
fold, I was told (in the afternoon) that he had fold, :n the
courfe of this day, a hundred coomb of clover- feed ! —
thirty or forty coon.b of it, however, were to country
dealers.
N 2 The
MINUTES
MAY
ror.
CLOVER-
SlCtD MARK.
BULLOCKS
AT
TURNEPS.
The prices, more particularly of " clover,"
(that is, red clover) is very fluctuating : laft
year prime feed was bought from eighteen to
twenty fhillings a bufliel. It has been known
fo low as fifteen fhillings; and three pounds ten
Ihillings a bufliel has been given in this market.
To-day the prices were as follow :
Clover, twenty fhillings to thirty fhillings a
bulhel.
Suckling, fixpence to eight-pence a pound.
Darnel, twelve to fifteen fhillings a coomb.
IO2.
MAY 4. A fortnight ago, Mr. • •
fent twelve of his Scotch heifers, bought at
St. Faith's, (See MIN. 27. and 97.; to Smith-
field.
To-day he fhewed me the falefman's account.
They fold from eight pounds five fhillings
to eleven pounds a piece — the neat proceeds
a hundred and ten pounds, or nine pounds five
fhillings a head. They cofl fix pounds fifteen
fhillings ; fo that they left a profit of about
fifty fhillings a head.
They were at turneps about twenty -five
weeks ; and confequently paid no more than
two fhillings a week for their keep, notwith-
ftanding the prefent high markets.
They
1782. NORFOLK. 181
They were not highly rimmed ; but turncps 102.
being almoft done, and grafs backward, the BULLOCKS
proprietor of them judged wifely in felling off TURNEPS.
the beft of them now, that he may be able to
fmifh the »emainder the more highly with
grafs.
103.
MAY <. The late beating rains have RAISING
J HEDGES.
warned down the face of many hundred rods of
ditching. New-raifed ditches have fuffered
mod; but where the face looked to the north-
eaft, ditches which have been made even two
or three years, have fuffered confiderably.
Where new ditches have been raifed this
fpring, in the Norfolk manner ; namely, very
upright, with the layer planted almoft at the
top of the bank • much mifchief is done ; for
not only the face, but the layer alfo, lies by
the heels in the <f holl," for many rods in a
place : and this, it feems, is a misfortune not
uncommon in Norfolk ; yet (till the farmers
perfift in raifing their live fences in this moft
injudicious manner.
I have the fatisfacYion to fee thofe ditches
which I railed laft year, with an offset, and
with the layer planted on the firft fpit,
N 3 fU
i8« MINUTES MAY
103. all (landing : indeed, ditches raifed in this
manner, cannot readily take effential hurt by
beating rains ; for fhould either the foot or
the upper part of the facing fhoot, the layer is
ftill fafe.
It is the cuftom here to oblige the ditchers to
make good the breaches of the firft year, gra-
tis. This, however, if the work was properly
done, is this year rather hard upon them. But
be this as it may, there needs not a ftronger
proof of the frequent mifcarriages of Norfolk
ditches than this cuftom.
104.
MAY 5. It feems to be a growing pracYicev
in this country, to fow furze-feed on the backs,
or rather upon the tops, of ditch-banks.
There is, however, one great evil attends it,
when fown upon the top j for, growing quicker
than the white-thorn, the furze, in a few
years, over-hangs, and fmothers the young
hedgeling • efpecially if it be neglected to be
cut down, or trimmed off, on the face fide :
a work which is too often, and, indeed, almoft
univerfally neglected.
But if the feeds be fown upon the back of
the bank, this evil is in a great meafure pre-
vented;
1782.
NORFOLK.
vented ; and the furze being principally in-
tended as a defence of the back of the bank
from cattle, it is extraordinary that the cuftom
of fowing it upon the top mould continue.
Laft year I fowed upwards of a hundred
rods, and this year about two hundred : my
method has been this.
Two men, with a fpade, a broom, and a
common glafs bottle, furnimed with a per-
forated ftopper *, proceeded thus : the firfl
man chops a drill with his fpade, from two to
three inches deep, and at about two-thirds of
the height of the bank. In this fiffure the
other man fcatters the feed through the hole in
the cork, at the rate of thirty long rods to a
pound of feed. This done, one of them, in
prder to repair the cracks and partial breaches
made on the bank by chopping the drill, pats
it with the back of his fpade above and below
the mouth of the drill, which is purpofely left
open ; whilft the other, with the broom, fweep-
ing upwards over the mouth of the drill, covers
the feed with loofe mould ; yet leaves the mouth
_y
* A wooden cork, pierced with a gimblet, about the fize
of a fwan's quill ; the infide burnt fmooth with a wire, and
the outiide bound with thread to make it ftick fecurely in
Vhe mouth of the bottle.
N 4 fufficiently
104.
RAISING
HhDUES.
SOWING
FURZt-
SEED.
4 MINUTES MAY
IP4» fufficjently open to permit the young plants to
jpake their way eafily out of it ; and to catch;
SEED. tjje rains which trickle down the upper part of
{he bank -{-.
Two men will fow 120 rods a day o 3 4
Four pounds of feed at 154. P 5 Q
£• o 7' 4
Somewhat more than one halfpenny each fta-
tute rod, for feed and fowing.
WOOD$. On ligh.t fandy foils, in which the furze ge-
nerally thrives abundantly, but where white-
thorn, if the foil be barren as well as light, J§
an age in coming to a hedge adequate as a
fence, the furze is the moft eligible Ihrub
to be propagated fingly ; and in every foil
in which the plants will thrive, it is an excel-
lent guard to the back of the ditch, forming a
much warmer Ihelter for cattle than white-
thorn, or any other deciduous fhrub, owing to
i;s numerous branches and leaves ; more efpe-
-j- The (hooting pf the bank is the only thing to be feared
in this cafe ; it ought not theref ,re to be made too tfeep ;
and ought, at the time of making, to be Cowed vvithgrafs-
feeds. (See HEDGES, Vol.1.)
cially
?7g2. NORFOLK. 183
pially if thefe be increafcd by timely cutting; 104.
or, which is much preferable, by trimming SPECIES of
H F i) G E
off the ends of the branches. WOOD.
The almoft only inconveniency of a furze
hedge is its becoming liable to be killed by
fcvere froft. Jt is probable, however, that a
hogged hedge would ftan4 the froft better than
one which is fuffercd to overgrow itfelf, and
expofe its roots ancj ftem? to the inclemency of
the weather : even (hould a hogged hedge be
killed to the root, it feems probable that thro'
the numeroufncfs and compaclnefs of its items
and branches, it would remain a fufficlent dead
hedge, until another live one might be raifed
from freih feed.
Another inconveniency of a furze hedge is,
in theory at leaft, its ihedding its feed, and
over-fpreading the adjoining land. This incou-
veniency, however, 1 have not feen in Nor-
folk ; and I believe is not to be apprehended^
if French feed f which may be had of any feedf-
man in London) be fown.
18* MINUTES
105. MAY 8. WALSHAM FAIR. — This fair,
MARKETS. which is held the Wedncfday fe'nnight before
Whitfunday, is a conftderable fair for fat bul-
locks ; alfo for cows and calves, and young
{lock.
The cattle begin to come in about feven,
and continue coming until nine or ten ; the
fairs as well as the markets of Norfolk being,
held late in the day.
There were feveral hundred head of cattle
at Waliham to-day, and had they been colledt-
cd into one fair-Head, would have made a good
{how.
The principal buyers were the Norwich,
the Wells, and the country butchers ; alfo
fome dealers for the London and St. Ives's
markets ; and probably kmie under-finifhed
bullocks were bought by thofe farmers who
had grafs and money of thofe who were in
want of both.
I faw a fleer and a heifer, good meat, and
weighing about feventy flone the two, fold for
fixteen pounds eight {hillings, which is more
than four {hillings and eightpence a {lone.
Alfo
1782.
NORFOLK.
Alfo two large, but not fat, (leers, weighing
together about one hundred ftone, fold for
twenty pounds ten fhillings, which is only
four fhillings and a penny a Hone.
Alfo fix two-year-olds, good meat, but not
finifhed, and weighing about thirty ftone each,
for fix pounds twelve fhillings a head; about
four fhillings and five-pence a ftone.
Cows and calves, in good demand; fold from
three to fix pound.
Lean two-year-olds worth from fifty fhil-
lings to four pound.
Yearlings (now near eighteen months old)
from forty to forty-five fhillings.
It is notorious, that there are very few fat
bullocks in Norfolk this fpring ; owing, it is fup-
pofed, to the unkindlinefs of the weather, and
to the bad quality of turneps, which, it is
faid, are this year thicker-fkinned, and of a
weaker quality, than ufual.
There were not twenty "right fat" bul-
locks in the fair: the few that have been finifti-
ed this fpring have been fent to London ; the
markets there having been very good.
Bullocks fold laft Monday in Smithfield for
upwards of five fhillings a ftone, and they
have not fetched lefs than that price for feve-
ral
105.
FAIR OF
WALSHAM.
BULLOCKS
AT
TURNEPS.
MINUTES
MA-
105.
SMITHFIELD
MARKET.
DISTRICT,
ral market-days lad paft. But Smithfield
market is a lottery ; and, I apprehend, four
^hillings and fixpence at Walfham is a better
price (charges and rifque of road and market
confidered) than the (hance of five fhillings in
Condon.
106.
MAY 12. On Friday morning fet out in
company with Mr. John Baker, of South-Reps,
to fee the country, and the celebrated hufban-
dry of the FLEG HUNDREDS.
We went by the fea-coaft, and returned by
the " broads " and more inland parts of the
country.
We paffed through the following hundreds
find parilhes.
PARISH,
NORFOLK.
PARISH.
5 f Thorp Market
:f * South- Reps
C* ^ Gimmingham
55
SOIL.
light
ditto
ditto
deeper
HOJBAXDRV.
paflable
good
paflable
good
106.
DISTRICT.
("Knapton
•< Pafton
L
good
ditto
ditto
ditto
ditto
ditto
fWalcot
. 1 Hafbro'
£> 1 Lelfingham
'£•<< Hempftead
jjf | Palling
Waxham
LHorfey
very good ditto
ditto ditto
ditto, with marfties ditto
ditto ditto
ditto ditto
ditto, and very flat Mr.
ditto ditto
Winterton
light, but rich
pafiable
£ | Ormefby
£ ^ Kaitter
*H i Yarmouth
| Maltby
LFilby
jg3 f Burrow
t* ^ Rollefby
7 a rich loam, with com- 7 ..
i mon fields 5
ditto ditto ditto
ditto, with marihes ditto
7 furroimded by low 7
J ground, and xvater [ almoft a11 C0ramon
rich loam, with commons nothing extraordinary
ditto, and broads pafiuble
rich loam ditta
ditto ditto
ditto, with common fields ditt*
f Potter Hayham do. with marines & broadsJitto
$ | Catficld
ditto, with low grounds ditto
^ ) Sutton
ftill fl.tttifh ditto
c^, Staitiam
good ftrong land good
K j Brunfted
ftill ftrong J very good
(^Eaft Ru^on
yet friable \ excellent
^ fRedlington
ftrong good loam ditto
8 \ \Vitton
ditto, fome lighter good
"i 1 Edenthorp
ditto ditto
^ LBackton
a charming foil ditto
Knapton to Thorp fee abave
From
MINUTES
MAY
1 06*
DISTRICT,
THE FLEG
HUNDREDS.
THE FLEG
H US BAN-
DRY.
From a general view of this detail, the hun-
dred of HAppaNG (and not the hundreds of
Fleg} (lands higheft on the fcale of hufbandry :
and, as I fet out without prejudice, I could
have no other bias to my opinion than that
Xvhich I received from the objects which
ft ruck me.
Tat foil of the FLEG HUNDREDS is rich;
forne parts of it being naturally fertile, in a
very high degree ; and the reft rendered fo by
clay, marl, and " Yarmouth muck/' The
arable parts are here fpoken of.
But there are in thefe hundreds large tracts
which are covered with water, or occupied by
reed and other aquatics ; and others which
are frequently overflowed in winter, but afford
in fummer extenfive marfhes, or grazing-
grounds, for lean Scots and young cattle.
Thofe are another fource of riches to the
arable lands ; on which the marfh-ftock is
kept, and generally fatted on turneps, during
the winter months ; betides great quantities of
manure being alfo raifed from fedge and other
litter cut out of thefe fens and marines.
We called upon Mr. Ferrier, of Hemfby,
who occupies his own eftate, and is univerfally
acknowledged as one of the beft farmers in
« Fleg."
I7«2. NORFOLK. 191
<s Fleg." He very obligingly fhewed me his 106.
farm, and favoured me with a recital of his FLEG HUS-
BANDRY.
practice.
The Fleg farmers, it is true, get amazing
crops ; they reckon from ten to twelve coomb
of wheat, and fifteen to twenty coomb of oatSj
an acre, no very extraordinary produce : but
when we learn that crops like thefe are pro-
duced from the fucccflion, or from any ma*
nagement nearly refembling the fucceffion, of
wheat, barley, clover, wheat, oats, wheat;
every pcrfon converfant in farming muft ex-
claim, that the foil which will bear fuch treat-
ment is extraordinary indeed ; more efpecially
when he is told, that the crop of wheat which
follows the oats is generally better than that
which preceded them j the oat-crop being
thrown in as a damper of the raging fertility
of the foil.
Mr. Ferrier, who is a very fcnfible, judicious,
plain farmer (though formerly a failor) having
obferved that wheat after clover, or a fumrner
fallow, became too rank to ftand, and ran too
much to ft raw to yield a large produce of grain,
ingenioufly contrived this intervening crop of
oats, in order to correct the over-abundant fer-
tility or ranknefs of the foil ; and in this his
fupc-
192 MINUTES
1 06. fuperiority of management ffcems principally to
i-ALuJw. confi(h He feems to c^nflder a fiimther fallow-
as the moft dangerous procefs that can occur
upon a farm j for the wheat crop which fiicceecU
it he has found invariably fpoilt through an
over-ranknefs ; and what appears much more
extraordinary, the barley crop which follows
trie wheat is in this cafe generally tod fmall •
owing, as Mr. F. fuppofes, to the wheat having
too much impoverifhed the foil : this however
does not accord with the practice of wheata
oats, wheat. I have no doubt of Mr. F.'s veraci-
ty, or of the fad:, but apprehend it is produced
by fome other caufe than the poverty or exhauf-
tion of the foil.
JFLEG SOIL. Mr. Ferrier's foil is principally a rich dark-
coloured loam> except one piece or two, which
are of a more fandy nature. A piece near his
houfe is pecularly fertile : he never knew it to
fail producing a valuable crop. A recently-
made ditch gave mean opportunity of examin-
ing it. It is one uniform mafs of rich black
loam, for more than two feet deep ; and under
this lies a brick earth; a foil, this, capable of
producing madder, woad, hemp, or any other
vegetable of our climate which requires a rich
deep foil. The principal part of his eftate,
how-
iffcs. NORFOLK. 193
however, is of a much ihallowerfoil, not deeper 106.
than the plow goes •, and its prefent very FLEG CLAY.
amazing fertility he afcribes in a great meafure,
to his having clayed it. Indeed to this fpecies
of improvement the fertility of the Fleg Hun*
dred is allowed to be principally owing*
Mr. F. gave me an opportunity of examin-
ing his clay-pit ; which is very commodious;
the Uncallow is trifling, and the depth of the
bed or jam he has not been able to afcertaim
It is worked, at prefent, about ten or twelve
feet deep.
The colour of the foffil, when moift, is a
dark-brown, interfperfed with fpecks of white ;
and dries to a colour lighter than that of ful-
ler's earth ; on being expofed to the air it breaks
into fmall die- like pieces.
From Mr. F.'s account of the manner of its
afting, and more particularly from its ap-
pearance, I judged it to be & brown marl, rather
than a clay ; and, on trying it in acid, it proves
to be ftrongly calcareous; eifervefcing, and
hiding, more violently than moft of the white
marls of this neighbourhood : and what is flill
more interefting, the Hemsby clay is equally
turbulent in acid, as the Norwich marl; which is
VOL. II. O brought,
T94
N U T E S
TOD.
ILEG CLAY.
THE FLF.G
•WOK.K.MLN'.
brought, by water, forty miles into this coun-
try, at the excefiive expcnce of four millings
a load upon the tfaith ; bcfides the land-car-
riage. (But fee MARL, Vol. I.)
It is fomewhat extraordinary that Mr. F. fcE1-
fible and intelligent as he is, iho-uldbe entirety
unacquainted with this quality of his clay ; a
circumftancc, however, the lefsto be wonderetl
lit, as the Norfolk farmers, in general, are
equally uninformed of the nature and proper-
ties of marl.
The quantity fet on by Mr. F. was about
forty middling loads an acre, about twenty
years ago : — it is now beginning to wear our;
and he is of opinion his land will not bear
claying a fecorvd time.
For want of mould he is fometimes obliged
to ufe forae clay for the bottoms of his dung-
hills ; but he does not much approve of it,
preferring good mould when he can get it.
The Fleg farmers are noted for their quick
difpatch of bnfinefs j and for the great quan-
tity of work they get done by a given number
of fervants and labourers. Mr. F. made the
obfervation, which is corroborated by Mr. E.
(formerly of Fleg)w'ho gives for inlbnce, that
has had twenty loads of tough fedgy
liuck
1*82.
NORFOLK.
muck filled) daily, by a common day -la- 106.
bourer ! FI.EGSOIL.
Mr. FerrLer gave a ilriking inftance of the
fertility of the Hemfby foil. He has known
a farm driven by a beggarly tenant, who has
been fucceeded by another, who has Hill con-
tinued to drive It ; yet, after all, it has re-
tained its prolific qualities ; and has flill con-
tinued to throw out abundant crops ; efpeci-
ally if a full crop of clover can be obtained ; a CLOVEa
thing which Mr. F. fpeaks of as an improve-
ment almoft equal to that of a coat of muck.
Mr. F.'s management of his turneps is very T'-RXEPS
judicious.— He begins with thofe which lie
farthefl from home ; throwing them abroad in
the adjoining flubbles and lays; but in winter
he brings his cattle into the yard ; which is a
very convenient one ; and is, I believe, efteemed
the firtl in the country.
It confiils of a large fquare : on one fide of
it (land the barns ; and, on the oppofite fide,
a long range of troughs .or mangers ; behind
which is a gangway for the feeder ; and be-
hind this (out of the yard) the turnep-houfe.
The turneps are tailed, and freed from the
principal part of the dirt, and put into the
troughs entire ; which Mr. F. efteenas, upon
O 2 the
19* MINUTES MAY
ic6. the whole, a better practice than chopping
TURNEPS them.
IX FLEG.
The troughs ftand on the higheft fide of
the yard, upon a rifing ground ; fo that the
bullocks always ftand clean to feed, while the
urine fettles down among the ilraw in the
lower parts of the yard.
The pofts which fupport the manger run
up fence-height, and have a fingle rail pafiing
from one to another, to prevent the bullocks
from clambering over the troughs. (A fried
under which the bullocks could feed and lie
down warm and comfortable in rainy cold
weather, would be a great improvement to
this yard).
Turneps being now run up tobloflbm — Mr.
F. mows off the tops with a fithe, giving
thefe alone to his fatting bullocks ; while his
cows and lean flock have the bottoms given
them entire. This judicious management has
two good effe&s : the bullocks inftead of re-
ceiving a check, as they are apt to do, when
turneps are in this ftate, are puflied on, per-
haps, fafter than when the bottoms are in full
perfection; and the flock-cattle, by not having
had a tafte of the tops, eat up the bottoms the
cleaner.
How
1782.
NORFOLK.
197
How much preferable is this management 106.
to that of his neighbour 'Squire —, who TURNEPS
having turned twenty fine bullocks into a clofe
of charming turneps, (fuch as would have
been worth in this part of the country three
or four pounds an acre) they have licked off
the bloflbms, and the better parts of the tops,
and are now pining over the (talks and bot-
toms.
This piece of turncps, as well as the re-
mains of Mr. Ferrier's, and the other remain-
ing pieces in the neighbourhood, mew what
noble crops of this valuable root are grown
in the Fleg Hundreds.
Thefe and a thoufand other circumftances
are undeniable proofs of the richnefs of the
Fleg foil : whilft the univerfal foulnefs which
overruns the crops of wheat and clover are
proofs equally evident of the unckanlinefs of
Fleg farmers : from our leaving Happifbro',
Hempftead, &c. until our return to Stalham
and Brunftead, we faw very few pieces either
of wheat or of clover which did the owners
any degree of credit.
Fences. In this neceflary piece of hufbandry HEDGES
the Fleg huibundmen excel j while the hedges of
flapping and Tunftead, either from the nature
O 3 of
FLEG SOIL.
FLEG HUS-
BANDRY.
MINUTES MAY
I®6. of the air and foil, or from rnifmanagement, or*
Sc P&b$ps by old age, are greatly below par;
the fences being mere mud-walls, with here
and there an old Hunted thorn. Near the coaft
the fea air may have fome influence; but in
Fleg, equally near to the fea, the hedges are
flourifhing and beautiful in a high degree.
The Fleg farmers feem fully mailers of the
fubject of liye hedges. They plant the layer
at a moderate height, and are aware of the
utility of cutting it down to the flub at four
or five years old ; facing and backing the
ditch, and fetting on a new hedge. This fc-
cures them a fence in perpetuity ; for before the
fecond dead hedge begins to fail, the quick is
fciecome a perfect fence. Another good prac-
tice is that of trimming off the young fhoots
which fprawl over the ditch ; by which means
their hedges become thick at the bottom.
Add to this, they do not fuffer their quick to
ftand too long before they cut it down to the
flub ; fo that an old overgrown hedge, or
row of timber-like " bulls," is fcarcely to be
feen. Their method pf felling them, too, is
much preferable to the practice of this part of
the'country; where the flubs arc ui'ually cutoff
ftnack-fmooth with the face of the bank, and
NORFOLK.
19$
106.
SHEEP.
many of them frequently buried in ir, fo as to
be totally deflroycd : whereas, in Fleg, the
Hubs, univerfally, whether young or old, Hand
fix or eight inches out of the face of the
ditch ; by which means a number of flioots
is produced. The lately raifed fences have
moft of them furze growing on the backs of
the banks.
Feeding wheat. Throughout the journey, FF.EDIXQ.
" \VHKAT.
the wheat appeared to be almoft univcrfally fed
hy ftock of every denomination; flicep ex-
cepred -r of which flock we did not fee a (core
either in the Kapping or the Fleg Hundreds !
but calves, young ftock, cows, and even fat
bullocks, and horfcs, were ftill to be feen in
almoft every clofe of wheat we paflcd. The
fprjng of this year, hp-.vever, is remarkably
late •, the turneps are gone, and the grafs noj
yet come to a bite ; fp that wheat?, this year,
arc more univcrfaily fed, and fed later, rh:m
perhaps was ever known. Mr. Fcrricr feems
almoft the only exception to the practice : he
never feeds his wheat, from a general idea that
" the fir ft fruits are the bcft.'?
It is obfervable, that let the Norfolk foil be
ever fo ftrong, it is not flubborn ; and let it be
evenfoddened by heavy rains, and rendered cold
O 4 and
THE SOIL OF
NOKiUi.K.
200
MINUTES
NORFOLK
SOIL.
Io6. and livery by laying flat, it is no fooner ex-
pofcd to the air than it becomes mellow and
friable. This peculiar quality is faid to be
principally owing to marl (or clay) ; by the
fertilizing quality of which, land that is
fufficiently flrong for wheat, is rendered fuffi-
ciently tender for turneps and barley. Before
the ufe of marl and clay the Fleg farmers ':ould
not grow turneps ; whereas now they excel in
that valuable crop. Mr, Ferrier, in one of
the ftiffeft of his pieces, put his toe upon a clod
to {hew me this excellent property j and with
a flight preffure of his foot burft it to an aU
mofl impalpable powder. This friability of
ftrong land is, perhaps, one of the belt crite-
rions of a good foil.
FARMERS. Mr. B-3^3**^" Tne character of this man
(7
is fo very extraordinary, that I cannot refrain
from Sketching fome of its principal features.
He was, I believe, bred in the army ; ferved fome
time in the militia; has fought two or three
(duels ; quarrelled with moft of the gentlemen of
the county ; and, coming to a good paternal
eftate, discharged his tenants and commenced
farmer.
He is now an occupier of ijooL a year— yet
Jie has ne'iLhcr Reward nor ey en bailiff to affift
him '
I78ju NORFOLK. 201
him ; no wonder, then, he abufes and receives Jo6.
abufe from his work-people; or that he fonic- FARMERS.
times frightens them away; his harvett, perhaps,
(landing {till, until his neighbours have finiihed.
He attends fairs and markets— fells his own
corn and his own bullocks ; and even finds time
to attend to the taking in gift ftock upon a
very extenfive marfh — and this without any af»
fiftance ; fave that of his lady, who keeps his
accounts,
My fellow-traveller lacing acquainted with
him we rode through his farm-yard, and found
him looking over fome young cattle which had
been brought up for his mfpc&ion. His perfon
is grofs and his appearance bacchanalian — his
drefs that of a flovenly gentleman. — There is a
politcnefs in his manner ; and his convcrfation
bcfpeaks a fenfible intelligent mind ; borne
away, however, by a wildnefs and ferocity
which is obvious in his countenance, and dif-
covers itfelf in every word and action. Nevcr-
thelcfs, it is laid, that, in a polite circle, Mr. B.
fan excel in politcncfs.
The parifliof Wax ham is principally in his
own hands ; and the adjoining little parifh of
Horfey is entirely in his occupation.
The country round him is exceedingly flat
2nd low, being nearly on a level with the fea at
202
MINUTES
MAY
106.
FARMERS.
MARRAM
BANK.S.
high -water, and defended from it only by the
Marram Banks, which are broken into gaps at
every two or three hundred yards ; fo that in
ftormy weather the fea rufhes through, and fre-
quently does confiderable damage by overflow-
ing the country. Mr. B. told us, that he had
four acres of very fine cole-feed fvvept down
daring the late tempefluous weather.
His land, however, which lies out of the
water's way, is rich and fertile in a high degree ;
and Mr. B. it is fa id, gets exceedingly fine
crops from it ; fo that it is probable, notwith-
ilanding the irregularity with which his affairs
are conducted, and that want of attention to
minutiae which mud necefTarily occur in
fuch a boundlefs fceije of bufmefs, Mr. B.
does not injure his fortune by farming; for it
feems generally allowed that no farmer gets his
work done/0 eberp as Mr. B.
Marram Banks. The country towards the
coaft from Happingfbro* to Winterton, about tea
miles, is a dead fiat; and, to the eye, appears
to lie lower than the fea at high water. B/
the fide of the beach runs a range of broken,
irregular hillocks, from five to fifteen or
twenty feet high, and from fifty to upwards of
a hundred yards in width at the bale ; com-
J7S2. NORFOLK. 203
pofed entirely of Tea fand ; which, in fome 106.
place-?, is pretty well overgrown, and bound MARRAM
together by a rulh-like vegetable called, in
that neighbourhood, " marram" (the arutido
(irenaria of LiNNvtus) which the poor people
cut and fell for thatch.
Thcfe hillocks, however, do not ferve the
purpofe of a fecure embankment againft the fea;
they being, in many places, divided down to
their bales, by fluices of different widths ;
' namely, from five to fifteen or perhaps twenty
yards wide, Through thefe inlets, in boifterous
weather, and with an eafterly wind, the fea
rufhcs, and overflows the country.
The hills have a pi&urefque, though dreary
appearance, and afford a romantic ride : — the
traveller may in general pafs either on the
beach or the land fide ; winding through the
openings at pleafure.
The manner in which thefe banks have
been originally formed appears at fir ft fight
myfterious : how the fand iliould be blown up
into heaps, and not fcattered flat over the face
of the adjoining country, feems inexplicable.
The marram, it is true, may have aflifted ;
but this, alone, feems unequal to the tafk.
Until we had pnffed Mr. B — e's marlhes, the
beach
MINUTES, MAY
beach lay open to the country ; fo that the
MAJRRAM ftock have free egrefs to the fea j on the edge
of which they delight to lie in the heat of the
fummer; when they lie cool and free from
the flies, with which the marlhes are greatly
peftered. But, having palled Mr. B 's
grounds, the proprietors of the next marfhes
are under the neceffity of fencing againft
the beach ; left their cattle Ihould flray into
Mr. B — 's liberty, who is lord of the manor.
This is done by placing rows of faggots in
the gaps, between the fand-hills ; which, being
deep on the fide towards the fea, are of
themfelves a fence,
The eifcdt of thefe faggot-fences are ftrik-
ing ; for the fand being blown upon the beach
in a fimilar manner to fnow, it drifts in the
fame way ; and, in fome places, th*4 tops of
the faggots are only to be feen ; the fand having
drifted on both fides ; more particularly on the
fide towards the country ; fo that the cattle
might now almoft walk over them : and it
me very forcibly, that from fences, to
the marfh cattle from ftraying away upon
the beach, have originated the Marram Banks.
But whether this is the fact or not, I am
fully convinced that by faggots, or fome other
more
tyBa. NORFOLK. 205
more fubftantial fencing, Marram Banks might, j 06.
at a trifling cxpencc, be converted into a barrier MARRAM
not to be broken by the fea : for, notwith-
ftanding the long and violent eafterly winds
which have lately blown, fuch as to violence
and continuance has fcarcely been known be-
fore, there is only one place in which the fea
has been able to move even thefe bramble-
faggots ; and this has happened in a gap which
is wider than ordinary : the faggots, here, being
forced out and fcattered over the marfhes.
From the curfory view I have had, the
moil eligible way of joining the hillocks, fo
as to form a regular embankment, feems to be
this : — Make a double fence in each gap ;
placing the two fences at, perhaps, twenty or
thirty yards diftance from each other; or,
more generally fpcaking, at five to ten yards
within the "ikirts of the prefent bank. As
foon as the hollow fpace between the firft pair
of fences be filled up with fand, raifc another
pair, a few yards within the firft ; and above
thefe another, and another, until the gap be
filled up, or be raifed to a fufficient height ;
and then, on the top, propagate the marram
plant.
Two rows of faggots might be fufficient for
the narrow gaps ; and for the larger ones ihip-
wreck,
306
MINUTES
MAV
106.
MARRAM
BANKS.
CEN. MAN.
OF -tSTATIS.
wreck, or other old Ihip-timber, might be
ufed ; more efpecially for the foundation
courfe.
If the fea mould hereafter gain upon the
banks, fo.as, in procefs of time, to endanger
the whole, raife a fence on the land-fide at
fome cliftance from the old banks, to catch the
fand blown over them •, and thus from the
wreck of one embankment another might be
railed, and the country kept in perpetual
fafety.
Mr. B e has attempted to make the em-
bankment a public matter ; but has not fuc-
ceeded. It Itrikcs me, however, that it would
be well worth his while to defend his own
coaft at his own cxpence : but he fays, <* It
" is not for me to attack the German Ocean
»' fingle-handed."
Mr. Anfon has hit off a very great improve-
ment upon his eftate near Yarmouth.
On the Suffolk fide of the river, oppofite the
Key of Yarmouth, were fome low grounds,
let, I believe, as marfli-land. Thefe grounds
have lately been divided into lots, and let on
building leafes of ninety-nine years, at the
greatly improved rent of feven pounds an
acre ; befides the advantage which will ac-
crue at the expiration of the term.
Such.
17&2.
NORFOLK.
207
Such a ftroke as this is a real improvement
of an efta-te; and there are few extenfive
eftates which will nor, if properly attended
to, admit of being advanced, without fending
the farmer to jail, or the cottager to the
poor-houfe.
106.
MAY 12. WORSTEAD FAiR.—This fair MARKETS.
is held on Old May-Day, and is called
" May Fair." It has for many years been
noted for fat bullocks. This year, however,
there were not more than a hundred bullocks
in the fair, and not twenty of thofe which
were fat. There were about three hundred
head of cattle; chiefly two-year-olds, and
cows and calves, with fome few buds.
The Norwich butchers were the principal
chapmen for bullocks.
108*
MAY 17. Laft year, — to render my reft- cows,
dence more commodious, as well as to gain
fome information on the fubjeft of chcefe-
making — an art I was then a ftranger to — I
rented a fmall dairy of cows. I took them
the rather as I had then in my fervice an ex-
cellent
20$ M I N IT T £ S MAY
1 08. celknt Wiltshire dairy-woman ; who, I was in
CHEESE. hopes, might be able to make fome improvc-
mc-nt on the Norfolk method of making
cheefe; which, I had been given to under-
fland, was execrable.
Having long confidered this interefting fub-
je£t as being allied to experimental philofophy,
I placed it in that light, and paid as much
attention to the different proccffes as an acYivc
iccne of employment would permit me.— What
I have been able to do is only an effay ; but it
is lufficicnt to convince me, that with leifurc
and application, much might be done towards
bringing this, at prefent myfterious, but im-
portant fubject to fome certain and fixed prin-
ciples.
In regiftering the information I have been
able to obtain, it will be proper to digeft it
under the following heads :
1. The preparation of the rennet.
2. The coagulation of the milk.
3. The management of the curd. -'
4. The management of the cheefe. Z *. &
i. Rennet. The curd which happens to be
contained in the ftomach of the calf when
butchered, together with the hairs and dirt
which are infeparable from it, are ufed by the
dairy-
1782* NORFOLK. 209
dairy- wo lien of this country to coagulate their ioS.
milk : hence, probably ^ the rancid flavor of CHEESE.
the Norfolk cheefe 5 perfectly refcmbling in
fcent \keparent curd ; and this, as nearly as may
be, its more matured f elf .
The rennet which I made life of was pre-
pared in the following manner.
Take a calf *s bag, maw, or ftomach ; and j
having taken out the curd contained therein,
wafh it clean, and fait it thoroughly^ infide and
out, leaving a white coat of fait over every
part of it. Put it into ah earthen jar, or other
veflel, and let it ftand three or four days • in
which time it will have formed the fait and its
own natural juices into a pickle. Take it out
of the jar j and hang it up for two or three days
to let the pickle drain from it ; refalt it; place
it again in a jar \ cover it tight down with a
paper pierced with a large pin ; and in this flare
let it remain until it be wanted for ufe^ In this
flate it ought to be kept twelve months : it
may however, in cafe of neeefiky, be ufed a
few days after it has received the fecond fak-
ing ; but it will not be fo ftrong as if kept a
longer time,
To prepare the rennet for ufc ; take a hand-
full of the leaves of fweet- briar,— -the fame
VOL. II. P quantity
213 M I N U T E S MAY
1 08. quantity of the leaves of the dog rofe, and the
CHEESE. like quantity of bramble leaves ; boil them in
a gallon of water, with three or four handfulls
of fait, about a quarter of an hour ; ftrain off
the liquor, and, having let it ftand until per-
fectly cool, put it into an earthen vcffel, and
add to it the maw, prepared as above. To this
is added a found good lemon, fluck round with
about a quarter of an ounce of cloves ; which
give the rennet an agreeable flavor.
The longer the bag remains ia the liquor,
the ftronger of courfe will be the rennet : the
quantity, therefore, requifrte to turn a given
quantity of milk, can only be afcertained by
daily ufe and obfervation.
When the rennet is fufficiently ftrong take
out the bag ; hang it up two or three days for
the rennet to drain from it ; — refalt it; — put it
down again into the jar; and thus continue to
treat it, until its virtues are exhaufted ; which
will not be until it has been uled fevcral times.
By differing one or more bags to remain in
the liquor, the rennet thus prepared may be
raifed to a very high degree of ftrcngth, as
will appear in the following obfervations.
The leaves and the fpice, it is probable,
have no other effort than that of doing away
the
f'jti. NORFOLK. 211
the ill flavor of the maw; which, if ever fo icS*,
well cleaned, retains a faint difagreeable fmell •, CHEESE.
whereas the rennet prepared as above, is per-
fectly well flavored.
It is, ho-.veyer, I find, an idea among the
Wiltlhire dairy-women, that the leaves cor reel
any ranknefs or evil quality in the milk,arifing
from a ranknefs of pafture : they being further
of opinion, that different paftures require dif-
ferent forts of herbs to correct them ; and
fome of them, it feems, are, or pretend to bej
fo deeply vcrfed in this art, that they will un-
dertake to correct any milk, fo as to prevent
the riling " heaving" or " blowing" of the
cheefes made from it ; and, confequently, rhe
ranciclnefs which ufuallf accompanies a porous
cheefe;
This is, no doubr, a grand object of cheefe-
makers.; but it is not, I apprehend, to be ob-
tained -by fo fmall a proportion of vegetable
juices as pafs with the rennet into fo large a pro-
portion of milk. Nevcrthelefs, it appears to
me highly probable, that this grand defidera-
tum lies within the reach of the chemical art j
and that, by a courfe of judicious experiments^
fome vegetable or mineral preparation ade-
quate to this valuable purpofe, may be dif-
2. Coagulation.
212 MINUTES MAY
1 08. 2. Coagulation. Next to the art of correct-
CHEESE. ing the milk (an art as yet in its infancy) this
feems to claim the attention of the experimen-
talift.
It is known, from daily experience, that the
warmer the milk is, when the rennet is put to
it, the fooner it will coagulate, with a given
quantity of rennet of a given ftrength.
It is equally well known that the cooler the
milk, and the longer it is in coagulating, the
more tender and delicate the curd becomes :
on the contrary, if the milk be too hot, and
the coagulation takes place too rapidly, the
curd proves tough and harfli.
But it feems to be a fact, equally well efla-
blifhed, that a cheefe made from milk, which
has been cooly and ilowly coagulated, is lon-
ger before it become marketable than one
made from milk which has undergone a lefs
deliberate coagulation; and which, being
drier, and of a harflier texture, fooner become s
" cheefey," and fit for the tafter.
Therefore, the great art in this ftage of the
procefs lies in —
The degree of warmth of the milk when
fet; that is, when the rennet is put to it ; or,
in —
The
3782. NORFOLK. 213
The degree of heat retained by the curd 108.
when it comes ; that is, when the coagulation has CHEESE.
fufficiently taken place ; or, in —
The length of time between the fetting and
the coming. Which length of time may be re-
gulated either —
By the degree of the warmth of the milk
when fet ; or—
By the (late of warmth in which it is kept
during the time of coagulation ; or —
By the quantity and flrength (taken jointly)
of the rennet. —
To endeavour to gain fome information-on
this fubjecl, I made the following obfervations.
1 7 8 1 . June 5. Twenty-three gallons of milk,
heated to ninety-fix degrees of Farenhcit's fcale,
with two tea-cup-fulls of weakifh rennet, came
in one hour; the curd delicate and good.
June 6. The fame quantity of milk, of the
fame heat, with the fame quantity of rennet,
came in nearly the fame time ; the curd fome-
what tough ; owing, probably, to the milk
having been " burnt to the kettle" in which it
was heated.
June 7. Twenty-feven gallons of milk,
heated to ninety-four degrees, with the fame
quantity of rennet, came in about two hours ;
the curd very good.
P 3 June
214- MINUTES MAY
! 08 f June 8. Twenty- fix gallons of milk, heated
to onc hundred and two degrees, with one tea-
cup-full of rennet, came in two hours and a
Jiu'f; curd very good,
June 9. Twenty- five gallons of milk,
he.ued to one hundred degrees, with a tea-cup-
full and a half of rennet, came in about one
hour and a half; the curd good, but fome-
what tough ; owing, perhaps, to the milk be-
ing kept too warm in the cheefe-tub, by being
covered up clofe with a thick cloth.
Note, On the feventh and eighth, the whey
retained a heat of about eighty-eight degrees,
whereas the whey this morning was ninety*two
degrees ; fo that, perhaps, it is not the heat
when it is fef, but the heat when it comes, which
gives the quality of the curd.
June 10. Twenty-iive gallons : ninety-fix
degrees : two cups : uncovered : came in,
two hours and a quarter : whey eighty- feven
degrees : curd very tender.
Jane ji. Twenty-three gallons: one hun-
dred degrees ; more than a tea^cup : uncovered:
did not come in two hours ; owing to the ren-
net being lower in ftrength than before : there-
fore, added in a little more rennet ; which
Brought it in about three hours from firft fet-
NORFOLK.
ting : the whey cighty-fevcn degrees : the curd 108.
uncommonly delicate. CHEESI.
June 12. Twenty-four gallons of milk:
one hundred degrees : two cups of rennet :
uncovered : came in two hours : whey eighty-
nine degrees : curd uncommonly tender.
Juue 13. Twenty-eight gallons of milk :
ninety-two degrees : three cups (fay ftrongly
renneted) : covered up with a coarfe linen
cloth : came in one hour and a half: whey
eighty-fix degrees : curd very good, and of a
very fine colour; though perhaps would have
handled tenderer, if it had not flood fome time
after it came before it was broke up.
Perhaps much depends on its being broke
up in the critical minute.
June 14. Twenty-eight gallons : one hun-
dred degrees : two cup-fulls : uncovered : came
in one hour and a quarter ; whey ninety-four
degrees : curd fome what harfh, but of a good
colour.
The change of colour is therefore owing to
the change of pafture.
Note, The milk fhould be covered to make
it come together :— this came and grew hard at
the bottom, half an hour before it was fet at
the top.
P 4
MINUTES MAY-
y//^ 15. Twenty-eight gallons : milk heated
to ninety-five degrees : with two cups of ren-
net; and covered after it had flood three quarters
of an hour : came in one hour and a half : whey
^ eighty-nine degrees (the morning warm): curd
very good and tender.
"June 1 6. Thirty gallons of milk: heated
to one hundred and three degrees ; but lowered
by two pails-full of cold water to ninety-fix
degrees ^ with two cups and a half of rennet ;
and kept clofe covered : came in one hour :
whey ninety rfour degrees: curd pretty good •
but not fufficiently tender.
June 17. Twenty-eight gallons ; ninety-feven
degrees : two and one-half cups : covered • but
not clofe : came in one hour and a half: whey
not tried : curd forrjcwhat tough.
Note, the tough nefs is owing, perhaps, to
fome milk of a new-calven cow being among
it.
Note alfi) to try the exact heat of milk im-
mediately frpm the cow, immerged a difli in,
the pail while milking. After it had lain, long
pnough to repeive a degree of heat equal to that
pf the milk in the pail, emptied it, and imme-
diately milked into it from the teat (the covy
jySi. NORFOLK. 217
being at this time about half milked) ; the heat 1 08.
ninety-five degrees. CUEESE.
Note alfo, the cheefes of yefterday (the
l6th of June) prefs remarkably elaftic, and
fpungy (like a fungus) : perhaps owing to the
milk's coming too hot ; or perhaps to two or
three of the cows being then a-bulling * ; or ;
perhaps^ being made thicker than ufual, the
prefs was not heavy enough for them; or per-
haps this ill quality is owing to the cold water
being put into the milk.
June 1 8, Thirty gallons : ninety-five degrees:
covered : came in one hour and a half: whey
ninety-two degrees : curd pretty good.
Juneig. Thirty gallons : ninety-two degrees :
two cups covered : curd very good.
June 21. Thirty gallons: ninety-eight degrees;
lowered by half a pail of cold water to ninety-
five degrees : the curd good ; but the cbecfes
like thofe of the j6th prefs, hollow and
fpungy.
* I afterwards found that the milk of a cow, on the day
of amour, retained, after having flood fome time in the
puil after milking, ninety-eight degrees of heat. This fhews
that the flate if not the quality of the milk is altered by the
heat of the cow ; and a cautious dairy-woman always en-
to keep fuch milk out of her cheefe-tub.
Mere-
2i8 MINUTES MAY
1 08. 1'kerefore, it is proballe, from thcfc two inci-
CHEESE. dents, that lowering the heat of the milk, with
cold water, has an evil effect.
June 23. (Evening,) Fifteen gallons of new
milk warm from the cow, retaining a heat of
ninety-two degrees, with two cups and a half
of new weak runnet, and clofely covered, came
in three quarters of an hour : whey eighty-eight
degrees : curd very delicate and good.
June 25. Forty gallons of balf-Jkim milk,
heated to eighty-fevcn degrees, with three cups
of rennet, ilightly covered, came in three quar-
ters of an hour : whey feventy-nine degrees:
curd remarkably good of this fort.
Sept. 8. In obferving the effect of fome re-
markably ilrong rennet, I found that an ordi-
nary tea-cup-full coagulated fufficiently up.
wards of forty gallons of milk, heated to only
eighty-eight degrees, in thirty-five minutes.
From thefe obfervations it appears, that curd
of a good quality may be obtained from milk
heated from 87 to 103 degrees of Fahren-
heit^ thermometer ; provided the rennet be fo
proportioned, that the time of coagulation
be from three quarters of an hour to two
hours and a half; and provided the milk be
kept properly covered during the procefs of
coagulation.
And
1782. NORFOLK. 219
And from thefe as well as from a variety of 1 08.
other obfervations, which I made in the CHEESE-
courfe of the fummcr, but which are not mi-
nuted, it" appears to me, at prefent, that from
85 to 90 arc the proper degrees of heat ;
that from one to two hours is the proper
time of coagulation ; and that the milk ought
to be covered fo as to lofe in the procefs about
5 degrees of its original heat.
But climature, fcafons, the weather^ and
the pafture, may require that thefe bounds
fhould fomctimes be broken. A few obferva-
tions, made in one feafon, and in one place,
how accurately foever they may have been
taken, are by no means adequate to the entire
illuftration of this very abftrufe fubject.
3. The curd. — In Norfolk this ftage of
the procefs is very Ihort. Part of the whey
being laded off, the remainder, with the curd,
is poured into a cloth : — the whey drains
through ; the curd is Ihook in the cloth ;
kneaded down into a vat; put under a light
prcfs, or perhaps under a Hone ; the cloth
once changed •, the curd once turned ; and lo !
a Norfolk cheefe appears. The cows are
milked and the cheefe compleated in ten or
twelve hours.
The
220 M I N U T E S MAY
108. The practice in my dairy has been uniformly
this. — As foon as the curd is come at the fop,
firm enough to difcharge its whey, the dairy-
woman tucks up her fleeves, plunges her hands
to the bottom of the vefTcl, and, with a wooden
ciifli, ftirs the curd and whey brifldy about :
Hie then lets go the dim, and, by a circular
motion of her hands and arms, violently agi-
tates the whole ; carefully breaking every part
of the curd ; and, at intervals, {lirs it hard to
the bottom with the dim ; fo that not a piece
of curd remains unbroken larger than a hazel-
nut. This is done to prevent what is called
" flip-curd*' (that is, lumps of curd which
have flipped unbroken through the dairy-
woman's hands), which, by retaining its whey,
does not prefs uniformly with the other curd,
but in a few days (if it happen to be fituated
toward the rind) turns livid and jelly-like,
and foon becomes faulty and rotten. This
operation takes about five or ten minutes j or,
if the quantity of curd be large, a quarter of
an hour.
In a few minutes the curd fubfides, leaving
the whey clear upon the top. The dairy-
woman now takes her difh, and lades off the
whey into a pail ; which fhe empties into a
milk-
1782. NORFOLK. 221
milk-lead to fland for cream, to be churned 108.
for whey butter *. CHEESE.
Having laded off all the whey fhc can, with-
out gathering up the final 1 pieces of loofe
curd floating near the bottom of the vcflel,
{he ip reads a ftraining-cloth over her checfe-
tongs, and drains the whey through it, return-
ing the curd retained in the cloth into the
cheefe-tub. When {he has got all the whey
{he can, by prefling the curd with her hand
and the lading-difli, flie takes a knife and cuts
it into fquare pieces, about two or three, inches
fquare. This lets out more of the whey, and
makes the curd handy to be taken up, in order
to be broken into the vats f .
* This is a practice peculiar to the chcefc .countu?,
and forms no inconiiderable part of the profit of a dairy
in thofe counties. In Norfolk, the whey, even from newr
milk, patfes from the cheefe-vcflels immediately to the
hog-tub.
f A dairy fliould be plentifully furniflied with vats,
nnd fome of them of different fizes ; for when three or
four chcefes are made at each meal, a number of vats be-
come actually in ufc ; and if there are not ftill a number
empty, the dairy-woman becomes confined in her choice,
and cannot proportion exactly her vats to the quantity of
curd (lie happens to find in her cheefe-tub ; and keeping
a little overplus cxird from meal to meal frequently ipoils
a whole cheefe,
Having
222
MINUTES MAY
1 08. Having made choice of a vat or vats, pro-
CHEESE. portioned to the quantity of curd, .fo that the
checfc, when fully preffed, fliall neither over
nor under fill the vat, ihe fprcads a cheefe^
cloth loofely over the vat ; into which me re-
breaks the curd ; carefully fqueezing every
part of it in her hands ; and, having filled the
vat heaped up and rounded above its top, folds
over the cloth, and places it in the prefs *.
In autumn, when the weather got cool and
moift, the curd was fcalded, " to make the
(( cheefe come quicker to hand," (that is,
fooner faleable) and to prevent a white woolley
coat from rifmg. It is done thus : If front
* Much depends on the confrru&ion and powef of the
prefs. The excellency of conftru&ion. depends upon its
preffmg level : if it has too miKU play, fo as to incline
and become tottering or leaning one way or another, and
do not full perpendicular upon the cheefe-board, one fide
of a cheefe will frequently be thicker than another ; and,
what is ftill worfe, one fuie will be thoroughly prcfled
while the other is left loft and fpongy. Its power may be
given by a fcrew, by a lever or by a dead weight, and
ought to be proporti .,ned to the thicknefs of the cheefe.
I had one conftrufted on the above principles ; th£
power, a dead weight of {tones, contained in a cubical
box, moving in g:ooves fo as to kcrp its bottom horizon-
tal ; the medium weight, i cwt. 2 qrs. but regulated, by
the ftones, agreeably to the thicknefs of the cheefe or
cheefes to be prefled.
new
1782. NORFOLK.
new milk, fcalding water (boiling water with io3.
a fmall quantity of cold whey mixed with ir) CHEESE.
is poured over the whole furface of the curd
as it lies at the bottom of the cheefe-tub : If
from fkimmcd or other inferior milk, the out-
fides only are fcalded, after the curd is in the
vat, by firft pouring the fcalding -water on one
fide, and then, turning the cheefeling, pouring
it on the other. For if in this cafe the curd,
were to be fcalded, it would render it hard,
and fpoil the tafte and texture of the cheefe.
In fcalding the cheefeliag, the curd is firft put
into the bare naked vat,- and the upper part
fcalded : the cheefe-cloth is then fpread over
it, and the vat being turned, the curd falls
into the cloth : the curd, with the cloth under
it, is then put into the vat ; the outer edgca
pared off; the parings broke, and rounded up
in the middle ; and the fcalding water'poured
upon- it as before; the folds of the cloth laid
over, and the vat fet in the prefs.
The whey, being pretty well prefied out,
and the cheefeling (whether it has been fcalded
or not) having got firm enough to handle,
which it will be in about half an hour, the
dairy-woman takes it out of tte vat; waihcs
the cloth in a pail of clean cold water; fpreads
it
224. MINUTES MAY
1 08. it over the vat; turns the checfeling upon it;
CHEESE. fqueczcs it gently into the vat; folds over the
cloth j tucks in the corner with a wooden
cheefe-knife j and replaces the vat in the
prefs.
Suppofmg the c&eefeling to be made in the
morning, it now remains in the prefs, un-
touched, until the evening; when it is taken
out, falted, put into a frefli dry cloth, and
left in the prefs all night.
The method of faking is this :— The fait
being well bruifed, and the lumps thoroughly
broken, it is fpread plentifully on each fide of
the cheefeling, fo as wholly to cover it, about
one-tenth of an inch in thicknefs, more or
lefs, in proportion to the thicknefs of the
cheefe. If this be of a considerable thicknefs,
as fuppofe three inches and upwards, fome
fait is put into the middle of it, by flopping
when the vat is half rilled with curd, ftrewing
on the fait, and on this putting the remainder
of the curd.
Next morning, if the curd be rich, or has
been cold-run, the cheefeling is turned into
another dry cloth, and left in the prefs till
evening : but if on the contrary the curd be
from poor milk, or from milk which before
fetting
1782. NORFOLK. -75
fetting had acquired any degree of fourncfs, 108.
or if it has been run hot and quick, the cheef-
ling mould in the morning be " bare-vattcd ;"
that is, be put into the vat without a cloth
round it, arid be put again into the prcfs until
evening.
The ufe of bare-vatting is id take out the
marks of the cloth, and thereby etade a wafte
of labour in bringing the cheefe to a fmooth
glofly coat. The reafon for the above diftinc-
tion is, therefore, obvious ; for the harder the
curd, the longer the marks of the cloth are in
prefling out;
In the evening, that which was turned into
the dry cloth in the morning, is now bare-
vattcd ; and that which was bare-vatted in the
morning, is now turned in the vat ; and, having
flood in the prefs until morning, tlie procefs is'
finished. The cBeefes are taken out b'f the vats;
and placed upon the fnelf.
Thus, fuppofing the ch'ecflirig to be made
on Monday fnbrnirig, feven o'clock, it i$, be-
tween eight and nine, taken out of the vat ;
the cloth warned ; and immediately placed in
the prefs again. On Monday evening, it is
falted and, if wanted, pared * ; put into a dry
* A cheefling fliould never, in ftritf propriety, be pared
c'fter it has been bare-vatted.
VOL. II, Q cloth j
2* MINUTES .MAY
To8. cloth ; and replaced in the prefs. On Tuefday
CHEESE. morning it is bare-vatted, or the cloth changed }
the cheeiling, in either cafe, being turned, and
again put into the prefs. On Tuefday evening
it is again turned ; and on Wednefday morning
finally taken out of the vat and prefs.
4. The cheefe. — The objects of this moft
laborious department of cheefemaking are, to
preferve the cheefe found in itfelf, and to give
it fuch an appearance as will recommend it to a
purchafer.
Cheefes newly made, naturally acquire a
white fcurfy coat ; which, befides hiding, if not
caufmg, the defects of the cheefe, is at leaft un-
fightly, and is a certain mark of the flovenli-
nefs of its maker. This fcurf arifcs more plen-
tifully on a poor than on a rich cheefe. Cold
moift weather encourages it; but, in warm
weather, the oily exudation of a rich and well-
made cheefe goes near of itfelf to eradicate the
white, and bring on that deiirable blue coat,
which is at once a criterion of the goodnefs of
the cheefe and of the fkilfulnefs of the dairy,
woman.
The Norfolk dairy-woman, howevert pays
little regard to appearances ; and, to fpeak truly
of her, is equally ambitious to pleafc the eye
§782. NORFOLK. 2
and the palate. Her method is this: — the 108.
cheefe (or rather as yet a bundle of curd) being CHEESE. •
taken out of the prefs, is falted upon a large
earthen platter, in the fame manner a piece of
beef or pork is falted ; and, having lain fome
time in fait, it is put upon a fhelf to dry and
ftiffen.
Being in a mariner unprefled ; never cleaned ;
and but feldom turned ; it is no wonder, that
in a fhort time the white fcurfy coat gets full
poflefTion of it ; or that its furface Ihould ap-
pear bloated and wrinkled ; or that its rind
flibuid be divided by innumerable mTurcs ; or
that ife appearance, altogether, Ihould be that
of a fugared plumb-cake, rather than of a
cheefe.
However, with refpecl to appearances, the
Norfolk dairy-woman may plead in excufe that
heir cufto'rriers are familiarized to the ftgbts
which Ihe prepares for them : but when Ihe
follows a practice which fubjedts her produce^
if not fold off while yet in an unripe ftate, to
almoft inevitable deftruftion, Ihe is highly
culpable.
Cheefes made in this country are attacked
by an enemy little dreadecl, or wholly unknown,
in the <;heef<r counties; namely, 'a fpecies of
^ 0^2 rnaggor,
2*8 MINUTES MAY
1 08. maggot, whole unlimited mifchievoufnefs
CKEESE. feems to be confined to this part of the king-
dom.
The fly, which is the caufe of this fcrious
mifchief, is of a fpecies ibmewhat final 1, flen-
der, black, and fhining ; very much refembling
the fmall winged ant. Wherever it finds a
crack or other defect in the rind, be it ever fo
minute, it turns its tail towards the aperture ;
and, by the infertion of a flender flieath not
unlike the fting of a bee, there depofits its
eggs. If the fiilure be fufficiently large and
deep, it enters its hind-parts alfo : if flill
deeper, it crawls backward into the cheefe ;
leaving only its head in fight, and thus injects
its eggs to a confiderable depth.
As the maggots rife into life, they travel flill
farther into the fubflance of the cheefe; and,
if it happens to be porous, foon pervade every
part of it; in a few weeks working its total de-
ilruction : for not only the parts they immedi-
ately inhabit, but the whole cheefe becomes
bitter, and entirely inedible ; except by fome
of the good people of the country, to whom
cuflom has rendered even the maggots grateful.
Lafl year (1781) being remarkable for flics
of every fpecies, there were, in this neighbour-
hood,
1782. NORFOLK. 229
hood, many dairy-women who had not, even I&8.
in September, one thoroughly found new-milk CHEESE.
cheefe in their dairies.
A remedy for this evil would be a valuable
difcovery to the Eaft Norfolk farmer ; for al-
though Eaft Norfolk is not properly fpeaking a
dairy country, there are a great number of cows
kept in it ; not only for its home confump-
tion of butter and cheefe, but for the pur-
pofe of rearing bullocks for the London
market.
The only remedy praclifexl here, in com-
mon, is to place in the cheefe -chamber large
boughs, on which the flics fettle. The boughs
being loaded with flies, ere taken into another
room, and beaten upon the floor; by which
means numbers may be deftroyed ; numbers,
however, are ftill left behind ; and while there
is one fly in the room, a defective cheefe is
not fafe.
This mifchievous animal, whether in its fly
or maggot ftate, is very difficult to be de-
flroyed, without aftnally crufhing it. By way
of experiment, fhut up the cheefe-chamber as
clofe as poffible ; and burnt in it not lefs than
four or five ounces of fulphur ; caufing a fume
powerful enough to have ftifled an elephant ;
Q, 3 kM
230 MINUTES
1 08. but not a fly Buffered by \\..—Agamt put a
ciJLi:s.I:' flice of cheeie affefted by the maggot, into
fome boiling water, immediately from the
tea-kettle: let it lie a few minutes in the
water : took it out and broke it : the maggots
were, to every appearance, as much alive as if
they had riot been in the w^ter 1— -It is in
vain, therefore, to think of deftroying thq
animal; for, although the fly may be eafily
killed by hand or otherwife, and, with a little
pains, the dairy and cheefe-chamber might
for a moment be cleared ; yet, from the
numbers which are bred in the neighbour-
hood, the very air is filled with them ; and
the room, of cor.rfe$ prefcntly replenilhed :
therefore, the only way left of avoiding
the lofs is to endeavour to find out fomc
. means of defending the cheefes themfelves
againfl the attacks of thefe deftructive ene-
mies.
Thefe means, I flatter myfelf, are fully
pointed out in the practice I am now regifter-
The firft week or ten days, the
catrefes are carefully turned once a day ; great
care being had not to break the yet tender rind
ID turning } nor to fuffcr it to be cracked by
too
1782. NORFOLK. 3,31
too free an admiflion of a dry, parching air. 108.
As foon as they are become firm enough to CHEESE-
be handled with fafety, they are cleaned in
this manner : fome fkimmed whey being put
into a milk-lead, or other broad, fhallow
veiiel, fo as to cover the bottom of it half aa
inch or an inch deep, the cheefes to be cleaned
arc taken from the fhelf and placed in the
whey. One fide being thoroughly moifteneo^
the other fide is placed downward : the edges
too are wetted with a cloth, fo as to make the
whole coat of the checfe foaking wet. The dairy-
woman then takes a hardbrufh, and brufhes
every part of the cheefe ; frequently dipping
her brufh in the whey, to eradicate the white
coat more readily and r»ore effectually. This
done, Ihe places them again on the flielves ; bu,t
before they be quite dry, while their coats are
yet moift, Ihe rubs them over with a cloth, on *
which a piece of whey, or other common, but-
ter has been fpread. This keeps the rind fup-
ple, and free from cracks j checks thefcuify
coat from rifing; and, by flopping the pores
and fiffures of the coat, prevents the fly from
depofhing her eggs. If the rind be rough,
from the marks of the cloth or other caufe, me
fcrapes them with a knife, or other inftrumcm :
23* MINUTES MAY
1 08. this laft operation, however, is as yet performed
CKtESE. -with great care and delicacy.
Having thus vvalhed and (craped them two
pr three times (in the courfe of about a week
from the firft cleanfmg) fhe removes them from
the dairy-fticlves into fome fpacious airy room,
with a firm even Boor, which (he firft rubs plen-
tifully with green fucculent nettles, fo as to
give it a temporary greennefs, and then places
her cheefes in rows upon the prepared floor.
She now waihes them no more; but, if the
coat be yet rough, and the fcurf continue to
rife, fhe fcrapes them more freely than before ;
and, as the rind get? harfh, foftens it with
butter; thus continuing to treat them, and flill
continuing to turn them once a day, until they
acquire a rich golden polifh, and the blue coat
begin to fhew itfelf.
This crifis, namely, the appearance of the
blue coat, is not altogether regulated by the
age of the cheefe, but depends on its quality
and the ftate of the weather. Perhaps it may
appear before the cheefe be one, perhaps not
until it be more than two, or even three, months
old ; therefore, no certain number of cleanings
can be fixed; thefe rules, however, maybe
pbfervable : fcrape and rub them, until they be
per-:
1782. NORFOLK.
perfectly fmooth j mellow the rind with butter, ipS.
whenever, for want of natural exudation, their CHEKSE.
eoats get dry and harfli ; thus continuing to keep
them fmooth yellow and glofly, until the blue
coat begin to make its appearance, volunta-
rily ; and then, but not before, begin to encou-
rage the blue coat.
This ingenious procefs is thus conducted :
Having rubbed the floor thoroughly with frefh
nettles, the dairy-woman places fuch of the
cheefes upon it as fhe judges to be ready for
«* coating ;" and upon the top of each cheefe puts
three or four vine-leaves ; or, for want of thefe,
a, cabbage-leaf. This, if the cheefe be good,
will in a day or two bring up the defired veft-
ment : but an inferior cheefe will take a longer
time in coating; and as the leaves lofe their
greennefs and fucculence, Ihe replaces them
with frcfh ones ; and as Hie turns the cheefes,
which is now done every fecond or third day,
fhe re-covers the upper fides with leaves ; but
wipes their edges hard with a clammy cloth;
fo that the edge> and a narrow ring round each
fide, ever retain the polifhed yellow hue.
When the cheefes were properly coated, and
their edges, had got fuflkiently firm, they were
placed
, MINUTES. MAY
108. placed on edge in a chccfe-rack *,-and, without
further care, (except once a week moving them
a little round, ami now and then wiping their
edges) there remained until the time they were
fcnt to market,— which was yeflcrday.
The foil from which thefc cheefes were made
is a fandy loam, but lies cooler, and is of a bet-
ter quality than are Norfolk foils in general.
The herbage principally rye grafs (lolium
ptrcnni), oat grafs (bromus mollis), and
white clover ( trifolium repent}, being princi-
pally new-lays of three to five years old.
• * Cljetfi-racks fave labour in turning, — collect the checfe
into a fmall compafs, - and put it out of the way of vermin.
They may be >arioufly coaftrufted. The plate-rack, with
fgu-r or Jive tier one above another, fccms to be the be ft
form. If the cheefes be nearly of one iize, the rack fliould
bt made the fame width at the top as the bottom : but if
they be of different lizes, it ought to be made narrower at
the top than at the bottom ; and if they be of different
.thickntfTes as well as of dift?rcnt diameters, the fpaces for
the refpective cheefcs fliould likewife be varied. A fmall
rack may be Hung with a rope and pullies at each end \
fa as be to dravyn up and lowered down at pleafure : but a
large one is difficult to flingy in a common room, in that
manner ; it ought therefore to ftand on legs about two feet
high, with a broad bale-board projecting over the legs, foas to
prevent vermin from climbing up into the rack. Mine was
on. the latter conftruclion.
1782. NORFOLK.
The cows of die Lancafhire breed*, and of ic3.
different ages. CHEESE.
The cbeeff, in quality and appearance, re-
fcmbles very much that of inferior Warwick-;
ihire, or the two-meal cheefe of Glouccfter-
fhire ; being lean and dry, cpnfidering the
fpecics of milk ; which was; neat, or nearly
neat, from the cow.
This inferior quality is probably owing, in
a great meafurc, to the quality of the foil ;
and perhaps, in fome degree, to the method
made ufe of in feparatin.g the whey.
With refpeft to the fyt not one cheefe in a
hundred (after the mifchief was firft difco-
veredj fuffered from it. There cannot be a
greater proof of the eligibility of the method
in tfcis cafe pra<ftifed, than that of my being
able to preferve the principal part of the dairy
jo a time when there is not, generally fpeaking,
another Norfolk cheefe i;n this part of the
county j-.
if
* That fomething confiderable dependi on the breed or
•variety of cow is evident from an experiment I made with
the milk of the Alderney cow ; the produce from which was
of a texture almofl as clofe and firm as bees-wax, and
nearly as high-coloured ; as different in quality and appear-
ance from the produce of the long-horned cows, as if they
were two diftincl fpecies of animals.
-(• On the Sjtfolk fide of the eoupty, :»bout Harlefton
1$ MINUTES MA*
io5. If from one year's experience I might vcn-
CKS.SSE. ture to dictate in the art of making checfe in
Norfolk, it would be in this way.
1. To make ufe of a clean well- flavoured
rennet.
2. To purfue the method now in ufe of fcparat-
ing the curd from the whey : for, although
the method above defcribed may be eligible
on rich land (and is p raft i fed in the counties
of Wiltfhire, GloucefterGiire, and Wanvick-
fhire), yet, on a leaner foil, it may be prudent
to preferve as many of the butyraceous particles
as poffible in the curd, rather than to fuffer
them to cfcape from this, and pafs through the
whey into butter * ; provided cheefes of a fuf-
feient contexture to fecitre them from the attacks cf
tbzfiy, can be produced by tbe method offeparating
the whey now in praflice in Norfolk.
3. To let the cheefes remain in the prcfs
until they have acquired a fufficient degree of
and Difs, the method of making checfe partakes of the
Suffolk practice ; which, though not cehbruteJy is a degree
above that of Eaft-Norfblk.
* It is, however, obfervable in this place, that, in point
of neat prof?, it is hi^hJy probable that the certain advan-
tage arifin;; frojn the butter would more than overbalance
an}' p'obable advantage which the quality of the cherfe
4 receive bj* retAintng ;n the curd a fart of this
firm.
1782. NORFOLK.
firmnefs, and their rind fuch a degree of 108
toughnefs, that they may, on being taken out
of the prefs, be fafely handled, without danger
of cracking.
4. To keep their coats fupple and clean ;
the firft, to prevent, as much as poflible, their
cracking afterwards in turning ; and the latter,
to difcover with greater readinefs, and to re-
medy with greater eafc when difcovered, any
flaw which, through accidents or overiighr,
may happen.
5. If througb accident or neglect the flv
fhould be fuffered to make an impreffion
(which is eafily ditcoverable by a dimple in
the rind and its foftnefs to the touch), cut out
the part affected (perhaps not yet larger than
a. walnut), duft the wound with pepper, fill ir.
up with butter, and clofe it with a piece of
loft paper : thus forming an artificial rind,
which will fecure it from further injury, until
it has acquired an age fufficient to recommend
it to a purchafer.
By thefe rules, / am of opinion, that cheefe
of a middle quality as to richncfs, and fecure
againft the fly, might be produced in Eaft
Norfolk ; provided the prefent method of fcpa-
rating the whey, will give the chesjling a fuffi-
twit degree of texture to be handled with fafety *.
* My doubts, refpe&ing this matter, arife not more
from
*3& M 1 N tf T E S MAT
JoS. If not, lam certain, that by adhering clofely
CHEESE. throughout, to the practice above regiftered,
a tubolefome good chcefe, palatable to men in
general, &to& proof againft the fly, may be made
in Eaft Norfolk^ with a great degree of cer»
tainty.
From the loofc crumbly texture of Norfolk cheefes in ge-
neral, than from the following practice ; which, likewife,
Strengthens my apprehenfions of the richnsfs of the cheefe
iu quefHon being lowered by the curd having been broken
too finely in the whey.
A gentlewoman, who lives in this neighbourhood, who
pays a perforial attention to her da;ry, and whofe abilities
in matters of houfehold 2re indifputable, fays, that when
flie wifhcs to make a cheefe of d fuperior degf ee of -rich-
nefs, for her own tuble, fhe takes the curd and whey out
of the cheefe -tub very gently, with a fleeting difh (before
they have been any way difturbed) and puts them immedi-
ately into the vat ; upon which flie places a broad hoop ;
by means of which flie is able to pile up a fufiicient quan-
tity of this whey ey clird to fill the vat when preflcd. She
then folds over the cloth, and lets the prefs down upon it,
very gently and gradually ; fo as to fqueeze out the whey,
and at the fame time retain that rich milky liqfvror which
is mixed among the curd, and which by much breakiu?;
before it be put into the vat,- is loft among the whey. With
care, flie fays, the whey may be drawn off quite green and
clear ; leaving the " buttery" particles behind in th6
cheefe. By this means, flie fays* flie has made-chetffea
which have toaftedas fat as Glouccfkdhire cheefe : but adds,
that great care is neceffaiy in handling a chef/ling thus matte;
for if it crack j no preffng u7.,7 ever clo/e it again.
i7Sa. NORFOLK.
169. 109.
MAY 17. In the courfe of laft fummer I BUTTER.
likewife paid confiderable attention to the art
of making butter ; regiftering, at the time of
cbfervatton, the minutiae of the different pro-
ccfles.
In the producYion of good butter, much no
doubt depends on foil and herbage -, and fome-
thing, perhaps, on the fpecies of ctnso : — much,
neverthelefs, depends upon management.
The different ftages of the art are,
i. Milking the cow.
t. Setting the milk.
3. Preferring the cream.
4. Churning.
5. Making up the butter, for prefent ufe-.
6. Putting it down, for future ufe.
i. Milking. — Cleanlincfs is the bafts of the
whole art.— A dairy-maid Ihould not be fuffe'red
to fit down under a cow with a pail which a
fine lady would fcruple to cool her ten in ; nor
until fhe has wafhed the teat of the cow and
her own hands : and for this purpofe <:lean wa-
ter and a cloth fhould always be at hand.
A cow
24o MINUTES .MAY
109. A cow fhould be milked at regular and
BUTTER. ftated hours j and, if poffible, always by the
fame perfon : for cows, in general, will not
give down their milk fo willingly to a flranger
as to one with whom they are intimate. The
confequence is, the richeft and beft part of
the milk is left behind in the udder, and the
cow which is not clean-milked becomes dry
prematurely.
2.. Setting the milk. Much depends on the
cleannefs of the vefTel, the degree of heat
of the milk when fet, and its depth in the
veflel.
In rummer it is difficult to fet milk to cool :
— in winter no time fliould be loft in getting
it as foon as poffible into the pan or milk-lead.
Should it be let too hot in fummer, " the cream
does not rife fo fmooth and rich, nor in fo
large a quantity, as when it has been fet of a
due degree of warmth : — it is apt to come up
frothy ; and does not, in this cafe, prove well
in the churn."
Judicious dairy-women, therefore, in fum-
mer, pour their new milk firft into a large ear-
then jar or other veflel, there letting it remain'
half an hour ; or until it be nearly cool, and the
froth be funk ; and then put it into the lead or
pan
178*. NORFOLK.
pan, in which cold water has, until that timea 109.
Hood. BUTTER.
If it be fct too cool in winter, the cream will
not rife fo thick as when fet immediately from
the teat, or has had a little hot water put into
the milk; viz. about a pint of water to a gal-
lon of milk, or as much as will make it new-
milk warm : that is, ninety to ninety-five de-
grees.
The depth of th$ milk ftiould not exceed
two inches : from one to two is a proper depth.
If the milk be fet too thick, the cream does not
rife fo freely ', nor, confequently, in fo large a
quantity in a givpn time. If fet too fhallow^
it is difficult to feparate the cream from it.
3. Preferring the cream — The great art here
lies in keeping the creafn free from ranknefs^
to a proper age.
Frefti cream affords a well-flavoured butter ;
but yields a lefs quantity than ftale cream ; it
being a received opinion among dairy-women,
that age, and a flight degree of acefcency in
the cream, increafes the quantity, without in-
juring, fenfibly, the quality of the butter; but
that the fmalleft degree of rancidity in the crearrt
fpoils the flavour of the butter.'
In winter, cream may be easily kept free from
any degree of acidity ; but, in fummer, it re-
II. R: quires
241
*42 -MINUTES MAY
109. quires Come care to keep it entirely free even
BUTTER. from ranknefs.
A quantity of cream, though ever fojudi-
cioufly taken off the milk, will, when put in-
to a veflel, and fuffered to (land fome time,
let fall a greater or fmaller quantity of milk.
It has been difcovered that this milk, or
dregs of the cream, which fubfides at the
bottom of the veflel, becomes rancid much
fooner than the cream itfelf; and that, being
fuffered to remain at the bottom of the veflel,
it prefently communicates its rancidity to the
cream : and further, that if it be permitted
to mix again with the cream in the churn,
the butter takes that marbled half-cheefe-
like appearance under which we too frequently
fee it.
Therefore, a judicious dairy-woman never
fuffers thefe dregs to remain any length of
time under the cream. She has two means
of preventing it; namely, repeatedly flirring
them together to prevent them from fubfi-
ding too frequently ; and, when a proper
quantity is fubfided, pouring off the cream
into a freih veflel, leaving the dregs behind.
In fummer, a good dairy-woman ftirs her
cream-jar every time (generally fpeaking) flic
goes
*7&i. NORFOLK.
goes into the dairy ; and mifts it every morn- 100.
ing (and in clofe muggy weather every even- BUTTER.
ing) into a frefh, clean, well-fcalded jar, or
other veiTel.
To take off the rankriefs of cream produced
from turneps, the Norfolk dairy-women fome-
times fcald their cream : this however is al-
lowed to leflen its produ&ivenefs of butter;
aiid I was told by a lady, whofe attention to
her dairy entitles tier to credit in this cafe,
that putting a quart of boiling water into each
pail of milk before it be fet, is a more effectual
and lefs wafleful remedy.
4. Churning. The principal art in churn-
ing lies in keeping the cream of a due degree
of warmth in the churn ; and in giving it a
due and regular agitation. Warmth and a
rapid motion makes it come quick : coolnefs,
and a gentle motion, brings it ilowly. If
butter come too quickly, it is foft and frotby,
and foon turns rancid ; nor does it part front
the butter-milk fo freely, nor yields fo large a
quantity, as when it has been a proper time in
churning. If it come too fldwly, there is
labour loft; befides the butter lofing its fla-
vour and texture* From one to two hours is
a proper length of time in churning.
R 2 If
243
*4+ MINUTES
109. If the weather be hot, the churn ought to be
>UTi£R. chilled with cold water before the cream be put
into it, and ihould be placed in a cool fituation :
if cold, fcald the churn with boiling water, and
endeavour to churn in a warm room. If in
cither cafe thefe be not fufficient, add hot or
cold water to the cream during the time of
churning.
If the cream be inclined to get frothy in the
churn, open its mouth for a few minutes, to let
in the air, and give the froth time to diffipate ;
and the butter will generally come fooner than
it would have done had the agitation been con-
tinued : for, while the cream is in a (late of
frothinefs, the butter will not feparate. Rever-
ling the motion has fometimes a good effeift *.
* It is this ftate of frotbinefs, (fermentation it cannot
be called) which fometimes gives inexperienced dairy-
ivoinen much fatigue of body, and anxiety of mind. In
the d:iys of witchcraft thecaufe ivas readily afcribcd; and
the witch was often fuccefsfully burnt-out, with a red-
hot poker. The devil, to this day, is now and then fub-
jefted to a fimilar treatment ; and with equal fucccfs : for
while the poker is heating the froth fublides ; and, in cold
weather, the warmth communicated to the cream renders
this ftroke of heroinifm doubly efficacious. There may
be other caufes (than the frothinefs of tho cream) of that
obftinate delay which not unfrequently happens in this im-
portant operation ; which well defcrves a philofophical in,-
Yeftigation.
If
17*2. NORFOLK. 245
If the butter come in fmall particles which 109.
are flow in uniting, {train off part of the but- BUTTER,
ter-milk ; and the butter in general will fooner
gather. Reverfing the motion generally gathers
the butter quickeft -f-.
5. Making up the butter. When the butter
is fufficiently gathered in the churn, which is
known by the largenefs of the lumps, and
the cleannefs of the dajhers, it is taken out;
kneaded in a bowl, or other fhallow vefiel,
to let out the butter-milk ; fpread thin over the
infide of the bowl, and clean cold water poured
over it; kneaded, broken, and re-fpread in
the water ; the water poured off; the butter
beaten, in large lumps or handfulls of three or
•four pounds, againft the fide of the bowl ;
re-fpread ; faked ; the fait worked in ; re-
\vafhed ; and re-beaten, until the water come .
off unfullied ; which it will do after two or
three wafhings. It is then broken jnto pound-
lumps ; re-beaten againfl the bowl; and printed,
or otherwife made up.
But before the dairy-woman begins to take
the butter out of the churn, Ihe firft fcalds,
and then plunges immediately into cold water,
every vefiel and thing which fhe is about to
make ufe of; in order to prevent the butter
t A horizontal or barrel-churn is here to be underftood.
R 3 from.
246 MINUTES
109. from flicking to them. In fummcr, when the
BUTTER. butter is very foft, it is fometimes necefTary to
rub them after fcalding with fait, which greatly
aflifts the wood in retaining the moiflure.
She alfo puts her own hands into the hottefl
water Ihe can bear them in ; rubs them with
fait ; and immediately plunges them into cold
water : — this flie repeats as often as Ihe finds
the butter flick to them.
There is a Jini/hing operation, which is fome-
times given in the neighbourhood of the me-
tropolis, and perhaps in fome few provincial
diflridts : in general however this excellent
finifh is omitted ; — either through want of
knowledge, or want of induftry, or through
polity : for its ufe being to give not only firm-
nefs and a wax-like evennefs of texture to the
butter, but to extract from it entirely the but-
ter-milk and the water in which it has been
warned, the quantity is thereby leflened; for
fo many ounces of milk and water extracted,
fo many ounces fewer of butter go to market :
this however is the beft proof of its utility;
and butter cannot flrictly be faid to be market-
able, until it has undergone this operation:
whiph is thus performed.
The bowl or tray being wetted to prevent
the butter from flicking to it j and a cheefe-
cloth
1782. NORFOLK, 247
cloth flraincr or other cloth being walhed in 109.
clean cold water and wrung as dry as poffible ; BUTTZR.
a pound-lump of butter is placed in the bowl ;
and, with a ftroke of the hand proportioned to
the ftiffnefs of the butter, is beaten with the
cloth. As the pat of butter becomes flat and
thin, it is rolled up with the cloth, (by a kind
of dexterity which can only be acquired by
practice) and again beaten flat ; the dairy,
woman, every three or four flrokes, rolling up
either one fide or the other of the pat, and
moving it about in the bo'.vl to prevent its (lick-
ing. As the cloth fills with moifture (which
it extracts from the butter and imbibes in the
manner of a fpunge) it is wrung and re-wafhed
in clean cold water. Each pound of butter
requires in cool weather four or five minutes to
be beaten thoroughly, but two minutes are at
any time of effential fervice.
In warm weather it is well to beat it two or
three times over ; as the coolnefs of the cloth
affifts in giving firmnefs to the butter *.
* 1781, JULY 23. Weighed a lump of butter before
and after being beaten with a cloth. Before beating it
weighed lixteen ounces and a quarter ; after beating fifteen
ounces and three quarters ; juft half an ounce of butter-
milk and water being abforbed by the cloth, during about
three minutes beating. The cloJR was wrung equally hard
before and after the operation : a confiderable quantity of,
milk and water was wrung out of it.
K 4 6. Putting
24? MINUTES MAY
109. 6. Putting down. — The more pure the butter
is when put down, and the more perfectly it is
afterwards kept from a communication with
the outward air, the longer it will retain a ftate
of perfedr/KW//**/}.
The purity of butter confifts in its being
free from internal air, moifture, filth, and a.
ranknefs of flavour.
The prefervation of butter therefore depends
principally on the pa/lure and the method of
making. If the pafture be rank, whether through
foil, manure9or herbage, it is generally injudicious
to put down butter from it. But if the pafture
be fvveet ; and the cows be properly milked,
the milk judicioufly fet, the cream carefully
kept, and properly churned ; and the butter
well worked up, with an additional quantity of
fait ; there is little art neceflary in putting it
'down to as to preferve it fvveet for feveral
months : neverthelefs the more judicioufly it is
put down, the longer it will retain its fweetnefs.
There are various vcffels ufed for putting
down butter. When a length of carriage is
neceflary, wooden firkins are the fafeft : gla-
red earthen-ware, however, is preferable when
it can be made ufe of with fafety and conveni-
ency : for, out of this, the external air may be
entirely fecluded.
The
1782. NORFOLK. :
The figure or fhape of a butter jar fhould be 1 09.
that of the lower fruflum of a cone ; namely, BUTTER,
wider at the bottom than the top : refembling
the (landing or upright churn : the top of it
being made fufficiently wide to admit of its be-
ing filled conveniently j but not wider.
This form prevents the butter from rifing in
thejar, and effectually prevents the air from in-
fmuating itfelf between the jar and the butter ;
whofe natural elafticity preffes it, in this cafe,
{lill clofer to the fides of the containing veflel :
fcut, were the form of this reverfed, the fame
propenfity of expanfion in the butter would
feparate it from the fides of the jar, fo that to-
wards the top a knife might (as it frequently
may) be drawn round between them, and the
air of courfe have free admifilon.
The method of putting it down is this : —
The butter having lain in pound-lumps twenty-
four hours, the dairy-woman takes two or three
of the lumps, joins them together, and kneads
them in the manner in which pafle is kneaded.
This brings out a confiderable quantity of wa-
tery brine ; which being poured out of the
bowl, the butter is beaten with a cloth as be-
fore 5 and the jar having been previously
foiled, or otherwife thoroughly fcalded, and
having
MINUTES MAY
109. having flood to be perfectly cool and dry, the
butter is thrown into it, and kneaded down as
ck>fe and firm as- poffible, with the knuckles
and the cloth alternately ; being careful not to
leave any hollow cell or vacuity for the air to
lodge in ; more particularly round the out-
fides, between the butter and the jar : — and
for this purpofe fhe repeatedly draws her
finger round by the fides of the jar ; preffing
the butter hard, and thereby uniting intimately
the jar and butter.
It is fortunate when the jar can be filled at
one churning ; but when this cannot be done
conveniently, the top is left level ; and,
when the next churning of butter is added, the
furface is raifcd into inequalities, and the two
churnings united into one mafs.
The jar being filled with butter to within
two or three inches of the top, it is filled up
with brine ; made by boiling fait and water (in
the proportion of a handful to a pint) ten mi-
nutes or a quarter. of an hour ; ftraining it intq
a cooling vefTel ; and, when perfectly cool,
putting it upon the butter, about one and a half
or two inches thick. If a wooden bung be put
upon this, and a bladder tied over the mouth
of the jar, butter thus preferred, from a good
palhire
1782. NORFOLK. af
paftarc, will remain perfectly fweet for almoft 109.
any length of time; provided the ^ars be BUTTER.
placed in a dry and cool fituatioa.
I 10.
MAY 18, (See MIN. 97.). There is not BULLOCKS
now lefs than four pounds a head difference
between thefe two parcels of bullocks ! yet
Mr. is defervedly reckoned a good
farmer ; and has treated his heifers in the
common way of throwing turneps to them ;
firft on his wheat flubbles, and afterwards on
his ollands.
There was one thing, it is true, very
much againft Mr. : his beft piece of tur-
neps lay detached from his farm ; except from
a part which was too wet to be thrown upon;
and although he got a neighbour to let him
throw upon an adjoining piece of young clo-
ver (giving him the teathe for the conveniency)
yet he had no other " fhift" than that of his
turnep-clofcitfelf; drawing from one part and
throwing upon the part already bared ; and
this fpring being unmercifully wet and cold, the
bullocks flood to their dew-claws in dirt ; and,
what was worfe, had no other place to lay dov/n
pn. This was undoubtedly againft them.
Ne-
35* MINUTES
llo. Nevcrthelefs it is obfervable, that bullocks
BULLOCKS in general, this year, have not done better
than thefc. Mr. 's have not done better ;
he had three under-done ones " turned out" of
Smithfield laft Monday : and Mr. — — . — is
not an inferior grazier.
Yet notwithflandingthe badnefs of the feafon,
and the much-complained-of badnefs of tur-
neps, this year, Mr. Baker's heifers have done
extremely well. For, although they were
bought-in on very high terms, they will, if they
meet with a fair market, nearly double their
firft coll.
I have flill continued to attend particularly
to the fatting of thefe heifers ; which was thus
conducted. They have had plenty of turneps
and a " clean trencher" every day ; with plenty
of followers to lick up the crumbs ; fo that
the fatting bullocks only picked and chofe the
prime of the turneps : and in this feems to con-
iift the excellency of the management. For
thefe heifers were fatted abroad, where they
remained night and day; with ftraw fcattered
under the hedge. Toward the fpring, however,
when the turneps began to lole their goodnels^
they had bay inftead of flraw.
This pvaclicc, which is not peculiar to Mr.
J$. is very judicious; for the bullocks are
thereby
i?8a.
NORFOLK.
255
thereby led on from turneps to grafs, without
receiving a check between them.
The above is not the only inftance of Mr.
B.'s fkill in grazing. Laft year, he fold
two Galloway Scots for near fifty pounds.
Thefe however he had kept " over-year ;" —
that is, from Odober 1779, to May or June
1781 ; eighteen or nineteen months.
But, a few years ago, he fold five Scots, in
May-June, which he had bought in, at
St. Faith's fair, the preceding Odober, for
twenty pounds a piece. The lot confided of
ten : — the other five he fold at feventeen, eigh-
teen, and nineteen, pounds each. This half
fcore did not cod him quite nine pound ten
{hillings a head ; fo that, in about feven months,
he doubled his money.
But what is ftill more, about four or five
years ago, he bought nine Irijb bullocks at St.
Faith's ; namely, feven at feven guineas each,
and two at fix pound fifteen fhillings each.
Thefe he finifhed by the beginning of June,
and fold (in Smithfield) four of the fmalleft
at fixteen pounds a piece ; the remainder at
eighteen pounds or upwards. This is pro-
bably the greateft grazing that ever happened
in the cotintv.
1 10.
BULLOCKS
AT
TURN EPS.
BRF.FD OF
CAT ILK.
Much,
254- MINUTES MAT
rid. Much, however, may depend on the choice
BULLOCKS °^ a Bullock f°r feeing- The Norfolk farmers
know, or pretend to know, whether a bullock
will grow during the time of his fatting ; and
it is the bullock which grows and fats at the
fame time, which leaves mod profit to the
grazier. If one may judge from Mr. B — -'s
fuccefs in grazing, he is deeply verfed in this
myftery ; indeed, the heifers before-mentioned
are a ftriking proof of his judgment in this par-
ticular. For they have grown very confider-
able, as well as fatted kindly ; whillt the prin-
cipal part of Mr. --- 's, out of which thofe
were drafted, feem, as to carcafs^ the fame
as they were laft October.
A thick ihin is a favourite point in a High-
land Scot ; and there may be other points
fymptomatic of a growing bullock ; but I am
apprehenfive that a good grazier forms his
iudgment from general appearances, and from
inruitive impreffions, rather than from parti-
cular marks and figns : and I am of opinion,
nothing but continued practice and clofe at-
tention can make a man a judicious grazier.-
in.
MAY 25. Yefterday Mr. -- mewed
me another account for eleven more of his
heifers,
1782.
NORFOLK.
255
SMITHFIELD
MARKET.
heifers, which happened to go up to a good in.
market laft week. They neated 1047. i-js. BULLOCKS
lod. f, or p/. i is. ahead. They cofl about TURXEPS.
6/. i$s. and therefore left a profit of 2/. i6s.
a piece, only; but, confuieringthe high price at
which they were bought-in, and the untoward-
nefs of the feafon, they have not done amifs.
He may thank, however, the fluctuation of
Smithfield market.
The preceding week there was an uncom-
monly full market. Smith alone drove feven
fcore. The demand was glutted and the prices
low. (A farmer in the neighbourhood fent up
three, which were fold for what he had ex-
pedled for two of them !). This frightened
the grazier ; fo that, laft week, the market
was thin, and they fold well.
A week or two at the finifhtng of the tur-
neps feems to be an injudicious time to fend
bullocks to Smithfield and St. Ive's : — there is
generally a glut about that time. If, there-
fore, bullocks are fit, they ought to be fent
off a week or two before j if not, they ought,
if poflible, to be kept two or three weeks
longer.
1 12.
MINUTES
MAY
112.
DISTRICT.
SEA- CLIFFS.
J 12.
MAY 28. Yeiterday morning, fet out, early,
for Ingham fair — by way of the fca-coaft.
Made the coaft at Munfley, and kept it to
Haibro'; fometimes riding above, fometimes
below cliff.
There being a large fleet of fhips, clofe in
land, {leering to the northward, with a gentle
breeze upon the quarter, and the morning mild
and pleafant, the ride became delightful ;
though fometimes rendered awful by the height
of the cliff, and the narrownefs of the path
immediately upon the brink of it ; more efpe-
cially as the cliff itfelf is of an earthy crumb-
ling texture, and liable to " fhoots/' \\ hereby
many acres are every year fwailowed up by the
fea/
Mr. Baker (who rode with me) fhcwed me
the remains of a field, which men, now living,
remember to have been twelve acres ; of
which there is now only a corner of two or
three acres remaining. Had this piece lain
parallel with the line of the cliff, every rod of
it mii ft have long fince difappeared.
The lofs is the greater, as the foil is rich
and prolific in afuperior degree. Noble crops
rife
1782.
NORFOLK.
257
rife clofe to the edge of the cliff; except in 112.
fome places where the fea-fand is blown up in SEA-CLIFFS.
too great quantities ; which it is, moft parti-
cularly toward Muniley, where the cliff is not
Icfs than one hundred feet high ; more than at
Hafbro',where it does not rife ten feet from the
beach.
In going above-cliff we faw two large heaps MARL.
of marl, which have been got out of the face
of the cliff.
This, it fcems, is a common practice of the
farmers whofe lands lie next the coaft. It is
fometimes drawri up by a wince, which they
call " davying" it up; or elfe run up in
wheelbarrows, in oblique paths, made in the
face of the cliff; in which manner thefe heaps
appear to have been got up : but neither the
place where it has been dug from, nor even
the path or gangway, except juft at the very
top, are now to be feen • the whole having, in
a few weeks, crumbled into the ocean1.
Further along the coaft, towards Hafbro',
the farmers throw up a clay, out of the face
of the cliff, which is here very low : and near
the village of Hafbro* is found a white brick-
earth efteemed the beft in the county.
VOL, II, S I have
MINUTES
MAY
112,
COAST-
MARL.
COAST.
CLAY.
BRICK-
EARTH OF
THE COAST.
COAST HUSB.
I have examined the three different earths,
and tried them in acid.
The " marl " is a white gritty chalky
Norfolk marl ; cfFervefcing very flrongly.
The «' clay" is of a browner darker colour,
but interfperfed with fpecks of a white chalky
fubftance : this effervefces very confiderably,
but not fo violently as the marl.
The " brick-earth " is of a dufky-white, or
flone-colour. It is lefs harlh than the other
two fpecimens ; eafily burfling between the
fingers to a fmooth impalpable powder ; and
effervefces ftrongly in acid. This did not fur-
prife me, as I had enquired particularly into
whether it was " good for the land ;" for I
have not yet found a clay which has been fet
on as a manure with fuccefs, which has not
been ftrongly calcareous. I had, however, con-
ceived that bricks could not be made from a
calcareous earth. But the fact is, that this
earth is calcareous, and that the Walfliam
brickmakers give 31. a load for it upon the
fpot, and carry it fix or feven miles, to make
white bricks and pavements of.
The farmer knowing, with a degree of mo-
ral certainty, that his land next the fea will
fhoot down into it, why does he not, at once,
cart
1782.
NORFOLK;
MARRAM.
cart away the rich top-mould for bottoms of H2.
dunghills, &c. andcaft, at his cafe, the marl COAST HUSB.
or clay which lies beneath it ? 1 faw no trace
of a regular plan of this kind, either in this
ride, or in the journey to Yarmouth.
Going below- cliff gave me an opportunity
of feeing more fully the nature of the marram
plant. The leaves proceed from a fmall crown,
from whence, downward, proceeds a long fimple
hollow root, with verticils of fibres at different
diftances,- according to the depth ; the upper
ones being only two or three^ but the lower
Ones eight or ten inches, afunder. I meafured
one root eight feet long, and I apprehend the
length is generally equal to the depth of the
fand-bank. In mowing marram for thatch,
the workmen keep their fithes an inch or
more under the furface of the fand. Marram
upon a cultivated foil (a ditch bank) grows
with a broad flat blade, and does not take that
rulhlike form which it appears in upon the fand*
banks.
Norfolk Hujbandty. In a large inclo'fure near
ingham were thirty fine Scotch bullocks (be-
longing to a capital grazier in that neighbour-
hood) ; fome fat, others fatting ; weighing from
fifty to fixty ftone a bullock ; confequently
S i worth.
NORFOLK
HUSBAN0,
MINUTES
MAY
112.
MARKETS.
YATTING
CATTLE.
•worth from three to four hundred pounds. —
What a fight is this in an arable country !
Ingham Fair. There were three or four hun-
dred head of cattle, and more fat bullocks than
there were at Walmam and Worflead jointly ;
and thefe, too, finilhed in a fuperior ftyle.
The farmers in that country are, like their foil,
ftrong in hand ; and even now, bad as times
are, are faid to be getting money.
There were a good many buyers ; but the
fellers were unreafonable in their demands.
They did not afk lefs than five {hillings a (tone
for beafts that were tolerable meat. There
might be from fifty to one hundred fold.
Very little young {lock I apprehend \vas
fold. There is indeed very little in the coun-
ty; and now the farmers having, from the wet-
nefs of the feafon, a profpect of grafs, they are
unwilling to fell, except at extraordinary
prices.
A farmer of South-Reps fold eight, two-year-
olds, forward in flefli, and very pretty ones,
for 5/. ioj. a head. This is paying him very
well, though they have been at full keep ever
fince they were dropt.
It may be faid that fatting cattle at two years
old is nipping bullocks in the bud j fo it may 5
but
1782.
NORFOLK.
but if this farmer, for inftance, were to keep his
bullocks till three years old, he would bring up
calves in proportion ; fo that from a given
quantity of land the community has the fame
or a fimilar quantity of beef.
Jngham fair reaches four or five miles
round on every fide. We breajcfafted at
Hafbro'j baited at Ingham, and dined at Brun-
ftead ; a circuit which Mr. B. and his friends
take every year among their relations and ac-
quaintances. This fpecies of fociability and
hofpitality is not peculiar to Ingham : Wal-
fham, Worftead, South-Reps, Alboro', St.
Faith's, &c. &c. have their fairs, more famed
for their hofpitality than the bufinefs tranfa&ed
at them j except the laft, which is one of the
Jargefl fairs in the kingdom.
Yorkfhire has \tsfeafts; other countries their
wakes; and Norfolk its fairs. —
112,
FATTINQ-
CATTLE,
NORFOLK
"3-
JUNE j. This morning went tp fee Mr.
Baker's fix heifers go off for Smithfield-market,
with five under-done fleers of Mr. D.
The heifers are beautiful • one of them
more efpecially : (he is '* full every-where" — no
point higher finilhed than another ; and is, to
ufe the grazier's phrafe, as firm as wax, and
s 3 ap-»
SELLING
BULLOCKS,
MINUTES
MAT
SELLING
BULLOCKS,
PUYTNG
BULLOCKS.
appears fo compleatly fluffed within, that fhe
feems to walk with difficulty. There is another
appears, to the eye, to be fatter than this ; but
Ihe bandies locfe ; and will probably wafle much
jn traveHing j wherej.s Mr. B. has no doubt
(and he fpeaks from experience) but that the
former \v\\l /jew her ptints better in Smithfield-
market than fhe does now ; adding, that a
" right-fat bullock does not Ihrink in travel-
" ling nearly fo much as one which is only
" meaty."
Enquiring, of the drover, as to who has fent up
the befl bullocks this year; he faid, that Mr.
iW^bf R-^23— Hall, had fent the beft lot
he had driven this year. Ah ! fays Mr. B — ,
" Peter always buys a good bullock. If a man
" don't buy a good thing, he can never expedl
" to have any thing capital ; he does not mind
f< a few {hillings at St. Faith's :" adding, that
^ we think nothing of a difference, at this time
" of the year, of three or four pounds a bul-
" lock ; but look as much at Ihiliings on Fay's-r
^ Hill, as we do at pounds in Smithfield.'*
This dropt fpontaneoufly • from Mr. B. and
is, no doubt, the principle and grand bafis of
his own practice. For he always buys the bed
bullocks he can lay his hands on; and he is,
and
1782.
NORFOLK.
263
and has been for fome years, efteemed very
juftly the beft grazier in this neighbourhood.
It is obfervable that bullocks have got on
very faft at grafs this fpring. Mr. B. gives
for a reafon, that the weather is cool ; and altho*
it has been wet, rainy weather does not hurt
bullocks fo much as it does Iheep. Hoc
weather, he fays, is theworft for bullocks ; " it
'« fets them a-gadding; — makes them cock their
"tails and run about the clofes; and nothing
" checks them more."
BULLOCKS
AT CRASS.
JUNE i. Howhelplefs are the Norfolk far-
mers on a wet foil ! If the water do not run
through it like a fieve, they are at a ftand : if
it lodge on the furface, they are loft.
This uncommonly wet fpring has embarrafled
them. Mr. — -, one of the oldeft and beft
arable farmers in the neighbourhood, came to
me the other morning to defire I would let him
have a little wood to " bum-drain" a piece of
land, which he wanted to fow with barley ; but
which he could not get on to ; it being under
•water! ^
I reafoned wi^ him on the impropriety of
under-draining a piece of land while it lies
S 4 fopped
NORFOLK
HUSBAND.
a6* MINUTES JUVE
1 14. Topped in wet, and which was to be immediately
HVsBAND trodden with the plow and harrow-horfes. I
could not, however, convince him of his
error; and, hoping that it might hereafter be of
fome ufe, as well as to prevent a clamour, I
this morning went and fet him out fome alders
(juft broken into leaf !) and went to fee his
operations ; which are in fome forwardnefs.
The clofe is nearly a fquare of ten acres ;—
lying with a mpft defirable gentle defcent ;
and the little quantity of water which flood
upon it was towards the bottom of the piece ;
in the place where the water-furrow is ufually
jnade; but where he is making a trench for
a fub-drain !
The foil is a ftrongiih fendy loam ; lying on
g^iL a perfectly found abforbent brick earth ; but
PROCESS xvhich, from three or four months continual
rain, had become fatiated : and all that could
be poffibly wanted, at prefent, was a furface>
drain to carry off the fuperfluous water.
His fon, who I found was a principal in
thebufmefs, though defervedly efteemed one of
the be{l huibandmen of his years in the county,
went with us. — He feemed to think that
the water might have been got off, but then
how were they to have plowed and harrowed
without
1782.
NORFOLK.
without filling up the drain? I told him, 114.
that if he had put oae horfe in a plow and SOIL PRO-
CESS. '
drawn each furrow (the foil lying in five-pace
warps), and afterwards had taken two and cut
a deep crofs-furrow ; then fet on one man to
fhovel out the crumbs, 2nd another to open
the eyes of the interfurrows with a hoe, every
drop of the {landing water might in a few
hours have been got rid of: and — the land
having lain in this ftate until a dayor two of
fine weather came — if he had then began to
plow on the upper fide of the clofe,— and
worked towards the outlet, at the lower end of
the crofs-furrpw,— he could have had no more
trouble with the furface-water.
JUNE 7. Fence-walls, carried to a prpper FENCES A**
height, are warmer and more durable than
battens ; the cuftomary farm-yard fence of this
country. (See BUILD, and REPAIRS, Vol. I.).
But, if walls are not raifed to a proper
height, they afford little Ihelter, and arc con-
tinually liable to be uncoped by the cattle.
The yard of Antingham-Hall farm is a fufficien,t
jnftance of the former, and various inftances
of
*66
MINUTES
ifi
YARD-
HRLDING3.
of the latter occur on different parts of this
eftate.
A fence-wall to a farm-yard fhould not be
leis than fix feet high ; the coping is then out
of the reach of the flock. Where dung is
laid againft it, the height ought to be ftill
greater.
Battening is very expenfi ve, and frequently
out of repair.
Fofts, rails, and kids are, in many points of
Vievv? preferable.
116.
JUNE 8. It is very dangerous to run up
fea-ftone walls too quick. Mr. had one
Ihot down the other day at Antingham, and
nearly killed one of the workmen. The wea-
ther was wet, and the bricklayer run up the
wall, at once, without flopping, at intervals,
to let it fettle. The ftones, being already
faturated with wet, could notabforb the moifture
of the mortar j— the air being alfo moift, the
mortar, of courfe, remained pappy ; and fea-
ftones, being globular, have no other bond or
flay than the mortar ; which being unable to
hold them together, the fuper-incumbent
weight crufhed down the whole.
Had
jf8s. NORFOLK. 167
Had the bricklayer proceeded by ftages, let- 1 1 6,
ting the lower parts gee fufBciently firm before SEA-STON$
the upper parts had been laid on, the mortar
would have had time to ftiffen, and the wall
would have flood.
If the (lones and air be dry, one halt, when
the wall is a few feet above the foundation, is
generally found fufRcient.
*»7.
TUNE 13. This afternoon, ivent to fee the SELLING
Smithfield drover pay off his " mafters," at his
chamber, at the Angel, at Walfham (Market-
day— Thurfday).
The room was full of <f graziers," who had
fent up bullocks laft week, and were corus
to-day to receive their accounts and money.
What a truft ! A man, perhaps, not worth a
hundred pounds, brings down twelve or fifteen
hundred, or, perhaps, two thoufand pounds,
to be diftributed among twenty or thirty perr
fons, who have no other fecurity than his ho-
nefty for their money :— nay, even the fervant
of this man is entrufted with the fame charge;
the matter going one week, the man the other :
tut fo it has been for a century pad j and I do
np,t learn that one breach has been committed.
»68 MINUTES JUKI
1 1 7. The bufinefs was conducted with great eafe,
SULLOCKS. regularity, and difpatch. He had each man's
account, and a pair of fmall faddle-bags with the
money and bills, lying upon the table : and the
farmers in their turns took their feat at his el-
bow. Having examined the falefman's account;
received their money ; drank a glafs or two of
liquor ; and thrown down fixpence towards the
reckoning, they feverally returned into the
market.
Lafl Monday's market being what is called
a *' whipping market," the room was filled
with chearfulnefs and fatisfaction : there was
only one long face in the company. This was
a farmer who had fent up three bullocks, for
which he had twenty-four pounds bade ac
Wallham fair ; whereas the falefman's account
from Smithficld, notwithstanding the goodnefs
of this week's market^ was only twenty-two,
pounds.
Such is the uncertainty of Smithfield-mar-
ket ; and fuch the misjudgement or partiality
of the Smithficld falefmen. If thefe bullocks,
were worth twenty-four pounds at Walfham
fair, they ought after three weeks or a month's,
grafs, and confidering the market and the ex-
pcnces incurred, to have fetched twenty-feve»a
twenty-
1782. NORFOLK. t6j
twenty-eight, or thirty pounds, in Smithfield ; \\jt
but they will not neat twenty-one pounds. SMITHFIF.L&
From twenty-two pound, the grofs fale, dcdudfc
the expences, feven fhillings and one-penny
half-penny a head ; there remains only twenty
pounds eighteen fhillings and fevenpence half-
penny ; little more than two-thirds of their value.
Laft week, it is true, this farmer had trie
bed end of the flaff: four bullocks, belong-
ing to four feparate graziers, were fold in one
lot ; and the falefman divided the lot equally ;
though it was allowed that this farmer's bullock
was not worth fo much by two pounds as foine
of the lot !
Mr. Baker received for his fix heifers. They
fold uncommonly dear; far exceeding what wo
had laid them at ; for inftead of five millings,
they fetched nearly fix fhillings a flone. One of
them which we had laid at forty-eight ftone
fold for fourteen pounds*.
The
* Among thefe heifers was a feventh — a " foul-dugged'*
one : namely, an open heifer, which had dropt her calf
in coming from Scotland; and was given to Mr. B. by
one of the drovers, to make him amends for a hard bar-
gain of laft year : an inftance, this, of gencroiity in the
drover.
This heifer was treated the fame as the other fix ; among
which flie was fatted ; and was, as to fatnefs, on a par
with the reft ; was fomewhat larger ; and would, no doubt,
prove nearly as well : neverthelefs, Mr. B. knowing the
difadvantageous predicament fheftoodin, did not lay her
at
MINUTES
JUKI?
117,
SMITHFIELD
MARKET.
DISTRICT.
The under-done fleers, which went up with
thefe heifers, (fee MIN. 113.) fold for nothing.
They did not fetch above eleven pounds
a-piece, one with another, notwithstanding
they weighed confiderably more than the
heifers.
This ihews the abfurdity of fending bul-
locks to Smithfield before they be fat : Mr.
B.'s were "right-fat," and fetched fix {hil-
lings ; — Mr. D/s only " meaty • " and did not
fetch four {hillings and fixpence, notwithftand-
ing the extraordinary market*
118.-
JUNE 17. On Saturday laft fet out for the
BLOWFIELD HUNDRED, and the YARMOUTH
MARSHES, in company with Mr. John Hylton,
of Felmingham, who formerly reiided in that
diftrid.
We pa!Ted through the following Hundreds
and Parilhes.
at more than ten pound. But following thefe heifers t<5
London, and falling in company (on the eve of the mar-
ket) with a butcher, to whom he related thefe circum-
ftances, he got twelve pound ten {hillings for her : a ftrik-
ing inftance, this, of the advantage of following bullocks
to Smithfield : and, in fimilar crofs cafes, or when the lot
fent up is extraordinarily large, it may fometimes be pru-
dent for a Norfolk grazier to attend the market in perfon ;
but, in general, perhaps, it is three or four guineas, and
three or four days, unprofitdbly fpent ; provided the gr»-<
siier can depend upon the vprightnefi of his falcfman.
1782.
NORFOLK.
271
1.12-23 3|| ||| §
^ P '-3 &>~3 "tJ ~3 "= E trfi^J | _-3
DISTRICT*
*j
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C? S
liflHl i^
I'll 11 III fill
Slilijlia-All.
wanton
elm. ice.
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1 § 1 § I
C .^ r. *£ e
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t
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ditto
light
good wheat lo
EIUO
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|
good wheat 1
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various, and (
wfceat land, a
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111
all . !.
If
51 £^*^c«S s?S_sl
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ill I !!'- i£ o2
:-aSw ts-^:5>j= i/>"3
S 2 .5 -i l .= «§ Jj « •33,
i ^ 4j j sceq^gg, e g.
fif P
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272
MINUTES
JUNE
118.
SOIL OF
SLOWflELD.
MANURES
OF
BLOWFIELD
HOPS IN
BLOWFIELD
The foil moft prevalent in the BLOWFIELD
HUNDRED is a rich dark-coloured loam, of a
good depth ; the farmers plowing from five
to feven or eight inches deep ; and affect to
laugh at the fhallow plowing practifed by
farmers in this part of the county.
There is no marl in the Hundred ; but, the
river Yare running by the fide of it, the
farmers get marl very reafonably from Nor-
wich ; and fet on about ten loads an acre:
Dung they alfo get by water from Yarmouth
and Norwich.
The firfl thing which firuck me in Blow-
field Hundred was a tolerably large hop garden.
We called upon a perfon in the village of
Blowfield ; who is owner of this and two or three
more patches ; he being the principal grower
in the parilh. Enquiring as to the quantity of
hops grown in this neighbourhood, he faid that,
three or four years ago, there were ten acres of
hops in the parilh of Blowfield ; which, he add-
cd^ is more than can be collected in the reft of
the county. At prefent, however, there are not
more than five acres, and the quantity is every
year declining. Hops have lately been low, and
the crops have notanfwered the expence. There
are two or three drying»houfes in the town, but
they are, except one, going to decay.
17*2. NORFOLK. ,273
The principal crops of the Blowfield Hun- 118.
dred are wheat,- barley, peas, and firft-year's ARA;>,:.K
;> l MAV. OF
clover.
The Wbtats are in general very promifmg,
and mark the good ne Is of the foil, and the
plentifulncfs of the manure of Norwich and
Yarmouth:
Saw feveral pieces of dibbled wheat, which
made an uncommonly beautiful appearance :
but the practice is by no means general.
The Barleys havealfo a promifing appearance;
and
The Peas, which it feems are ten-fold more
numerous this year than ufual (owing to the
prefent low price of barley), are luxuriant and
very forward,- confidering the feafori. A large
proportion of them <<r fet ;" that is, dibbled in.
The Clovers, where they have taken, are fine j
but the Rye-grafsy in general, hides the fmall
quantity of clover, even of \hefirftyear : and
as to two-years lays, there is fcarcely a piece to be
feen in the whole Hundred : the foil is faid to be
<4 quite tired" of this crop. The feedling-
plantsare in general fufficicntly numerous, and
look very promifing the firfl autumn ; but ga
off in the courfe of the winter.
Their Turitfp^ crops, too, have failed them
of late. Mr. Batchelor, of Bradftone, (a fen-
VOL. 1L t Qble
MINUTES
JUNE
118.
ARABLE
MAN. OF
BLOWHELD
BULLOCK-
SHED.
fible intelligent farmer, at whofe houfe I flept)
fays, that twenty or thirty years ago, he never
could get flock enough for his turneps : he has
finifhcd forty or fifty bullocks in a year : now,
he does not know how to buy few enough; and
does not finifh more than twenty or thirty : the
roots do not come to any fize ; and have no
" tack" or proof in them.
The Blovvfield farmers in general fat their
bullocks in fheds, or in bins in the yard.
Some of their buttock-Jheds are large expen-
five buildings. Mr. Batchelor has a very good
one : it confifts of a center building, thirty-
fix feet long, nineteen feet wide, and about
eleven feet high to the eaves; with a pair of wide
folding-doors at each end ; and with a lean-to
on each fide, the whole length of the building,
and eleven feet wide.
The center building is the turnep-houfe;
the lean-tos, fheds for the bullocks; which ftand
with their heads toward, or rather in, the turnep-
houfe; from which they are parted by a range
of mangers only; having the full freedom of
breathing in its fpacious area. By opening the
doors at each end, a fufficient degree of air and
eoolnefs may be given in the clofeft weather ;
while, behind, the eaves of the fheds are
brought
378a. NORFOLK. *75
brought down to within five feet of the ground, 1 1 8.
and are boarded with rough boards (excepting J^
an opening at each end for the bullocks to creep
in at) to prevent too great a eoldnefs in fevere
weather ; thus preferving a due temperature.
This Ihed holds twenty bullocks, ten on
each fide, fattened by the neck, with chains,
fwivels and rings, playing freely upon pofts,
feven feet high. At each coraer of the turnep-
houfe is a triangular bin for the topped-and-
tailed turneps.
In autumn, the entire building is fometimes
ufed as a temporary barn, for buck, peas,
Sec. and in fummer, the center part is an excel-
lent'waggon-fhed : had the doors been made a
foot and a half higher, it would have been an ad-
mirable refuge for loads of corn or hay in a
ihowery harveft.
The main building is covered with reed, the
lean-tos with tiles.
At Ranworth I faw a ftill more expenfi/e
tmllock-flied than Mr. B.'s ; it being all clofc
boarded and painted : the entrance for the bul-
locks are folding-doors, which fhut dofe like
the back-doors of a barn. The doors to the tur-^
nep-houfe, however, are I think (till fmallef
than Mr. Batchelor's. The conflrudion is
T a nearly
MINUTES
Jt/N*
118.
BULLOCKS
AT
TURMEPS IV
LLOU'FIELD.
YARMOUTH
nearly the fame as that of Mr. B.'s, which is a
more fubftantial though rougher building.
The turneps are drawn intothe houfe in carts,
and friot down in the area; where they are
topped and tailed. — The roots are given to ths
fatting bullocks whole ; and the tops given to
the cows and lean flock.
The man who tends the bullocks, tops and
tails the turneps ; in doing which he ufes a
very large knife and fork, made for the pur-
pole; it having been found from experience
that a man, who flands perhaps fifteen or fix-
teen hours in a turnep-houfe,cannot handle them
in cold weather without injury to his hands.
It is confidered as a much more fevere employ-
ment than that of drawing them in the field.
The MARSHES were a new world to me.
They form a vafl level, containing many thou-
fand acres, of a black and fomcwhat moory
foil; formed, perhaps, originally of fea- mud :
it being highly probable that the whole level
has onoe been a gulf of the German Ocean.
Until about twenty years ago, this valuable
tract lay principally under water ; except in a
dry fummer. But during that fpace of time a
number of windmills have been eredted, which
throw the water into main drains, formed for
the
1782. NORFOLK. 277
the purpofe. By this means the principal 118.
part of the marfhes are freed from furface- YARMOUTH
MARSHES.
tvater early in the fpring ; fo that cattle may
now be turned into them about the beginning
of May, and are kept free long enough to per-
mit them, in general, to remain there until
near Chriftmas.
The Marfhes, taken colle&ively, are, though
nearly level, not perfectly fmooth ; being fur-
rowed into inequalities byfwamps; which, in
their natural ftate, feem to have been the main
drains of the mud-banks.
Thcfe fwamps, or " reed-ronds," in fome
places of considerable width, are now the
main drains to the Marines ; from the grafly
drier parts of which they are detached by
banks of foil •, which at once ferve the pur-
pofes of roads, fences, and embankments.
In the beginning of fpring, the water is
thrown from the grazable parts into thefe
reed-ronds •, — which, in their turn, are alfo
drained ; and mown for thatch, hay, &c. fo
that, by the amftance of the mills, every part
of the Marfhes now become productive.
The grazing parts are divided into inclo-
furcs, of various fizes and figures, by means
of water-ditches, of different widths, from
five or fix to eight or ten feet wide.
T 3 Thcfe
278 MINUTES JUNE
1 1 8. Thefe water- fences, running in all directions,
YARMOUTH and being of various widths, makes it probable
\IAHSHFS
that the principal part of them were the fmaller
furrows, or partial drains, which carried off
.the rains, back-water, &c. in a ftate of nature.
The inclofures, or " marfhes," run from
ten or fifteen to forty or fifty acres each ; be-
long to a variety of owners ; and are rented
by a ftill greater pumber of occupiers ; almoft
every farmer, within fifteen or even twenty
miles, having his marfh.
The herbage of thefe marfhes is various, even
in the fameinclofure : for the individual marines
are far from being level; they being more or lefs
fcooped out into hollows ; where the water
lodges a conliderable time after the higher
parts are dry. On thefe grow a rich luxuriant
herbage, compofed of the choicefl meadow-
graffes ; while on the moifter parts grows a
long wiry kind of grafs, which I think the
marfhmen call "flat;" and which the cattle
are very fond of. But none of the grafles be-
ing yet in blow (the poa annua exceptedj and
the aquatic grafs not having yet formed its fruit-
{talk (the feafon being unufually backward),
I could not afcertain the fpecies.
Mar/b-worms. — The Marfhes are infefted by
a grub, which lafl year deilroyed many acres of
grafsf
,782, NORFOLK. *79
grafs, by eating off the roots about an inch be-
low the furface. This year, the damage is
trifling ; there are, however, ftripes to be feen
in almoft every marfli, which look nearly as
brown as the foil itfelf. The grafs is totally
dead; and by ftriking off the furface, with the
heel of the boot, the grubs may readily be
found. They are from an inch to an inch and
a half long, and about the thicknefs of a goofe-
quiil. Their colour is a dark dufky brown,
with a black head, and two whitifh lines wav-
ing irregularly from the head along the back
to near the tail. They are generally believed
to be the grub of the cock-chafer; but I
cannot learn that any one has accurately traced
the metamorphofe.
Tht flock of the Marfhes are principally
young cattle, lean Scots, and old and young
horfes. There are, neverthelefs, a confiderable
number of fatting bullocks 5 and fome fheep.
I do not learn, however, that the Yarmouth
marlhes are equal, in their fatting quality,
thofe on the Thames, or to Romney marftes.
Bullocks, neverthelefs, which have been at tur-
neps, and have had the fpring-bite of clover,
receive no check on being put into thefc
marmes ; but, on the contrary, get, in a tew
months, a very confiderable improvement.
T4
280 MINUTES JUKE
118. If they were properly drained from the
YARMOUTH puddles of furface- water which ftand on them
MARSHES. F
till late in the fpring j their faces fmoothed by
levelling; and kept fo by the harrow and rol-
ler; their quality might be much improved.
But, as to improvement, they are totally
neglected : the cattle are permitted to poach
them in winter ; and the tuflbcks which they
tread up remain {lumbiing-blocks to them all
the fummer : while the dung, collected by the
marfhmen, is fold to the upland farmers.
The landlord finds mills, opens the fence-
drains, and hangs the gates; the tenant, who
generally rents them from year to year, and
frequently for only one year, turns in his ftock
as foon as the fur face is freed from water, and
keeps them in until the water, or the feyerity
of the weather, obliges him to draw them off.
The flock are under the care of marjh-men,
who live in cottages fcattered over the Marflies;
— each having his diftrict, or " level of
<£ marfhcs," to look after. His perquifite is a
frilling upon the pound-rent, which is fome-
times paid by the landlord; but more gene-
rally by the tenant.
The marfri-men alfo keep cows, which pick
about in the fwamps, roads, and uninclofed parts,
in
•1782. NORFOLK. 281
in fummer ; and for which they mow winter- llS.
fodder from the recd-ronds, 8cc. They carry YAI?MOI;TS
their butter to Yarmouth, and in winter gene-
rally fell their ^jy-butter above the market-
price of f*r«p«-butt?T ; — the univerfal produce
of the county in that feafon of the year.
We entered the Marihes at Havergate, which
ftands on a bold fwell, from whence there is a
very extcnfive view of this great level; which,
to the left, i^ terminated by Yarmouth (dif-
tant about nine miles) ; to which in fummer
there is a tolerable road, acrofs the Marihes.
At the foot of the fwell, the Marfhes com-
mence. For nearly the firft mile, we rode to
our horfcs knees in water. This watery part is
common to Havergate, and there are two rea-
fons for its being overflowed : It is no perfon's
bnfiv.efs to drain it ; and, what is remarkable,
it lies lower than the middle of the Mar&es ;
which, it fccins, is the highsft, and the bcft,
land.
The firft matih we entered was Mr. Bat-
chelor's (who went with us). It contains about
thirty acres :— his ftock are fixteen fine bul-
locks ; but it would carry three or four more ;
the grafs being now footlock deep. Thefe
bullocks were at turneps Lift winter; at clover
M I N U T E S JUNE
ii8. in the fpring; and are now doing very well.
^art °^ t^cm are alreac*y f°^ to ^e butcher,
and the reft will be ready by harveft. This is
a fair fpecimen of the prelent quality of thefe
marfhes.
We then went over Mr. Hylton's : his
flock chiefly two-year-olds, and colts; with
three or four three-year-olds, which he expetts
will be fmifried by harveft.
We afterwards rode through a variety of
marfhes belonging to their acquaintances and
relations; and having feen a rnarfh-rnill, we
made a fweep towards the middle of the level,
and came up at Wickhampton, where the en-
trance is almoft free from water.
Marjh-milh. — The proprietor of a level of
marfhes either builds a mill himfelf, or pays
fo much an acre to a neighbouring mill ; which
engages to draw off the fuperflupus water.
The conftruclion of thefe mills and the
principle they aft upon are beautifully fjmple.
The body of the mill is built of brick, about
twenty feet highs with fails fimilar to thofe of
a corn-mill, but fomewhat fmaller. Upon
the axis of the fails is fixed a cogged wheel,
of about five feet diameter. This turns a hori-
zontal wheel of the fame, or nearly the fame
fize \
1782.
NORFOLK.
fize -, fixed upon the mill-poft, or upright beam ;
which reaches from the top to the bottom of
the mill. Near the bottom of this beam is fixed
a fimilar horizontal wheel ; which turns a
vertical one, fixed to the axis of the efficient
wheel. This, as to conftru&ion, is afrnall un-
derfoot water-mill wheel ; but, in its manner
of acting, is directly the reverfe ; for inftead
of being forced round by a weight of water
lying above it, it gathers up, by the means
of its floats, the dead water among which they
work, and forces it up into a drain refe*mbling
a mill-dam. This wheel works in a cafe of
wood or ftone, nicely formed to the floats ;
and at the head of the drain is a valve-gate, to
prevent the water from receding when the
mill flops ; it therefore, in eyery refpecr., re-
fembles a water-mill reverfed.
The mill which I examined raifed the water
about three feet ; which is fully adequate to
the draining of the adjacent marflies.
MARSH
MILLS.
119.
JUNE 22. (See MIN. 39.^. Yefterday Mr.
Robert Bayfield told me, that he has fmiihed
the fale of thofe nine bullocks.
One of them fold for ten pounds, and the
reft for about nine pounds a piece ; fo tha&--in
M
FATTING
CATTLE:
M I N U T E S
JUNK
119.
FATTING
CATTLE.
BREED OF
CATTLE.
lefi tqan feven months, taking the par of time,
they have more than doubled their coft.
Suppofe that he kept them, one with an-
other, twenty-eight weeks ; and that he cleared
four pounds ten Shillings a head; they paid
him three {hillings and twopence halfpenny
a week ; which, notwithstanding the high
prices given this year, is great work for a
bullock of lefs than forty {tone ; and fhews,
in a ftriking manner, the value of the Nor-
fplk breed of cattle.
I 2O.
KAXURE. JUKE 30. Obferving, the other day, a dung-
hill, which a judicious hufbandman was fetting
about for turneps, covered with afhes, — I
afked him the reafon of it. He faid, that the
muck being pretty long when it was turned
over, and the weather fince having been dry,
there was much long ftrawy muck at the top,
and on the outrides, which would have been
in the way of the harrow, and would have
kept his light land too hollow ; he therefore
fct it on fire. — A new idea; and, in this in-
fiance, well applied.
121.
1782.
NORFOLK.
121.
121.
JUNE 30. It is very obfervable, that after SUB-SOIL.
the late cold wet fpring, wheats on fcalds arc
affected in a manner fimilar to what they fuffer
by a dry hot fummer ! looking yellow and
puny.
But it has been faid, it feems, by an old
man, who was the oracle of his neighbour-
hood, that " nothing is fo cold as fand wet."
If this be a faft, it may account for this
very remarkable incident. "
122.
AUGUST 8. This year, the fpring being
moift and the weather fine, the young turnep-
plants got out of the way of the " fly,"
which ufually attacks them in their feed-leaf
flate, with very little injury; and a fairer
profpedt of a general and full crop of turneps
has not been feen for feveral years.
Many farmers had begun to fet out their
plants with the hoe; little fufpeding they
were throwing away their labour, and putting
their crops in the way of immediate deftruc-
tion.
The alarm, in this neighbourhood, was given
about a month ago at South-Reps ; where an
early.
C ATI- K -
ijgfl MINUTES AUG.'
122. early-fown piece of turneps, through which a
TURNEP footpath lies, was obfervcd. by pafleiio;ers, to
CATER. 3 .
PILLARS. be covered with the fufpecled flies.
The report of this circum fiance was carried
immediately j by a farmer's fervant, to the
coaft, about Backtori and Walcot ; where, the
turneps being ftill forwarder, the farmers
(who on that part of the coaft either did not
obferve the flies, or, if they did, were not
aware of their evil effects) were bufy hoeing,
and received the intelligence with a fmile ;
congratulating therrifelves on their better for-
tune ; for not a fly was to be feed in their
fields : but, on turning up the under-furfaces
of their plants, they found them fwarming
with young caterpillars ; and immediately-
flopped the hoe. — In the courfe of ten days or
a fortnight the entire fea-coaft was ftripped ;
and the country in general, if reports may be
credited, has already fuftained an injury which
may be felt for mzny years'.
Notwithstanding, however, the flies had
efcaped notice on the part of the coaft above-
mentioned, they were too numerous and too
confpicuous to pafs unobferved on other parts
of it j more efpecially about Cromer; where
they were obferved, feveral days, before they
were
1782. NORFOLK. 487
were feen in this neighbourhood ; and where 122.
the obfervations made this year ftrongly JJf^jJl
corroborate the idea of their being brought riLLARS-
acrofs the fea during a continuance of north-
ed wind.
Mr. Howfe, of Overftrand, (who lives near
the beach, and who is a man of good credit)
declares, he faw them arrive " in clouds, fo
" as to darken the air ;" and the filhermen of
Beck-hithe have made the fame affertion :
while, from the reports of fcveral perfons
who live upon the coaft, they were feen in
fuch numbers upon the cliffs, and in the ad-
joining grounds, that, being apparently fpent
with their flight, they might have been "taken
u up by fhovel-fulls*." Even in the above-
mentioned foot-path piece at South-Reps,
three miles from the fea, they were defcribed as
refembling " flights of bees."
The 28th July, I walked over this piece
with Mr. John Baker, its proprietor. In about
* Afterward, hearing a pcrfon (unknown) relating this
circuiuftance, I aflccd him particularly as to the thicknefs
the flies might lie upon the ground; he faid, in foire places
he believed they lay two inches thick ; adding, that they
alight have been raked up into heaps of ahr.oit any fize.
Perhaps, had fire been put to them in this critical ftate
(which perhaps was not altogether a ftate of reft but of
copulation), number^ might have been deftroyed.
ten
2&8 M I N U T E S
122. ten days after the appearance of the flics, the
TI-RM-P young caterpillars began to appear on the u'n-
PIILARS. dcr fides of the leaves of the plants; and, at
tlv: time I favv them, which was about ten
days more, the plants were entirely eaten up;
nothing but the fkeleton or ftrongef fibres of
the leaves being left: except upon a imall
patch or two towards the middle of the dole;
and except on a border, round the out fide, un-
der the hedges, of a breadth proportioned to
the height of the hedge or tree adjoining.
On the weft fide of this clofe there \vas a
ftfiking inftance of this circumilance. One
end of the fence is free from trees; the white-
thorn hedge, here, riling 10 or 12 feet high:
under this pair., the Border was fomethirig
more than the height of the hedge. The other
end of the fence is full of pollards, with tops
from 18 to 20 feet high; and there the width
of the border was in due proportion. The firft
pollard marked the difference with the greatefl
exa&ncfs 1
Almoft every inclofure has a fimilar border ;
and, in fome fmall pightles fct round wMi
high trees, the plants have. almo{l entirely
c leaped,
Large open ficlds4 and fmaller inclofures
which lie open to the fea-ward, have fuifercrl
molt.
^782. N O R F O L K. 289
.— The hangs of hills dipping from the 122.
lea have fuffered lefs —owing, perhaps, to JURNEP
the flies overfhooting them in their flight. FILLARS.
The fliade of the trees, or the inftindt of
the animal, may likewife account for the bor-
ders round the inclofures ; but why one patch
of a field ftiould be lefs affected than another,
feems fomewhat myileribus. Perhaps, the in-
fects, being naturally gregarious, may hang
together in bodies, even while they are depo-
fiting their eggs.
Thefe patches and borders however, though
they efcape the fly, do not long efcape the ca-
terpillars; for no fooner have they devoured
their fofter-plant, than they begin to travel in
queft of a frefh fupply of food ; and one fide
of the piece being finiihed, they with a wonder-
ful inftinct travel in bodies towards the other.
The whole field being finifhed, the gateway
and the adjoining roads have, it is faid with
great confidence, been feen black with them.
They feem to neglect entirely the grafics
and every other plant, turneps and charlock
(finapis arvtnfis) only excepted. The laft they
are faid to devour with greater avidity than
they do the turneps themfelves.
Mr. Baker inftances a corner patch, which,
for want of hoeing, had got up almoft knee-
VOL. II. U high;
290 MINUTES AUG.
122. high : the turneps were much eaten, but the
CATER? charlocks were flripped to the top.
PILLARS. Various experiments have been tried for their
deftru&ion.
Mr. Baker tried lime, fowing it in the mid-
dle of the night, when the plants were moift
with dews, but without effedt.
He alfo tried rolling. This checked them,
efpecially if two or three times repeated, but
did not fave the plants. It is obfervable, how-
ever, that the plants under the hedges, though
they had been run over two or three times with
a heavy roller, did not appear to be injured by
the operation.
Mr. Chandler, of Munfley, is faid to have
tried foot without effect.
Ducks have been tried by feveral, and with
univerfal fuccefs.
Poultry are faid to be equally beneficial ; and,
if one may judge by a fingle circumftance,
Rooks are highly ferviceable. A large
piece of turneps lying in an open field has efca-
ped in a remarkable manner; it lies near a.
rookery, which is a general rendezvous for
thefe birds ; and I recoiled: to have feen this
piece, more than once, covered with them.
Where
NORFOLK. 291
Where the plants have been hoed out, many 122.
perfons have band-picked them; but this is
tedious and expenfive, where the numbers arc
great. I have myfelf counted twenty cater-
pillars on a plant, not much larger than my
hand. Mr. John Joy declares, that he has
reckoned " fixteen fcore " upon one turnep ;
but it was a large plant, which had been hoed
fome time.
It has beert almoft a univerfal practice among
farmers, tvhen one part of a clofe was cut off,
and the caterpillars were matching to attack
another part which was lefs infefted, to draw a
furrow between them, deepening it with afpade
into a kind of a trench, making the fide towards
the plants to be defended as upright as poffi-
ble ; or, if the foil would Hand, fomewhat over-
hanging, in order to prevent the caterpillars
from fcaling it. This', if well done, had gene-
rally a good effect ; and it was not uncommon
to fee the bottom of the trench entirely covered
with them.
I have feen a trench acrofs a gateway between
two turnep-pieces for the fame purpofe.
Another expedient practifed by many for
checking the caterpillars was, to draw a cart-
rope over the plants, in order to fhakc them
Uz off,
292 MINUTES AUG.
122. off? but cannot learn that it ever proved efTec-
TURNEP tual.
PILLARS. A labourer tells me, that in the " canker
" year," about twenty years ago, the bed contri-
vance that was then hit upon was a kind of
brufh made of furze ; by fixing the branclies to
a long pole or axle-tree, with a wheel at each
end, of fuch a height that the furze brufhed
the plants without pulling them up by the
roots. '] his not only bruftied the caterpillars
off the plants, but numbers of them were
ftabbed and deftroyed by the prickles of the
furze. This, in theory, is very plaufible, and
might be good in practice ; but I have not feen
it, nor heard of its being ufed, this year.
The expedient which has this year caught
popular attention moft, is that of brufhing
the plants with twigs of elder tied upon a
waggon-rope.
Yeflerday, -having heard much of the fuc-
cefs of this expedient, I called upon the
farmer * who had gained the moft credit by
it, to learn from himfelf the particulars ; and
to fee the plants.
The brufti is judiciouily made of the ftraight
luxuriant moots of this year, about the thick-
* Mr. Jonathan Bond, of South-Reps.
nefs
J782. NORFOLK. *93
nefs of the finger, and from two to three feet 122.
long. Thefe are tied upon the cart-rope with JURNEP
rope-yarn, about four to fix inches apart, and
about eighteen or twenty feet long upon the
rope. It is drawn by two men, and takes
half a ten-pace warp (about a ftatute rod) at
once. The men lay hold near the twigs :
—the two loofe ends of the rope being tied
together, and drag at a distance behind the
elder.
The circumftances attending the piece of
turneps faid to be favcd by this contrivance,
were thefe : part of the clofe had been fown
early, and the plants were in rough leaf when
the yellow flies firft made their appearance :
—the other fide of it was not fown until after
that time. The forward part being entirely
cut off, the ground was plowed and fown a
fccond time 5 but the plowing and harrowings
did not kill all the caterpillars :— thoufands
were feen on the furfacc of the ground tra-
velling towards the backward-fown part; the
plants of which had then got to a confiderable
fize.
The farmer perceiving this, drew a furrow
and made a trench between the two parts; and
}ie and his man three times a day (viz. in the
U 3 morning
294 MINUTES AUG,
122. morning before they went to their day's work , at
CATJER P noon w^ien ^y came home to dinner, and at night
when they returned from work) drew the elder-
brufh over the plants. The piece is about three
acres, and it generally employed them about an
hour and a half; efpecially in the morning, when
the dew made the elder drag heavy. He has
ufcd the brufh about ten days, in which time
He has renewe4 the elder three times ; and it is
now nearly worn out.
After looking attentively for fome time
among the plants, I faw only two caterpillars ;
and fo healthy a piece of turneps I do not re-
collect to have feen : they have been fown only
three weeks, yet they are now fit for the hoe.
In riding towards North Reps, I faw a fimilar
machine ; but this is made of the rough boughs,
not the twigs. It is a large aukward unmanage-
able thing : — the woody crooked boughs, fomc
of them almoft as thick as the vvrift, drag up
or lacerate the plants ; whereas the ftraight
twigs, lying flat and evenly upon the ground,
lhake them in a mod effectual manner, without
doing them the fmalleft injury ; every plant is
kept in a quivering motion from the time the
rope touches it until it be paffed by the laft leaf:
and, perhaps, in this confifts the merit of the
invention.
The
1782. NORFOLK. 295
The received idea, however, is, that the el- 122.
der is in its nature noxious to the animal. But ™£*£_p
this I much doubt : indeed, the experiments PILLARS.
which 1 have made convince me that the idea
is erroneous.
The evening before laft, I took fome frelh
elder-leaves, bruifed them between the hands,
broke them in the middle, and put them with
a caterpillar into a fmall tin-box ; {hutting it
up clofe with the cover. Yefterday morning,
it was as brifk as when it was put in.
Yefterday, I took a turnep-leaf and whipped
it with a twig of elder, and afterwards prelTed
them together between the hands for fome fe-
conds, and then put the turnep-leaf into a box
of frefh-gathered caterpillars. This morning
nothing but the fibres were left,
Among another parcel of caterpillars I put a
frefli-gathered turnep-leaf untouched— .another
whipped, &c. with elder ; and a charlock-leaf alfo
frcfh-gathered. This morning the elder-leaf
was not only confiderably eaten, but qne of the
animals was repofing itfclf upon it,
The leaf of charlock had only one perfora-
$ion :— the untainted turnep-leaf had feveral.
It fcems therefore evident that elder, fo far
from being fatal to thefe animals, is not in any
U 4 degree
296 KI I N U T E S AUG.
122, degree difagrecable to them. The merit there-
TURXEP fore of the elder-bruih (if it has anvj lies in
CA 1 ER-
PILLARS, its effectually fhaking off the caterpillars with-
out injuring the plants.
Bat it appears to me highly probable, that it
was the trench, and not the elder, xvhich fared
the plants abovementioned. For if Mr.
Thomas Shephard, of North-Reps, be accurate
in the relation of an experiment which he made
twenty years ago (and I have no reafon to doubt
his accuracy), brufhingoff the caterpillars is of
little ufe. He relates, that he had a two-acre
pightle run over witha cart-rope, day and night,
uninterruptedly, for fome days, without any de-
gree of fuccefs; for, fmall as the piece was,
the plants on one fide of it would be covered
with caterpillars before the men reached the
other lide. Indeed, if we obferve how foon
they begin to crawl after being thrown down,
and how fail they travel when upon their legs,
it feems very probable, that being fhook from
the plants they may regain the leaves, fo as to
begin feeding again, in five minutes. It feems
therefore in vain to expect any eflential benefit
from brufhing them off the plants ; for while
they have life, they will encounter many dif-
ficulties to preferve it.
But
1782. NORFOLK. 297
But whether the plants above fpoken of were 122.
or were not preferved from the caterpillars by TVRNEP
the elder-brufh, I am very much of opinion, PILLAR^,
that in regard to their growth and healthful-
nefsj they received fomc benefit from it. The
exercife of the wind, it is well known, greatly
accelerates the growth of turneps ; and it feems
not unreafonable to fuppofe, that the exercife of
the elder-brum produced a fimilar effect. The
plants in queftion are peculiarly fine, and the
incident appears to me to be worth preferving.
Towards the fca, where the vermin were
very numerous, the plants were ftripped in a few
days ; fo that if the farmer had had fkill, he
had not time, to fave them. His only refource
was, to plow up the ground and fow it a fecond
time : and it is probable, that two-thirds of the
turnep-grounds in Eaft Norfolk have been fub-
jedted to this treatment.
But what is ftill more unfortunate, fome of
the farmers, who plowed up and refowed, have
loft their fecond crop ; for, being willing to
fave the borders and patches which had fared
better than the main body of the clofe, they
left them Handing : but, the plow and harrow
not being equal to the deftruction of the whote
of the caterpillars, thofe which furvived crawled
to
29« MINUTES AUG.
122. to the plants which were left ; which fupport-
TURNEP ing them until the young plants got up, they
MILLARS. returned and prefently eat up the fecond crop.
Some few men are hardy epough to let the
tfalks and fibres remain Handing ; hoping that
they will {hoot again ; and that they may by
this means fave their crops, as well as the trou-
ble and expence of refowing.
AUGUST 15.— In my rides to Wroxham,
Baftwick, Staninghall, and Norwich, thisweek,
I find that fome hundred acres of turneps have
been fayed by DUCKS.
Mr. Samuel Barber had, at one time, upon
his farms, at Staninghall and Woodbaftwick,
near four hundred ducks at work : and, thro*
their induflry, has faved a principal part of
his crop:— had he begun to employ them
fooner, he believes he mould have faved the
whole.
The different detachments (fome of them
near one hundred flrong) were kept by a boy
or girl. They were regularly driven to water,
and reded three or four times a day : but had
no corn nor any other food given them. After
having drank, they would difgorge the caterpil-
lars in great abundance ; Ib that they foon fell
to again witk frelh appetites.
Half
1782. NORFOLK, 3
Half or three-quarter-grown ducks are pro- 122,
ferable to old ones, which are lazy, and will TURNED
fooner eat the turnep-tops than run after the FILJLARS.
caterpillars.
It is very amufing to fee the young ones dart
at their prey : thefe, however, when the cater-
pillars grow fcarce, take to the turnep-tops,
and after they have reduced the vermin to a
certain ebb, do the turneps more harm than
the caterpillars thcmfelvcs do.
This has been ufed as an argument againft
employing ducks ; and, in rcfpect to old ducks,
it may have its weight : but if the caterpillars
are fo few as to tire the young ducks in look-
ing for them, the plants cannot fuflain any ma-
terial injury from them.
The fa& feems clearly to be, that where one
acre of turneps has been faved by any other
means whatever (hand-picking cxcepted) an
hundred have been faved by DUCKS.
Poultry may be equally good (and perhaps
without the evil attendant of eating the plants'* ;
but their ufe does not feem to have been dif-
covered, or attended to, until too late.
Alfo, when a piece of turneps has been in
danger from the enemy in the neighbourhood ;
{nit not already infeftcd ; cutting a trench has
per-
M I N U T E S
Auo,
TURN'EP
CATER-
PILLARS.
TJENTHREDO
OF
THE TURXEP
perhaps been very beneficial : filling the bot-
tom of it with ilraw, and, when the caterpil-
lars were in furhcient numbers among the ftraw,
fetting fire to it, feems to be a late, though an
ingenious improvement.
- AUG. 20. The fir ft of this month I gathered,
alive, eight or ten of the yellow flies fuppofed
to produce the turnep- caterpillars, alib a par-
cel of the caterpillars themfelves.
The flies were eafily caught by beating them
from the leaf on to the ground, where they lie,
apparently lifelefs, time enough to be picked
up. Brought them home in a fmall box, and put
them into a drinking-glafs, covered with per-
forated paper.
Before I could get a third fly into the glafs,
the two firft, happening to be a male and fe-
male, were in the aft of copulation ; and be-
fore I could get in the whole, two more were
in the fame amorous fituation. The party con-
fiding of nearly an equal number of males and
females, an a'imofl: incefTant ardour prevailed, till
the clofe of the evening; and, fetting them in
the fun the next morning,, their amours were
renewed.
Sufpcfting them to be of the genus fen-
tlredo, and being willing to difcover the two
ferrated
1782. NORFOLK. 301
ferrated hminze mentioned as the diftinguim- 122.
ing character of that genus, I put one of the TENTHREDO
females to a flight degree of torture, expecting THETUCXE?
fhe would have unfheathed them as a weapon ;
but I was diflippointed : I therefore (that her
pain might be as momentary as poflible) fevered
her head from her body ; thinking that in the
agony of death fhe might difclofe them ; but
I was flill left in the dark : for, to my aftonifli-
ment, inllead of death enfuing immediately
the decapitation, her body feemed to experi-
ence no great degree of inconveniency from it.
She ran upon the table. I turned her upon her
back : fhe recovered her legs as nimbly as ever ;
fpread out her wings, and actually made an at-
tempt to fly. Three hours after her head was
fevered, her body was to appearance perfectly
alive ; and how long fhe lived afterwards I know
not ; for, conceiving that without the head
the body could not be fenfible of pain, I did
not preferve or deRroy it.
My curiofity, however, was afterwards gra-
tified in a manner I had not expected ; for
putting a frcfh turnep-leaf into ths glafs, as
food for fome caterpillars which were aifo in
it, I perceived one of the female flies pecu-
liarly bufy in examining the different parts of
the
$02 M 1 N U T £ S Aur,;
122. the leaf ; and obferving her to be partial to a
TENTHREDO part which was fortunately on the outer fide
THETURNEP of t}ie ]eaf towards the eye, I tobk a mag-
nifier, and placing it agairift the outfide of
the glafs, faw her very diftinctly unfhcath her
inftruments ; infinuate them into the edge of
the leaf, to a depth equal to their fulleft
length ; and, having feparated them fo as to
form a channel or pipe between them, placed
her pubes to the aperture : remained in that
pofture a few feconds ; deliberately drew Out
the inftruments; ftieathed them ; and imme-
diately went in queft of another convenient
nidus. Standing by a window on which the
fun ihone ftrongly, and holding the fub/edt
between the eye and the light, I faw the ope-
ration very evidently.
The inftruments are brown, refcmbling in
colour the fting of the bee, but much finer, and
appear to be flatted ; but whether they are or
are not ferrated, I cannot be po'fitive. In the
courfe of two or three minutes I faw her
make three cr four depofits.
One of thefe flies lived eleven days ; other
two, eight or nine ; the reft, feven or eight
days. — The females died firft.
What their food is I am not certain. — -The
only thing put to them in the glafs were green
turnep-
J78i. NORFOLK, 303
turnep-leaves. I fancied more than once I 122.
could perceive them feeding on the finer hairs TENTOREDO
of the plant; but am not clear as to the -THETURNEP
fad*.
In the clofe of the evening they take their
ftand, hanging down their heads, and putting
their antennas down to whatever they (land
upon ; remaining in this pofture, and appa-
rently in a ftate of fleep or ftupefaction, until
they become enlivened by the fun the next
morning.
Their fceces are of the colour and confidence
of cream, but dry to a white powder.
The female is confidcrably larger than the
male, and, when upon the wing, appears to be
of a brighter yellow colour. — On examination,
however, their colours are fimilar.
The following is a pretty accurate defcrip-
tion of each fex.
FEMALE FLY. Antenna, or horn-like feelers;
— confifts of nine joints ; the third joint from
the head longer than the reft ; meafure one
hundred and twenty-five thoufandths of an inch
long ; are clubbed ; and black*
* I have, finer, frequently feen them drink the lap
oozing out at the end of a broken fibre of a turnep-leaf ;
and I have, lately, difcovered that diffolved fugar is a fa-
vourite food. Jan. 1/87*
Head.
304. MINUTES
122. Head, with the eyes, and two ear-like appen-
TZNTHREDO dageS, bliick.
OF
THETURNEP Tentacula, or mouth-feelers, — four; amber-
coloured. — Mouth whitilh. —
Wings — four •, deflex ; thirty-five hundrcdths
of an inch long; light-coloured membrane,
with black nerves. Upper wings with ftrong,
black, clubbed nerves along the outer edges :—
under wings, lefs nervous; pro] edting one-
twentieth of an inch behind the apex.
Legs — fix ; amber ; with black feet, a»d five
black articulations. Hind legs, three-tenths of
an inch long.
Body (horn the neck to the apex) — thirty-five
hundredths of an inch: — bright orange ; ex-
cept two diamond-fhaped fcutuli, or patches on
the Ihoulders, black.
Thorax — lefsthan one-third of the length of
the whole body.
Abdomen — mmz than two-thirds of the body ;
and fixed to the thorax, without any infetticn.
Its form is between the cone and the cylinder
(the greatelt diameter about half its length)
compofed of eight fegments on the upper fide,
atid fix on the under fide. Under the two im-
perfecl: fegments lies the —
Pubes — which opens under the laft perfect
fegment of the abdomen ; — and the—
Sting
1782. NORFOLK; 305
— compofed of three f hanger- like 122.
Inftrumcnts, with a fpiral wrinkle winding TENTHRTDO
from the point to the bafe; making tenor THE?URNEP
twelve revolutions : — length about one-twen-
tieth of an inch. Inclofed in zjheatb ; opening
longitudinally ; and reaching from the pubes
to near the point of the tail, where it ends in
a black fpeck; Thislheath ftands edgeway to,
and projects fomewhat below, the body ; but is
fuuated principally in a recefs in the abdomen.
MALE FLY. — The fame as the female; ex-
cept that its antenna meaiure only one-tenth
of an inch in length., — its legs twenty-
five hundredth,— its body two hundred and
feventy-five thoufandth, — and except that be-
neath the two imperfect fegmcnts lies a plain
fcale, covering the
Pent* — which is inclofed in a eloven-hoof-
like eapfukj which forms the point of the
tail.— In the aft of copulation the two claws
of the hoof expand, and, in fome meafure^
embrace the female. — The penis is cylindrical,
ihort, and of a tranfparent, cartilaginous fub-
ftance.
* Improperly fo termed ; its ufe not being that of a
weapon, but an inftrument wherewith the female forms
her nidufes.
^ But fee forward.
VOL, II. X In
306 MINUTES AUG.
122. In copulating, fometimes the male, fome-
TENTHREDO times the female invites. The male leaping
THE TURXEP the female ; and curling his tail beneath her's ;
they become united ; and, turning tail to tail,
remain about a minute in the aft.
After feparation, the female walks off with
fecming unconcern ; but the male remains {la-
tent for fome time. No fooner, however, has he
recovered himfelf, than he begins to drefs for
another amour, by cleaning and burnifhing his
body, and antennas, with his legs ; and, in
about five minutes, becomes engaged in an-
other embrace.
The CATERPILLAR, when full-grown, is
about half an inch long, and one-tenth of an
inch in diameter near the head •, the body be-
ing fomewhat fmaller : twenty legs, fix of
them long (probably anfwering to the legs of
the fly),and fourteen very fhort (perhaps, mere-
ly adapted to the caterpillar). The entire
animal of a jetty black; (except a whitifli line
on each fide, juft above the fctting on of its
legs) with many wrinkles, but without hair.
Having arrived at fome certain period of
life, in fixes its hind parts to a turnep-leaf
or fome other fubftance, and, breaking k$
outer coat near the head, crawls out; leaving
the flough fixed to the lca£
k
K O R F O L K. 3®7
It is now fomewhat diminHhed in fize, being 122.
lefs than Half an inch irt length, and thick in TENTHREDO
proportion; its colour, too, is altered from THE TURNIP
black to a blueifh or lead coloUr ; with a black
line waving along its back; and with t\vo
Imall black eyes, which now arc become con-
fpicuous. It is ftill covered with wrinkles, and
appears in every other refpeet the fame animal
as before.
It is entertaining to fee (through a magnifier)
the caterpillars cat. The avidity and voracity
with which they feed are fimilar to thofe of a
hungry cow turned into a frefh pafture -, and
the motion of the head and mouth is not un-
like that Of the quadruped. If a caterpillar
begiris in the middle part of the leaf j it firft
takes off the furface, towards it ; and does
not, at once, break through the leaf; but^
having cleared a round part half-way through,
it makes a perforation, and preferitly difpatches
the other furface of the leaf: nor does it after-
wards eat the two fides together, but grinds
them down fingly ; until having made a circu-
lar hole of from one-tenth to two-tenths of an
inch in diameter, it leaves this for another
perforation.
It feems probable that thefe round holes
are not the effect of the caprice, but of the
X 2 i^
308 MINUTES Au».
122. inftinct, of the animal, and that they are in-
TENTHREDO tended by nature for the conveniency of the
THETURXEP female in depofiting her eggs.
When the caterpillar is apprehenfivc of dan-
ger, he coils himfelf up in a circular form,
putting his head and his tail together. If the
plant on which he is feeding be fhook, he
immediately coils himfelf up and falls to the
ground; where he lies to appearance inani-
mate, until he thinks the danger over ; when
he unfolds himfelf and foon remounts the
plant.
AUGUST 21. Yefterday morning, going into
a field, where fome plants which had been
ftripped by the caterpillars, had been left
ftanding to wait the effect, (to obferve the pro-
grefs thefe plants had made), I perceived fome
of the yellow flies among them. Being
anxious to procure fome, I went eagerly to
^the purfuit, and found them fo abundant, that
in half an hour I caught near forty, notwich-
•ftanding they were remarkably wild. Their-
lalertnefs flruck me ; they being now more dif-
ficult to take than I had found them three
weeks ago. This led me to the idea that they
are the produce of the caterpillars which de-
ftroyed the plants above-mentioned; for the
ground
1782. NORFOLK. 3*9
ground being left unftirred, the chryfalifes 122.
met with no interruption, but were left to the TENTHREDO
bent of their nature. THE
Wiftiing to trace this infect from the" egg
to the caterpillar flate, I this morning took up
a fmall turnep-plant with a ball of earth to it,
and put it into a garden-por, fet on a faucet of
water. Having a number of the flies in the re-
ceiver of an air-pump (fomewhat bell-fhaped,
about eight inches high and feven in diameter)
I put this over the plant with the flies (licking
to it: — they prefently quitted the infide of the
glafs, on which they were refling, for the plant;
and the fun being warm, they feemed much de»
lighted with their fituation,
I looked with impatience to fee the females
begin to depoiit their eggs, but could only
perceive one which feemed any way inclined to
the operation, and this did not go deliberately
to the edge of the leaf and unfhcath her in-»
flrumcnt in the manner I had before obferved.
AUGUST 22. — On Thurfday the i5thinflanr,
I put fix blue caterpillars (bedewed with moi-
flure exuding from their bodies) intoabox, and
(by way of drying them and placing them in a
flate fomewhat refembling their flate in nature)
put fame common garden-mould to them ;
X 3 covering
3io MINUTES Auc,
122. covering two of them up with the mould, and
TEXTHREDO leaving the other four uncovered ; fome of
them being upon the bottom of the tin box ;
fbme upon a turnep-lcaf, alfo purpofely put in
the box.
Friday the i6th.~The whole had difap-
pcared.
Saturday the 171!*. — Moving the turnep-leaf,
found one under it, alive, but naked.
This morning, to fatisfy myfelf as to the
ftate of the other five, as well as to endeavour
to procure a chr-yfalis, I fearched among the
mould with the point of a large needle; and
turning up one, which ftuck pretty hard to the
bottom of the box, found it crufled with
mould on every fide, except that which was
next to the box ; on which there was a hole
large enough to fee the animal perfectly alive.
Being willing to collect all the authentic in-
formation I could refpedling this interefting
fubjedt, I went down this day to Beck-Hithe,
to enquire of the fifhermen, there, whether they
had feen the flies arrive in cloud-like flights, as
had been reported they did.
Old Hardingham, and his partner, declared
to me, and old Gregory had before declared
;q Mr. Robert Bartram, who went down with
1782, NORFOLK. 311
me, that they have this year feen repeated 122.
flights fly over their heads as they lay at a dif- TENTHREDO
tance from the ihore ; — that they have alfo feen THETURNEF
them upon the fea, as well as upo/i the beach
waflied up by the tide : — and further, that they
have feen thofe which the tide had left, begin,
on the fun's fhining upon them, to crawl ; and,
having recovered themfelves, afterwards take
wing and fly away : and, moreover, feem to be
of opinion that they fometimes light upon the
water to left themfelves, and then renew their
flight.
This appearing to me improbable, I have
tried the following experiments.— I took one of
the flies, and placed it gently on a bafon of wa-
ter. It lay upon it, with its legs regularly
ftretched out, as if lifelefs. Having remained
in this pofture fome time, I agitated the water
in the bafon : this roufed it : and, having got its
wings fomewhat wetted, it raifed its tail, and
when the water had fubfided, very deliberately
dried them with its hind legs ; which having
done, and having otherwife properly adjufted it*
felf, it with the utmoft eafe took wing, and flew
to the edge of the bafon. This experiment I
repeated with the fame refult^
I then took another between my fingers, in
fuch a manner as not to injure, it, and plunged
X it
?!* MINUTES AUG.
122. & into the water-, wetting it thoroughly.
TENTHREDO Its wings and body being by this means loaded
THE TURNIP with water, its utmoft efforts to dry them were
in vain : — it ftill, however, kept upon the fur-
face, and made regular efforts in fwimming ;
by which means reaching the water's edge, it
crawled out, dried its wings, and took flight,
without having received any apparent injury
from the ducking.
Thus the fimermen may be right : in a
frnooth fea the flies may reft themfelves upon
its furface, and renew their flight ; but, being
once thoroughly wetted by the waves, they
cither perifh, or are brought by the wind and
tide to the fhore ; where, if alive, they gain
foot-hold, dry themfelves, and fly to dry
land *.
•* Being doubtful as to the genus to which this fpecics
pf infeft belongs ; and being, under the above date, in pof-
feflfion pf fome living flies, alfo of fome caterpillars and
f hryfaliies, I embraced the opportunity of conveying one
pf them in each ilute to Doctor Morton, (principal libra-
rian of the Britifh Mufeum, from whom I had been
happy in receiving :nore than one mark of difmterefted
friendfhip) in order that the fpecies and its hiflory might
beafcerta;ned ; and, toward, this intent, ,w far a s my oh'
Jervations had then enabled me, a- well as to apologize in the
importance of the fubject for the liberty I was taking, I
accompanied them with the fubflartce of the foregoing mi-
on this fubjedt. Qr> Morton was pleufed to mew
the no
NORFOLK. 3'3
AUGUST 24.— Being ftruck with the before- 1 22.
mentioned incident of the fly living fcvcral TENTHREDO
hours without its head, I this morning, (Sat.) a THETURNI
quarter before feven, cut off the head of a female
fly, which appeared very brifk and ftrong, di-
viding the neck clofe to the head, fo as to leave
the two black appendages fixed to the body,
without maiming the legs. The body imme-
diately recovered its legs, and Rood as firmly
and to appearance as free from pain as if its
head had been ftill joined to it. I turned it on
its back in order to view the different parts of
it, and left it lying on its fide ; bu;: it prefently
fprungupon its legs, and began to adjuft and
clean its wings with as much dexterity as if
nothing had happened to it •> continuing in that
ad for feveral minutes ; and, when it left off,
placed its legs regularly, firm, and upright as
ufual.
Mr. John Baker faw it at nine o'clock {landing
in this pofition ; and the Rev, Mr, Parkinfon
favoring me with a call between twelve and
one, faw the fame. It had, however, by this
them to Sir Jofeph Banks, (Proficient of the Royal Society)
and, through Sir Jofeph's liberality and difmterefleJnefs,
the letter has the honor of appearing in the Philofophical
Trunfaftiom, Vol. LXXUl. Purt I. for 1783, page 317.
time
JI4 M I N U T £ S Auo.
122. time moved a few paces from its fir ft Handing-
ENTHREDO place, and got its head and antenna, which lay
by it, under its body ! It continued upon its
legs all day, and at bed-time I left it Handing.
On Sunday morning, found it in the very
fame pofture. In the courfe of the morning
it had a regular difcharge of the faces. Want-
ing the fond of the microfcopc on which it
flood, I made it walk on to a piece of writing-
paper. This it performed without a ftumble;
and the inftrument by which I urged it forward
having ruffled its wings, it with the urmoft pro-
priety and compofureadjufted them, and too*
its (land as before,
Between four and five on Sunday afternoon,
Billing to move it more into the middle of
the paper on which it flood, and being wiUm*
ro try its ftrength, I put a large needle under
its body, to lift it from the paper : it imme-
diately laid hold of the needle with all its legs,
and not only hung to it, but kept itfelf perfect y
"Fight, and mighr?
Tied to any diftance. Replaced it on the paper
when it took its Hand as ufual.
In the clofe of the evening it began to drop
>dy nearer to the paper, refting its tail
vpn it : but on examining the o.ther flies. in,
I78a, NORFOLK. 31$
the evening, I find that to be the very pofture J22.
in which they all repofe themfelvcs in the TENTHREDO
night!
Monday morning, fix o'clock.=-^In the fame
pofture ; but had moved upon the paper in the
night. In the day> it Hood on its legs as
ufual ! At two in the afternoon Mr. Samuel
Barber faw it. — About five, it cleaned its
wings ; and this afternoon feemed more alert
than it had been fince its hpad had been taken
off,
Tuefday morning— As much alive as before.
About nine it cleaned its wings, and feemed
remarkably brifk. About two, I found it
upon its back ; —-—endeavoured to place
if upon its legs ; but it could not expand
them, though it was ftill evidently alive.
Nine in the evening, it appears to be quite dead.
But, afto,nifhing to reflect op, this fly has lived
upwards of three days without its head !
during which time feveraj of its cotempo-
raries have died with their heads on \ fo that it
may be a moot point, whether cutting off its
head ihortened or lengthened its days ! — Its
life mult have been merely vegetative ; and
the care of its wings pure inftindl *.
* \\~ednefJay morning, the whole dead, except live or
£x, Thurfdny morning, not one alive !
316 M I N U T E S AUG.
i 22. AUGUST 25. This morning, to my great fa-
tisfa&ion, I at laft faw another female depofitt
OF
THE TURNEP and in a different direction to that in which I
had formerly feen them. The fly had her tail di-
rected towards me ^ — -the only direction I could
fee her in. In this point of view I could not
fee her draw her fting, its edge being towards
rnc ; but faw the end of the cafe open, and,
at firft, Hand expanded ; but, as the inftru-
mcnt entered the edge of the turnep-leaf,
(which fhe ftrode) the fheath began to clofe;
and, having reached her f ulleft depth, became
entirely ihut. Having remained a while in
this poflure, fhe, with great deliberation, drew
out her inftrument ; and, having refheathed it,
{load motionlefs for fome tiroe, as if overcome
\vith fatigue.
She was not lefs than iwo minutes in the
operation, owing, I believe, to the age and
ftuntednefs of the turnep.
I faw her withdraw her inftrument very evi-
dently ; but, in the direction of my eye, it
appeared fingie ; whereas, in a fide-view, it
had appeared double.
AUGUST 26. On Thurfday the twenty- firft,
gathered ten or twelve caterpillars, one or twa
vi them remarkably long, namely, iix-tenths or
more,
NORFOLK: ,317
more. All eat till Sunday the twenty-fifth. One 1 22.
left off about noon. — Placed it on a piece of TENTHREDO
OF
paper, and covered it up with a little dry
mould ;— it crawled out not apparently by de-
lign ; but it feemed to want more mould to
root in : covered it half an inch thick with
moifter mould, taken from the garden (the
weather moift) : it kept moving under the
mould for fome time, but in lefs than half an
hour the motion was not perceptible.
This morning the mould ,ftill undifturbcd*
About four o'clock in the afternoon, fearched
for it among the mould with the point of a
needle, and found it (licking to the paper: blew
away the loofe mould, which now was become
dry, and faw the coat perfectly formed, and ad-
hering firmly to the paper.
AUGUST 27. On Sunday afternoon, 25th of
Auguft, put three caterpillars to the live turncp
in the garden-pot; two black, one blue. — One of
the black ones foon mounted the turncp, but
the other feemed neither to have fight nor in-
ftinft towards it.
Perceiving the blue 6ne near the root of the
turncp, in an upright pofture, I apprehended
it was alfo going to feed; but on obfervino; it
more clofely, I found that, inftead of the head
being
3*8 MINUTES AUG.-
122. being afcending, as I had thought, towards the
TENTHREDO plant, its head and part of its body was bu-
THETURNEP lied in the mould ; and, by the motion of the
part in fight, I found that it was in the adl of
burrowing. — In about half an hour it had com-
pleatly buried itfelf ; and had clofed up the
mouth of the hole fo judicioufly, that no trace
©f it rerfiairied on the furface of the mould.
Yeftcrday morning, eight o'clock,placed three
more blue caterpillars on the mould in the gar-
den-pot : — they had remained in a fmall clofe-
ihutting tin-box until they were as wet as moi-
fture could make them, and feerhed to be al-
mofl in a ftate of diflblution ; fo that I was
afraid to touch them with the pliers. One of
them, however, the livelieft, immediately took
to the mould, and buried itfelf in Icfs than an
hour ; the other two appeared fickly •, but at
twelve o'clock they had got a considerable way
Into the ground. About one, their tails were
only to be teen : before four o'clock in the
afternoon they had cortiplcatly buried them*
felves.
AUGUST 28. • Yefterday morning examining
the nature of the female instruments more atten--
tively, I difcovered four hanger^like divffions \
nor
1782. NORFOLK. 319
not only in a fly which I then differed for the 122.
purpofe of further invcftigation ; but in the very TENTHREDO
fubject from which I wrote the above defcrip- THETURNCT
tion, and which I had preferved ; one of the
three being double.
They are fo extremely thin and tranfparent,
that without a good light and a ftrong mag-
nifier, it is difficult to diftinguifh between a
double and a fingle blade.
I am now, however, fully fatisfied as to
their number and fituation. — * — By put-
ting the point of a fine needle into the ori-
fice of the pubcs, and drawing it towards
the point of the tail, I fcparated the com-*
pound instrument into two extremely fine laiv
ceolated lamina?, each of wlrch are evidently
divifible into two fomewhat hanger-like in-
ftruments, making in the whole four; one of
which is placed on each fide the pubcs, and
the other two on its lower margin towards the
tail : — when united, they tr.kc the form of a
lancet.
By cutting off the lower part of the abdo-
men juft above the pubcs, and drawing the-
part on to the point of a very large needle,
ihe fting fpring5 out of the fheath, and is
320
MINUTES
122.
TEXTHREDO
OF
THETURXEP
eafily feparated in the manner above-men-
tioned.
The two fides of the meath are not united
at the back, as I had imagined, but are two
diftindb valves or piccesj until they incorpo-
rate with the coats of the abdomen.
N. B. I have repeatedly difTedted the fe-
male inftrument (by drawing the lower part of
the abdomen on to the point of a pair of com-
pafles) for my own fatisfaftidn, as well as
that of my friends, and have always found
them exactly as above defcribed;
MARKETS.
At*ci:sT r.S. CAW.TON-SHEEP.SHOW. — This
fair is held the laft Wednefday in Auguft, for
meep, folcly -, principally lambs, brought by
the Weft- Norfolk breeders, and bought up by
the Eaft-Norfolk " graziers j" in order to pick
among their fumraerlies/ and their ilubbles, after
Harveft j to follow their bullocks in winter; and
to be finifhed the next funimer on clover^ or
the enfuing winter on turneps;
The Weft-Norfolk ewe-flock farmers alfo
bring their crones to this fair ; which the Eaft-
Norfolk men buy to put to the ram ; and, hav-
ing followed the bullocks and fatted their
lambs,
1781. NORFOLK. 3
lambs, are themfelves fmifhed for " harvcft 122.
beef.'* To-day, there was. alfo. feveral pens CAWSTON
*
of fiieerling-wedders, brought by the Weft-
Norfolk farmers, who keep what are called
wedder-flocks (that is, buy wedder-lambs one
year, and fell them as fheerlings the next), to
be bought by the eaftern or weltern farmers, to
finiih with turneps the enfuing winter : alfo
conftderable quantities of flock-ewes, two and
three fheer ; brought by thofe who are over-
ftocked, or are throwing up their ewe-flock,
and bought by thofe who are increafing, or
*' fetting" a ewe-flock.
Sheep of all forts were very dear • nearly dou-
ble the prices they were laft year, at this fair*
Laft year good lambs were bought for five
(hillings and fixpence, or fix Shillings a head :
this year, ten to twelve pounds a fcore was
the current price. Mr. Durfgate, who is now,
fince Mr. Mallet's death, efleemed the richeft
farmer in the county (having, it is faid, made
thirty thoufand pounds by farming), was bade
twelve fhillings a piece for his whole pen (about
three or four hundred) : but he rcfufed the
offer. His and Mr. Martin's (alfo a capi.
tal Weft- Norfolk farmer) were the " top of
" the fair;" and they both of them afked
VOL. II. Y fourteen
$22 MINUTES Arc,
12J. fourteen pounds. Seven and eiglit Shillings
were a^ec^ ^or tiie diminutive " heath-lambs"
(from the Brandon fide of the county), not
much larger than rabbits. Laft year they were
fold at three, or three and a half, — four the out-
iide price. Notwithftanding, however, the high
prices this year, a principal part of the lambs
were fold.
There are feveral reafons for the high price
of Norfolk lambs this year : the low price
which they have borne for fome years back
has greatly reduced the fize and number of
ewe-flocks : another, there being no market
for long wool, while Norfolk wool bears a
high price, the Lincolnihire farmers are get-
ting into the fhort-wooled breed of Iheep ;
and have, it is faid, bought up confiderable
numbers of Norfolk lambs, and dock-ewes,
this fummer : and another reafon, the firfl
fowirig of turneps having been cut off by the
caterpillar, the fecond fovving will produce
better food for Iheep than for bullocks.
Stock-ewes were fold from twelve to fifteoa
ihillings a head ; fheerling-wedders fourteen
or fifteen Ihillings ; and even a parcel of
crones were fold fo high as twelve millings,
but they were fingularly good ones ; in gene-
ral,
1782. NORFOLK. 323
ral, about feven to nine pounds a fcore : laft 121.
year they were bought for four to five CAWSTON
SHthP-SHOVV
pounds.
Sheerling-wedders were the cheapeft, and
lambs the deareft flock. How a farmer could
bid twelve fhillings for lambs, when he might
have bought wedders, of almoft twice the fize,
for fourteen fhillings, is fomewhat remark-
able *.
This is entirely a fair of bufinefs : fcarcely
a woman or a townfman to be feen in ir.
Many of the firft farmers in Norfolk were there
to-day ; this being, I believe, the greateft
" fheep-lhow " in the county.
124.
AUGUST 30. On Sunday the 4th inftant TENTHREDO
put one black and one blue caterpillar into a THETURNEP
box with a turnep-leaf: the black one died ;
the blue one laid itfelf up in a fold of the
leaf, which it fixed to the bottom of the box.
Laft Sunday, the 25th, I fancied I could fee
the antennas of the fly playing at one end of
the chryfalis ; and not being able to fee it af-
* My rcafons for giving the minutiae of the bufinefs of
fairs appear at the cJofc of the article MARKETS, Vol. I.
Y 2 terwards,
#>4 M. I N U T E S AUG.
124. forwards, or to difcover any progrcfs which
TEXTHREDO was made, I began to fear that the leaf was
THETURNEP too tough for the % to difengage itfelf: I
therefore, yeflerday morning, wetted it with
dew, and fet it in the fun ; but in the even-
ing, perceiving no appearance of life, I cut the
chryfalis from the box, and found the animal
perfectly alive : not in the ftate of a fly, but
to all appearance in the very ftate in which it
1/id itfelf up. The part of the leaf which
lay between its body and the bottom of the
box was converted into a fine tranfparent lami-
na, and fo faft glued to the box that I was
obliged to feparate them with the edge of a
knife; or rather, to cut off the chryfalis coat
clofe to the box (with which the chryfaline
matter fcems to be incorporated), making a
hole in the bottom of the coat. Replaced it
as nearly as I could in the pofition I had taken
it from.
This morning, I find, it has got its tail out
of the coat, and has given me a full oppor-
tunity of examining it. It is ftill the fame
blue caterpillar with a black ftreak down its
back ; appears quite healthy ; and indeed re-
markably plump and -fleek. I am afraid,
however, that by laying open the cell prema-
turely,
.1784. NORFOLK. 3^5
.turely, I have caufed an abortion : it is never- 124.
thelefs a fatisfaftion to know the exad ftate in TBKTHREDO
which they appear after having been laid up TH*T1
near a month.
AUGUST 31. On Thurfday the 29th procured
a frefh parcel of flies. Yefterday put a group
.of young turnep-planrs into a garden-pot. To-
day put the flies under the glafs- receiver.
Being nearly an equal number of males and
females, and having been (hut up in a dark
.box for two days, they began, on being placed
.in a hottim fun, to copulate with a degree of
lafcivioufnefs I had not before obferved. The
males not only remained longer in the aft
(from one to two minutes), but neglecting to
.drefs themfelves, in the manner I had before
noticed, flew from embrace to embrace, with
very little intermifiion. Three or four couple
were generally engaged at once, and the females
which did not happen to be in the aft were
venting their fury on their more fortunate filler-
hood ; half a dozen of them, fome double
fome fingle, being frequently engaged at once
in battle-royal. Their furor lafted about an
hour ; after which they appeared flat and
Ipiritlefs.
I now put three of the females upon the
Y 3 young
326 MINUTES AUG.
124. young turnep-plants, and foon found my ex-
TENTHREDO pectation gratified in the fulleft extent ; for
THETURXEP the plants being fucculent and tender (the
rough leaves about an inch in diameter> and the
feedling- leaves fliil remaining), they imme-
diately began to depofit their eggs. I had put
the glafs over them, left they fliould fly away ;
but this was unneceflary : I therefore took it
off, and made my obfervations without re-
ftraint. The leaves were thin and tranfparent ;
the fun fhone full upon them ; and the flies
were fo tame that I could obferve the opera-
tion in any point of view I pleafed : even
touching them gently while in the act did not
difturb them. I faw not lefs than twelve or
fifteen depofits ; and Mr. Robert Bartram call-
ing upon bufmefs, while I was obferving them,
alfo law three or four.
I put them upon the plants between nine
and ten o'clock in the morning ; and leaving
them between ten and eleven, did not return
until pafl one, when I found them ftill bufy
in the act of depofiting. My worthy and
fenfible friend, Mr. Parkinfon, calling at that
time, obferved two or three operations. They
,. foon afterwards, however, began to droop, and
entirely left the plants.
I have now no longer any doubt as to the
opera"
1782. NORFOLK. 327
operation. Having tried the texture of the 124.
leaf, and its fitnefs for her purpofe (by piercing TENTHREDO
it repeatedly with the point of her inftrument), THE TURNEP-
and having chcfl-n fome convenient part on its
edge (the choice of which feems frequently to
puzzle her), the female adjufts hcrfclf for the
operation, by placing one, two, or three of her
feet on the upper, and the reft on the under,
fide of the leaf ; but always clafping it with
her hindmoft legs, without which fhe cannot,
with any degree of conveniency, perform the
act. — Having taken her Hand, fhe begins to
feel for the middle of the edge of the leaf,
which fhe finds by the help of her fheath,
placing one of its valves on one fide, and the
other on the oppofite fide ; by which means
the point of her inftrument eafily hits the mid-
die way. She then fplits the edge of the leaf,
and having made a lhallow fiflurc about twice
the breadth of her inftrument, fhe begins to
infinuate this downward, into the margin of
the leaf; not in a line perpendicular to the
edge, but obliquely backward ; feldom making
an angle of more than 458. with the line of
the edge, and frequently of lefs than 20?.
running it almoft parallel with it. Having got
the inftrument to near its fulleft depth, fhe
Y 4 begins
3*8 MINUTES Auo,
124, begins to defcribe a fcgment of a circle, bring-
TENTHREDO ing it round with a fweep until it almoft reaches
the margin of the leaf on the oppofite fide of
the orifice ; and thus, cleaving the leaf, forms
a purfe-like nidus within it.
This creates a work of confiderable labour,
in executing which {he employs her four in*
flruments with a {kill and dexterity which is
delightful to look on, but difficult to defcribe.
The two in front {he makes ufe of as hand-
faws ; while the two hinder ones are employed
as fprings to impel them forward, and make
them lay hold of the work* What feems to
make the operation go on fmoothly and plea-
fantly to the eye, and with apparent cafe to
the animal, is, the manner in which {he works
her front inftruments ; which are not drawn
up and pumed down together, but alternately,
and feparately, one of them rifing while the
other is preffed downward ; as is evidently
feen by their wrinkles or ferratures ; efpecially
if viewed through a delicate tranfparent leaf,
held between a good glafs and a ftrong light,
• The nidus being formed, the fly lets her
inftruments recede towards its center, where
they remain motionlefs until the time of labour
Carries op; which is generally many feconds,
often
1782. NORFOLK. 3»f
often half a minute, after the nidus is finiflied: 124.
but the body having undergone a fpafm-like TENTHREDO'
agitation, the orifices of the pubes and the THETURNEP
nidus, which are now intimately connected,
become fwelled out with a femi-tranfparent
whitifh matter, which is feen to glide flowly
down between two lamina (feparated and
formed into a funnel-like pipe) until having
got near to their points, it drops from between
them, and falls deliberately to the bottom of
the nidus ; where it plainly fliews itfelf of an
oval form. The points of the inflruments be-
ing ftill carried farther backward, until they
are fafely freed from the ovum, they are care-
fully and leifurely withdrawn (nearly in the
direction in which they were infinuated)jfheath-
ed ; and the operation compleated.
SEPTEMBER i. To make myfelf completely
matter of this fubject, I put a fly, this morn-
ing, upon the fame plants I had obferved from
yefterday ; and finding her fo tame that
I could place her on any leaf I pleafed, and
even turn it to the light while fhe was in the
act, I cut offone of the tenderefl leaves, took
it between the finger and thumb, placed the
fly upon it, and holding them between tha
glafs
330 MINUTES SEPT.
1 24. glafs and the light, faw five or fix compleat
depofits in about twenty minutes : all exadtly
in the manner above defcribed.
If the fly diflike the part of the leaf fhe has
begun to work upon, ihe withdraws her inftru-
ments, and feeks for a more commodious part.
Sometimes I have feen her begin at an angle,
•where fhe had not room for a nidus ; at others,
the leaf being curled, fhe has found her mftru-
ments getting too near one fide of it ; and again,
have feen her begin fo near a former nidus that
her inftrument has broke into it: in either of
thefe cafes fhe defifted from going any farther.
It is very obfervable, that fhe refufed entirely
the fmboth tender feedling-leaves, for thofe
which are rough and apparently more difficult
to work upon : but inflind:, no doubt, and not
eafe, directs her in the choice ; for the feedling-
leaves are of fhort duration, and would proba-
bly wither before the caterpillar became per-
Jetted.
To-day, looking carefully to fee if I
eould perceive any progrefs made in an egg
which I faw depofited, lafl Sunday, in the
edge of the live turnep-leaf, and which I then
marked, I obferved, to my great fatisfaclion,
a young caterpillar feeding on the under-
fide
1782. NORFOLK. 331
fide of the leaf; and, on examining the edge, 124.
attentively, found a number of nidufes ; from TENTHREDO
three or four of which the animals had obvi- THETURNEP
oufly efcaped ; they being empty, with a hole
on their under-fide, proportioned to the fize
of the young animal j and looking diligently
on the under-furface of the other leaves, I
found four more infant caterpillars,
Jn the afternoon, I difcovercd a fixth cater-
pillar, which, I apprehend, had efcaped in
the courfe of the day. The flies, I find, were
put upon the leaves the twenty-firfl of Auguft,
and it is probable that fome of the young cater-
pillars were perfected, and left their nidufes, ycf-
terday; fo that they remained ten days in the
egg-flate.
Their form is that of the full-grown cater-
pillars : — their fize, one-tenth of an inch iqi
length : — their thicknefs in proportion : — their
colour, a dirty white ; except the head, which
is of a jetty fhining black.
They begin to feed on the undcr-furface of
the leaf, as foon, I apprehend, as they elcape
from their confinement ; and fome of them
were, this afternoon, ftout enough to accom-
pli fh a perforation.
Being femi-tranfparent, their food may be
plainly fcen paffing through their bodies ; their
vifcera
332 MINUTES
124. vifcera appearing to confift of one flraight
TENTHREDO paffage from the mouth to the anus.
THETWNEP They feem to have a perfect ufe of all their
limbs and faculties •, and cling fo clofe to the
leaf that it is difficult to lhake them off.
SEPTEMBER 2. Yefterday, to try whether it
be, a univerfal faculty belonging to flies in
general to live in a ftate of difcapitation,
or whether it be peculiar to the Tenthredo of
the turnep, I feparated the head of a common
large blue houfe-fly, about a -quarter before
two o'clock. It immediately rofe upon its
wings, two or three inches high, and falling
upon its back, fpun round for fome time :
lifted it up by its legs, and letting it fall, it
made ufe of its wings and lighted upon its
feet, on which it now flood motionlefs. About
fevcn it was ftill alive. Neglefted to obfcrve
it later. This morning it is dead.
Thus it feems probable, that all flies have a
faculty of living fome length' of time without
the head ; but that fome flies will furvive
the decapitation much longer than others.
SEPTEMBER 2. To-day, put a female fly on to
a fucculent leaf of rape (braftca napus). She
tried it over and over, both on the fide and
on the edge; but would not attempt to infi-
nuate
17*2. NORFOLK. 333
nuate her inftrument ; and flew away from it. 124,
Put her, immediately, on to a young tnrnep-leaf: TENTHREDO
in three minutes fhe made a depofit. — Replaced THETURNE*
her on the rape-leaf : — ihc appeared to be dif-
gufted ; and would not offer to make a nidus :
— but furTering her to walk on to the turnep.
leaf again, fhe feemed much pleafed ; and
there being a large perforation, (he put one
foot through the hole, and made a depofir -,
the firfl I had feen made on the margin of
a hole in the leaf. She feemed to (land
aukwardly for the operation ; but, neverthelefs,
twifted her inftrument in fuch a manner as to
hit the middle of the leaf very accurately.
Saw the fame fly, afterwards, make three
feparate depofits in the edge of a fmooth fced-
ling-leaf; but, perhaps, the edges of the
rough leaves were already occupied.
Placed a caterpillar upon the rape-leaf; but
it immediately walked off : — put it on again,
and Ihut them up in a box; it eat very
freely.
SEPTEMBER 5. The caterpillar lived
upon this leaf until yefterday noon, when the
leaf was become dry.
Put it on to the live turnep to pall its hun-
ger ; and then fhut it up in a box with two
very
334 MINUTES SEPT.
1 24. very tender leaves of fow-thiflle (fonchus ok~
TENTHREDO racms}.
THETURNEP This morning untouched, except a flight
rafure on each leaf. — Returned it to the tur-
nep-leaf -, — it eat immediately.
SEPTEMBER 6. Yefterday, put two leaves
of garden-muftard and two of garden -crefs
(fmall fallading) into a box with a caterpillar,
covering it up with the crefs-leaves, and lay-
ing thofe of the muftard at a diftance. In
the evening it had left the crefs untouched,
and had got upon the muftard. This morn-
ing found it refting itfelf upon one of the
muftard-Ieaves; but it had not eaten any percep-
tible part of it. Put it on to the live turnep ;
it eat a little, but did not quite finilh one per-
foration ; it having, I apprehend, almoft done
feeding : this experiment, therefore, is not
quite deciiive.
SEPTEMBER 6. — This morning, obferving the
(late of the nidus which I marked the twenty-
fifth of Augufl, I perceived the young cater-
pillar hadjuft come forth ; its tail ftill upon the
nidus. This, therefore, laid in the egg-date
eleven days.
The nidus appears fmall, comparatively with
the animal ; which mult lie ceiled up in a very
eom-
NORFOLK;
335
TENTHREDO
OF
THE TURNEf.
compact manner. The body nearly white, and 124,
the head, except the eyes, alfo whitifh.
SEPTEMBER. 7. This morning I find nvo
of the oldeft of the young caterpillars have
Ihed their exuvix ; having left them fixed to
the leaf of the ttirnep. What fuipriied me
much was, to find them of a deeper black than
they were before they caft their firil coatj
which had, within this day or two, become
blackilh; but this fecond coat is almoft a jetty
black.
One of them feemed but juft difengnged
from its Hough; yet was remarkably lively,
and appeared to be feeding ; but, on touching
the leaf fomewhat roughly, it fell to the
ground. This fomewhat furprifed me : becaufe,
before they flied their coats, it was almoft im-
poflible to lhake them off. Small as it yet is,
however, it had activity enough to regain the
plant in lefs than ten minutes.
They are now fix days old ; one of them
three-twentieths — the other four-twentieths of
an inch long.
125.
SEPTEMBER 7. The feafons, during the laft SEASONS,
nine months, have been much behind the fun.
Autumn lafted until the middle of January ;
Winter
33$ MINUTES
1 25. Winter till the beginning of May ; Spring un-
SEASONS. til the month of July ; and, now, we are in
the height of Summer ! I have been ftrolling
about the neighbourhood this morning, and find
the farmers in the throng of wheat-harveft [
They did not begin, in general, until about, a
week ago.
Stock remained in the ftubbles and pan1 urcs
until after Old Chriftmas ; fome until February :
indeed, the grafs continued growing until De-
cember j and a freih fhoot was, in fome places,
obfervable in the middle of January.
Daifies began to appear about Chriftmas ;
honey-fuckles, in general, foliated the firft
week in January ; and the hazel catkin, hav-
ing received no check, began to blow about
the feventh of January : and, what is extraor-
dinary, continued to blow, in intervals of fine
weather, until the beginning of April ; until
which time the grpfles, and wheats, were
entirely at a ftand, by a fucceffion of cold,
ftormy, wet weather ; but without much froft
or fnow.
The uncertainty of feafons in this country-
will appear, by the following regifter of the ad-
vancement; of the laft and the three preceding
fprings.
The
!782.
NORFOLK.
337
1779.
1780.
1781.
J782- I2C.
Surrey.
Surrey.
Norfolk.
Norfolk.
Feb. 7
Mar. 9
Mar. 1 5
Apr. 10 SFASONJ,
Feb. ic
Mar. 10
Feb. jo
Mar. 31
Feb. 20
Mar. 2^
Mar. 20
Apr. i
Feb. 20
Mnr. 30
Mar. 20
Apr. 10
Mar. i
Mar. 21
Mar. 28
Apr, 23
Mar. 4
Mar. 20
Apr. 10
Apr. 1 8
Mar. 28
Apr. 15
Apr. 14
May 10
Mar. 21;
Apr. 28
Apr. 17
May 12
Mar. 28
•Apr. 24
Apr. i-j
May 4
Apr. i
Apr. 39
Apr. 2 1
May 22
Apr. i
Apr. 7
Apr. 30
May i
Apr. 22
Apr. 23
iune 12
Apr. 1 6
Apr. ,2
Apr. 23
May 4
Apr. 1 8
May i
Apr. 20
May 26
Apr. 20
Vay 4
- —
— — .
May 8
Apr. 20
Apr. 23
May 20
Apr. 1 8
Slay 17
Apr. 21
June 4
Apr. 25
way i
May 22
May 25
May 29 Tune 10
May 27 June 15
une i
une 2.1
[une 15 July 2.
uly 28
- —
i —
Aug. 29
Mar. 25
— — —
—
May 12
The primrofe blowed -
The hazel blowed
The goofeberry foliated -
The fallow bloVccf - -
The elder foliated - -
The wild rofe foliated -
The hawthorn foliated -
The floe biowed
The nightingale beg. to fin
The hazel foliated - -
The birch foliated - .
The elm foliated
The cuckow began to call
The maple foliated - -
The cpwflip blcnved
The fwallow- returned -
The oak foliated - -
The afh foliated
The haw blowed
Wheat (hot into ear
Wheat harveftin geri. beg.
Turneps in full blow -
In May, we had loud claps of thunder, with
lightning, and a fucceffion of rain and tem-
peft, throughout the month ! The farmers were
diftreffed, even upon the light lands of Nor-
folk, to get in their barley : many acres, pro-
bably many hundred acres, were fown in the
month of June ! In the wet land countries, it
is faid, a confiderable lhare of the grounds in-
tended for fpring-corn could not be fown j and
much of that which was got in rotted in the
ground.
The fummer continued wet (excepting two
ihort intervals) until the twenty-firft of Auguft,
Vot, If. 2 when
M I N U T E S
SEPT.
'25-
SEASONS.
TIME OF
SOWING.
\vhen the weather took up ; and the laft ten
days or a fortnight have been extremely fine
and fummer-like : — foggy mornings and hot
parching days: — a finer wheat-harveft never
happened.
But the barlies are ftill backward, fome of
them quite green, — fcarcely a fwath cut in the
neighbourhood. — Neverthelefs, the crops look
well ; efpecially the late-fown ones ! a ftriking
proof, this, that the farmer, in his time of fow-
ing, ought to confuk thefeafon rather than the
/««*.
* Ofiolcr 10. A piece of barley which fell more par-
ticularly under my notice (fee M. 1 14.) was fovvn the fourth
and fifth of June ; and was cut the twenty fixth and
twenty-fevcnth of September : the crop not quite thick
enough upon the ground ; but remarkable ** top-corn !*
twenty-eight to thirty or thirty two grains on a fpike.
And what makes this incident a ftill ftronger evidence in.
favour of attending to the feafons for the proper time of
fou ing — this piece of barley, though fown later by feye-
ral days than any other piece upon the farm, was (whers
it had not been chilled by the ftanding water) the Jloutrjl,
belt barley upon it. Had this piece of barley been fown
on the fame- days, in an early fpring, it is more than pro-
bable that, iaftcad of being the belt, it would have been
the worft, upon the farm. The ftoutnefs of the draw, the
length of the ears, and the plumpnefs of the grain (a
fyecimen of which I have preferred), are j rools that it
was fown in feafon, the fourth and fifth of June.
For general remarks on this fubje£r, fee Experiments and
dfervations on Agriculture and the Weather ^ p. 171.
126.
tfa: NORFOLK.
126. 126.
SEPTEMBER 7. L'aft yc.ir, I. put a fwann of BLES.
bees into a wooden hive, of a particular con-
ftrudtion. They took it remarkably well, and
in the Courfc of the fummer laid up an ample
ftore. But the mildriefs of the autumn, and the
length of the fpring, were fatal to a principal
part of the bees in the country ; and to thefe
among the reft. Neverthelefs, through in-
attention, I let the hive ftan'd irt its place,
with the empty comb in it.
Paflrng by it on the twenty-fourth of July,
(the height of fwarming-time this year!) I
faw feveral bees about the mouth of the hive :
but in the evening they difappeared. Next
morning they returned ; and; at noon, were fol-
lowed by a very large fwarm ; which took pof-
fcffion of the hive ; and, in a few ho'Urs, be-
gan throwing out the dead,- and clearing their
rfew habitation .' a work which employed them
tint and the enfuing day.
Perhaps, this was a ftray flight, which had fet-
tled upon fome neighbouring tree ; and the firft
were out-fcouts, fearching for a hollbw tree, or
a fiiTure in a rock.
Or, perhaps, they cam'e immediately from
fcme hive in the neighbourhood. I have beerf
Z 2 fince
34o MINUTES SEPT,
126. fince told that this circuatftance frequently
BEES. happens ; and that it is reckoned unneigh-
bourly, if not unlawful, to let a " dead ftock"
remain upon the Hand. A labourer, it feems,
followed one, this year, immediately from his
own to a farmer's garden in the neighbour-
hood.
Thefc are circumflances in the hiftory of
this petty but pleafmg object of rural eco-
nomy, which, though they feem to be well un-
derftood in this part of the kingdom, are not,
I believe, generally known.
127.
MANURING SEPTEMBER 7. Lafl year I made two accu-
GRASSLAND.
rate experiments on the time of manuring grafs-
land. One of them was made the thirtieth of July,
prefently after the hay had been carried off:
the other in Oftober.
The firft was very decifive : the benefit was
evident -, though the whole crop was extremely
good ; at leaft two load an acre : but, where the
dunghad been let, the grafs was lodged, and the
fwath obvioufly larger than it was on the unma-
nured parts.
But the benefit ariling from that fet on irt
October was by no means obvious ; indeed, on'
a clofe
1782. NORFOLK. 341
aclofe infpe&ion, I could not fee any fhade of 127,
difference ; although the crop was in this cafe MANURING
GRASSLAND
very moderate ; not a load an acre.
128.
SEPTEMBER 7. (See M. 62.) Another exceed- woon-
LANDS,
tngly fine a(h, which Hood in the neighbourhood
of that before mentioned, and which had alfo
been difbarked, entirely round, by the deer, was
blown down by the high winds of laft fpring.
The roots were entirely rotten, and the bot-
tom of the ftem appeared, as it lay with its
butt on, to be decayed; but the topwood and
the bark of the ftem had a healthy and found
appearance.
Neverthelefs, on cutting it up, the ftem proves
rotten at the heart, for twelve or fifteen feet up ;
and is, at the bottom, a mere fhell.
Therefore, notwithftanding the afh may ap-
pear healthy and flo.urifhing after it has been,
barked ; it is, neverthelefs, decaying in the moft
eflential part ; and ought not, in point of profit,
to be fuffercd to ftand *.
* The rottennefs of this tree could not be owing to a
natural decay ; as it had every appearance of a healthy,
growing tree ; and ftood in a grove, which probably is
not more than fifty or fixty years old ; and whofe trees, in
general, are now in full vigour.
Z 3 SEPTEM-
M I N U T E S
129. 129.
^^OF^00 SEPTEMBER 7. The young caterpillars are
-HETURXEP partial to the leaf they are bred in. Obferv-
ing one juft excluded from a leaf which is be-
come old, withered, and yellow, with only
here and there a green fpeck, 1 cut off the part
on which it was feeding (thinking that a
younger leaf would be more acceptable) and
laid it upon a frefli young plant, in fuch a man-
ner that the animal lay at its eafe between the
two leaves : neverthelefs, it fall kept feeding on
the old leaf, for many hours ; and, when it
left it, did not begin upon the top of the ten-
der leaf, but went down to the leaf- {talk. But
on reflection, this is in confonance with nature :
the animal had been nourilhed, while in the
nidus, with the juices of the old leaf; and
after its enlargement, the fame juices, and
thole of a fimilar nature, were moft fuitable
to its acquired habit. Inftinct, therefore,
led it to feed upon its fofter plant; and to
prefer the rigid to the tender part of the
young leaf.
SEPTEMBER 9. The eggs depofited on
Saturday the thirty-full of Auguft, are
beginning to come forth to-day ; which is only
the ninth day from the time of their being de-
pofited : the leaves young, healthy, and fuc-
culent;
2782. N O R F O L K. 34,3
culent : there is, however, only one a$ yet 129.
excluded (fix o'clock in the evening) and another TENTHREDO
which feems ready to burft forth : —the nidus, THETURXEP
on the undcr-iide of the leaf, being fvvelled to
the ftretch ; and fomewhat on one fide is a large
black fpeckj over which the leaf has a ihining
glofly appearance. Cut off the margin of the
leaf, and fhut it up in a box.
SEPTEMBER 10. This morning1 it is come
forth, and has eaten a pit in the leaf large
enough to bury itfelf.
Examining the leaves in the garden-pot, I
find them fwarming with young caterpillars,
which have been excluded laft night ; fo that
ten days may be taken as a mean continuance
in the egg-ftate.
Examining thefe leaves {till further, I per-
ceived one of the animals in the a<ft of cxclu-
fion. — Cut off the part of the leaf it was in,
and faw it crawl out under the glafs. It be-
gan feeding in lefs than two minutes.
Seeing feveral more in, or near, the fameflatc, ^
cut them off with a pair of fciffars, and laid
them on a microfcope-ftand, placed in a
warm fun. One, whofc head was already bared,
prefently made its efcape, and actually fed, ox
appeared to feed, while ;ts tail yet remained
iji the nidus.
Z 4 Having
MINUTES
Having not yet had an opportunity of fee-
ing any of them in the act of breaking the
fhell of the nidus, I began to apprehend that
;he perforation was made Ipy a fimple folmion
of the leaf, by means of the glutinous moi-
fture with which their heads appear to be co-
vered (and which, no doubt, gives the leaf its
gloffy tranfparency) j for in the two ac"ls of ex-
clufion which I had feen, the head appeared
pafllve, with its upper part protuberant, and
its mouth within the nidus ; until bringing its
mouth and two of its foremoft feet without the
orifice, it began to ftruggle, and foon made
its efcape. But, calling my eye on a neigh-
bouring nidus, I faw a faint working within it,
and prefently faw its coat pierced by a tooth,
or fome other appendage of the mouth of the
animal ; which was obvioufly in the act of
eating its way out.
Having made a perforation large enough for
its purpofe, it placed its head in the pofition,
above described, as if to reft itfelf after the
fatigue it had undergone in making the door-
way. In a few minutes it began to ftruggle,
ai>d having got its fore legs without the ori-
fice, crept out with eafe.
I afterwards obferved two more perform the
fame operation, in the fame manner, and mi-
nuted
1.782.
NORFOLK.
nuted them both : — one of them was fifteen
and the other twenty minutes, from the firft
vifibleact to the final exclufion, namely, about
ten minutes in making the perforation, and
the reft of the time in refting, and in the la*
bour of extricating themfelves.
I am clearly of opinion, neverthelefs, that
the moiflure, abovementipned, affifts them,
materially in the operation, by refolving the
coat of the nidus into a jelly-like matter, • foft
and inviting to the infant tooth ; for ont
which, on being placed in a hot fun, began to
make the perforation before the coat had fuffi-
ciently received its femi-diflblution ; that is,
before the livid patch was large enough; could
not extricate itfelf, but {tuck with its fore-
head out ; while its tentacula, and fore legs,
were bound in by a part of the coat, dill
green and rigid ; and it died in this ftate,
130.
SEPT. IT. The Midfummer Jhoot of the
oak, this year, has been more obvious than I
recolledl to havefcen it. It has, however, lap^,
prehend, been made much later than ufual : it
was not obvioufiy general until the beginning
of Auguft. Many oaks have Ihot upwards
of a foot in length.
The
129.
LANDS,
MINUTES SEPT.
The Midfummer moot and the Midfum-
mer barking- time have always .daggered my
opinion relative to a uniform motion of the
fap, on Dr. Hales' principles ; nor have they,
I believe, ever been fairly accounted for ; but
remain an unanfwered argument in favour of
a circulation of the fap *.
Being flruck with this year's ample (hoot,
I was led into a train of reflection upon this
interfiling fubjecl:.
The fpr'mg run of the bark and the fpring
moot are the acknowledged confcquences of
the rife of the fap ; but how fimilar 6ffec~ts
Ihould take place about Midfummer, when an
extraordinary rife of fap cannot eaiily be
proved, may fecm difficult to explain.
If, however, we conceive a regularly afcend-
ing ftream to commence on the approach of
fpring, and to continue rifing, uniformly, un-
til the wane of Autumn; and trace, with
clofe attention, the effects which muft neceffa-
rily be produced upon the tree by fuch a uni-
form rife of fap ; we ihall find them to be
exactly thofe which annually occur in nature :
namely, a fpring run of the bark, fucceeded
by a fpring ihoot, with leaves, &c. a Mid-
iummer run, with a fucceedmg fhoct, &rc.
* The arterial f..p, if it. may be fo termed, which flows
trum tuu root, is here to be underflood.
and,
#82. NORFOLK. 347
ajid, perhaps, what every year occurs in a 130,
greater or fmaller degree, a Michaelmas run
of the bark, with a Michaelmas Ihoot.
This procefs of nature might be illuftratcd in,
the following manner.
Suppofe four elailic vcffcls to be connected
in regular ferks, with narrow communications
between them j each channel of communication
being furnifhed with an claitic valve, requiring
a degree of force to open it ; but, being over-
come by fuperipr preflure, its clafticity weak-
ening, until entirely fpent.
Suppofe this feries of elaftic veflels ftretched
flat upon a table (rcprefcnting the trcej, and
covered with a board (rcprefcnting its bark;.
This would refemblethe winter flate of the tree,
when the bark and the wood are in their nearefl
degree of contact.
Suppofe further, a regular ftream of water
to be injected into the firft vellel. As the water
continued to flow, the veflel would fwell ; the
board be lifted by flow degrees from the table ;
and in this ftate reprefent, fufficiently, the
fpring run of the bark.
The veflel being filled to the flretch, the firft
valve would begin to yield ; the buds of the
tree would burft, the leaves expand, and the
firing Jhoot be protruded.
But
MINUTES
SEPT.
130, But the fpring fhoot being compleatcd ; every
twig and every leaf having received its limited
fize ; and the ftream ftill continuing to flow;
a fecond furcharge naturally takes place ;
and the bark becomes, a fecond time, feparated
from the tree.
The flream ftill flowing, the fecond valve is
opened ; and a fecond, called the Midfummtr
Jbcot, rreceiTarily follows.
The autumn proving fine, and the current
of fap ftill continuing to rife, the fecond fhoot
arrives at maturity, and a tbird ovtrfloiv of fap
takes place ; the third valve is burfl open, and a
third or Michaelmas fhoot is the confequence.
But winter fetting in, the fupply of fap is
ftopt ; and that which has already been raifed,
being fpent on the younger moots, carried off
by perfpiration, or having fallen back again to
the root, the bark clofes upon the wood, and
the tree returns again to its winter ftate,
SEPTEMBER 21. Hog-cifterns> in this coun-
try, are principally built with bricks and terrace.
But tills is expenfive : yet a hog-ciftern is
among the firft conveniences of a farm-houfe.
Wooden vcffels are incommodious, and leaden
ones dangerous.
This
i;82.' NORFOLK. 349
This fummer a receptacle for water in a brick- 1 3 1 .
yard being wanted, 1 had one built of bricks, CISTERN'S.
Jaid in clay, and furrounded with a coat of the
fame material : it holds water perfectly.
Afterwards, I built a hog-ciftern in the fame
manner. This morning, on enquiry, I find
that not only the tenant, but his wife and her
maids, are fully fatisfied with it.
It was built in this manner — A pit five feet
and a half long, by four feet wide, and five feet
deep, was funk in the place moft convenient to
the dairy, kitchen, and hog-yard jointly.
The bottom of the pit was bedded with fomc
extraordinarily fine clay, fetched from the fea-
coaft for this purpofe ; moiftetted and rammed
down ; and its furface fmoothed over with a
trowel. On this flooring were laid three courfes
of bricks, in clay-mortar (the beft of the clay
being taken for this purpofe), and in fuch a
manner^ that the joints of one courfe fell in the
middle of the bricks of the courfe beldw ; the
whole being laid long-ways j not croffed, in the
ufual manner.
The fides were carried up half a brick thick
(thatis^abrick in width) with morrar of fine clay;
and, in a vacancy left between the brick-work
and the fides of the pit, moift clay was firmly
rum-
35» MINUTES SEPT.
131. rammed ; fo as to unite as much a? poffiblc the
CISTERNS. bricks, the clay, and the fides of the pit into one
folid mafs ; carrying the brick and clay work
up together; and beating back fuch bricks, in-
to the clay, as were forced forward by ram-
ming.,
The ciilern when brought up level with the
furface of the ground meafured three feet long,
two iind a half feet wide, and three and a half
feet deep; confequcntly the furrounding feam
of clay is not more than four inches thick ;
and the ftratum at the bottom is about the fame
thicknefs.
Above-ground, a nine-inch wall was raifed
O
on each fide, two feet high, with a gable car-
ried up at one end ; and, on thefe, a fpan or
pitched roof was fet, and covered with tyles ;•
the other end being left entirely open as a door-
way.
This is an admirable covering for a ciflern;
A flat (whether it lie horizontally or Hoping)
being continually expofed to the weather, lets in
rain-water ; fcon rots ; and, from the manner
in which it hangs, is liable every day to be
fplit, arid its hinges forced offy by the heedlefsJ
nefs of fervants : whereas a door, having only
a gentle fall, and being always under cover,
laft a number of years;
132.
i782, NORFOLK. 351
132. 132.
SEPTEMBER 21. Yeflerday evening, be- TENTHREDO
tween five and fix o'clock, faw a young cater- THETURNEF
pillar flip its flough. What flruck me molt,
was its head being of a filvery white ; except
its eyes (very fmall), which are black, as was
the body. Watched the head to fee it change
its colour. In about half an hour, it began
obvioufly to change to a lead-colour : at eight
o'clock (two hours and a half) it was become
quite dark : this morning it is entirely
black.
SEPTEMBER 22. — One of the caterpil-
lars (full feven-tenths of an inch long) ex-
cluded the firft of September (the only one
living) took ground to-day : exactly three
weeks from the firft exclufion (two hours and
& half in burrowing).
It ftied its coat about the feventh, and an-
other time, laft Friday, the twentieth ; and
probably another intermediate time, about the
thirteenth : for thefe excluded the ninth fhcd
theirs about the fifteenth, and are now fhcd-
ding them a fecond time : — four flipped yef.
terday ; three to-day : — one of them I faw
Qip its Hough : — the head white as above-
mentioned.
352 • MINUTES SEPT.
132. . SEPEMBER 28. Thofe excluded the ninth
TENTHREDO began to ftied their laft coat laft night (five
OF
THE TURNER ftiedj, which is only nineteen days from
their exclufion. But they have been Ihut up
in a warm box, and regularly fed.
Thefe, I am pofitive, have med their coats
three times, at about fix days diftance.
Put them upon a pot of mould : — they
would not take it, nor would they eat ; but
feemed defirous of being releafed from their
confinement. I therefore gave them their
liberty. They were remarkably active ; crawl-
ing much fafter now than at any preceding pe-
riod of the caterpillar-ftate. . Hitherto their
bufiriefs of life has been eating-, now, they
are in a buftle to provide themfelves conve-
hient lodging-places.
OCTOBER 16. — To try whether rain, or
other water, coming in contact with the chry-
faline coat, injures the animal • or, whether
the coat is water-proof; I fuffered a caterpillar
to burrow in a garden-pot, and let it re-
main about thirty. fix hours undiflurbed. I
then watered the furface plentifully, alrnoft"
covering it with a meet of water, and put a
quantity into the faucer oa which it Hood. This
I have
1782. N O R F O L K.
I have feveral times repeated; fo that if the coat
be not water-proof, it muft in this time be in-
jured, and the animal drowned.
Searched for it this morning (Mr. Parkin fon
prefent) ; found it intire, and the coat as firm
and as tough as parchment, notwithftandingthc
mould round it was in a flate of mortar." Put
it into a glafs of water to warn off the loofe
mould : the chryfaline coat now Ihewed itfdf
of a delicate filky texture, and of a cylindri-
cal form ; rounded at both ends, which were
perfectly clofed and exactly alike. — With Come
difficulty (occafioned by its toughnefs and
tightnefs) I made a breach at one end ; and
found the animal perfectly alive, perfectly dry,
and of a healthy appearance.
The feafon being now far fpent, I defpair of
feeing any of the chryfalifes come to the fly-
flate this autumn ; their prefent flate is this :
That laid up in the fold of a turnep-leaf the
fourth of Auguft, ftill retains its plumpnefs
and curvature; and ftill, I apprehend, 'retains
its chryfalis life.
Of the fix laid up the fifteenth of Auguft
among mo'uld, four now remain fixed to the
bottom of the box. — On feparating one of
them, I find the coat very tender and fomewhat
VOL. II, A a broken,
J5'4 M I N U T E S OCT.
132. broken, with only the fkin of the animal
TENTHREDO remaining •, not entire, but divided longitudi-
THETURNEP ii ally ; one of the divifions, or fides, being
very entire, the other broken. Query — Has
the fly efcaped from this unnoticed (for during
the firfl two or three weeks the box was fre-
quently left open to receive the rays of the
fun ); or has fome other animal entered the coat,
and devoured the entrails of the caterpillar?
— Loofening another, I find it very perfect,
containing a plump, fleek, healthy-looking
chryfalis. — Separating a third, it proves a fine
large coat, curioufly lined on the infide, with
a fmooth filvery lamina ; but without any re-
mains whatever of the animal, which has ob-
vioufly efcaped through a perforation at one
end of the coat. Query — Did it cfcape in the
caterpillar or the fly Hate ? I am of opinion
it made itsefcape prefently after it had formed
its coat, and was that which I found under the
turnep-leaf (fee backj; for there were only
fix caterpillars put into the box, and there have
been fix coats formed : it is, therefore, pro-
bable, that each formed its refpe&ive coat,
and that two of them made their efcape. The
other coat, feemingly perfect, and, I appre-
hend, containing a chyyfalis, ftili remains fixed
to the bottom.
That
jyga. NORFOLK. 355
•That formed the twenty-fifth of Auguft, 132.
with mould upon a flip of paper, Hill remains TENTHREDO
a perfect coat, adhering clofely to the paper. THE TURNEP
Thofe which burrowed in the garden-pot :
while warm weather continued, the pot was
placed in the fun : it has fince flood near the
fire; fo as to receive a confiderable degree of
warmth ; but nothing, I believe, has yet come
forth. Two or three of them being marked,
I have fearched for them, by digging up the
earth carefully, and breaking the lumps
between the fingers : this I have found a nic»
and difficult bufinefs, and the firft I unfortu-
nately crufhed between my fingers.
On feparating and adjufling the parts, how-
ever, I can clearly perceive the head with
its antennce folded back; its palpi, and
legs, perfectly formed ; its fcutuli (or black
fhields upon the fhoulders) of their full fize
and proper colour j as is the head ; but the
antennas and legs and palpi are ftill white, and
appear limber, and not yet hardened. I can-
not, however, find any traces of wings : there
are fome fragments of a hardifh fubftance;
green within, and brown without ; which may
be the wings ftuck to the Hough of the cater-
pillar i but I am not certain.
A a 2 Being
3 M I N U T E S OCT.
jo 2. Being willing to facrificc another to my
curiofity, I have fearched for and found an-
other coat; but only one-half of the floughof
the caterpillar remains; divided longitudinally
as before.
The garden-pot now contains — one bur-
rowed on Sunday twenty-fifth of Auguft ;
one on Monday twenty-fixth of Auguft ; and
three or four which have burrowed fmcc that
time, not minuted. I now put the pot by, with
the glafs over it to prevent efcapes *.
From thefe circumftances, from the frefh
flight of flies which appear to fpring up in
the middle of fummer, as well as from the
afiertions of more than one farmer, who fay,
that having ihut the caterpillars up in boxes
they came to flies (the particulars I have not
learned); it appears to me more than probable,
that the early broods pafs through the feveral
changes, and arrive at the fly-ftate, in the
courfe of the fummer : while, from the ftate
in which feveral of the chryfalifes above-
noticed flill remain, as well as from the fcat-
tered flights of flies which every year are ob-
ferved to make their appearance in the fpring,
* Leaving the country, a flvort time afterwards, I had
not an opportunity of noticing the event.
it
1782. NORFOLK.
it appears to me equally probable that the 132,
latter broods lie in the chryfalis flate through
the winter ; and that fuch as efcape deftruc-
tion from birds, infects, and the uncertainty
of feafons in this climate, rife in the fly-flate
the enfuing fpring. Further, it feems probable,
that in the more northern climates, where the
fummer is fhort, the entire brood lie in the
chryfalis-ftate through winter; which being
rigid, and the fpring ufually fetting in ab-
ruptly, the chryfalifes are locked up free from
injury, and the flies at once rife upon the
wing ; forming thofe cloud-like flights,
which, when the wind happens to blow a fuffi-
cient length of time invariably from the north-
eafl, have been feen to arrive, or which may
with every degree of probability be brought,
upon the eaftern coaft of this ifland.
It is, I believe, known that Tenthredos in
general are gregarious ; hanging together in
flights : from repeated obfervations I know
that the fpecies under confideration will live
from five to ten days without food. — The
diftancc from the fouthern cape of Norway
to the coaft of Norfolk is not five hundred
miles. — It has been calculated that a balloon
has been carried, by the wind alone , at the rate
A a 3 of
I MINUTES OCT.
132. of fifty miles an hour : confequently, a flight
of infects, even fuppofing them to make no
ufe of their wings to impel them forward,
might be brought from Norway to this coaft
in ten hours. In one week they might, pro-
vided their wings could bear them, be brought
to us from the moft eaftern confines of the
Ruffian empire.
If no exotic flights arrive, the few which
furvive the winter, here, efcape in a manner
unnoticed, and the plants receive no percep*
tible injury : but, when to thefe the foreign
fwarms are added, their progeny become too
powerful for the plants ; and the devaftation
becomes confpicuous and alarming ; produ-
cing that dreadful calamity to this country,
*' A CANKER YEAR *."
* Were an apology for the length of this and the fore-
going Minutes on this fubject to be required, I (hould
make the following : Finding, on the perufal of thefe Mi-
nutes, that I was poficfTed of a minutial detail of fafls,
relative to the hiftory of an infect, which has been in>
perfectly attended to by naturalifts ; but which is of the
greateft importance to the agriculture of this country ;
more efpecially of the Diftric~l whofe praclice I wifli to
defcribe with accuracy and minutenefs ; I did not heiitate
jn my determination to publiib. them entire. I determined
with greater readinefs as I have found, fince thofe obferva-
tions were made, that the deftru&ion caufed by this alarm-
ing infeft, has, in fome well cultivated districts, thrown a
damp
1782. N O R F O t K.
'3.3- .33-
OCTOBER 16. (SeeMiN. 13.) To endea- WHEAT.
vour to afcertain the truth of this opinion,
J had a fmall bufli of the lerbery 'plant fer,
in February or March laft, in the middle of a
large piece of wheat.
I neglected to make any obfervations upon
it until a little before harveft ; when a neigh-
bour (Mr. John Baker, of South-RepsJ came
to tell me of the effedt it had produced.
The wheat was then changing, and the reft
-of the piece (about twenty acres) had acquired
a considerable degree of whitenefs (white
wheat) ; while about the berbery bufh there
appeared a long, but fomewhat oval-fliaped,
flripe, of a dark livid colour, obvious to a
perfon riding on the road at a confiderable
diflance.
The part afFeacd refembled the tail of a
comet, the bufh itfelf reprefenting the nu-
damp upon the cultivation of a valuable object of rural
economy, which will not readily be removed. And I
flatter myfelf that the expedients, here regiftercd, for
checking or removing jthe evil, will not be lei's ufeful to
the agricultor, than 9 fedulous adduction of ftufts, re-
lative to the migration and propagation of infects, will be
intercfting to the admiicrs of the economy of nature.
A a 4 - cleus;
360 MINUTES OCT.
133. cleus ; on one fide of which the fenfible effedt
PLAxrRY reached about twelve yards ; but on the other,
not more than two yards ; the tail pointing
towards the fouth-wefl : fo that probably the
effecl: took place during a north-eaft wind.
At havveft, the ears near the bufh flood
ere£t, handling foft and chaffy ; the grains
{lender, fhrivelled and light. — As the diftance
from the bulb increafed, the effect was lefs
difcernible, until it vanifhed imperceptibly.
The reft of the piece was a tolerable crop ;
and the draw clean, except on a part which
was lodged ; where the ftraw nearly refembled
that round the berbery ; but the grain on that
part, though lodged, was much heavier than
it was on this, where the crop flood erect.
The grain of the crop, in general, was
thin-bodied ; neverthclefs, ten grains, chofen
impartially out of the ordinary corn of the
piece, took twenty-four of the berberied
grains, chofen equally impartially, to balance
, it ! fo that, fuppofing the crop in general to
be worth five pounds an acre, the part in-
jured by the berbery would barely be worth
forty Shillings •, the quality, as well as the
quantity, being much inferior.
To try whether the vegetating faculty of
thefe grains was dcftroyecl or not by the
damage
NORFOLK.
361
damage the farinaceous part of them had re- 133.
ccived; I fowed, Wednefday fourth of Septem- BERBERY
Pi* A N T«
ber, three grains of the heavy, and as many of
the light, in a garden-pot. Thurfday nine-
teenth of September, one of the light grains
came up ; but none of the other until Thurf-
day the twenty-fixth, when one of the heavy
ones made its apperance: and on Tuefday fe-
cond of October, another of the heavy grains
broke ground.
To-day, turned the mould out of the pot:
found the other heavy grain, and one of the
light ones ; both of them fprouted.
It is, therefore, proved that, notwithftand-r
ing the injury done to the farinaceous part of
thefe grains, their vegetative virtue is not wholly
deftroyed.
134-
OCTOBER 26. Bullock-fair of St. Faittts. MARKET*.
Bullocks, this year, have been dearer than
they were even laft year (fee MIN. 27.;. The
firft day of this fair (the iyth inftant), ten
to twelve pounds a head was afked for bul-
locks ; but good ones have fince been bought
for feven to nine pounds. Bullocks which will
fat to fifty ftone, may now be bought for feven
pounds.
This
362
MINUTES
OCT.
FAIR. OF
ST. FAITH'S.
133, This morning, I faw ten two-year-old lile-
of-Sky Scots, drawn out of a lot of two hun-
dred, at two guineas and a half a head. Very
fmall : not larger than the ordinary yearling-
Calves of the larger breeds of cattle.
135-
*ENCES. OCTOBER 28. This morning, I obferved
fome workmen fencing a rick-yard with furze-
faggots, alone : — a fpecies of fence I have not
met with before.
In a trench, about eighteen inches wide, and
fix inches deep, they fet the faggots, as clofe
as poffible, upon their ends ; fpreading the bot-
toms ; and covering the fkirts with the loofe
mould dug out of the trench ; alfo with that
of a narrow trench, (a fpade's width) dug for
the purpofe, on each fide ; treading the mould
firm to the roots of the faggots ; which being
fufficiently loaded, the trenchlets were ihoveled
and the banks fmoothed.
One of the labourers fays, he has fet a furze-
fence in this manner acrofs Gremam-field (an
cxpofed fituation) which has flood one or two
winters.
Calculate the expence thus : — One hundred
and twenty faggots fet about eight rods ; ex-
pence
NORFOLK.
363
pence of cutting two millings and fixpence, 135.
or about fourpence a rod. Expence of fet- FURZE~£F£^
ting about threepence a rod more : together
feven pence a rod.
The value of the furze, after having flood
a year, will be about fix millings a hundred ;
or ninepence a rod.
Furze-faggots, thus placed, are a fence
againfl every kind of flock ; even hogs and
hares j and, in a country over-flocked with the
latter, might frequently be ufed, as a temporary
fence, with great advantage.
136.
OCTOBER 31. Yefterday, procured the fol- MARLINS.
lowing particulars of the expences upon Nor-
wich marl, brought round by Yarmouth, and
landed at the flaiths, at Wood-Baflwick.
Coft of a chaldron (weighing a chaldron of
coalsj at Thorp, and putting it on board the
lighters eightpence ; lighterage to Wood-Baft-
wick, round by Yarmouth, fifty miles, fix-
teen-pence ; together, two millings a chaldron.
Two chaldrons make a middling cart-load ;
fA'o chaldrons and a half a good load : feven
or eight large loads are efleemed fufficient for
an acre: the expence upon which ftands thus :
:The
3*4
M I N U T E • S
OCT.
136.
JfARLING.
WATER-
MARK! AC I.
The marl, (fuppofe eighteen chal- £. s. d.
drons) at two Ihil lings - - - i 16 o
Filling it at the ftaith ; carting to
a medium diftance, and fpreading
about, fifteen-pence a load, - 126
Expence per acre,
18 6
With the marl ought to be, and frequently
is, laid on a quantity of Yarmouth muck,
equal, in expence, to the marl.
After this dreffing, for about ten years, the
foil (a fandy loam, but ftronger and deeper
than the Norfolk foil in general) throws out
very great crops ; and, with the ufual teathe
and ordinary dungings, will feel the effect of
the marl for ten years longer.
Before the ufe of marl (which has not been
brought by water, I apprehend, above ten or
fifteen years) the farmers could grow no tur-
neps ; the land letting for ten or twelve Shil-
lings an acre : now, the turneps upon it are
remarkably fine; and the land lets at full
twenty {hillings an acre : a rent the occupiers
could not pay, were it not for marl.
The .diftance between Wood-Bafhvick and
the marl-pits at Thorp next Norwich, is not,
by
1782. NORFOLK. 36$
by land, more than fix or feven miles ; yet, 136.
the farmers find it cheaper to fetch their marl WATER-
C A R R. 1 Av» »•
fifty miles by water, and then carry it, per-
haps, half a mile from the ftaith to the
ground, than fetch it thefe fix or fevcn miles
by land. What an advantage, in feme cafes,
is water-carriage to a farmer; and, confe-
quently, to an etfate.
OCTOBER 31. I have lately obtained the INCLOSURES
following particulars refpecting the recent
inclofure at Felbrigg.
Some feven or eight years ago, Mr. Wynd-1
ham, who is Lord of the Manor, was alfo (in
effecX) the fole proprietor of this parilh ; ex-
cepting one fmall farm, of feventy pounds a
year, belonging to a young man, a yeoman,
juft come of age.
An extenfive heathy wade, and fome com-
mon-field lands, were defirable objects of inclo-
fures : confcquently, the poflcfilon of this
young man's eftate became an object of im-
portance to Mr. Wyndham.
Steps were accordingly taken * towards ob-
taining the defirecl pofiefllon : not, however, by
* Through the mediation of Mr. Kent ; whofe ability,
as an eftatc-agcnt, is Jefervcdly applauded in this Diftrict.
threats
MINUTES OCT.
threats and fubtcrfuges, too commonly but very
impoliticly made ufe of upon fuch occafkms;
but by open and liberal propofals to the
young man, the joint proprietor; who was
made fully acquainted with the intention ; and
frankly told, that nothing could be done with-
out his eftate. He was, therefore, offered, at
once, a fpecific and confiderable fum, over
and above its full value to any other perfon:
and, to enfure the object in view, he had, at
the fame time, an offer made him of a confi-
derable farm, on advantageous terms.
The young man, being enterprifing, and his
little eftate being, I believe, fomewhat en-
cumbered, accepted the offer, fold his eftate,
and agreed for a farm ; — conlifting partly
of old inclofure ; — in part of common-field
land ; and, in a ftill greater proportion, of the
heath to be inclofed.
Mr. Wyndham (whofe virtues and abilities
are publicly known) having thus (in effeft as to
this inclofure) got the entire parilh into his pof-
feffion, and having fet out the leaft fertile part
of the heath, as a common, for the poor to
colled fireing from, — he parcelled out the re-
mainder to different tenants, — laid out roads and
driftways, and divided the whole, whether
heath
1782. NORFOLK.
heath or common-field, into inclofures of eight
to twelve acres each ; or agreeably to the defire,
or conveniency, of the intended occupiers.
A principal part of the heath-land was laid
to the farm of Mr. Prieft, the young man
above-mentioned ; and was let to him on the
following terms.
Landlord agreed to raife fences, hang gates,
build a new barn upon a large fcalc, make
other alterations, and put the whole of the
buildings into thorough repair.
The tenant agreed to marl twenty acres every
year, until the whole mould be marled, at the
rate of twenty cart-loads an acre.
The rent agreed upon was this. Nothing
until it has been marled three years. The fourth
year, after marling, the rent to commence at
three millings an acre : at which to continue
four years ; and then (namely, the eighth year
after being marled) to rife to feven fliil lings
and fixpence an acre : and at this rent to remain
until the expiration of the term of twenty-one
years.
It was alfo further agreed that the tenant
Ihould be paid for the carriage of the materials
of the new barn ; but fhould do that for the
repairs and alterations, gratis; as-alfo for the
fubfequent
63 MINUTES Oct.
137. fubfequent repairs during the term. Alfo that
JNctosuRES tenant fliould pay half the expence of work-
men's wages for the fubfequent repairs; pro-
vided that fuch tnoiety do not exceed five
pounds in any one year.
This was a liberal agreement on the part of
the landlord, and, on a curfory view, may feem
to give extravagant encouragement to the
tenant. The following calculation, however,
will Ihew that, in the end, the plan will turn
out highly advantageous to the landlord.
SuppolCj for the fake of calculation,- the
quantity of heath-land, let to this tenant, to
be exactly three hundred acres : and that thefe
three hundred acres are divided into thirty in-
clofures of ten acres each ; with a public road,
or a driftway, between each line of inclofures.
This is fufficiently near, if not exactly, the
fact upon Felbrigg-Heath.
In this cafe, every inclofure required to be
fenced on three fides.
Ten acres contain one thoufand fix hun-
dred ftatute rods. The fqunre root of one thou-
fand fix hundred is forty ; consequently each
inclofure, fuppofing them to be exactly fquare,
required one hundred and twenty ftatute rods
of fencing.
The
178*. NORFOLK. 369
The price given for ditching, planting the 1 37.
quick, and hedging, was eighteen pence each INCLOSURES
long rod, of feven yards. An hundred and
twenty ftatute rods contain about
95 long rods, which, at iSd. is - 726
4,500 quickfets, at 3*. 6d. — 15*. yd.
—furze-feed, 4^. $d. - i o o
£.3*6
For fencing 30 inclofures, at 8/. 2S. 6d.
each, reckon 250 o o
.— 50 gates, with polls, irons and
hanging - - 50 o o
•^- the barn (very fpacious) fuppofe - 200 o o
— additions, alterations and repairs 100 o o
£. 600 o o
— - compound intereft on this fum, in
21 yearly payments, at 4 per cent. 700 o o
£. 1300 o o
-The rents to be received, during the t€rm,
fuppofmg twenty acres to be marled yearly,
would be thefe :
VOL. II. B b i year
370 MINUTES. OCTJ
i year
0
o
0
Forward
153
0
0
2
0
/-\
o
o
12
T o
year -
49
r *7
JO
0
.}
4
u
- 3
o
0
13
14
— —
57
64
IO
o
-
- 6
o
0
15
.
72
0
0
6
• 9
c
0
16
.
79
IO
0
7 '
- 12
o
0
17
.
87
0
0
3
- 19
10
0
18
.
94
IO
0
9
- 27
o
o
J9
99
o
0
10
- 34
IO
0
20
103
10
o
n
- 42
o
o
2.1
108
0
0
153 o o 967 10 o
As the compound intereft of the
above receipts fet down - - 232 10 o
£. 1200 O O
Thus it appears, from this calculation, that,
on the fuppofition of the articles of agree-
rnent being ftridly adhered to, the landlord
xvill be paying at the expiration of the term
one hundred pounds as the purchafc-money of
three hundred acres of improved land, worth
from ten to fifteen fhillings an acre ; the prin-
cipal part of this allotment being a good loam,
lying on the dcfirable fubfoil, an abforbent
brick earth.
But
1782. NORFOLK. 371
But the fact is, and was probably forefecn,
that the tenant, inftead of marling twenty acres
annually, according to' the letter of the agree-
ment, marled, I think he told me, upwards
of one hundred the firft year, and has now
nearly finiftied the whole.
Therefore, fuppofing the original fix hun-
dred pounds, and the firft feven years intercftj
to have been taken up, the landlord would,
at the end of the term, have cleared off the
incumbrance, and have found fome hundred
pounds in his pocket; befide the fee-fimple
of one hundred and fifty to two hundred
pounds a year, from this allotment only ;
befide the advantages arifing from the remain-
der of the heath, an'd the inclofure of the
Common field ; and befides having done away
a nuifance, and planted induftry and plenty
upon an almoft ufelefs wafte : and this, too,
\vithoutrenderinghimfelfodicrus, or his tenants
mifcrable. IMPROVEMENTS like this are real^
and bring a permanent increafe to' the rent-roll
of an eftate.
END OF THE MINUTES.
B b 2 PRO
PROVINCIALISMS
PERTAINING TO THE
RURAL ECONOMY OF NORFOLK.
THE languages of Europe are not more
various, or fcarcely more different from each
other, than are the dialecls of hufbandmen in
different Diflridts of this Ifland.
The practice of a given Diftrift, therefore,
can only be ftudicd in the dialed: of that Dif-
trift. No converfation can be carried ^on
without its affiftance. And although a man o£
obfervation may, by obfervation alone, make
himfelf mailer of the outline and principal
features of practice ; yet for the minutiae, he
will find it convenient, and frequently necef-
fary, to have recourle to ccnverfation.
But a mere practitioner will not communi-
cate with a man who does not fpeak his lan-
B b 3 guage
374- PROVINCIALISMS.
guage in its provincial purity : taking for
granted, that he is as ignorant of the fubject
in general, as he happens to be of his merely
provincial terms. One word awry is capable
of putting an end to the moft interefting con-
verfation ; and of giving the practitioner fuch
an opinion of the obferver, as. toconfider him
in future, either beneath his notice, or above
his comprehenfion.
The firft ftep, therefore, to be taken by a
man who is defirous of ftudying the practice
of a District is to gain a knowledge of its pro-
vincial language : for until this be obtained,
in fome certain degree, he cannot join profit-
ably in converfation with thofe who are befl
able to clear up his doubts, and lead him on
to freih difcoveries.
To acquire with greater readinefs, and re-
fain with greater eafe and certainty, this necef-
fary knowledge ; and to indulge, at the fame
time, an inclination to an enquiry into the ori-
gin and progrefs of the Englilh language ; I
regiftered the provincialifms of the Diftrict with
the fame afiiduity I did its practice ; and find
m'yfelf poffeffed of near a thoufand deviations
from the eftablifhed language.
But
NORFOLK. 375
But the major part of thofe provincialifms
do not relate cfpeeially to rural affairs; but
belong to the ordinary dialect of the country ;
and cannot, with propriety, be introduced
here. I have therefore feledted fuch, only,
as pertain to the fubject of thefe volumes.
I have, however, made the feleclion as ample
as this line of conduct would admit of — for
fcveral reafons.
Such a felection will, in the inftant, ferve
to throw additional light upon the prefent vo-
lumes ; and may, hereafter, be found ufeful
to thofe who may have occafion to ftudy on the
fpot, the rural economy of the Diftricl.
Other more material benefits may arife from
a collection of GloflTaries of the provincial
terms of different and diftant Diilri&s : fuch
GlofTaries may ferve to elucidate pafiages in the
EARLY WRITERS, on rural fubjects, which,
without their afTiftance, might remain inexpli-
cable. And, above all, they may be fervice-
able in afcertaining the particular Diftricts in
which they feverally wrote : a circumftance, at
prefent, little known ; though moft eflentially
neceffary in fixing the degree of credit which
is due to their rcfpedtive works.
Bb 4
376 PROVINCIALISMS,
A.
A -LADY. Lady-day (in common ufe).
ANBURY. A difeafe incident to turneps.
See vol. ii. p. 33.
B.
BARNED. Houfed in the barn (a firnple properterm).
BATTONS. Strong broad fencing rails. See vol. i.p. 85,
BARN-YARD. Straw-yard ; fold-yard (a good term).
BECK. A rivulet (invariable).
BEGGARY. Land let down, through a want of proper
manure and tillage, is faid to be "run to beggary."
To BESTOW. To flow away.
BINS. Applied, provincially, to the receptacles of
ftraw in a farm-yard j cow-cribs.
BLUNK OF WEATHER. A fit of fquaily tern-
pefluous weather.
BOKE LOAD. A large top-heavy, bulky load.
BRAND. Smut (in common ufe).
BRANDY. Smutty (alfo common).
BRANK. Buck (ufed only in the fouthern hundreds),
BRECK. A large new-made inclofure (a Break).
BROADS. Frefh-water lakes (that is, broad waters ;
in diftin&ion to narrow watery or rivers).
BUCK. Polygonumfagopyrum. See vol. i. p. 126.
BUCKSTALLING. ^Cutting hedge-thorns fence-,
height. See vol. i. p. 101.
BUDDLE. Chryjanibeinumfegetu'mi corn-marigold.
BUDS. Yearling cattle.
STJLLOCKS. See voi. i. P. 337.
BULLS,
NORFOLK. 377
BULLS. The ftems of hedge-thorns.
BURGOT, or BEERGOOD. Yeaft.
BUSH-DRAINING. Underdrawing (being done
withbufhes).
c.
CANKERS. Caterpillars.
CANKERWEED. Senecio jacobaa; common rag*
wort.
CANSEY. Caufeway.
CANSH. A fmall mow.
CAST. Yield ; applied to corn-crops.
CAULK. Hard chalk ; or, perhaps, chalk in general.
CHEARY. Careful; fparingj choice.
CHICKED. Sprouted ; began to vegetate, as feed
in the ground, or corn in fwath or " fhuck."
CHINGLE. Gravel, free from dirt.
CHOAKED. Blown up, or fufflated, with a turnep in
the throat.
CLOTE. Tuffilago fa rfata j coltsfoot.
COBS. Sea-gulls.
COCKEY. The grate over a common fewer. Hence,
probably, Cockey-lane, in Norwich.
COCKSHEADS. Plantago lanceolata\ plantain-rib-
wort; rib-grafs.
COLDER. See STOVER.
COOMB. Four bufhels; half a quarter.
COSH. The huik or chaff of wheat and oats.
COTTS. Lambs brought up by hand -, cades.
COVEY. A cover of furze, &c. for game.
COW-
378 PROVINCIALISMS.
COW-PAR. Straw-yard ; fold-yard.
A CRINGLE. A with, or rope, for fattening a gate,
To CRINGLE UP. To fatten with a cringle.
CROFT, or CRAFT. A fmall common field. See
vol. i. p. 8.
CRONES. Old ewes. Sec vol. ii. p. 28.
CROOM, or CROME. Any thing hooked; as
muck-croom, turnep-crome.
To CROWD. To wheel in a wheel-barrow.
CROWDING-BARROW. A wheel-barrow.
D.
DABBING. Dibbling.
DANNOCKS. Hedging-gloves.
DAUBING. Plaiftering with clay.
DAUBY. Clammy, fticky : fpoken of land when wet.
DAVY1NG. See vol. ii. p. 257.
DICK. The mound, or bank of a ditch.
DICK-HOLL. The excavation, or ditch itfelf.
DINDLES. Sonckus oleraceus ^ arvtnfa ; common
and corn fow-thiftles : alfo, the taller hawkweeds.
DITCHING. A general term for fencing with hedge
and ditch.
DODMAN. Afnail.
DOGGEDLY. Badly ; fhamefully dpne.
DOLE, or SEVERAL. A piece of land upon a
heath or common, off which only one particular perfon
hath a right to cut fuel.
DOLE-STONE. A landmark, or boundary-irone.
Te
NORFOLK. 379
To DOSS. To ftrike with the horn, or gore (lightly,
as cattle frequently do each other.
DOW, or DOO. A dove, or pigeon (common).
DOWLER. A dumplin (common).
DRAINS. Brewers' grains.
DRUG. A four-wheeled timber carriage.
DRY. Drought : " the crop was caught in the dry."
DYDLE. A kind of mud-drag.
F.
FALL-GATE. A gate acroft a public road.
FAT,HEN. See MUCKWEED.
To FEY, or FAY. To cleanfe,— whether a well, a
pit, or corn.
FICKELTOW. The fore-tackle, or carriage, which
fupports the plowbeam.
FLAG. The furrow turned.
FLAGS. Turves, or fods.
FLIGHT,— of BEES, — the proper term for zfwarm
of bees.
To FLITCH. To move from place to place; as from
farm to farm.
FLUE. The coping of a gable or end-wall of ahoufe.
FOLLOWERS. Lean ftore-cattle or (heep, which
follow the fatting-bullocks. See vol. i. p. 290,
FORCING. Fattening.
FOREIGNER. A ftranger j one of another county ;
not of the neighbourhood.
To FORGIVE. To thaw.
FOUR-
3So PROVINCIALISMS.
FOURINGS. An afternoon-meal in harveft.
FULL-PITCH. Plowing the full depth of the foil is
called " taking it up a full-pitch."
FURLONG. The line of direftion of plowed lands.
See vol. i. p. 131.
FURS. Furzes.
G.
GAIN. Handy ; convenient ; docile. Ungaln^ the
reverfe (much in ufe).
GARGUT, or GARGET. A difeafe incident to
calves. See vol. ii. p. 125.
GARGUT-ROOT. The root of Hellcborus futidu*\
bear's-foot.
GATHERING. Rolling corn-fwath into cocks or
bundles.
GAY. Gaudy ; as fpeckled, light-coloured cattle*
GEER. Stuff; thing (a general term).
GILL. A pair of timber-wheels.
GLADDON, or GLADDEN. Typha latifolla &f
angiiftifolia ; large and fmall cats-tail.
GOOSE-TANSEY. Potentitta anfcr'ina ; filverweed.
GOTCH. A jug or pitcher (in common ufe).
To GRAZE. To fat.
GRAZIERS. Fatters of cattle; whether their food
be grafs, turneps, or oil-cake.
GREASY. Foul ; grafly : fpoken of fallows or other
plowed grounds.
The GRISSONS. The flairs, or flair-cafe.
GROWERS. Farmers. Great growers, capital far-
mers .
GRUB-
NORFOLK. 381
GRUB-FELLING. The common method of taking
down timber-trees. See vol. i. p. 123.
GULPH. A mow, or bay-full, in a barn.
GULPH - STEAD, GOAFSTEAD, or GO-
STEAD. A bay, or divifion of a barn.
H.
To HAIN. To raife, or heighten ; as, " tohain the
rent, the rick, or the ditch."
HAKES. The copfe or draught-irons of a plow.
Alfo pot-hooks.
HARDS, or KURDS. Tow.
HARVEST-BEEF. A general term for butchers meat
eaten in harveft, whether it be beef or mutton.
HAUGHTY WEATHER. Windy weather.
A HAY. A dipt hedge (common).
HEAD. Bullocks are faid to go at heady when they
have the firft bite ; in diftin&ion to thofe which follow.
HEAD-KEEP. The firft bite : the beft the farm witt
afford.
HECK. A half door.
HECKFOR. Heifer.
HELVE. Applied to handles in general.
HIGHLANDERS. Scotch cattle of the Highland
breed.
HILD. Lees or fediment of beer.
HILDER. Elder.
HOBBIDY. A man-boy (ufed in .common).
HOBBY. A hack (in common ufe).
HOG WEED. Polygonum aviwlare j knotgrafs.
HOLL,
382 PROVINCIALISM S.
HOLL, or HOL. The hollow of the ditch, in diftinc-
tion to the " dick" or bank of the ditch.
HOMEBREDS. Cattle of the^orfolk breed.
To HORN. To gore, or wound with the horus,
HORSE-BRAMiiLES. Briars ; wild rofe.
HORSE-TREE. Whippin ; or fwingletrec.
HULVER. Holly.
A HURRY. A fmall load of hay or corn.
I. &J.
A JAM. A vein or bed of marl or clay.
To JAM. To render firm by treading; as cattle
do land they are foddered on.
JIMMERS. Door-hinges (common).
INWARDS. Intrails; inteftines.
To JOLL. To job with the beak j as rooks jell fo?
worms j or for com recently fown.
JOURNEY. Half a day's work at plow or hai ro w<
K.
KEEPING-ROOM. A fitting-room*
KERNELS. Grains of wheat, &c.
KIDS, or KID. Faggots j bavins.
KILLER. A fmall (hallow tub ; a fmall cooler.
KNACKER* Ufcd in common for collar-maker.
L.
LAID. Juft frozen. When water is {lightly frozen
over, it is faid to be laid.
tANNIARD. The thong of a whip.
LASH,
NORFOLK. 387
LASH, or LASHY. Very wet j as « cold laiby we*-
ther."
LAYER. Plants of hedgevvood ; quick.
To LATCH. To catch as water, &c.
To LJECK-ON. To add more liquor ; as in brewing.
LEGGET. A tool ufed by reed-thatchers.
LIFT-GATE. A gate without hinges, being lifted
into notches in the pofts.
LIFTING. (Corninfwath.) See vol. i. p. 242.
LOBSTER. A ftote.
LOKE. A clofe narrow lane (common J.
LOWER. A lever.
LUMPS. Barn-floor bricks.
M.
MANNER. Rich mould of any kind coined for
the purpofe of mixing with clung.
MARRAM, or MAREM. Arundt arena rla ; fea-
reed-grafs.
jvlAPvSHES. Fens and fWamps come unuer that deno*-
mination in Norfolk. See vol. i. p. 320.
MARSHLANDERS. Cattle of the marfhland or
fhort-horned breed.
MAVISH, or MAVIS. The thrufh.
MAUL. A mallet.
MAUTHER. A little girl (in common ufe).
MEADOWS. Low, boggy, rotten grafsland.
MEATY. Flemy, but not " right fat."
MERGIN. The mortar or cement of old wails. See
vol. i. p. 30.
To
3*4 PROVINCIALISMS.
To MOYS. To thrive : fpoken of crops and ftocki
alfo in a general fcnfe \ as, " he muddles on but
does not moys."
MUCK. The provincial and proper name of what is
more commonly, but lefs properly, called dung.
MUCK-WEED, or FAT-HEN. Cbenopodium al-
bum ; common goofe-foot-
MUDCROOM. A tool ufed by water- workers. Sec
vol. ii. p. 79.
MURRAIN. See GARGUT.
N.
NEEDLE WEED. Scandix peflen Vtncrls j (hepherd's
needle.
A NIP. A near, fplit-farthing houfe-wife.
A NOCKLE, or KNOCKLE. A mallet or beetle.
NOGG. Strong beer (common).
NONSUCH, black. Trefoil-feed.
. white. Rye-grafs-feed. See vol. ii. p. 17$.
NOONINGS. Workmen's dinner-time.
O.
OAMY. Light, porous, floury j fpoken of plowed
land.
OLLAND. Lay-ground (old land).
OPEN. Not fpayed j fpoken of a heifer, or a fow.
OVER- YEAR. Bullocks vfhich are not fmifhed at
three years old, if homebreds — or the firft winter after
buying
NORFOLK. 385
buying, if purchafed — but are kept through the cnfu-
ing Cummer, to be fatted the next winter, are faiu to
be kept overbear ; and arc termed over-year bullocks.
OUTHOLLING. Shovelling out a ditch for the mn-
r.ure it contains. See vol. i. p. 76, and 161. and
vol. ii. p. 76.
OWLSCROWN. Gnaphalium fyhaticum; wood
Cudweed.
P.
PACK- WAY. A bridle road (common).
PADS. Sec PEDS.
PAN. The flooring on which the cultivated foil Iks.
See vol. i. p. ii .
PAR-YARD. Straw-yard; fold-yard.
PAVEMENTS. Square paving -bricks; fiooring*bricksj
paving-tiles.
PEDS, or PADS. Panniers.
PETMAN. The laft of the fare.
PETTY SESSIONS. See vol. i. p. 40..
PICKPURSE, or SANDWEED. Sprgula ar-
vcnjts ; common fpurrcy.
PIGHTLE, or PYKLE. A fmall inclofure ; a croft.
PLANSHER, or PLANCHER. The chamber-floor.
PLAT. The mould-board of a plow.
PLOWJOGGER. A plowman.
PLOWS. Plowed ground; whether clofes, or pieces
in open fields.
POLLARDS. Trees headed down to the ftem, and
cropped or polled, from time to time, for fire-wocd.
A term general to the fouthern and eaftern counties.
VOL, 11. C c POLLEJL,
3$6 PROVINCIALISMS.
POLLERy or POLLEN, or HEN POLLEN. The
hcn-rooft.
PULK. A puddle.
PUTT. A mole-hill (in common- ufe).
To PUT. To Humble, as a horic.
Q
QUARTERS. The inn a farmer ufcs at market,. &c. i*
called his Barters : and be is Hud to quarter at fuck,
an inn.
QUICKS. T) -'iticum reptns ; couch-grafs.
R.
RANNY. The little neld-moufe.
RAFTY. Damp and mufty j as corn .or hay in a wet
feafon.
RED WEED*. Papavtr rbeaj ; rouiid-fmooth-headsd
poppy.
To REAVE. To unroof or diftur-b the roof.
Rb!.D-ROW. When the grains of ripening barley
are ftreaked with red, the crop is faid to be in the
red- row.
REED-RONDS. Plots, or beds of reed: or, tha
fwamps which reed grows in.
RICEBALKING.. A particular method of plowing...
See vol. i. p. 142.
A RIDE* A common name for a (addle-horfe^
RIGG. Ridge.
R1N. Brine.
RINGES. Rows, of hay, quicks,, &c.
ROAD ING. Running races with teams, upoa tke.
road. Sec vol. u p. 44.
ROKE.
NORFOLK. 387
RQKE. Mift, or fog.
ROOFING. The ridge-cap of thatched roofs.
To ROPE. To tedder ; as a horfe.
ROW EN. After-grafs ; latter-math,
S.
SANDWEED. See PICKPURSE,
SCAITHFUL. Given to breaking pafture. Alio,
liable to be over-run by (lock ; as open fields, &c.
SCALDS. Patches of land which arc more liable to
be fcorcbec!) burned, or fcaldcd in a hot feafon, than
the remainder of the piece they are fituated in.
To SCALE-IN. To plow in with a {hallow furrow.
SCORING ; or, SCOWR1NG. See vol. i. p. 139.
SCOTCHES. Scores, or notches.
SCOTS. Scotch cattle.
SEEL, or SEAL. Time or feafon ; as, cc hay-feel,"
hay-time ; " barley-feel," barley feed-time ; wheat-
feel," wheat feed-time : " bark-feel," the barking
feafon. Alfo, ufed fomctimes in common converfa-
tion ; a?, " what feel of day is it?"
SEVERAL. See DOLE.
SHACK. Stock turned into the (rubbles after harveft
are faid to be at fiack. Grounds lying open to
common fields are faid to " lie quite (hack."
SHACKING. A fliabby rambling fellow (living at
fhack).
To SHEAR. To reap ; as wheat.
Cc 2 SHELLED.
388 PROVINCIALISMS.
SHELLED. Pied; party-coloured.
SHIFTS. Parts of a farm allotted for the reception of
flock or crops. See vol. i. p. 131.
SHOTS. Young ttore-fvvine,
SKUD. Shed.
To SHUG. To (hake ; as hny, &c.
SHUGGINGS. That which is (bed or fcattered, as corn
at harveft.
SHY. Harebrained; high-mettled; hsad-ftrong ; as wild
colts, &c.
SINGULAR. Lone or fmgle ; as a finguhr hcufe, or
farm.
SK.EP. A coarfe round farm-bafkct ; alfo a bee-hive.
SLADE. Sledge.
To SLADE DOWN. To draw back part of the
mould into the interfurrow, with the plow dragging,
or Jl acting upon its fide.
SLAKE. Leifure : " to be at flake," to be at leifure.
SLOBBERERS. Slovenly farmers.
SLOB-FURROWING. A particular method of
plowing. See vol. i. p. 142.
SLUSS. Mud; mire.
SMARTWEED. Polygon-am tydropiper ct Pcnnfyha-
nicum; biting and pale-flowered perficarias j aifmart.
SNAIL-HORNED. Having ihort down-hanging
horns, with blunt point?, and fomewhat bent, in the
ufual form of the fnail ; fpokcn of cattle.
To SOL. To pull by the ear, r.s a dog pulls a fow.
SPARKLING. Claying between the fpars to cover
the thatch of cottages (fpar-claying).
SPIRKET,
NORFOLK. 389
SPIRKET. A hook to hang things on.
-SPOULT. Brittle, fnoken of wood, &c.
SPURWAY. Bridle -road.
SQUALLY. A crop of turneps, or of corn, which
is broken by vacant unproductive patches, is faid to
be fqually.
To SQUINDER. To burn inwardly ; as charcoal
and the afhes of fern, &c. are burnt.
STANDS. Young timber-trees under fix inches tim-
ber girt, or twenty-four inches in circumference.
STARK, or STUCK. Tight, or ftiff.
STATESMEN. Yeomen ; imall owners.
STOCK. Species of a crop. See article TURNIPS, ore.
STONDLE. A bearing tub.
.STOPS. Small well-buckets.
STOVER. A general term for the different fpecies of
fodder arifing from thrafhed corn, whether it be ftraw,
chaff, or " colder ;" a provincial term for the fhort
ftraws, ears, and rough chaff, which are feparated
from the corn-in-chaff, by the rake and the riddle,
after the ftraw is (hook off the floor j and which, in
every country, has a provincial term affigned it; but
totally different in different Diftricls.
To STOW. To confine ; as cattle in a yard or
pound.
STUBWOOD. All wood which grows in hedgerows
and dees not come under the denomination of " tim-
bers," " pollards," or "thorns," is called " ftubwood."
STULP. A poft of any kind.
C c 3 SUCKLING.
390
F R O V I N C I A L I S M S.
SUCKLING. Trifolium rcfcns-, white clover.
SUMMERLY. A turncp fallow. A backward fum-
merfy ; an autumnal wheat-fallow : a right-out jam-
merly ; a whole year's fallow.
SWALE. Shade.
SWAYS. Rods, orfwitches.
SWINGLE. A crank.
T.
TACK. Soibftance, folidity, proof; fpoken of the fooi
of cattle and other {lock.
TAR-ROPE. Rope-yarn ; the thread of old cables, &c.
TASKER. A thrafher.
TEAMER. A team of five horfcs.
TEAMERMAN. A waggoner, carter, or driver of
a teamer.
TEATHE. The diin^&c. of cattle. See vol. i. p. 33.
THAPES. Goofebcrries.
THIGHT. Applied to turneps or other crops, — clofe,
thickfet: applied to roofs or vcfTels, — impervious — op-
pofed to leaky.
THACK. Thatch : thackjlcr, thatcher.
THONE, or THONEY. Damp, limber, as under-
dried hay.
To TOP-UP. To finifti highly; as fatting bullocks.
TRIP. Of Iheep ;— a fmall flock.
TURF. Peat.
TWO-FURROWING. Double plowing ; trench-
plowing j fod-burying.
VALLEY.
H O R F O L K. 391
V.
VALLEY. Any finall hollow or channel j as a gutter
in a roof.
VANCE-ROOF. The garret.
V ARDLE. A common eye or thimble of a gate, with
a fpike only.
U.
UNCALLOW. The earth which covers a jam of
marl.
UNDER-CORN. Short, weak, underling corn, over-
hung by the crop.
W.
WALLACE. The withers of a horfe.
WARBEETLES. The large maggots which are bred
in the backs of cattle.
WARPS. Flat wide beds of plowed land.
WATER-WORKERS. Makers of meadow-drains
and wet ditches.
WELL. A chimney or vent-hole in a rick or mow.
WINTER-DAY. The winter fcafon.
WINTER- WEED. Kronica hcderifolia ; ivy-leaved
fpcedwell.
WISP. A rowel, or fcton.
WOODBOUND. Land which is encumbered with
tall woody hedgerows, fo as to hinder a free admiffion
of fun and air, and thereby prevent it from exerting
its natural ftrcngth and fertility, is faid to be wood-
bound.
WOOD-LAYER. Young plants of oak, or other tim-
ber, laid into hedges among " white-thorn-layer."
WRECK.
392 P R-O V I N C I A L I S M S.
WRECK. Dead undigefted roots and ftems of grafles
and weeds in plowland.
WRETWEED. (That is, wart-weed;. Euphorlla.
beliofcopia ; fun-fpurge.
WRONGS. Crooked arms, or large bough?, of trees,
when the faggot-wood is cut off.
INDEX.
/ J5"
GENERAL I i\ D E X
TO THE
T W O VOLUMES.
«', M. 38. 51. refer to MINUTES 38 and 51. i.
to VOL. I. PAGE 121.
121,
A.
A I.DFRS, M. 3 8. 51
" Anbury of the turnep,
M. 20- i :.
Ant-hille, M. 6. 50
Alh, i- 12 T. M. jtf' 61.95- 128
Aflics, i- 3 i
Aylefliam f.iir, M. 94
B.
Karris. S?e Buildings
Barn-management, i. 189
Barley, i. 223. M. IT. 29. 57
U.-Utons, i. 05
IVafts of l.ui;>tir. See Horfes
Ikes, i. 383. M. 126
, M. 13. 133
i; I.. \vlirU1 Hundred, M. 118
; - tunups, M. 84
. i. 86
ttiick earth of the coaft, M.
j i i
Buck, i. ic 3.
Buds, i. 336
Building?, i. 81. M. 15. 25.
31- 33- 35- 48- 60. 64. 91'
$z- 116- 118. 131
Building -lea fir, M. 106
Bni!ding-m,tterials, i. 86
Bullock?, i. 337
Bullock-fhccls, i. 83. M. :i3
Buttrcfles, M. 6.
C.
Calves, i. 332
Carts, i. ci
Cnlting corn, i. 190
Caterpillar of the turnep, M.
i :. i Z2
Cattle, i. 313
, breed o& i. 323. M.
40. 69- 69. 72. no- 119-
, general mat;..
M. 39- 53- 66. 70. 74
• , rearing, j. 33;. M.
46. 53. 69. 70
, buying, i. 344. M. 39.
no. 113. \34
, mctliod of fitting, i.
348. M. 39. 40- 56. 57. 69.
72. 84. 93- 97. IC2- ICO
>to> in* 113- 1 18
Cattle,
I
X.
Cattle, difpofal of, i. 350. M.
105. 107. ii i. iiz. 113. 117
Chalks, i. 24
Check- beam, M. 35
Cheele, i. 330
Ciftern, M. 131
Clays, i. 6. M. 106- in
Claying, i. 150- M. 106
Cleaning plowland, i. 14.6
Clover. See Cultivated grades
Clover- feed market at Nor-
wich, M. ict
Compoft, i. 34
Covenant-, i. 69
Cows, i. 318. M. 8. 83. 108.
409
Cultivated prafits, i. 30. M.
14. ioi. 106
D.
Piiry. See Cows
Decoys, i. 377
Dibbling, i. 167. M- 23. 26.
zS
Dibbling-roller, i. 123
Dlftricl, i. i. M. 106. 112.
ill
Ditches againft bill-fides, M.
4<
warned down, M. 103
Dratr.l.-g, i. i4«- M- *• 44- *J
Drilling, i. 167. M. 19
Drinki;>g-pits, i. 85
Dung, i. 32
Dunging, i. 157
Dwelling houie. See Build-
ings
Tliftern ccaft, M- MI
Eftates, i. 6
Exchange of lands, M, 4
F.
Faggot -fence, M. 135
Fair ot Aylefliam, M. 94
Fair of Holt, M. 39
fair of Inghair, M. 112
Fair of North \Valfham, M.
105
Fair of St. Faith's, M- 27- 134
Fair of Woritead, M. 107
Fairs of Norfolk, general ob-
fervations, M. 112
Farms, i. 8.
Farmers, i. 37. M. 58. io6»
"4
Farmeries, i. 81- M. 106.
Farm-yards. See Buildings
Farm -yard man, i. 1X9. M. 73
Felbrig inclofure, 137
Fences, dead, i- 94
Fence- walls, M. ir$
Fens, i. 319. M. 54
Firewood, i. 9-. M. 4. 90
Flcg Hundred, M. ic6
Flooring-materials, i. 90
Fold- yards, i. 84
Foliation of the oak a guide
to lowing barley, i. ;^s
Furze -faggot fence, M. 13$
Furze-food, M. jo
Furze-guard, i. 109
Furze-hedge, M. btf
Furze-feed, to low, M- 104
Gables, M. 15 '
Game, i. 172. M. 41
Game laws, i. ib'z
Gargut, M. 70
Gates, i. 94 M. 9. 115. 135
General management of
tftatcs, j. 66. M. 4. 47. 58.
79. 106. 137
General management of farm?,
i- 125. M. 49. 51. 75. 98.
106. 112. 114. 118
General management of tim-
ber, i. 121. M. Si. 90
Gleaners, i. 2*9
Giazing-grounds, 1-310
Grubbing borders, i- 1 1 1
H.
Hand-weeding, i. 170
Hares, i. 171
Harrowing, i. 143
Harvtft-procels, r 184
Hny -chamber floor, M. 15
Heads of a leaie, i. 70
Hedges, i. 96. M. 4- 5- 34- 4t-
45-
O R F O L X.
45 63. 85. 87. 88. 9-0. 103.
104. 106- 130
Hedge-row timber, i. 98
Hedge-woods, i. m
liog-ciftern, M. 131
Hoerng turnips, i. i6fc
Holt fair, M- 39
Homebred^, i- 339
Hops, M. 1 18
Horics, i. 41. M. 94
I.
Ingham fair, M. irr
IrrplrmentJ, i. 50. M. r9
Ir.clofures, i. ri6- M. 137
luland navigation, i. 3. M.
rj6
Ivtcd ditch-banks, M. 63
L.
Labourers. See \Vorkmea
Land-tax, i. 64
Laying-out farms, i. 130
Laying-up plowland, i. 1-47
Leafe, heads of, i. 70
Lime, i. 30. 91. M. 19
Liming, i. 161-
If.
Malt-coombs, i. 35
Malt-duft, to fow, i. 166
Manures, i. 15- M. i. 6. lo,
ii. 18. 29. 31. 106. in.
118. 120
Manure-procefi, i. 150. M.
55- 106. 1-27. 13-6
Manuring. See Manure-pro-
cefs
Maphrodite, i. ;r>
Markets, i. 195. M. 27.39- ^°-
94.. lot. 105. TO;, m. rir.
123. 134
Marl, i. 6. M. nr
Marling, i- 150. M- 5^5. 13*
Marram, M. 106. n;i.
Marftics, i. 319. M. n8
mills, M. M8
Meadows, i. 31*. M. 44. 50.
51. 65. 96
Mnifummcr-lhoot, M. 130.
Mould, i. 2-
Muck. ice JDung
N.
Natural grafit-s, i. 3 10. M. C. •$.
8. 10. 31. 39. 44. 50. 51. 54.
^65. 96. n8. 127
North- vVallham corn-markeU
M. bo
North-WsKham fair, M. 10;
Norwich clover- IccU markti,
M. 10 1
O.
Oaks, i,M. 36.37. 59. 95
Oak Timbers in hcdge-rowf,
i. 113. iai
Oats, i. 245
Old Hedges, i. too
P.
P-»n, i. M
Pantiles, to lay, M. 35
Far yards, i. 84
Peas, i- 148
Phcalants, i. i-z. M. 41
Planting, . 119* M* 36. 37^
38- 8, .95
Planting oaks in hedges, i. nj
Plows, i. 5;
Plowing, i. 158
Pollards, i. 98. M. 90-
Puor's rate, i. Gj
Poultry, i. 3.75
Progrcis of fprmp, M. ic^
Pruning of timbers, M. j
R.
Rabbit*, i. 3,70. M. 79
Raifing new hedges, i. ica
Rape cake, i. 35
Rape-cake, to iuw,i- 165
Rearing cattle, i. 332
Receiving rents, r. 70. M. 47
Reed, i. 88. M. 32- 89. 91
Rent^ i. 63. M. jS
Rep-urs. 5>ee Buildings
Replanting hedges, i. Mt
Rclidcnce of workmen, M- 9*-
RidgiN, to cut, M. 99
Rolling, i- 145
Roller, i. 58
Rooks, frightening, '. l-i
Robbing-ports, M. 66
Rje
N
X.
Rye-grafs. See Cultivated
Thatching, t. 88. Mi 32
Graffes
Thinning timbers, M.S^
S.
Tiles, to lay, M. 33. 4s
St. Faith's fair, M. 27. 134
Timber, i. 112- M. 4. he. 90
Salefman's account, i.jnj
Timbers and pollards u*
Scalds, i. 14
hedges* M- 90
Scotch cattle, i» 3. 40
Timber-carriages, i. 60
Seafqns, i. 238, M. 125
Time of towing, i. 238. M. 125
Sea-ftones, i. &;
Tithe, i. 64
Sea-done walls, M. 116
Training hedge-timber, i. 93
beed-prcceis, i. 167. M- 19,
Tranfplanting large oaks, M.
125
3?
Servants. See Workmen
Tretbil. See Cultivated Oraffei
Sheep, i. 362. M. i. 8- n. 17.
Turneps, i. 2^6. M. v 12. 20.
18. 21. 75, 76. 78. 32. 86.
21. 22-29. S6. 57- 61. 6S. 71.
99. 106. 123
74. 83. 84. 106- 112
Sheepfold, i. 34. M. i. 10-
Turnep-caterpiilar, M. 12- 121
ii. 18,
Tenthredo, M. 12*.
Shsep-fhow of Cawfton, M.
124. 119. 132
1*1
Two-year-olds, i. 336
Smithfield market. See Bul-
V.
Iccks. AlfoM. ii i. j 13. 117
Vegetable economy, M. f>z
Soils, i. ii. M. 59. 77. 106.
Vegetating-ptoctiV, i. 170
jto6- 118. 121
Soll-proccfs, i. 137. M. 2-57.
Vetches, i. 152
u.
98.114.
Underdraining, i. 148- M. 2.
Snow-fledge, U 59
114
Soot, i. 35
W.
Soot, to i~o\v, i. 164
Waggons, i. 50
Sparrows, 1-172
\Vatei *_-3rr:age, M. i-.
fctonf-picking, i. 171
Weeding, i. 170
Store-cattle, "M. 74
Weld, M. 16
Straw-yatd management, L
Wheat, i. 201. M. 13. 14. 18.
26
19. 23- 26. 28. 41. 43. 67.
Stables. See Buildings
106.133
Succeflion, i. 132
Winnowing, i. 190
Swine, i. 3-72. M. 52
Woodlands, i. 120
' T.
Workmec, i. 40. M. 98. ioo»
Taxes, i. 64
106
Tapping oaklings, M. 36
Worftead fair, M. 107
Teathe, i. 33. M. 31
Y.
Tenancy, i. 67
Yarmouth marfhes, M. n>
Tenthredo of the turnep, M.
• ride to, M. 106
122. 124. 129. 132
Yearlings, i. 336
Term, i. 67
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