Part 49

But though Ridges do alter or increase the Surface, the Quantity of Soil or Earth remaining the same as on the Level, and of no greater Depth than can be tilled, it may produce equal Crops of Corn with the Level, and no more; except from the Advantage the Ridges may give it in lying drier.

Notwithstanding all I have here said, in behalf of Ridges, I must confess, that, for my Hoeing-Husbandry, I should prefer Land that is naturally dry enough, without a Necessity of being laid up in any larger or higher Ridges than what may contain Six Feet in Breadth, that Size being the largest that is proper for the regular Operation of the Horse-hoe.

Since the Printing of my Essay, I find, upon Trial, that these narrow Ridges are as effectual as any for carrying the Water off from my clayey Hill; and that they be made much less horizontal than broad Ridges, whereby their Furrows are the more easily turned upwards against the Declivity.

I have not tried any narrower Ridge than that of Six Feet upon this Hill: But I have had full Experience of Five-feet and of Four-feet Ridges upon other Land; and find that all Sizes of these narrow Ridges are very advantageous, even where the Crop is to be sown upon the Level; for fewer Furrows are necessary for the Tilling of an Acre, when ’tis kept in such Ridges, than in broad Lands; and after wet Weather the Ridges will be fit to be plowed much sooner than level Ground.

CHAP. XVII.

Of Differences between the Old and the New Husbandry.

In order to make a Comparison between the Hoeing-Husbandry, and the old Way, there are Four Things, whereof the Differences ought to be very well considered.

I. The Expence } II. The Goodness } of a Crop. III. The Certainty } IV. The Condition in which the Land is left after a Crop.

The Profit or Loss arising from Land, is not to be computed, only from the Value of the Crop it produces; but from its Value, after all Expences of Seed, Tillage, &c. are deducted.

Thus, when an Acre brings a Crop worth Four Pounds, and the Expences thereof amount to Five Pounds, the Owner’s Loss is One Pound; and when an Acre brings a Crop which yields Thirty Shillings, and the Expence amounts to no more than Ten Shillings, the Owner receives One Pound, clear Profit, from this Acre’s very small Crop, as the other loses One Pound by his greater Crop.

The usual Expences of an Acre of Wheat, sown in the old Husbandry, in the Country where I live, is, in some Places, for Two Bushels and an half of Seed; in other Places Four Bushels and an half; the least of these Quantities at Three Shillings per Bushel, being the present Price, is Seven Shillings and Six-pence. For Three Plowings, Harrowing, and Sowing, Sixteen Shillings; but if plow’d Four times, which is better, One Pound. For Thirty Load of Dung, to a Statute Acre, is Two Pounds Five Shillings. For Carriage of the Dung, according to the Distance, from Two Shillings to Six-pence the Load, One Shilling being the Price most common, is One Pound Ten Shillings. The Price for Weeding is very uncertain; it has sometimes cost Twelve Shillings, sometimes Two Shillings per Acre.

l. s. d.

In Seed and Tillage, nothing can be abated of 01 03 06 For the Weeding, one Year with another, is more than 00 02 00 For the Rent of the Year’s Fallow 00 10 00 For the Dung; ’tis in some Places a little cheaper, neither do they always lay on quite so much; therefore abating 15s. in that Article, we may well set Dung and Carriage at 02 10 00 Reaping commonly 5s. sometimes less 00 04 06 ------------ Total 04 10 00

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

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

The Expences of planting an Acre of Wheat in the Hoeing-Husbandry, is Three Pecks of Seed, at Three Shillings per Bushel, is Two Shillings and Three-pence. The whole Tillage, if done by Horses, would be Eight Shillings; because our Two Plowings, and Six Hoeings, are equal to Two Plowings; the common Price whereof is Four Shillings each; but this we diminish half, when done by Oxen kept on St. Foin, in this manner; viz. Land worth Thirty Shillings Rent, drill’d with St. Foin, will well maintain an Ox a Year, and sometimes Hay will be left to pay for the Making: We cannot therefore allow more than One Shilling a Week for his Work, because his Keeping comes but to Seven-pence a Week round the Year.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Expence then of hoeing Six Acres in a Day, in this manner, may be accounted, at One Shilling the Man that holds the Plough, Six-pence the Boy that drives the Plough, One Shilling for the Six Oxen, and Six-pence for keeping the Tackle in Repair. The whole Sum for hoeing these Six Acres is Three Shillings, being Six-pence per Acre.

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

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

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