on a fmall Portion of Arable Land. 22$ 



II. Stock and Injlruments of Hufbandry. 

 It is evident that fo fmall an extent of land as either two 

 or three acres, under cultivation, excludes all idea of plough- 

 ing * ; and, indeed, unlefs the cottager (hall manage the 

 whole in the fimpleft and cheapelt manner, there is an end 

 to the whole fyllem. It would require, indeed, four or five 

 acres to keep a fingle horfe, and the expenfe of purchafing 

 horfes, or even oxen, ploughs, and other inftruments of 

 hufbandry, mult be far beyond the abilities of a cottager ; 

 whereas with a fpade, a hoe, a rake, a feythe, a fickle, and 

 a flail, which are all the inftruments really neceflary, he is 

 perfectly competent to the management of his little farm. 



Ill Courfe of Crops, &c. 

 The three acres propofed to be cultivated fhould be divided 

 into four portions, each confiding of three roods, under the 

 following fyftem of management : 



Under potatoes two roods, under turnips one f 

 Under winter tares two roods, fpring tares one 

 Under barley, wheat, or oats 

 Under clover, with a mixture of rye grafs J 



Total 12 Roods. 



Other articles befides tbefe might be mentioned, but it 

 feems to me of peculiar importance to reftric~t the attention 

 of the cottager to as few objects of cultivation as poffible. 



It is propofed that the produce of the two roods of potatoes 

 (ball go to the maintenance of the cottager and his family §; 

 and that the rood of turnips mould be given to the cow in 

 winter and during the fpring, in addition to its other fare. 



The fecond portion, fown with tares, (the two roods of 

 potatoes of the former year to be fuccetfively fown with 

 winter tares, and the turnip rood with fpring tares,) might 

 partly be cut green, for feeding the cow in fummer and au- 

 tumn ; but, if the feafon will permit, the whole ought to be 



*_ Ploughs mig u t, perhaps, be hired; but, on the whole, the fpade cul- 

 ture is infinitely preferable, and 1 would much rather fee a cottager hire 

 perfons to trench than to plough for him. 



f 1 would alio recommend a fmail quantity of flax, where the culture 

 and management of the plant was known, to employ the females, parti- 

 cularly in winter, and to fupply the family with linen. 



X Some recommend the proportion per acre to be at the rate of one 

 bulhel of rye graf? to 12 lbs. of red clover ; others, 14 lbs. cf red clover 

 to I alf a bufhcl of rye grafs. 



§ By Sir John Mcthutn Poorc's experiments it was found that half a 

 rood, or one-eighth of an acre, produced, for feveral years, as great a 

 weight of potatoes as was fufftcicnt for a family of four perfons. Four 

 acres aafwercd for 13 1 perfons. 



P 3 made 



