1803. Letter from Lord Somefvitie, 34 J 



riage of lline or manure, wliich is 10 acres per week for each 

 four oxen, or 5 acres for each pair ; that is, 2 acres ptr day, for 

 five days in the week, for each team of four, Laving them two 

 reillng days : their day's work is done in fcven hours and a half, 

 wliich gives them fixteen hours for reft. If corn was allov/ed 

 them, they would prob.ibly do more : if they did Icfs, I would 

 not ufe them at all. I allow one horfe to every hundred acres 

 of land for extra work, and no more. 



It may fuggell itfelf to fome, that an increafed ufe of oxen 

 •in labour, by keeping employed thofe animals which would other- 

 wife become part ot the lupply at an earlier period, increafe our 

 prefent dilHculty •, fo it might. I would even prefer to endure a 

 prefent privation, to fecure a permanent and moft important 

 good. Be perfuaded that, after the fhort period of three. years, 

 the foundation being thus laid, the fupply would thencefor- 

 ward be regular and abundant. For the fupport of our navy, 

 we have no right to depend on Rullia. In Ireland, cattle are get- 

 ting fcarce ; in this kingdom, far more fo. But I beg pardon ; 

 I have- pre (led thefe arguments elfe where, and forget that at pre- 

 fent neither you nor the majority of your readers, fee this matter 

 in the light 1 do. I have the honour to be. 



Sir, with great refpe(St, 



SOMERVILLE. 



Edinburgh y July 22. 1803. 



Note by the CondiiEIor. 



We are highly obliged to Lord Somerviile for the above com- 

 iTJunication, and obfcrve with fatisfadlion that the general tenor 

 of our work is agreeable to his Lordfliip. It is our duty, how- 

 ever, to fay, that the criticifm given by our Reviewer applied on- 

 ly to the quantity of work faid to be executed by Mr Ducket's 

 hand-hoe in a given fpace of time, and was not connetted in the 

 fmalleft degree with the general utility of the implement. We 

 are equally advocates with his Lordfliip both for horfe and hand- 

 hoeing, and will be extremely happy to receive from him fueh in- 

 formation as may ferve to demonitrate the advantages of both. 



With regard to giving dictatorial opinions in our work, unfup- 

 ported by reafon and proof, we dilclaim the imputation. We 

 are friends to truth, and to the pracSlice of rational hufbandry. 

 So far as concerns us, the opinions given have been, and will 

 continue to be, guided by practice and experience : but it is diffi- 

 cult to regulate a popular work upon one uniform prmciple, e- 

 fpecially where it is fupportcd by fuch a numerous body of cor- 

 refpondents. N. 



BRANCH 



