RitrofpeUive v'leiv of yfgr'i culture — Torhshire. «;(^3 



kiie beginning of January to the middle of May, in as found and per- 

 fo6l a ftate as could be wiflicd. 



I am happy to add, that the practice of drilling beans at 30 inches 

 intervals, is making j^ oat progrefs in various diflridls, which I confi- 

 der as a material improvement ; and the drilling of corn crops, parti- 

 cularly wheat, at loj-, or 12 inches intervals is alfo becoming move 

 cxtenfively pra(ftifed ; the facility with which the intervals are horfc 

 and hand hoed, completely eradicate wild oats, runch, or wild muf- 

 tard, and every otiier fpccics of annual weeds in a few years : tiicre 

 is alfo a great advantage by having the lands fo fmely pulverized by 

 thefe hoeings, for the clover and grafs feeds, which are covered 

 by a new horfc hoe harrow, that harrows the intervals without touch- 

 ing the corn. 



The markets, through the whole of this year, have fluftuated very 

 little. Corn has been rather hclovv ])ar, particularly barley : for live 

 flock there was. a depreffion of prices in September, owing to the ef- 

 fects of the drought, but they foon after got up to their former 

 prices. 



This year will be remembered by many farmers for the loffcs 

 fuflaincd by the rot in ftjeep, though the difeafe was occafioned by 

 the wet weather in the preceding autumn ; confiderable numbers of 

 fli'iep of this defcription have been fold at half their value, and have 

 tended to keep dow^n the prices of good mutton for fevcral week.^ 



Y.rhJJ.nre, 



In arctrofpe^ of the different periods of the prefent expiring year, we 

 cannot help oblerving, that the hate of the weather, though at iome peri- 

 ods, and in fome places very fine, and unufually encouraging to agricul- 

 tural purfuits, yet, that on the whole, the refult has beeii hngularly, and 

 extre/nelydifcourai'ing. A more forward and favourable fpring, from the 

 lainbingfearontothccommencemGntoftliefummer months, was fcarcely 

 ever experienced ; but the fevere drought that enlued, and which conti- 

 nued here, almoft without the flighteft intermiffion of a Ihower, till the 

 latter end of Autumn, product-d inch a defalcation of the ordinary 

 icfources for cattle, both in regard to pafture, fog, turnips^ &c. that 

 had not the crop of hay been tolerable in burden, and excellent in 

 quality, the greateft diflrefs mufl inevitably have been the confc- 

 quence. Although tlie pleaflng frefhnefs of the grafles, with the much 

 improved growth of the turnips, plainly progrelTIve, till the late, and 

 prefent hard frofts, forbid the farmer to defpair, yet the general incon- 

 venience has been great and trying. Much hay has already bcencon- 

 iumcd, and though, but in few inftances, thefe difappointments 

 point to improvement in modes of management, yet fome of the more 

 intelligent iarmers are turning their attention to the culture of Lu- 

 cerne for foiling, &:c. than which, probably nothing better adapted to 

 the purpofc in all feaibns will be difcovcrcd in owr tiuie. 



In 



