THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



191 



to reduce the real wealth of the landlord, to diminish las 

 power of purchasing either the labour or the produce of 

 the labour of other people." 



1600 TO 1660. — Matters moved slowly during this period. 

 In agriculture, gardening, and manufactures, England was 

 surpassed by several other countries, particularly by 

 Holland and the Netherlands. These were the most in- 

 dustrious countries in Europe ; and their population had 

 been longer trained in those habits of order which are 

 essential to industrial pre-eminence, and in which ours 

 was deficient. Our Dutch and Flemisli neighbours im- 

 proved us in feu di'ainage, and in reclaiming land from 

 the sea : tliey also introduced new seeds, and improved 

 our agricultural practice. Implements and usages still 

 varied in every county, and almost in every parish. 

 Bligh, in his "Improver Improved" (1652), pointed out 

 the advantage of growing clover for cattle; and Sir 

 Richard Weston soon after published an account of the 

 cultivation of turnips in Elanders, by which cattle and 

 sheep might be fattened in winter. The woollen was still 

 the most important branch of non-agricultural industry. 

 Hackney-coaches made their first appearance in 1625, 

 there being only twenty for the metropolis and its neigh- 

 bourhood. 



1660 TO 1760. — Our manufactures continued to improve 

 by instruction from other countries ; and the exportation 

 of wool was now prohibited. Spitalfields, in London, now 

 produced silk mauufactui'es ; and Frenchmen, at Ipswich, 

 made fine linen, which sold at 15s. per ell — an enormous 

 price, looking at the then great value of money. Agricul- 

 ture also advanced. The historian says : " The state of 

 things to which the Revolution of 1688 put a termination, 

 was favourable to the development of agricultural industry 

 during the present period. Other political circumstances 

 also favoured the landed interest ; and for eighty years 

 after the Revolution, England, as we have seen, was a 

 corn-exporting country. From 1697 to 1773, the total ex- 

 cess of exports amounted to 30,968,366 qrs. of com, upon 

 which bounties were paid of not less than ^6,237,176. 

 From 1748 to 1752, the average quantity exported was 

 643,961 qrs. annually. The bounty paid in 1750 amounted 

 to £324,176. Fresh land was brought into cultivation, and 

 in 1710 the first Enclosure Act was passed. In 1697 a 

 duty was laid in England on malt; and the same duty 

 was extended to Scotland in 1713. In 1710 the winnow- 

 ing machine was introduced from Holland: in Scotland, 

 its use was denounced from the pulpit as impious. The 

 thrashing machine was first employed in the northern 

 parts of the island about the same time. No instrument 

 for saving labour has made such slow progi-ess ; and in 

 many extensive districts its use is unknown even in the 

 present day. In 1732 Jethro TuU commenced his expe- 

 riments in drilling and horse-hoeing on his farm in Berk- 

 shire ; but thirty years elapsed before they excited much 

 practical attention, and before the really valuable parts of 

 his system began to be adopted by intelligent agricul- 

 turists. Towards the close of the period, the extension of 

 the turnip husbandry was already effecting the most im- 

 portant revolution in the history of modern agiiculture . 

 Those improvements were also commenced which have 

 gone far towards eradicating the defects of the ancient 

 breeds of domestic animals in this country. Bakewell, the 

 great improver of live-stock, began his experiments about 



the year 1760. The writings of Evelyn, published near 

 the close of the last period, had awakened a taste for hor- 

 ticulture and planting. Gardens had become a luxury, on 

 which large sums were expended. The cottage of the 

 labourer began to be considered incomplete without a plot 

 of ground for the cultivation of vegetables ; and a great 

 increase took place in the quantity and variety of vege- 

 tables consumed by the labouring classes. The farmer 

 who did not provide plenty of greens, peas, and beans, for 

 his servants to eat with their salt meat, was despised for 

 his parsimony. By the middle of the century, the culti- 

 vation of the potato had become almost general in every 

 part of England, and the prejudice against its use had 

 been nearly removed; but in some quarters premiums 

 were still resorted to, for the purpose of bringing this root 

 into consumption amongst the poor." 



1760 TO I860.— This being decidedly the most progres- 

 sive era in the history of British agriculture, I have an- 

 nexed a chronological list of the many important agricul- 

 tural events of that period — which progi-ess was still 

 mainly owing to our great manufacturing advance, and 

 consequent rapid increase of population. Judging of the 

 future by the past, what are we to expect in agricultural 

 progress from 1800 to 1960, with a population of 50 or 60 

 millions, instead of 30 millions ? Our population was, a 

 century ago, probably not more than six or seven millions j 

 now it is 30 millions. The mind naturally asks. How long 

 is this manufacturing increase to go on, and when sha 1 

 our manufactures have attained their climax, and when 

 shall commence their decline ? Because then shall, indeed, 

 begin the decay of British agriculture. Begging pardon 

 for this digression, I must again quote from the historian 

 of that period : " In 1784 roads had improved, and Mr. 

 Palmer started the first mail coach ; previous to this 380 

 towns got their letters only three times a-week, and 40 

 towns had no post at all, but now they get them daily; 

 From 1785 to 1800 there were 683 Acts of Parliament 

 relating to roads, bridges, &c.; 196 to canals; 834 to 

 enclosures, draining, &c." 



Legislation affecting Ayriculturc. — Our senators appear to 

 have been constantly attempting to set agriculture in 

 order, according to their own notions, by Acts of Parlia- 

 ment. They do not appear to have succeeded very well 

 in their objects, for most of the Acts fell into desuetude, or 

 were evaded ; some of them would sound oddly at the pre- 

 sent day, such as : No tenant should rent two fai-ms. No 

 tenant-farmer should have more than 2,000 sheep. 1538, 

 That the King was to have half the profit from all land 

 converted from tillage into pasture until a suitable house 

 was built upon it. Every cottage was to have four acres 

 of land ; and no more than one family in each cottage; 

 There was an Act to restrain the excessive use of malt, and 

 justices were empowered in [quarter sessions to suppress 

 the making of malt, and the number of maltsters. Farm- 

 houses that had decayed were to be rebuilt compulsorily, 

 and 20 to 40 acres attached to them. Roast beef at Chi-ist- 

 mas appears to have been a luxury of modern times- 

 thanks to turnips, mangel, cake, clover, and other winter 

 food; for, formerly, as soon as the depasturing season 

 ended, the fat animals were killed and salted, to prevent 

 theu- becoming lean again— the hay being required for 

 cows and young growing animals. Bullocks and sheep, 

 too, were then a long while growing to perfection for the 



