j^eo. during a Tour through England. , jy 



difclplined by the plough, might be fown down again with 

 proper feeds, and a large additional quantity of grafs v/ould 

 be procured. 



A great number of Engliili landlords view the brealcing up 

 of old pailures as a mod mifchievous bufinefs, and abfolutely 

 believe their property would be ruined, was this meafure to be 

 carried to any extent. Tliefe apprehenfions mud be r-roduced 

 by former inftances of mifmanagement in the breaking up of 

 grafs lands \ for it niult be confeiled, that too many farmers 

 adopt an erroneous fyflem in fuch cafes. The firft crop, which 

 is ufually oats, will be good, if the land gets only common 

 juftice in the operations of ploughing and harroviing', but 

 the goodnefs thereof tempts the farmer to low another white 

 crop, and here commences the evil; for all old grafs lands are 

 difpofed to run foul, and the riches accumulated for a number 

 of years, give a decided encouragement to the growth of couch 

 and other weeds. The crops of grain therefore fall ofF,> and the 

 land gets into the wildeft and fouled date. The fure way of 

 preventing thefe evils, is to give a complete Summer-fallow the 

 fecond year of ploughing, which will dcdroy the turf and the 

 ftore of weeds with which fuch fields generally abound, and 

 will bring them into a proper date of cultivation for carrying 

 heavy crops. Wherever this management has been adopted, 

 I have never feen it fail ; and it is the only one which can ren- 

 der the breaking up of grafs lands advantageous to the tenant, 

 and not detrimental to the proprietor. 



After leaving Darlington, we cro-lTed the Tees, a few miles 

 to tlie fouthward of that place, and entered the North R-iding 

 of York. Wc had fome converfation with an intelligent farmer 

 at Northallerton^ the head town of the Riding, and were fur- 

 prifed to learn that wheat was preferred after clover, indead 

 of oats, becaufe the latter is apt to make the ground jun ivild. 

 Sowing wheat upon a clover dubble, is a very ulual practice in 

 many parts of the kingdom ; and the crop is certainly, in mod 

 cafes, fuperior in value to oats, particularly in England : but, to 

 fuppofe that oats contributed more than wheat to render the 

 land foul, was what excited my wonder; for all land fown in 

 Spring mud neceflarily be cleaner than if it lay in a harrowed 

 date during the Winter nionths. Befides, oats are a clofe crop 

 at the root, which wheat is not, and, being 'good foragers, 

 thrive well on clover leas. Indeed, from comparative trials, 

 it has been afcertained, that, at the difference of one third 

 in price, a crop of oats is equal in value to a crop of w^heat, 

 independent of the fuperior condition in which the land is 

 left for fucceeding crops. 



The land about Northallerton, and through the whole North 

 Riding, till we arrived at York, is modly of an excellent qua- 



Cj ' iirys 



