88 Review of Notthighanipjire Survey. Jan. 



acknowleges that his intentions were " only to (late, as far 

 as came within his knowledge, tlie ufual couife of hufbandry, 

 the new praiSlices introduced, and fuch improvements as fug- 

 geftcd themfelves to him, without pretending to enter deep 

 into fcicntlfic difquifition on the uibje<Sl: of political regula- 

 tion, which the reader therefore mull cxpccl to be but flightly 

 touched upon. " This obfervation appears to have guided him 

 in the execution of the work •, for, while we perufe a plain, 

 and, we believe, a very faithful dcfcription of the prefent ftatc 

 of hufbandry in the county of Nottingham, the means of ac- 

 compliflung future improvements, or of removing obftacles, 

 are only {lightly noticed. 



The climate of this diftnft is defcribed to be dry, and the 

 harvefh generally early ; circumllances of the firil importance, 

 and which afFed: the value of the land much more than is ufu- 

 ally fuppofed. In point of foil, Mr Lowe divides the county 

 into three diltri£t3 : ift, fand or gravel ;» 2d, clay; 3d, limc- 

 ftone and coal land : And thefe he afterwards fubdivides into 

 fmaller portions, fo as the fubje6l may be fully comprehended. 

 We have always accouiited it a matter of difficulty to prefent 

 an accurate view of the foil •, which is fo variable in mofl coun- 

 ties, and many of thofe varieties approaching one another fo 

 nearly, that it is almoft impoflible to give a map or defcription 

 of thofe particulars, without unavoidably falling into error. 



In the chapter upon the adtivation of arable lav.dy and the 

 rotation of crops, the author mentions, that " the introdu6lion 

 of turnips was of great im.portance in enfuring a good crop of 

 barley, after being fed off with Iheep \ but that, till within thefe. 

 few years, it was not ufual to lay down with feeds. " He adds, 

 ** that the culture of a break, well managed, may be ftated to 

 be — Break up for, ift, turnips, laying ten quarters of lime on 

 an acre ; 2d, barley •, 3d, rye, fometimes wheat •, 4th, oats, 

 witli feeds *, i. e. white clover and rye-grafs, which are mown 

 for hay, and then thrown open. " We may readily fuppofe 

 that this rotation will not be viewed by many farmers as a ju- 

 dicious one. The fa6t is, it is certainly as bad a courfe for 

 turnip land as ca;i be pra£tifed ; but we mufl remark, that this 

 is only followed on the forefl breaks, where it has been an 

 immemorial cuftom for the inhabitants of townfhips to take 

 up temporary enclofures, and keep them in tillage for five or 

 fix years. 



Skegs are mentioned in this chapter. Query, What kind of 



grain are they ? A note at the foot of the page bids us turn to 



the Appendix ; but, upon confulting the place referred to, v/e 



deceive no other anf\ver_, than that they are Skegs 3 or, in other 



* ■ • wordsj 



