7*8 



ENGLAND. 



render grain a staple commodity of tliis country. His 

 ' speech exhibits a sinking picture of the state of I-' nglish 

 agriculture at that period. According to him, tin- poor 

 (".truer* could not purchase seed to ROW the land, which 

 the law required to be sown ; anil France offered the 

 Queen to supply Ireland with corn at two shillings a 

 ti;i>hrl, at which price our farmers would be beggars. 

 It would seem tlvit the tillage laws passed liy Kli/.al>cth 

 were found to be inefficient, if not injurious, for by an 

 act of the 99 Eliz. they were repealea. 



There docs not seem to have been any regular mode 

 of conducting the husbandry of this Kingdom, or any 

 Mential improvements introduced into it, till the resto- 

 sxtion of Charles 1 1. At this period, many of the l.md- 

 etl proprietors, who had espoused the cause of that mo- 

 narch, and retired to the continent, on their return in- 

 troduced several of the principles and modes if practice 

 which they had observed abroad, particularly in Flan- 

 ders. There is, indeed, pood reason to believe, that 

 clover, sainfoin, the folding of sheep, and perhaps tur- 

 nips, (though the introduction of the last is generally 

 fixed at a much later period, ) were brought into this 

 country about the time of the restoration of Charles II. 



After this time, agriculture advanced slowly but gra- 

 dually, being in some instances benefited, and in oilier 

 instances rather obstructed, by the works of sonic fan- 

 ciful writers. We allude particularly to the writings 

 of Tull, which have been of essential service in contri- 

 buting to introduce the row culture at least for green 

 crops, but which had a tendency to do mischief, by in- 

 ig on the uselessness of manures. 



Hitherto, whatever improvements had taken place in 

 arable husbandry, little attention had been directed to 

 the improvement of the stock of the island. At last 

 Mr Uakewell turned his thoughts to this subject, and 

 his example being followed by several spirited and ju- 

 dicious fanners in various parts of England, more par- 

 ticularly in the north, this branch of husbandry, as we 

 have already remarked, has, in by far the greatest por- 

 tion of the kingdom, advanced considerably before its 

 arable husbandry ; and indeed the principal and most 

 important improvement in this latter branch may very 

 fairly be traced to the great improvement in stock; for 

 the zeal and anxiety of farmers with respect to their 

 stock, led them to cultivate green crops on a larger 

 scale, and with more attention and judgment, than they 

 had previously done ; and by means of these crops, not 

 only was their ground kept clean, but it was also en- 

 riched, by the additional quantity of manure, which the 

 consumption of them supplied. 



The last epoch in the history of English husbandry 

 was the establishment of the Board of Agriculture; 

 from which perhaps not all the benefit has been derived 

 which was expected, and which might have been ob- 

 tained, had their proceedings been more cautious and 

 judicious; but which nevertheless has contributed great- 

 ly to spread agricultural information, to make each part 

 of the country acquainted with the implements and 

 practices, of the other parts, and to soften and break 

 down agricultural prejudice, of all prejudices the most 

 stubborn and long-lived. 



Still, whoever has formed his opinion of the excel- 

 lence of English agriculture, from the high character 

 which thi^ nation bears for enterprize and success in 

 other branches of industry, and particularly in manu- 

 facturing and commercial industry, will be much dis- 

 appointed. Over the whole kingdom, and even in the 

 immediate vicinity of the largest towns, where the de- 

 mand for agricultural produce must, he great arid regu- 



3 



lar, and where tlie means of improvement are ample Sututi. 

 and easily acquired, wastes and commons are found, ** y*' 

 many of them consisting of a soil by no means naturally 

 unfertile, and all of them capable, at little expence, of 

 l>ciiig rendered in some degree productive and beiieli- 

 ei.il to the inhabitants. Besides these wastes and com* 

 iiuiiis, what are called common fields (where the ground, 

 though cultivated, is so much subdivided, and the pro- 

 perty so much intermixed, that it is absolutely imj>o--i- 

 l>le to practise good husbandry, or to derive from it the 

 produce it might yield) are numerous. While these 

 things are so, the agricultural industry and enterprize 

 cannot be rated very high. At the same time it is fair 

 to state, that within those last 50 years, numerous act* 

 of parliament have been passed to inclose and improve 

 these commons and common fields ; while before hit 

 pri-M-nt Majesty came to the throne, these acts were very 

 few. The first inclosure by act of parliament took pi ce 

 in the reign of Charles IF. ; the next in Queen Anne's 

 reign. From 17 1<) to 175J), 2*9 acts were passed; 

 froiii 176'4 to 177!>, the number was 9+1, averaging .>& 

 annually : from 1780 to 1794, there were 4*5, averaging 

 30 annually ; in 1795 and 17f)(), there were 146; and 

 from 1797 to 1805, there were 704; making in all 2 .91 

 inclosure acts. In the ten years from 1785 to 1796, the Proofs of ur 

 average number per annum sunk considerably ; but in ^ 

 the nine years, from 1790' to 18"5, it rose again higher m 

 than ever. In the first +0 years of his present Majesty's 

 reign, there were 1213 inclosures, containing 1,960,189 

 acres, which gives an average for each inclosure of 1016 

 acres. If we estimate the total number of inclosures at 

 this average, the quantity of land inclosed since die 

 reign of Queen Anne, (for the inclosure in Charles II.'s 

 time related to Malvern Chace,) will amount to 4,187,056' 

 acres up to the end of 1 80o. Since that period, the 

 acts for inclosing commons and common fields have not 

 been less numerous. We have entered on this state- 

 ment, in order to shew, that, though these commons 

 and common fields are a disgrace to the agricultural 

 character and enterprise of the English nation, yet that 

 disgrace is in the course of being wiped away. 



It has been more than once noticed, that our agricul- 

 ture has improved more with respect to fanning stock, 

 than with respect to the principles or practices pui sued 

 on arable land. Perhaps the truth of this observation 

 cannot be placed in a stronger point of view, thai >y 

 the following comparison between the weight of b. 1- 

 locks, &c. as it was one hundred years ago, and as it if 

 at the present time. 



100 Years ago. At present. 



Bullocks at an average weighed 37 <) Ibs. 800 Ibs. 



Calves do. do. 50 14<) 



Sheep do. do. 28 80 



Lambs do. do. 18 50 



CHAP. VII. 







Hortimlture. 



TUB horticulture of England is so justly celebrated, 

 and is so closely connected with its agriculture, that we tU rc. 

 may l>e permitted to say a few words on the subject. 

 When we consider the general coldness and moisture, 

 as well as the extreme uncertainty and variableness of 

 our climate, it must be regarded as no unequivocal proof 

 of our skill and success in horticulture, that by any 

 means we are enabled to supply ourselves w ith as many 



