The Making of the Land. 2 1 3 



lished methods of valuing the various forms of realty ; 

 scholars like Corbyu Morris, in 1759, described a system of 

 estate accounts which included both our modern cai^hbook and 

 ledger, and earlier still (viz., in 1727) Edward Lawrence, a 

 surveyor, brought out forms of cash and rental books which 

 afford us valuable models even at this present da3^ Michael 

 Menzies, the lawyer, invented the threshing machine ; ^ Horn, 

 the sowing machine ; Lummis, the Rotherham plough ; ^ 

 Praed, the drill plough ; Small, the swing plough ; Bryce, 

 the reaping machine ; Cooch, the winnowing machine ; and 

 Salmon, the haymaker. Swedes, the field cabbage, the man- 

 gold, the kohl rabi, timothy grass, prickly comfry, and the 

 spring variety of wheat were all crops introduced during the 

 last half of the century. Allen, of Lynghouse, resuscitated^ 

 the old system of marling earlier still.'^ Bone dust was first 

 tried as a manure by Col. St, Leger at Doncaster, and salt by 

 the Marquess of Rockingham, in 1765. Cattle shows, plough- 

 ing matches, farmers' clubs, then became frequent. The 

 Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures^ and Com- 

 merce was revived, and exhibited its renewed vigour by re- 

 warding the originators of agricultural improvements with 

 medals and prizes. The Bath and West of England^ and the 

 Highland Societies, the Smithfield Club, and last but not least 

 the Board of Agriculture, all sprang into being at this same 

 period. AVhen first the institution of this Board was pro- 

 posed, Pitt was continually accused of creating a job for 

 his own private and selfish ends. But on some one in the 

 House daring to hint that this was his object, he was crushed 



* In 1735 George Thomson edited a work containing the description of 

 a threshing machine invented at Dalkeith, which in a minute gave 1320 

 strokes, and was worked by water, wind, or horse power. — Agricultural 

 Biography, sub voc. " Thomson." J. Donaldson, 1854. 



2 The Practical Husbandman. R. Maxwell, 1757. 



3 We say " resuscitated " advisedly, because there is no doubt that in 

 early Tudor times marling was practised, and Young mentions that 

 nearly all of the parishes around Dishley had a huge depression of the 

 surface which had been called time immemorial " The Mario Pit.'" — 

 Former'' s Tour into the Eastern Countries, 1771, p. 110. 



' Annals of Agriculture, vol. v. p. 121. 



