6S6 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 11 



crops were superior to the brond-cast; but it re- 

 quired :i coinbifiation of tavonible cirrum=tancps 

 to produce this resuh. Upon liie compact gravel- 

 ly clay, the difficullie;? in wet f^easons were insur- 

 mountable, and a season was sonu'iimeslost in ex- 

 pectation of weather suited to the drill. VViiate- 

 ver may be its advantages on loamy or sandy 

 soils, it certainly does not "succeed on a larm con- 

 eisting of the soils the nature of which has been 

 descril)ed. It has been tried by other persons 

 of this dislrici; but -is a system lor a whole farm, 

 no one has persevered in it. From the time of 

 Tull (the Ibuniler of the drill husbandly), some 

 writers have continued to ecoimnend (he prac- 

 tice upon soils of all nalures, and aitributed the 

 neglect of it to llie ignorance and obstinacy of 

 the'larmers; but nolwiihsiandinir these high au- 

 thorities, uidcss instances could be produced of its 

 success upon land like that of this district, it will 

 be doubtful whether writers or farmers are naosl 

 deserving of such itTiputalions. 



I^lanling. 



The planting of trees is not necessarily connect- 

 ed with farming; but it Ibrms a part of agricultu- 

 ral pursuiis. 



In the soils, the nature of which has been de- : 

 scribed, no trees of any liescription grow with lux- , 

 uriance, without the assistance of trenching the | 

 grounds; but when this practice is adopted, they 

 grow with vigor and beauty, and attain consider- 

 able size. The depth of trenching depends on 

 thequanlity of the soil; in the gravelly clays and 

 and gravels, li-equently it may be dug two feet and 

 a half deep; on the light sods the chalk rubble be- 

 gms to appear at five and six inches; in the latter 

 eoilsit is not advisable to trench below the depth 

 of a toot. 



Neither the larch nor fir is suited to chalk soils 

 of little depth. Whenever they attain a size 

 which compels the root to come in contact with 

 the chalk, they turn yellow and perish soon. But 

 many useful trees flourish in this soil: the beech, 

 birch, sycamore, plane, poplars, and yew, are well 

 suited to such ground. 



Capital and accounts. 



There are two subjects connected with agricul- 

 ture which cannot be too strongly recommended 

 to the attention of farmers, but which they gene- 

 rally neglect in a manner very prejudicial to their 

 affairs. 



Necessity of Capital. — Farmers in general do 

 not take the precaution of being pre|)r;red with 

 funds ol ready money, and they are consequently 

 driven to sell their produce ii-om contingencies 

 they do not always anticipate, at times when their 

 comntodities must be disposed of to a disadvan- 

 tage. Franklin has observed, that there is a dif- 

 ference often per cent, between ivill yi>ii sell? 

 and will you buy 1 — and it is want of attention to 

 this vvell-lbunded axiom, that prevents the linnier 

 from being empowered to wait for the (jueslion 

 will you sell ? The lixrmer is a sturdy bargainer, 

 and will drag out a contention about price to a te- 

 dious length; but if his customer be aware that a 

 Bale is indispensibly necessary to the afliiirs of his 

 competitor, the buyer is sure to carry his point. 

 The credit, the show of a little capital, confers an 

 Advantage on the farmer in these contests, and 



can alone put him upon a level with his antag- 

 onist. 



Accounts. — Few farmers keep any accounts: at 

 the end of the year they make a rough calculation 

 of the value of the capital and stock that remains, 

 and fi'om such com[)utation they collect the amount 

 of their profits or loss. But if agriculture and 

 ffcirming be really a science, and is to be conducted 

 on the most advantageous .system, a distinct ac- 

 count of the several heads of expenditure, and the 

 amount of the several distinct articles produced 

 in quantity and value, is indispensably necessary. 

 Without some account of this nature, no reference 

 can be made to ascerlain the average amount 

 o|' the crops, and there can be no means of deter- 

 mining vvhich are raised at the least exfjense, ami 

 which are the most profitable; nor in what parts 

 of the expenditure a retrenchment can be best 

 made. 



Many modes of keepinir accounts have been re- 

 commended, but the objection to them in general 

 is, that the divisions are too refined, and are too 

 complicated, for farmers of common acquirements. 

 They have not time to attend to a minute detail, 

 nor instruction sufficient to render it easy in prac- 

 tice. Some few heads are suggested at the end 

 end of this paper, under which they might ar- 

 range their expenditure and receipts; andasthey 

 become familiar with the method, they can after- 

 wards be carried into more minute details. 



Laborers. 



Causes of Distress. — The situation of the la- 

 borers, and of the whole class of agiicullural poor, 

 has attracted, for a considerable time, the atten- 

 tion of the coimtry. The sources of their present 

 destitute and comfortless state have been exaniiii- 

 ed with industry, by individua.s well qualified to 

 investigate this subject; and it is admitted that 

 the principal cause of their nn'sery is the want of 

 employment. Upon that point there is little dis- 

 pute. In finding remedies lor this increasing evil 

 a difiereneeof opinion arises. Some political eco- 

 nomists propose to leave the laborers to find their 

 own way out of the difficulties. Others suggest 

 expedients to alleviate the pressure for a time. As 

 the complaints of distress are very general in all 

 branches of industry, the agricultural poor appear 

 to be suffering in common with those other por- 

 tions of the community, vvhose subsistence does 

 not depend upon a settled income. But the labor- 

 er sufiers in a greater proportion: his gains in the 

 most favorable periods do not much exceed the 

 amount of the sum required to purchase the bare 

 necessaries of life; he has no superfluities; and 

 whenever a reduction of his profits takes place, no 

 economy can supply the deficiency. The means 

 are wittidrawn by which his health and strength, 

 his sole propt;rty, can be preserved, and the term 

 poverty is not a metaphor when applied to him, 

 as it often is when used with respect to higher 

 classes, whom a change of circumstances only 

 makes poor by comparison with that which they 

 possessed before. Their means ol' existence are 

 at this moment so closely pared down, that the re- 

 duction of three pence per week is become a seri- 

 ous delitlcation of income. 



[f there be any laws resulting from the institu- 

 tions that establish property in land which neces- 

 sarily limit, in a country fully peopled, i..e share ^ 

 of the laborer to a portion which can only procure 



