242 History of the English Landed Interest. 



and a more solid recognition of his worth in the gift of a piece 

 of plate b}'' the Marquess of Rockingham. 



It would seem that, notwithstanding the imperfect means of 

 communication during this early stage of the century, Tull's 

 process was attempted by individual farmers far and wide. 

 Messrs. Bailey and Culley, in their Report to the Board of Agri- 

 culture on the farming economy of Northumberland, state that 

 the system of drilling turnips must have been introduced into 

 Dumfriesshire certainly not later than 1745. Save that the 

 ridges were four feet wide, the process of cultivation appears to 

 have been very similar to that practised now-a-daj^'S. The 

 ground was ploughed, harrowed, pulverised, and ridged. 

 Manure was then spread in the furrows, to cover which the 

 plough had to go twice about. Before drilling, the harrows 

 were passed over the ridges. As soon as the young plants 

 were sufficiently advanced they were singled, and the harrows 

 kept going up and down the ridges to prevent the growth of 

 vreeds throughout the summer. "Within ten years the same 

 process was practised by Howard of Corby in Cumberland, 

 Pringle at Coldstream, and Dawson of Frogden Farm near 

 Kelso. "While, however, Howard got his method from 

 Dumfries, Pringle obtained his from Tull's book ; and Daw- 

 son his by residing specially, for the purpose of observation, 

 in those English districts where the best cultivation was 

 pursued. Here, then, were three fresh centres whence it 

 might have been expected that the new practice would have 

 radiated through the adjacent farms. Howard, however, was 

 a squire ; Pringle an army-surgeon ; and only Dawson a pro- 

 fessional farmer. Though all were equally successful with 

 their venture, no ordinary farmer, save in Dawson's district, 

 could be got to follow suit. Even in his, wise5,cres shook their 

 heads, while sceptics ridiculed. But in the other two cases 

 the innovation was generally regarded as merely on a par 

 with other anudeur practices. It is doubtful if turnip-drill- 

 ing would have ever been universal, had not some traveller 

 brought back from Roxburghshire a report of Dawson's 

 success, which for the last dozen years any one might have 

 seen with his own eyes by looking over Pringle's hedge. 



