98 



FARMERS' REGISTER— MANAGEMENT OF FARM DLING. 



uiiinual Charge attending a Plough and Two 

 Horses. 



Servants wages and maintenance, £21 

 Corn for two liorses, from the 1st of 



October to the middle of June, 3 



firlots per week, which, with odd 



feeds, may be taken at 30 bolls, at 



16s. per boll - - _ 24 



200 stones of hay, to be eaten when 



the horses are taken from green 



food, and betwixt yokings during 



seed-time, at 7rf. - - - 5 16 8 



1| acre of clover and tares for sum- 

 mer food _ - _ _ 9 

 Smith and wright work - - 5 

 Saddlery work . - - 10 

 Interest on capital stock at 5 per 



cent.* _ _ - - 6 10 



12|^ per cent, on £70 perishable 



stock, for tear and wear - 8 15 



Annual charge 



£80 12 6 



Now let us endeavor to ascertain from the above, 

 what is the charge per acre to the farmer for 

 ploughing and harrowing his land. 



It will readily be granted, that 42 Scots acres 

 per plough is as great a quantity as can be properly 

 managed in ordinary cases. If this extent is ar- 

 ranged agreeable to the common six-course shift, 

 there will be 7 acres in summer fallow, 7 in wheat, 

 7 in beans, 7 in barley, 7 in clover, and 7 in oats ; 

 and the number of ploughmgs and harrow ings 

 during the course will be, 



1. Fallow, 6 ploughings, 3 harrowings. 



2. Wheat, 2 ditto. 



3. Beans, 2 ditto. 3 ditto. 



4. Barley, 2 ditto. 4 ditto. 



5. Clover, 



6. Oats, 1 ditto. 3 ditto. 



11 



15 



Multiplying the above numbers by 35, the quan- 

 tity of acres actually under tillage, and dividing 

 the amount by 5, the number of breaks, the result 

 will be, that two horses, during the year, plough 

 77 acres once over, and give 105 double times of 

 harrowing to one acre of ground. As their ex- 

 pense for that time is £80 12s. 6d. it may be 

 classed as under : 



77 acres once ploughed, at 18s. 3d. £ 70 4 3 

 105 harrowings, at 2s. - - 10 10 



£80 14 3 



It will no doubt be attended to, that all the other 

 operations performed by the man and the two 



*The capital stock, so far as respects ploughing, 

 may be reckoned as follows : 



2 horses - - - - /.42 



Plough, brake, and harrows - - 5 5 



Long and close carts, with wheels and iron 



axle - . . . 15 



Barrows, grapes, forks, &.C. - - 15 



Saddlery - . - _ 7 



Servant's wages - . . 21 



Horse-corn - - - . 24 



Hay - - - - - 5 16 8 



horses, v^hen not engaged in ploughing and har- 

 rowing, are included in these charges; but as they 

 are paid from the produce of the above quantity of 

 land, and as these incidental operations are, in fact, 

 work required upon the premises, it is deemed un- 

 necessary to state them separately, as this would 

 not lessen the sum-total of the labor-account. It 

 therefore ap{)ears, that 35 acres of land, in a pro- 

 ductive state, and under a six-course shift, are la- 

 bored by the farmer at the expense of £80 12s. 

 6d. or £2 6s. per acre, independent of seed corn, 

 grass seeds, harvest work, thrashing, marketing, 

 incidental expenses, and the support of the family. 



In debiting a particular field for farm labor, I 

 know of no better method, than first to ascertain 

 tl\e ordinary outlays, then to reckon up the num- 

 ber of ploughings and harrowmgs given to each 

 field, and, after finding how much that amounts to 

 per acre, to proportion the expense accordingly. 

 If these rules are adhered to, the expense and profit 

 of the farmer's operations may be as minutely as- 

 certained as the concerns of the merchant and 

 manufacturer. 



I need scarcely add, that every article in the 

 annual expense of a plough and two horses, is very 

 moderately charged, being at least one third below 

 what they will amount to this year. For instance, 

 the servants wages and maintenance will be £ 30, 

 and the value of^ corn given to the horses, in all 

 probability three fifths more than the sum charged. 

 I am, sir, yours, &c. a rural economist.* 



On iiiaiiageiuent of Farm Dung". 



From the (Edinburgh) Farmers Magazine. 



Sir — As the indispensable necessity of repeat- 

 ed applications of dung — that is to sa)'^, putres- 

 cent animal, and vegetable matters, for recruiting 

 and preserving the fertility of the earth, is univer- 

 sally admitted, every means by which the quanti- 

 ty of this important substance may be enlarged, 

 or its efficacy increased, must be a valuable ac- 

 quisition. You have, therefore, done tlie public 

 good service, in communicating the thoughts of 

 so diligent and successful an inquirer into the se- 

 crets of nature, as the illustrious Sir Humphrey 



1.120 16 8 



*The Scottish measures above namtd, as well as 

 others of frequent use in English agricultural works, 

 will require explanation. 



Scottish Gi'ain Measures. 



4 lippies, or forpats = 1 peck, 

 4 pecks = 1 lirlot, 



4 firlots = 1 boll. 



The firlot contains 2197J cubic inches, 47 more than the 

 bushel of England which is used in Virginia. The bar- 

 ley firlot of Scotland (according to the Gentleman Far- 

 mer) contains half as much more as the common firlot, 

 or as 3 to 2. Probalily this particulai- measure is no 

 longer used, and that the firlot may be always counted 

 as a bushel. 



The acre of England and America contains 43,360 

 square feet. 



The acre of Scotland contains 55,353 6-10 sqiiare 

 feet — so that 4 of ihe latter are little less than 5 of the 

 former — or the comparative extent is as 44 to 35 very 

 nearly. 



4 bushels (English) = 1 coomb. 2 coombs = 1 

 quarter. 



A stone is 14 Ib.'^. avoirdupois weight. 



The pound sterling and its parts arc used above. — 

 [Ed. Far. Reg. 



