July, 1842. 



THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR 



103 



melted away into tlie Roman name and people." 

 And Britain, if we may helieve Tacitus, was not 

 an exception. Tlius, lie tells us that Agricola, 

 "to wean them froin their savajfe custorns,eiitic- 

 ed them with pleasure, and encouraged them to 

 build temples," &c. Also, that, "to establish a 

 system of education, and to give the sons of the 

 leading men a knowledge of letters, was a part 

 of his policy," and that by these and other means, 

 " they who had always disdained the Roman lan- 

 guage, began to cultivate its beauties. The Ro- 

 man apparel was seen without prejudice, and the 

 toga became a fashionable part of dress. By de- 

 grees the charms of vice gained admission to 

 their hearts; baths, porticoes and elegant ban- 

 quets grew into vogue, and the new manners, 

 which in fact seemed only to sweeten slavery, 

 were, by the unsuspecting Britons, called the arts 

 of iiolished humanity." "With the other arts of 

 Rome, it is but fair, therefore, to presume tliat 

 her colonists introduced and practised her agri- 

 culture. Indeed, it must have been both intro- 

 duced and encouraged, for we have it from the 

 Emperor Julian himself, (Oral, ad S. P. Q. Athe- 

 niensum, p. ^80,) that he at one lime freighted a 

 a fleet of 600 vessels with corn exacted from the 

 Britons. "And if," says Gibbon, (ch. I'J, Decline 

 and Fall of Rom. Empire,) "we compute those ves- 

 sels at only 70 tons each, they were capable of et- 

 porting 120,000 quarters, and the country which 

 could hear this must have attained an improved state 

 of agriculture.^^ 



From these facts, then, it will be evident that 

 if we would look at the condition of Englisli ag- 

 riculture during the first five centuries, we must 

 turn to that of Rome. Indeed, our reason tells 

 us that, practised by Romans themselves for more 

 than 400 years, it must have approximated to that 

 of the mother country almost as much as cli- 

 mate and otiier diflerences between tlie two 

 countries would allow. But although we have 

 no records illustrative of the subject, it is impos- 

 sible for the fact to be otherwise ; for at the pe- 

 riod when Rome sent her colonists to Britain, 

 agriculture was, and continued for ages after- 

 wards, to be the most honorable and esteemed of 

 all professions. Her liighest characters, amongst 

 whom it will suffice to mention Cincinnatus and 

 Curius Dentatus, employed themselves in the 

 pursuit; and Cato himself tells us that "when 

 they would praise a deserving man, he was call- 

 ed a farmer and a good husbandman." But not 

 only had it attained this estimation as a profes- 

 sion, but had made no mean advance as a prac- 

 tice. Industry and observation had removed the 

 errors of ancient custom, and Cato, Varro, Cicero, 

 Virgil, Columella and Pliny bad employed then- 

 pens in promulgating its principles. Thus, we 

 are told that they cultivated wheat, barley, oats, 

 beans, peas, flax, lupines, kidney beans, tares, 

 turnips, &c.; also, the vines, olives, &c. Gibbon, 

 too, tells (Dec. and Fall, c. 2,) that "the use of 

 artificial grasses became familiar to the farmers 

 both of Italy and the provinces ; and that the as- 

 sured supi)ly of wholesome and plentiful food for 

 the cattle during the winter, multiplied the num- 

 ber of flocks and herds, which, in the.r turn, 

 contributed to the fertility of the soil." Thus, in 

 fact, they had partly approximated to that system 

 which has enabled the farmer of the present day, 

 bv alternate white and green crops, to double tlie 

 value of his produce and to increase the (ertihty 



of his soil. . 



Of manures, they used those animal and vege- 

 table ones which are at the present day employ- 

 ed. Lime, marl, and various composts were in 

 use. Of the value, too, of liquid manure, and of 

 the injury done to the dung heap by being too 

 long exposed to the action of the atmosphere, 

 they were conscious, and dug pits in which to 

 store it, in order to prevent the double waste. In 

 this, they made a slight approach to the Flemings 

 of the present age, whose careful management 

 of their farm yard manure, and the liquid from 

 it, is worthy of our imitation. A slill further 

 knowledge of the value of manure is displayed 

 by the Romans in their burning the stubble, col- 

 lecting ashes and even sowing green crops for 

 the purpose of iloughing in. (Varro. 1. c. 3.) 



They also used top dressings of hot manures, 

 such as pigeons' dung, powdered, which was put 

 iu with the hoe. In the practical operations of 

 agriculture, v\hen we take into account the sim- 

 ple mechanism they employed, they were by no 

 means contemptible. Thus. Pliuy tells us that 



they were particularly careful in ploughing, en- 

 deavoring to have perfectly straight and even fur- 

 rows. They |)loughed the land three times over, 

 always before sowing; sometimes taking a fur- 

 row nine inches deep, and sometimes only tliree. 

 On heavy soil, nine ploughings were frequently 

 given. They made a fallow every other year. 

 Indeed it would appear that the advantage aris- 

 ing to vegetation, from the soil being well pul- 

 verised, was well known; for Cato being asked. 

 What is good tillage?" answers, "To plough." 

 What is the next ?" " To plough. The third, 

 to manure. The remainder, is to sow plentifully, 

 to choose the seed carefully, and to eradicate as 

 many weeds as possible." 



For this purpose, the hoe was used liberally. 

 Crops, when too luxuriant were, as now, depas- 

 tured for a time. The seed was sown in the 

 ridge, as well as broadcast furrow, a practice now 

 termed " ribbing," and which, with an efficient 

 system of ploughing, if not superior, is equal to 

 the drill system. 



Among"the permanent improvements, draining 

 was esteemed and practised in some degree, if 

 we may judge by the mention made by the Latin 

 writers, of the good effijcts derived from it, and 

 by the particular directions given as to their con- 

 struction. 



Live stock, in which we include horses, oxen, 

 asses, sheep, goats, swine, geese, ducks, hens, 

 bees, &c. &c., occupied their care and attention. 

 And the various breeds were propagated upon 

 principles, some of which '"ould be well worthy 

 of attention at the preso day. 



Indeed, let us look which way we will upon 

 the subject, we find the high estimation in which 

 it was held as a profession, an index of its ad- 

 vance as a practice. It is, therefore, fair to pre- 

 sume not merely that the Roman colonists intro- 

 duced a system of agriculture into Britain, as 

 stated by all authorities, but that they introduced 

 the Roman system, and made use of Ronian ex- 

 perience in practising it. Reason tells us it must 

 have been so ; for facts, some of which we have 

 mentioned, show that she did so, with respect to 

 every other art, science, or custom, not merely 

 in Britain, but wherever she carried her victori- 

 ous arms, 



In the preceding sketch, therefore, of the prac- 

 tice of the Romans, we obtain a pretty ccrrect, 

 and indeed the only view of the agriculture of 

 Englanil during the first five centuries of the 

 Christian era. It is true that a difference in the 

 climate, &,c., might cause some slight variation in 

 the practices of the two countries. But, in the 

 foregoing summarv of agricultural knowledge, as 

 practised by the Romans, during the time Britain 

 was a part of their Empire, it will be obvious 

 that we have recorded nothing but what was 

 adapted to England. It would, therefore, be fair 

 to infer that every practice there mentioned was 

 adopted. Assuming this, and looking forward 

 for a thousand years, we observe the phenomena 

 which we have before mentioned, as character- 

 izing the progress (if it be not an Hibernicism, so 

 to call it.) of agriculture till a late period. For 

 even if we make the liberal allowance for a de- 

 generacy in the science, owing to the transplant- 

 ing it from Italian to English soil, we cannot, till 

 affer the sixteenth century, discover the least im- 

 provement developed in the practice. 



Thus we can find no advance made in the use 

 of tillages, in the construction o£ implements. 



so badly fed that it required 

 1 acre per day ; and that four 

 reckoned a fair crop, under 



their oxen, too, we 

 six to plough half 

 times the seed wa 

 this management. 



Their variety of crops was very limited, oats, 

 barley, rye, pease, being the staple productions. 

 Wheat, the farmers' paying crop, was then very 

 T 

 Suffolk aaain, where wheal i 



upor. 



in permanent improvement; 



s. The old Roman 



system of alternate crop and fallow, or at most, 

 of two crops and a fallow, still held its unques- 

 tioned sway. Nor do we discover any traces of 

 those artificial grasses which Gibbon tells 

 creased the number of herds and the fertility of 

 the soil. It is possible, however, that the Romans 

 never did introduce these into England, or they 

 could scarcely have gone completely out of use. 

 Owing to this, we find that the principal part of 

 the land was grazed on open commons ; while 

 those lanils nearest their habitations were culti- 

 vated for the growth of corn. The consequence 

 of this was, that as there was no fodder to be had, 

 but such as was grown on natural meadows, the 

 cattle starved upon the hungry common during 

 winter, and the enclosed land, owing to no ma- 

 nure being made, grew gradually less productive 

 Thus wo are told that they experienced the great 



ttle known. Thus, Tusser says: 



"oik again, where wheal never grew." 



Even at the commencement of the 17th centu- 

 ry, it was a luxury confined to the tables of the 

 nobility of the land. 



The most important part of the farmer's pos- 

 sessions, was the live stock. And it only wanted 

 a better system of management in the production 

 of food, to have made him progress in this branch 

 of his profession. Cattle, however, could make 

 but a poor growth on the common pastures, or 

 indeed, upon any pastures during the winter 

 months, and consequently, they were a scarce 

 stock. Sheep could do no better upon this me- 

 thod, and this, with the demand for wool, caused 

 them to be kept in great quantities. The neglect 

 of cattle for sheep, had so increased, that we find 

 it ordained, in 1533, that no man should keep 

 more than 2,400 sheep, (25 H. 8, c. 31,) and in 

 1555, that wherever there were 66 sheep, a cow 

 should be kept; and a calf bred wherever there 

 were 120, (2 and 3, Phil, and Mary, c. 3.) 



Nor was its standing as a profession very high. 

 The position of the farmer was that of the hum- 

 ble and contented laborer, and his qualifications 

 were industry and sobriety. Education and re- 

 search were unnecessary, and consequently un- 

 known. His path was the path of his predeces- 

 sor ; it was well beaten, and was easily travelled 

 no where do we discover so cleariy, 

 characteristics of a people, as in the customs 

 and duties of their women. No where do we 

 see the station of the man more plainly than in 

 the bearing of his help mate. Apply this princi- 

 ple, in the'present instance, and the farmer's true 

 position will require no further illustration ; for 

 we are told by Sir A. Fitzherbert, that it was " the 

 wife's occupation to winnow all corn, to make 

 malt, to wash and wring, to make hay, to shear 

 corn, and in time of need, to help her husband 

 to fill the muckwain, or dung cart, to drive the 

 plough, to load corn, hay, and such," &c. &c. 



Such then was the position which agriculture, 

 after a practice of more than 1600 years, had as- 

 med. From the middle of the 17th to the mid- 

 dle of the ISlh century, a change began to creep 

 over its spirit, the efl^ects of which are evident in 

 the practice of the present century. And it is 

 now our duty to examine the influences which 

 promoted this change. 



Time is the parent of change. As there is a 

 natural tendency in man to increase in knowl- 

 edge and in strength, up to a certain period, so is 

 there in every art or science, to advance towards, 

 if not to attain perfection. That this spirit should 

 operate upon agriculture, is natural ; that, how- 

 ever, it should be so long nnmanifested, is a phe- 

 nomena produced by certain influences ; and to 

 the removal of these influences we must ascribe 

 its manifestation at all. Thus, if we saw a youth 

 making no progress in size, from the age of 5 to 

 15 years, and then beginning to shoot upward, it 

 woiild be his former stoppage, not his present 

 growth, which would be marvellous. We should 

 ascribe this to the removal of some disordered 

 functions which had obstructed his natural ten- 

 dency. What then was the disorder which ob- 

 structed that progress which agriculture ought to 

 have made, and to the destruction of the influ- 

 ence of which we owe the after progress of the 



science. 



That frequent clianges of proprietorship horn 

 the Romans to the Saxons, the Danes, and the 

 Normans, the ravages of war, the iron band of 

 feudalism and priestly domination over the mind, 

 are amongst these influences, cannot be doubted; 

 and for some centuries we may allow that they 

 would be predominant. When, however, we 

 consider that it was long after these influences 

 were diminished before agriculture began to a- 

 wake from its letbariiv; when we look at the 

 great progress made in every domestic, polished 

 art during the 14lh, 15th and 16th centuries, and 

 when we consider that science had fixed upon a 

 footing of security, trade, tnanufacturesand com- 

 merce; and that the paths of learning and litera- 



est difficulty in keeping their cattle alive during - r „,„i, „,„„ «« 



winter; that many died and many were killed (to ture could show «h\*^'''^«P^*,°' ^"^^ men as 

 use an Irishism) to keep them from dying. That I (Chaucer, Leiand, Ascham, Tyndale, Caxton, byd 



