104 



THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR. 



July, 1842 



ney, Spenser, Shnksppare, Bacon, Milton, &c. 

 &(■., helore af;rfoiilliiic li.-iil mlvmired one f;|i|i 

 tovviiids layin:; the I'uiiiuliitioii of I'litiiie exoel- 

 lenee, we iiiiir<t chII io onr iiid some oilier inflii- 

 eiiee to ni-cimnt (bi- llie |ilit-noiiiena. This \' e 

 shiill find in ii.-elt: Every afre Ims a niiirked 

 spirit wliieli stumps with its iiiflneiice every im- 

 priivenient, i\nd tinjjes every event. Every sci- 

 ein-e, too, sit •■ertaiii periods, (eels a pei-ulinr 

 infliienre, wliieh Inrns its energies to the devel- 

 opment or non-development of truth. And hy 

 the rondiined operiilioii of one spirit npiui ii^ri- 

 eidinre we may expluin the lethargic existence of 

 English a^nicnliure. 



It was theoldest science, and consequently \vns 

 considered Io be the best known practice ; whence, 

 to nse language we have belore employed, "it 

 became the younfrest in theory; and withnnt 

 principles to regulate its connoon iisajre, sanc- 

 tiotird by ancient doirmas, rnled in their stead. 

 Under all circumstances, these remained the 

 same, and ofcourse llie practice varied not. 'J'he 

 road which custom had marked out was beaten 

 unil smooth, and the farmer continued to travel 

 upon it. It was a circle too, and brought him 

 always to the place he st.-u'ted fiom: and he never 

 lost himself. But in travelling upon one path, 

 and at one pace tor a lenjrth of time, we both 

 wear out the road and incapacitate ourselves li)r 

 tra\ellinir at any other pace. So, a lonj; com-se 

 of injudicious management ami cropping, not 

 only exhiUisled the arable land, but, as the tii- 

 l;dism of the Turks has prevented them from 

 mirching on with conteinp(n'ary nations, in the 

 scide of civilization, the praclice'id' a science, the 

 cultivation of which (lli- satne here and every 

 where) rerpiired no exertion of nfiiid, deadrncll 

 the spirit of inquiry in the farmer, and left him 

 an easy nnincpiirinL' being, knowing nothing from 

 him-eli; bill uoverned bv an hereditarv feeling ol' 



'I'liis, then, w.is tiie weight which bounil down 

 our agriculture to one Ioiil' mediocrity. It was 

 considered merely nn imitative scii'iice, instead of 

 an trpemnentid one, which, owing to its great va- 

 riety of operation.*, and the many different cir- 

 cumstances affecting these operations, it must 

 also be considered, if we would cultivate it with 

 success; for, says Varro, "Nature bus «iven us 

 two ways to agricultural kno^ li'(l;;e ; liiiitalion 

 anil experience. Preceding Imsliandimii, In cx- 

 peritnent, have established miiiy m ixinis which 

 their posterity generally imitate, but we ought not 

 onl:/ to imitate others, but to make experiments, not 

 diduted by chance, but by reuson." 



But it was not till the middle of the 17th cen- 

 tury, that this evil inflnence began fairly to lose 

 its power. In the Elizabethan age, the nnud of 

 man appears to have received a general .stimulus, 

 the effect ot which is sufficiently manifest in the 

 progress of every branch of human knowledge, 

 and agriculture appears soon after to show some 

 marks of general advance. 



It was not however till n much later period in 

 the 18th century, when modern science (by piir- 

 Biiing a system of observation and research, in 

 \vlii<-h the I7iind of the observer and the stores 

 of the science were improved ut the same time,) 

 had, hy its achievements, became justified in 

 acknowledging no perfection and knowing no im- 

 possibility, that the principle of imitation entirely 

 lost its influence. Then, when every branch of 

 science hud reared itself a structure founded 

 tipoii the rock of observation, when the eye of 

 the philosopher took a wider range, the hitherto 

 unexplored grounds of agriculture were peered 

 into Here a neglected spring was brought to 

 light — and there a " mine of rich discovery." At 

 la.sl the jiroprietors of these undeveloped resour- 

 ces began to awake ; confideiice in the hitherto 

 unresisted axioms grew weaker, imiin/ion became 

 subordinate to research, observation and deduction, 

 governed upon Cato's principle, " no: by chance 

 but by rea.sou." Or the whole case may be thus 

 suminarilv stated: — 



It was III, 

 irifallihk 



pracli 



to take ancient customs nf 

 !)tliing was then doubted : 



nothing invesiigateil, and conseqnenllv nothing 

 improved. It is now the principle to do nothing 

 without a reason; every thing therefore, is in- 

 vestigated and cousequeiidy every thing impro- 

 ved. 



The truth of the former position we have al- 

 re«d/ showed ; the results «f tha other are as 



clearly developed in the practice of agriciillure 

 up to, and at llie present time. 



To trace tijc priiL'ress of tie practice of agricnl- 



coiiiidei I'd a biancli of nutiiral scieiicp,and <-ap: 

 of eliH-idaiion by the iipplicatlon of the true r 

 of philosophy, is not our aim. From the first 

 birth of this principle, as we have already she 

 it was some time beliirc it becaini' vi.-ihle n 



Filzherbert, Tusser and Tlalt, the three first w 



of the aiicienls.and urg-il many practices whi 

 had lieiMi neglecttd ; their works sliou us wl 

 an educated amateur considered ought Io be done 

 rather than what was done, in the KJlli century; 

 and it was not until the middle of the J/tli, that 

 in the writings of Bligh and Weston we see the 

 actual operation of the spirit of change. Bv the 

 tbriner. (in UiTyl,) we have recommendeil theciil- 

 livMtion of clover. .And hy the latter ( l()8-l) the 

 tiirnip as the winter fodder, the nse of which 

 crops have completely revolutionized the state ot 

 asricultiire. But it was not till the next century, 

 that they c;inie fairly into use, from which time 

 the present practice may be said to date its ex- 

 istence ; nor till .some time after this, that the tri- 

 umph of the modern spirit of improvement be- 

 cime tullv developed. The bohl views of Toll 

 (1740.) giive at once the finish to the new .systen 

 of cropping (which arose Iroiii the growth of 

 clover and turnips,) and a lastiiiL' impulse to 



the practical lab'irs of B ikewell. and the IMessrs, 

 Ciillcy, and the endeavors of such men as Lord 

 Kanies, " to improve ngricu'lnre by subjecting it to 

 the test nf rational principles," we see the ci. mil 



tiire. the results of that operation. The natur 

 of this position will be seen in its elevated stan<l 

 ing and high estimation as a science, which liav 

 secured to it within the last 1.5 vei.rs, the labors 

 of such men as Davy, Sinclair, ■Uaiibeny, Hei 

 lowe, Johnston, Loudon, Lowe, Stephens, Job 

 son, and Madden, the aid of prolessors at o 

 universities, and the united efforts of more tli 

 three hundred societies, estalilished fin- the |ii 



I the 



patronized by all that have a name or standing 

 the coimiry. Thus the Royal Society of Ei 

 land, though but of 3 years standing, po.sses; 

 not merely the sufferance, or passive patronage 

 of roy.ilty, but the active support of that illu.stri- 

 oiis iiiiliv idiial. u ho, it is reported, is soon to as- 

 siimi^ the dignity of King Consort,* and of inoi'e 

 than five thousand other member.*. 



Its position as .". practice exhibits an equal ad- 

 vance. The first and cliii;f evidence of this, 

 which we shall notice, is seen in the change trom 

 the old infield and outfield system, and the alter- 

 nate crop and fallow, or two crops and a fallow, to 

 the pre.sent system of drill husbandry, and the ro- 

 tation otbarley, clover, wheat and fiillow upon stiff 

 land; and of barley, clover, wheat and turnips 

 ii|)on light and dry soils. The first advantage 

 arising t'rom this change, on strong lan(<, is tiie 

 gain of a crop instead of a fallow, and as this crop 

 is one of fodder or pasturage, the consequent 

 ability to supply the market with a greater weight 

 of stock; the second is an increase of ttjitility in 

 the soil from the increased quantity of manure 

 made upon the liirm ; the third is a better chance 

 of the wheat crop trom its naturid liking to fol- 

 low clover; and the tbiirlh an increase of lerti i- 

 ty in every crop from the drill system and from 

 the facility with which weeds may lie extirpated, 

 half a fidlow made, and the soil at the roots of 

 the plant stirred— a practice which theory and 

 experience inove to be highly beneficial to vege- 

 tation. 



But this is not all; by the introduction of the 

 mangel wnrlzel, the carrot, &c., into cultivation, 

 the fiirmer is at times able to do without a fiillow 

 in the rotation. By judicious and effectual druiii- 



This 



the report 



the Princ- of Wales' birth. 



oil 



of the son taking precedence of the father 

 Prince Alhert is now a Governor of the Royal A^ricul 

 tural Society, and has taken into his own hands a farm a 

 Windsor. He was aUo elected on the 12th of this month 

 (D«c. 1841,) 8 member of tie Smithfield Club. 



siibsoi 



longhing, many fi 

 turnips on this stiff land; atid i 

 renita whether or not the lidlov 

 lirely dispen.sed with. This is 

 that iiiaiiv of the best pniciical 

 think it 'p'>^sil>le, an.l manv ii 

 which are thoroughly diained, i 



I have nodoiibt'butthatei'tl'i'er't 



i can groy 

 et a questi\ 

 not be en 



•ertam, liowever, 

 men ol the day 



1 a lew fiel.ls 



Io dispense with 

 illow and produce a fiir turnip rio|i. And 

 e no doubt but that either this or some other 

 green crop will, in the course of time, extend the 

 system, so tli.it the fallow loitl become the exception 

 find not the rule, li.r the old idea that the land 

 wants rest is quite ahamloned. 



The effect of the turnip and clover liiisbandry 

 upon the light and iliin soils of ICndand is stiU 

 more marked. Witlioiit llnliler, it is an old axi- 

 om, that there is no caiilc, uilliuiit c.-ittle no ma- 

 nine, and without inaninc no corn. The total 

 abolition of the fallow, and the snhslitmiou of 

 two crops of green fiiod, has, therefore, upon the 

 light lands, produced in a greater degree lho.se ad- 

 vantages which we have einiineruted as having 

 arisen by a partial adoption of the same system 

 upon the heavy lands of England. Moreover 

 the treadins of sheep has a most benelicial ef- 

 I'ei^t; so that tho.'e soils, which liiriiieriy would 

 scarcely return the seed, now produce as fine 

 crops of corn as can be met with in England. 

 The Yorkshire and Lincolnshire wolds are start- 

 liinr cvidein-es of the truth of this; and I ctm 

 lotik out at the present nioment upon 500 acres 

 of thin limestone soil which 50 years ago paid, 

 and with difficulty, 5 sliillinL's per acre rent, and 

 which now are let at 2o shillings per acre. That 

 the produce has increased in an equal or greati-r 

 ratio than the rent, is evidenced by the prosperi- 

 ty of the present tenants. I know also a village 

 a" tiiw mile.s from the city of Vork, the soil on 

 one side of which is strong and deep, and on the 



other of liuht texliire iq a limestone base. Not 



many yeais ago seier.il fiirms of the heavy land 

 were exchanged for twice the number of acres 

 of the high laud, the latter being considered very 

 bad. At the pre.sent time, however, this quondam 

 bad land, by the turnip and seed niMiiageinent, 

 and the nse of bones and rape dust, is con>idered 

 the crack land of the district, and is letting at £2 

 and £■> lOs. per acre, while the heavy ^oils on the 

 other side of the villiige are not worth more than 

 15 shillings pi-r acre, as they are not drained, and 



Biit there are several other rotations iif crop- 

 ping ii.seil in particular localities; hut as they, tor 

 the most pari, depend upon the same principle as 

 the one we have noticed, they are lint exceptions 

 to the general rule, and space will not allow us 

 to particidarise them. 



The next evidence of the improved practice 

 of the present time is seen in the variety of cropn. 

 Wheat is no longer a partial crop — one produced 

 in the garden soils of England— hut is the fiir- 

 mer's paying crop. Countless varieties of seed 

 iire to be fiiiind adapted to almost every variety 

 of soil and climate. In Imrley, oats, beuiis, pea.«, 

 tares, rye, potatoe.s, liirnips, i-arrots, parsnips, 

 inangel-wurtzel, hops, line, and the artificial gra.s- 

 ses, the same endless varieties are used, each 

 variety being selecleil lor some peculiar quality. 

 In this small township, last year, I connted no 

 less than fifieen varieties of turnips. Six sorts I 

 myself introduced from the splendid slock of Mr. 

 Matson, of Winghaiii, Kent. None of the sorts 

 had been grown here beliire, and they have an- 

 swered so well in w hat is called a bad year, that I 

 have no doubt but that in a year or two they will 

 be extensively used in this part of the country, to 

 the equal benefit of the purchaser and the pro- 

 ducer of the seeil. Now, in every article of pro- 

 duce the same improvement is yearly progress- 

 ing, becimse farmers are no longer averse to 

 rational experiments, and not so nnicli prejudiced 

 in fitvor of old plans. It is, consequently, worth 

 the while of such men as Mr. Matson, Mr. Skirv- 

 ing, (of Liverpool,) cum mnltis aliis, to devote their 

 time, talents and capital, in raising the best and 

 most pure varieties of seed. 



In manures we have manifest the results of the 

 same spirit. Along with a greater skill in the 

 economy of the manure heap, an increasin-r nse 

 nd saving of the liquid from the cattle yard, and 



JIKIICIOIIS i 



if the ' 



posts wliicli have been employed fin- ages, we 

 have now in nse a variety of bund tillages which 

 ai-e of modern ilate, at least as i'ar as regards 

 llieir general use, amongst which we cna> men- 



