Additional Information. 45 



It may not, however, be unnecessary to state, that the crops of grain, according 

 to the common husbandry of this neighbourhood, are always taken immediately 

 following each other : wheat first, and barley the following year, with grass seeds, 

 which are once mown for hay, and then permitted to remain as a temporary ley for 

 two, three, or four years. Sometimes a third crop of barley or oats is taken the 

 following year, in which case the best farmers generally lay on about half the former 

 quantity of manure, which is called dressing for the last crop ; and if care be taken 

 to clean the land by ploughing, &c. as soon as possible after the former crop is 

 carried off, the soil is not injured, nor the young grasses the following season; 

 yet, according to the present prices of grain and labour, the crop must turn out 

 unprofitable.* 



Mr. John Prideaux. 



From the great scarcity of manure in this country and great part of the east of 

 Cornwall, our arable land is attended with great expense in cultivation; as near 

 20 miles around Exeter, on the north and west part, the lime rock is brought in 

 barges from Torbay in the Channel to the river Ex, there burnt into lime, and 

 carried into many parishes at least 20 miles from Exeter; the lime rock in the 

 interior of Devon is worked at a great expense, and the culm is brought from 

 Wales to Biddeford, to the river Tamar, and to Exeter, thence brought more 

 than 20 miles to the kilns. The farmers can have but one turn per day for their 

 cart or waggon, and it is in genera' carried to the distance of 8 and 12 miles from 

 the kiln; for which cause the expense on n.atiurcs is too great, even in our fine 

 rich land in this neighbourhood; bin in mosi parts of Devon, where thousands of 

 acres lie uncultivated, and tiie price of labour so high, the farmers in general, who 

 are mostly lessees, do not improve because of the expense, and cannot procure 

 sufficient manure for their lands. In the south of Devon, where lime rocks are 

 plentv, and contiguous to the coast, the farmers carry on an acre of land from 70 

 to 80 bushels double Winchester ; in many places the crops are more abundant than 

 in the interior, but their wages are higher and lands dearer per acre, though their 

 soil is not so good as ours, except some parishrs. On the norih of Devon the 

 lime is brought from Wales, and burnt at various places on the coast, at least from 

 20 to 25 miles in the interior. 



* So it ought to do. Very bad husbandry. 



