NEW HUSBANDRY EXEMPLIFIED. 159 



** upon by novelty; or of preferring inge- 

 ** nious to ufeful difcoveries. I am the more 

 * inclined to communicate thefe experiments 

 ** of laft year ; becaufe I think the compari- 

 * fon lefs favourable to the New Hufbandry, 

 * in that than in any other years, wherein I 

 * have made experiments. For I would al- 

 46 low every advantage to old cuftoms, that 

 ** they can naturally or reafonably claim.'* 

 [By this it appears, that Sir Digby was not 

 at firft, nor for fome years, inclined to be 

 partial, or even favourable, to the New Huf- 

 bandry ; upon farther experience, he came to 

 have a more favourable opinion of it, and 

 was at laft fully convinced of its fuperiority ; 

 which was in confequence of a long and cri- 

 tical obfervation of the effects of both me- 

 thods, and this he had opportunity of trying 

 extenfively.] 



Five acres of an inclo&d field, the foil 

 ** of which is naturally pretty rich, but light 

 '* and dry, inclining to a hazle mould, and 

 ** nearly of an equal goodnefs throughout, 

 was deftined to be fown with barley, part 

 " according to the old, and part to the new 

 * 4 method of Hufbandry, in order to afcer- 

 tain the moft advantageous method of CuK 

 ** ture. This land had borne four fucceflive 

 w crops, vix. one of barley, two of wheat, 

 ** and one of turnips; was diipofed in beds 

 ' for ridges] from the firft ; and had been 

 ** hotfe-hoed every year ; but it bad never 



*' had, 

 . , 



