98 THE BOOK OF THE LANDED ESTATE. 



into cultivation a quantity of cleared woodland, in order to add it to the 

 fields of the home farm. In doing this he had the land trenched fully 

 two feet deep, in order to remove the roots of the trees which had formerly 

 occupied it. After the trenching was performed he had the land sys- 

 tematically drained four feet deep and thirty feet apart. I saw both the 

 trenching and draining going on at the same time. The soil was a 

 strong clay loam. The land-steward informed me that he had during 

 the previous year improved upwards of twenty acres in this way, and 

 added this extent to the arable lands of the farm. He showed me a 

 portion of nine acres of this which he had sown with wheat. The crop 

 was truly excellent, and as I saw it in the beginning of the month of 

 August, I had a good opportunity of judging as to what quantity of 

 grain it was likely to yield per acre when thrashed out. Comparing this 

 portion with the wheat crops in neighbouring fields, I was of opinion that 

 it might probably yield from ten to twelve bushels more per acre ; and 

 as I was anxious to know the result after harvest, I requested the land- 

 steward to inform me on that point after he had got the crop thrashed. 

 He did so, and the following is a copy of the letter I had from him on 

 this subject : " I have now had the wheat thrashed which you saw 

 growing on the nine-acre field which I had trenched the year before, and 

 the whole quantity is, excluding refuse, after being cleaned, four hun- 

 dred and ninety bushels, or equal to forty-five bushels to the acre. I 

 may mention, also, that the field you looked at on the side of the nine 

 acres of trenched land has yielded me only thirty bushels to the acre. 

 I wish I could have all our land trenched, and I am determined to 

 do as much in this way as I can ; for though it costs a good deal at 

 first, it comes to pay well." In another case similar to this, which came 

 under my notice on an estate in Yorkshire, the return of wheat after 

 trenching was forty-seven bushels per acre ; while on the neighbouring 

 fields, which had not been trenched, but dealt with in the usual way, the 

 average yield was thirty-one bushels per acre. 



These examples are sufficient to prove the advantages of trenching 

 land for farm cropping. I could give many more of the same purport, 

 as I have for several years past had my attention directed to it, and 

 therefore took note of every case which came under my notice, but more 

 would be superfluous. They all prove that land which has undergone a 

 course of trenching as a preparation for cropping produces about one- 

 half more crop than the same kind of land which has not been trenched, 

 all other conditions being equal. But I need not say more in com- 

 mendation of a system of cultivating our lands, the advantages of 

 which are so evident. I have proved these advantages to my own 

 satisfaction, at least, from observation and experience in regard to them 



