GRASS. 



very few arguments to com-ince a landlord, that in cold wet 

 lands cfpctially, llie Icfs ploughed land you liave, the lefs 

 you put it in a tenant';; power to ruin your cllate. That a 

 tenant of 6ol. per anr.um in a dairy-farm will get money, 

 while a corn-farm will ilarve its occupier (though, perhaps, 

 the former gives i jj. an acre for his land, and the other but 

 lOS.), is felf-evident. Periiaps, fays Mr. Billingdey, in 

 the third volume of the Bath Memoirs, there cannot be a 

 flrongcr proof of the infenonty of tlie plough, with re- 

 fpecl: to profit, than tlie luperior punctuality of the dairy- 

 farmer in the payment of his rent. He never met with the 

 lleward of a manor devoted partly to corn and partly to 

 dairv-farms, who controverted this (tatement. 



Clay. — Upon " this foil, when tenacious and not cafily 

 drained, a larger portion fliould, it is obferved, be kept in 

 grals than perhaps on any other; and for this realon, — green 

 winter food is not to be gained at all, or, if gained, not 

 without great difficulty and expenee ; conl'equently, the 

 team, and whatever cattle may be kept for confuir.ing itraw 

 and making dung, mull depend in a larger nieafure on n-.ca- 

 dow hay, liian upon ioils which admit turnip, cabbage, S;c. 

 Clover v/ill do on clav, but it is more hazardous and liable 

 to failure ; in which cale, without a certain reiourcc in tlie 

 hay of natural grals, the fiirmer would often find great in- 

 conveniences. He has examined many farms with this ob- 

 ject ill view, and found that, when half the land lias been 

 grafs, they have been more profitably couduited than with 

 a lefs proportion ; but on no account with lefs than one- 

 third." 



Loam. — It is ftated that " one-third or one-fourth in grafs 

 is a proportion found fuitable to various loams ; the more 

 they tend to welnefs, the larger the portion. It is not, 

 however, etfential on thefe foils, not only becaufe clover and 

 other artificial gralTes are lefs apt to fail ; but likewife by 

 reafon of their admitting profitably the alternate huibandry 

 of grafs and arable." 



Sand. — It is contended " that fome rich fands arc of fo 

 happy a texture, that they do very well in permanent grafs, 

 and without burning in (light droughts ; but, in general, it 

 may be obferved, that fand in its leveral varieties is, of all 

 other foils, that which pays bell in tillage : it is eafily 

 worked ; cxpences are light ; it manures itlelf by agreeing 

 well with (heep ; and, as the refult of the whole, farmers 

 are ufually rich upon it. In refpett of the proporlion, it 

 is bell managed, perhaps, when the whole is under the 

 plough ; for, by means of cultivated grades of proper forts, 

 all the llock of the farm may be profitably fupported, and 

 the land relied fufficiently, for enfuring a perpetual produc- 

 tion of corn. But, contrary to this maxim, and moft un- 

 profitably, large tracts are commonly tied up frtjm the 

 plough, by covenants of leafes, under the name of flieep- 

 walk, heath, &c. which would, by alternate tillage and 

 rell, produce more corn, and keep more iheep, than in the 

 prefent Hate : tliis is particularly the cafe in Norfolk, Suf- 

 folk, Nottinghamfli'rc, and fome other counties." 



Chall: and Lihie-ftcn- Soils . — " Nearly the fame obfervation is 

 to be made on this cLifs ; they are more productive under 

 the plough than in grafs. But landlords tie up their tenants 

 from ploiiglii ig downs in Suffex, Hampdiire, Dorfetlhire, 

 and Wiklhire ; but in Gloucefterfhire, the Eall Riding of 

 Yorklhirc, and Lincolulliire, they have, on t!ie whole, been 

 lefs tenacious ; Itill, however, large tracts remain, which 

 would be phjughed were tillage permitted. Rules may be 

 carried too far, and this among the rell. Dorfetlhire has its 

 ewe leafes, which, in many c;des, ought not to be touched ; 

 and fine fweet doivns, which by very attentive management 

 have been brought to a confidcrable degree of fertility, are 



fo ufeful to /hecp in winter, that f xceptions rmtfl occtir. 

 Another motive for ploughing is tlie peculiar advantage de- 

 rived on this foil from faintfoin, one of the moft ufeful grafTrs 

 that we owe to the bounty of Providence, but attainable 

 only by tillage." 



Peul. — Iramenfe regions of moors fprcad widely through 

 all the northern counties, and even in the moft foi'uhem, as 

 IXvonfliire and Somerfet(hire, Cambridgeft.ire and Walet ; 

 aifo fedgy bottoms are found every where. TI ey admit and 

 call for a much greater improvement than any other foil, 

 comprehending tlie larger part of the waftc lands of ll.c 

 kingdom. 'J hefe foils arc very rarelv brought into 

 the Hate they are capable of, without tillage, and con- 

 fcquently, to prohibit it, is to paf-i a decree of per- 

 petual llerility. The obllacle, however, moll common on 

 moors i.«, the rights of commoniige, which do not come 

 within the fcope of the prefent inquiries. When improved, 

 they are commonly much m.ore adapted to grafs than to til- 

 lage, not however without numeroii> exceptions, as we fee bv 

 the general pradice in the fens of Canibridgeftiire and Lin- 

 colnlhire. The alternate hufbaiu'ry does well upon iJiem : it 

 is eafy, however, to be too buly with the plough ; for, 

 when good grafs is gained, it is the wifer way to continue it 

 in a productive flate. 



But it is furliier (Ic.ted, th;\t the fubjeci of the pro- 

 portion between grafs and arable requires a word or two, 

 viewed in another light, btfides the relation to foil. This 

 is the prevalent application of the land. In the midland 

 counties, where grazing very widely extends, it is coir- 

 mon to fee entire farms of grafs-land, and the tenant prohi- 

 bited from breaking up an acre ; in fuch cafes there is a mo- 

 tive for ploughing not immediately connected with foil. 

 To till a part would be right, whatever the foil may be ; 

 ftraw, in fuch a country, is not to be bought, and the con- 

 venience and profit of having fome is no inconiiderablc ob- 

 ject ; it would be caretully ufed as litter, and the marure 

 arifing would improve a j>ortion of the land. Some cab- 

 ba'.jcs, or Su'cdidi turnij), or common turnip, might be raifed 

 (which to a certain extent, and for certain objects on fuch 

 farn.s, would be highly valuable to tlie grazier), fo as to 

 outweigh largo cxpences in procuring them on foils not quite 

 adapted to their culture. There is not a queilion but a 

 farmer in fuch cafes could afiord to pay more rent forhl-cr- 

 tv to plough a portion of his land than under the prtfciit 

 covenants. This would, it is fuppofed, e.Meiid to a fourth 

 of the farms in foil rather unfavourable to the plough ; and 

 to a large proportion in others. But even three or tour finall 

 fields, though no more th.ui one-fifth, onc-fixth, or onc- 

 tontli, would be highly advantageous to himielf and the 

 public, and not at all injurious to the landlord or owner. 

 And to dairy-farms, wl'.tn entirely in grals, as many are in 

 Wiklhire, Gloucellerlhire, and other counties, this remark 

 is yet more applicable, as the produce of tillage, ilraiv, 

 cabbage, &c. is yet more neceflai y than in a mere fattening 

 fi Hem. Ill this cafe, and indeed in moft others, the quan- 

 tity might bo partly regulated by the team : a dairy -farmer, 

 who keeps four horfes to dniw his butter or chetfe to fairs, 

 &c. ouglit, without queilion, to tiave tillage enough to 

 employ tliofe horfes ; and it is no difficult matter to alcer- 

 tain that quantity. If the \arious works be examined care- 

 fully, it will be found, that a horfo to twenty acres of til- 

 lage is a fair propoition, whicli will leave time for carting 

 hay in fummer, and the products of the farm in winter. 

 He is not fpeaking hei-c of tiUag-c farms on fauds, &c. or 

 with rotations of crops, in which the toil rtfts foe fcveral 

 years: on fuch the proportion vaiies : but merely on grafs- 

 fiurins, where fome horfes muft be kept, and are at prefent 



uuec-.- 



