TILLAGE. 



firft broken up into riJges of eight or twelve nine-inch fur- 

 rinv» ; then iiod'cd, and the tillajjo given in different ways 

 very often during the funinier feafon, carcfuUy turning up 

 andexpoling every time a different furface, as much as poi- 

 fible, to the fun and air : before harvcft it is got up on four- 

 furrow ridges, wlicn, after that feafon is over, it has agam 

 immrdiatcly another tillage ploughing ; and if the wcajhcr bS 

 futtable, it is done twice, leaving it upon the ridge for the 

 enfuing winter : the later the lall tillage furrow is given the 

 bi-tter, in thi-, diftrid, for preventing the black grafs-vveed 

 getting up ; after wliicli the whole is well water-furrowed 

 for taking off any water that may be upon it : by thefe 

 means the land is much earlier got upon in the fpring 

 feafon than could otherwife be done, and in confequence, 

 wlu-n the tillage for barley is performed, fuch ftiff tenacious 

 lands break down into the finefl tilth it is almoil poffible to 

 conceive. 



In executing the work of tillage on ridges for wheat, or 

 any other fort of crop, great attention is here beftowed on 

 tuniing the furrows well, drawing them ilraight, making 

 them Sike In fize, and lapping them with fuch regularity 

 on to each other, that the liarrow tools cannot fail to lay 

 hold of them all with facihty ; the (hutting-up furrow more 

 efpecially is drawn with perfedl flraightnefi, exadlly turned, 

 fwept out with cleannefs, and at the fame time the fpace 

 between the ridges not left in too wide a ftate. 



But notwithilanding this great and frequent tillage, in 

 fome places they do not venture in the feed on the autumnal 

 furrow, but give a fpring plough tillage, though perhaps 

 fome other tool of the tillage kind might anfwer better in 

 many cafes, and be far more expeditious. 



The mod proper and fuitablc depths of tillage for differ- 

 ent forts of foils, have probably not yet been well afcer- 

 taincd ; but fuch as have a good ftrong ftaple, require much 

 more deep tillage than thofe of the light kind. Whether 

 flat -work tillage, as praftifed in Norfolk, or that of feather- 

 edged, as employed in Effex, has the advantage, is not pro- 

 perly decided, but probably each may have a luperiority on 

 different forts of land : the great point of importance is that 

 of allowing the covering of the feed well. 



The plan of tillage given below has been advifed in the 

 Correfted Agricultural Survey of the County of Salop, for 

 the lighter forts of friable lands, on a farm of four hundred 

 acres : firft, the wheat ftubble is to be harrowed by drawing 

 the harrows one way, which lays the ftubble ; and by re- 

 turning back along the fame ftroke, they draw the greater 

 part of that which was gathered by the harrows ; and a 

 proper perfon foUowing them with a fork, unloads them, 

 and lays the ftubble in heaps, to be difpofed of as direfted 

 below. 



This ftubble ground has the tillage of ploughing from the 

 middle of November to the end of the following month ; 

 about the beginning of March it has that of crois-plough- 

 ijig given it, and when dry, well harrowed ; and when the 

 weather is fuitable, much of the couch-grafs is got out of 

 it and burnt ; but when not fo, it is, in this way, checked 

 in its growth during the feed-time, and the bufinefs is more 

 eafdy performed ; which is to be done in the month of May 

 and the two fuccecding ones, in which the fallow lands have 

 the tillage of three ploughings and fuflicicnt harrowings to 

 prepare them for turnips, for which eight cubic yards of 

 reduced dung, or feventy-two bufhcls of clod-lime, are laid 

 upon the acre ; which are ploughed in at the laft tillage- 

 furrow, though fooner, it is thought, would be better, if 

 the dung be reduced enough by that time, or the land be fo 

 clean as not to require much harrowing. Turnip-feed, one 

 pound to the acre, is then fown from 8ic 7th of June to the 

 10 



14th of the following month, the plant being twice hoed ; 

 the average produce is from 2/. to 2/. 15/. 



As the fame land becomes cleared of its crop of turnips, 

 it has the tillage of ploughing and harrowing, preparatively 

 for a crop of barley : and being again tilled, by being 

 ploughed up in butts or lands five yards in width, from the 

 latter end of March to the latter end of the following month, 

 is fowed with three and a half ftatute bufhels of barley, 

 fourteen pounds of common red clover-feed, and one peck 

 of fine rye-grafs-feed to each acre : the average produce is 

 about forty buftiels, of the ftatute kind, of barley to the 

 acre. 



The young clover which is not eaten between December 

 and May, in the part which is mowed, on an average pro- 

 duces about two waggon-loads, or a ton and a half to the 

 acre. In the fucceeding month of Oftober, it is ploughed 

 in the tillage of nine-inch furrows and fix inches deep, and 

 fowed with two and a half bufhels of wheat : the produce 

 about feventeen buftiels the acre. 



The turnip-crop is generally difpofed of fomewhat in this 

 manner : firft, by drawing home thofe under the hedges, at 

 the beginning of November, and fome of the largelt over 

 the reft of the field, taking- all up where the horfes and carts 

 are to pafs. When the tops and fmall roots are cut off, they 

 carry them home, and place them in heaps of about twelve 

 cart-loads each, in the form of the cone of a wheat-rick, 

 covering them a foot thick with ftraw and thatch. Thefe 

 ferve as a refource in time of froft and fnow, for the beafts 

 that are ftall-fed, of which there are generally twenty yeai'ly; 

 and a man and boy, with one horfe and cart, fupply them ; 

 leaving ultimately in the fields as many turnips to be eaten 

 off upon the land by flieep, as to enfure fertility enough for 

 the crops of barley, &c. as the barley, being too rank, com- 

 monly fpoils the young clover growing with it. Another 

 advantage in this plan of tillage, which is obtained by ftall- 

 feeding with turnips, is the making a large quantity of 

 ftraw into manure at home ; which is the beft ufe that can 

 be made of it, as ftraw-food is not an improver of cattle- 

 ftock. 



This method of tillage or cultivation for dry lands, is 

 recommended to thofe wlio have been in the pratlice or cuf- 

 tom of long tillages, and without the ufe of general turnip- 

 ing, to be continued for fo long as two courfes of tillage, 

 that is, eight years ; by which time their land will be clean, 

 and more fit for what is conceived to be a more beneficial 

 mode of husbandry, and which mode is now, it is faid, pur- 

 fued ; namely, firft turnips, managed and manured for as 

 above ; fecond, barley ; third, peafe, in rows one foot 

 afunder, hand-hoed and weeded ; fourth, barley, with ten 

 pounds of common clover,four poundsof white Dutch clover- 

 feed, two pounds of trefoil-feed, and one peck of fine rye- 

 grafs-feed, eight cubic yards of rotten dung, or feventy-two- 

 buftiels of ftone-lime laid upon tlie young clover in Novem- 

 ber ; fifth year, mow or graze the land ; the fixth, graze 

 until Oftober ; and the feventh, give a plough tillage, and 

 fow with wheat as before ; the land mucked for turnips, and 

 lime or compoft of lime, and earth or mud, &c. laid on the 

 young clover in the autumn. This is believed to be a more 

 profitable courfe of tillage, after land has been got into 

 order, than that which was previoufly praflifed, affording 

 a greater change, and thereby obviating the failure both of 

 turnips and clover, and occafioning more grafs-land, which 

 for many years has there exceeded the tillage in point of 

 profit. 



As an improvement of wheat -lands, or mixed foils upon 

 clay, the mode of tillage direfted below is advifed to be 

 pradifed. 



The 



