On the Growth of Wheat Year after Year. 



137 



" It will take a good labourer 30 days to trench an acre, and 16 to 

 dig it well/' says one high authority. " With proper instruments 

 and some experience, a labourer can dig an acre of light land 

 18 inches deep in 25 days thus speaks another. 



Now, at the commencement of my labours in trenching my 

 intervals, I bring up only so much of the subsoil — say four, five, 

 or six inches, according to its nature — as can be penetrated and 

 decomposed by the atmosphere, and so prepared for use by the 

 one year's fallow, increasing the quantity year after year till the 

 staple has become two good spits deep. 



Taking, then, the average of these calculations, and commenc- 

 ing with 11 or 12 inches, inclusive of the ploughing the first 

 year, and allowing for obstructions in the variety of soils to be 

 acted on, I will reckon that one man will dig, and in after years 

 by degrees will double dig, an acre in 30 days. 



Employing, as I do, six men for my work, I thus accomplish a 

 whole acre in five days, which, at 2s. a day each man, amounts 

 to 605. 



But only the half portion of the acre is to be dug for one year's 

 crop ; and this reduces the time to two days and a half, and the 

 expense to 305. 



Say, however, that the charge I have made on ploughing 

 is too high; that the second time of ploughing should be IO5., 

 and the third 85. ; and even then, in point of economy, the plough- 

 ing and the trenching will be just on a par I 



But then the stones ! The author of ' A short Inquiry into the 

 History of Agriculture ' will, I am sure, permit me to take his 

 words and apply them to the spade. Let me see this instrument 

 in use where there are no stones — and there are plenty of ])road 

 acres in England of this class — and it will not be long before it 

 gets upon others. If it cost bl. an acre, it must be done, and 

 would in such a case well pay to do it." 



There is the possible question still to be answered, "Where 

 are the hands to come from ?" With reference to this, let me take 

 a single parish as the average of many. I find, then, that in my 

 parish of 2000 acres there are this year somewhat above 200 acres 

 in wheat ; and that, without including the necessary attendants 

 for other purposes on the several farms, we have 50 able- 

 bodied labourers on the spot. 



I will here state that, for the better success of my plan, I sow 

 my wheat as early as possible in September.* I do this that it 



there is a field of wheat which had four ploughings after beans — had nearly 10 tons 

 of manure from beasts fed on oil-cake — had 3 bushels of seed, and will now jdeld, it 

 is supposed, a quarter less to the acre than mine. It is land of precisely the same 

 quality with mine. 



* This is the rule. My process with the present crop was an exception, forced on 

 me by circumstances. 



