Farming of Lancashire. 



33 



sub-soiling. I did not cut any drains the first year on the thorough-draining 

 principle, not feeling sufficiently informed of, or confident in, the system ; 

 •since then I cut them 30 inches, and latterly 3 feet deep, at 7 yards apart, 

 upon Mr. Smith of Deanston's plan, and find them answer extremely well. 

 I occasionally used lf-inch tiles, and at other times, from the quantity of 

 stones there are, sough-drains, with broken stones on the top. I have been 

 successful in most of my crops : in 1845 I gained the premium for the best 

 crop of Swedish turnips at the Lancaster Agricultural Society's Show, com- 

 peting with the best lands in the neighbourhood of Lancaster — Burton and 

 Milnthorpe ; the crop weighed 24 tons, topped and tailed, to the statute 

 acre. In 1846 I had 8a. 3 r. statute of turnips, cabbage, mangold, and 

 potatoes; the field was thorough-drained, but neither trenched nor sub- 

 soiled ; it was formerly two fields, and I expended 75/. in draining, levelling 

 fences, picking stones, &c; and I may here mention that the value of the 

 land, as made by two most experienced land-valuers at the time I bought 

 it, was 6s. per acre for one field, and 8s. per acre for the other, at twenty- 

 six years' purchase. The crop was not weighed ; but I sold by auction 

 2a. 3r. 35p. statute of swedes, which realized me 47/. nett towards the 

 outlay of 75/., leaving me above 5 acres for my own ; last year I mowed a 

 most excellent crop of rye-grass; so that I think it has nearly redeemed 

 itself, and is in a very different condition to what it was. In the winter of 

 1847 and spring of 1848 I trenched and drained 6 acres of old ley, and 

 trenched 4a. 1r. 35p. of oat-stubble for green crops, the account of which 

 I give below. The plan I proceed upon is to set my trenching in beds of 

 7 yards wide, the fall of the land, a drain being cut on each side of the bed. 

 I provide, in the first instance, stones for the first two or three drains, and 

 then commence trenching to the depth of the soil only, breaking up the 

 subsoil to the depth of 10 or 12 inches with a pick, and throw all the stones 

 on the top of the trenched land. This year 1 have used strong forks about 

 7 lbs. weight, with a projection at the back in this form. T, in order to give 

 more leverage. I prefer them to the pick, being, I think, more effectual, 

 and easier for the men. Whilst the trenching is going on, I have other men 

 cutting the drains in the entrenched land, and. the stones on the trenched 

 land are wheeled in barrows to the drains, the land abounding so in them 

 that they have seldom to wheel them more than 14 or 20 yards, so that I 

 hardly ever have a horse and cart in the field. I believe this plan to be the 

 cheapest and most effectual for my land, and I have given up the subsoil- 

 plough; the trenching is done by the customary measure of 7 yards square 

 to the rod, or fall, as we call it ; the price 8d. to 9d. ; at which price a good 

 man can earn 2s. to 2s. 3c?. per day ; the drains are cut by the rood of 

 7 yards long, 3 feet deep for stone soughs at Id. and 30 inches deep for 

 pipe-tiles at 5±d. ; the soughs are made, tiles laid, and stones filled, and 

 drains filled up, by day-work. 



" Expense of thorough draining, at 30 and 36 inches deep, and 7 yards 

 apart, trenching, &c, 6 statute acres of old ley on Ellel Moor : — 



Trenching 595 falls of 7 yards square, at 8d. . 19 13 8 

 Cutting 685 roods of drains at 6d., tiles, stone- 

 breaking 258 cubic yards, laying tiles, filling 



up drains, &c 45 18 11 



Labour, getting up large stones and alder-bushes, 



not let by contract, &c 10 0 0 



Grubbing whins 



alder-bushes 



£. s. d. 

 2 5 0 

 1 12 9 



79 10 4 



VOL. X. 



D 



