On the Improvement of Cold and Heavy Soils. 
115 
and, in these two cases, I am enabled to speak with accuracy of 
the results. The first, called the " Rough Hill " (5 acres), adjoin- 
ing the Coal-pit Ground, before mentioned, not being considered 
quite as bad, is valued at 75. 6<f. per acre. I entered upon it 
(1839), a foul bean-stubble: the following May it was skim- 
ploughed to the depth of about H inch, and all that the plough 
raised burned with faggots, at the cost, including spreading, of 
42^. per acre. It was then ploughed and scuffled ; and the 
weather being favourable, was rendered perfectly clean ; then 
planted in October with vetches, which, the following summer, 
were eaten off by sheep folded upon them ; succeeded by wheat 
(1842). which produced 226 bushels, of 62 lbs. ; or one bushel 
more than 45 bushels per acre. It was sold at 7s. per bushel; 
and this crop therefore produced more than the fee-simple of the 
land in its former state. This field is also laid down, and is 
looking very well. A small field of 3 acres, adjoining, was simi- 
larly treated at the same time, with nearly equal results ; the dif- 
ference in the wheat-crop, w hich was not quite so heavy, being 
attributable to the vetches having been eaten off by horses tethered 
on them, instead of by sheep. 
The second instance of the power of ashes, unaided, in render- 
ing exhausted land capable of producing a crop, is, I think, even 
more conclusive than the first, as it may be said that the great 
crop of wheat produced in the former case was attributable to the 
manure left by the sheep in consuming the vetches ; and this is 
correct in a degree, but 1 know not how that crop of vetches 
could have been obtained to create that manure without the 
ashes. In this case, however, the land received no such assist- 
ance. It is a field called the " Brake Ground " — 10 acres of ex- 
ceedingly stiff clay, valued at 25s. per acre — and was, Michael- 
mas, 1839, an awfully foul piece of two years old — I was going to 
say seeds — however, it had been down two years ; and, for want 
of something more fit, I was induced to plough and plant it with 
wheat, and a miserable speculation it proved. The seed-time of 
that year, as most of us in this part of the country very w ell re- 
member, was exceedingly wet. This, combined with the bad state 
of the land, left me no resource but to dibble it ; this was done as 
well as it could be, and after being twice hoed the following 
spring, the crop was as nearly as possible 16 bushels per acre. 
Here then was a stubble in the best possible state for burning, 
and the weather being dry after harvest, it was skim-ploughed, 
and attempted to be dragged, but that was impracticable — it was 
so tied together that it could only be parted with forks, which 
increased the expense of burning this piece to 50s. per acre ; but 
it was well repaid : the quantity of ashes burnt could not have 
been less, upon by far the greater part of the field, than from 150 
to 200 yards per acre. It was then planted, after being ploughed, 
I 2 
