162 
On Breaking up Grass Lands. 
thin downs. For keeping lar<re flocks of sheep on down land, 
and folding them on the arable lands, render it unnecessary for 
the farmer to purchase artificial manures, and enable him to farm 
in aybwr-field course on a soil naturally fitted for only a five 
or six field course — adding also one-third to the produce of the 
wheat crop, and in some cases nearly doubling it. The difference 
of produce in the wheat crop has been estimated, by those more 
competent than myself, at 8 or 9 bushels per acre more, on a 
farm with one-third of its extent in down, and where folding is 
practised, than on one of similar soil where that practice is not 
available. This additional produce, which is due to the down, 
would be gradually lost, and each field on the farm thrown en- 
tirely on its own resources; or manures must be purchased to 
supply the place of that derived from the downs through the 
means of sheep. Still any portions of downs with a tolerably 
deep soil, and adjoining the land already in cultivation, may be 
converted into tillage. In many parts of the chalk downs, how- 
ever, the farmer has gradually moved up the hill-side until the 
chalk rock shows itself on the surface, which indicates that he 
has advanced as far up as is advisable. 
Better things may be expected of soils more favourably situated, 
and of somewhat greater depth, though but a little above them 
in the scale of natural fertility. Some years ago I had the oppor- 
tunity of gaining some experimental knowledge respecting this 
subject, and have since learned from observation that the mode of 
breaking up land has undergone changes, no doubt for the better. 
In this report I shall introduce calculations to show what may be 
expected from breaking up Down and other grass land — not ex- 
pecting, however, that I can assign prices precisely suitable for 
every locality, but endeavouring to arrive at a fair general esti- 
mate. I may add that all the tabular estimates introduced have 
been scrutinized by the most eminent practical farmers of the 
district in which I reside, and have received their approval. 
It will be necessary to use some fixed price of the produce, but 
here we are very much left to conjecture. The averages of grain 
under the Tithe Commutation Act, for the last ten years, have 
been — wheat, 7*. O^d. ; barley, 4s. ; oats, 2s. 9|(Z. ; and the prices 
of grain for the last quarter, ending Christmas, 1845, are — wheat, 
7s. 2d.; barley, 4s. li^d.; oats, 3s. O^d. ; rye, 4s. Sd.; beans, 
5s. 4c?. ; and peas, 5s. b^d. per bushel. It is very doubtful, how- 
ever, whether those prices will be maintained — indeed we have 
strong presumptive evidence that they will not, and therefore I 
have adopted the following rates, as likely to be more penna- 
nent : — Wheat, 6s. 6d. ; barley, 3s. 9rf. ; oats, 2s. Gd.; beans, 
4s. 6d. As to the turnips and green crops the prices adopted 
have been ascertained by experiments, one of which may be men- 
