On Breaking up Grass Lands. 
171 
had been left untouched by the plough still continued to produce 
a very scanty pasture, considerable portions being covered by 
furze. 
Whilst in this state several years elapsed, and year after year 
the entire unsevered produce was put up by auction, which very 
seldom, if ever, realised more than 3s. 6c?. jier acre, but more fre- 
quently 2s. 6<f. per acre only. One proprietor, however, not con- 
tent with this state of things, in which there appeared no hopes of 
amendment, took a bold step, and parcelled out some of his estate 
into small holdings, or cottage farms, varying them in extent from 
5 to 25 acres, to suit the abilities of tenants ; and without drain- 
ing, or in any other way improving the land than by the erection 
of cottages and outbuildings, let it at rents which vary from 25s. 
to 40s. per acre, in addition to the rent for the buildings, the pro- 
prietor taking upon himself to pay all rates, tithes, and taxes. 
It must not be supposed, amongst a number of tenants adopting 
various modes of cultivation — some, for want of information, 
abandoning themselves to chance, and others content to watch 
and imitate the processes of their more favoured neighbours — that 
all of them were successful in their management ; but those who 
were not so on their first attempts, soon saw in what they erred. 
In describing the practice of those squatters of the forest, I shall 
select four tenants whose management may be taken as an index 
of the general practice amongst them. One of those whom I 
have selected did not succeed at first, from having committed an 
error which experience has corrected. 
A. occupies 5 acres, and has done so for eight years : 
The rent is 21. per acre for the land (the house and buildings being 
charged in addition), but was a little less the two first years. When he 
took the land it was pasture, almost covered with furze. He grubbed 
up the i'urze and burnt it, and, without paring and burning the sward,- 
dug the land from 4 to 9 or 10 inches deep, according as the soil would 
admit, taking care not to turn up the poisonous yellow clay. It was 
then planted with potatoes. The crop failed, the produce being only 14 
bushels to the acre. After the potatoes were off, the land was manured 
and dug over again, and sown with wheat, which was hoed in. The 
wheat was a moderate crop — 28 bushels to the acre. The land was 
very rough during the growth of the wheat, being covered over with sods 
and coarse grass, which injured it. Paring and burning would have 
prevented this ; and by omitting this essential preliminary he lost his 
potato crop, and damaged the succeeding wheat crop. 
B. occupies 6i acres, and has had it eight years : 
He paid 1/. 1 3s. Ad. per acre for the first three years, and after- 
wards 21. per acre, exclusive of the buildings. He cultivated it all with 
the spade and fork. On first breaking it up he divided it into two parts, 
on one of which he grubbed up the furze, pared off the sward, and stifle- 
burnt it, heaping on furze, sward, and soil, as much as he could get to 
