198 On Breaking up Grass Lands. 
market of his brethren, who have hitherto been driven to the 
necessity of underbidding him, and who have been involuntarily 
running a race with him to obtain employment. 
Four million acres of our grass land, however, may even now 
be broken up without inconvenience, or any great change in our 
systems of management : and could these four millions be set free 
for arable culture, with a certainty of being well farmed, the 
advantage, as I have already shown, would be great to the farmer 
and landowner, but the advantages to them would become com- 
paratively insignificant when compared with those conceded to the 
labourer and to the country. Of the four millions a fourth would 
be planted with wheat every year : but, to be on the right side, let 
us assume that one-half would be cropped on a four-field and the 
other half on a five-field system. The average produce of the 
former, according to the estimates, would be 32 bushels, and of 
the latter 24, making a general average of 28 bushels per acre, 
which is certainly rather under the mark than over, as I intend it 
should be. This would give 900,000 additional acres of wheat, 
producing annually 3,150,000 quarters, which would be more than 
sufficient to supply the deficiency of our home growth of this grain, 
without reckoning the beef, mutton, and green and other crops, 
which would greatly exceed the present produce of such lands in 
pasture. 
Calculation of the Gain of Food to the Country. 
£. s. d. 
1. Average of the yearly produce of an acre of down after being 
broken up . . . . . . . . . 3 15 4 
2. Ditto ditto on light sandy soil . . . .4164 
3. Ditto ditto on stiff clay land . . . . .') 17 10 
4. Ditto ditto on strong dairy loam . . . .703 
5. Ditto ditto grazing dairy farm . . . . 8 12 3 
5) 30 2 0 
(ieneral average . . ..... , .60 
£. s. d. 
1. Average valueof I lie yearly produce of an acre of down 
before being broken up 
2. Ditto ditto on light sandy soil 
3. Ditto ditto on stifi" clay land 
•1. Ditto ditto on strong dairy loam 
5. Ditto ditto on grazing dairy farm 
1 5 0 
. 2 3 6 
. I 17 6 
. 3 12 3 
. 4 18 6 
T)) 13 16 9 
2 15 
Average increased value of produce per acre by 
being broken up . . . . . .351 
This 3/. hs. \ d. is the value of 10 bushels of wheat : that is — 
if my estimate be a just one, and I see no reason to the contrary — 
