Mofoert Bake well, Esq. 
349 
visited Dishley in 1790, informs ns that he was like- 
ay to make by his tups that season fully to the amount 
of 3,000 guineas. But notwithstanding the large 
amount of money that Mr. Bakewell was in the habit 
of receiving from the proceeds of his stock, at the 
very noontide of his fame he became involved in great 
pecuniary difficulties, which would not appear to have 
been brought on entirely by the expenses he bestowed 
Bn the necessary experiments for perfecting the im¬ 
provements of his flock, but from the large number 
of visitors that congregated together at Dishley. Seve¬ 
ral of the principal oflour nobility were frequently his 
guests, and Mr. Bakewell, whose disposition was as 
liberal as his mind was noble, entertained them in the 
same expensive style as they were accustomed to live 
in themselves when at home. This, of course, in¬ 
creased the expenses of his establishment enormously, 
and the host of Dishley Grange might truly have told 
some of his guests, as the Lady Rendlesham once re¬ 
marked to the last Duke of York, when he took his 
leave, that Rendlesham House was considered to be 
the best inn on the road. It was also an unfavora¬ 
ble period for making money by the cultivation of land: 
the war with America had considerably reduced the 
value of produce, and the article of wool, which was of 
the utmost importance to him, Was so greatly depre¬ 
ciated, that it was sold as low as nine shillings per ton. 
All other articles being also proportionably reduced, 
his expenses great, and his hospitality unlimited, it 
cannot be wondered at his finding himself in difficul¬ 
ties. But even then Bakewell kept up his high 
position, for when his stock was valued(the unexpired 
term of his lease being included in the valuation), there 
was a balance in his favor of from 1,500/. to 2,000/. 
From documents that may be considered of the highest 
authenticity—the valuations that were placed in the 
hands of his trustees at that time—we will make an 
extract to show the prices at which a portion of his 
sheep were estimated:— 
26 Ewes and lambs, £81 18s.; 19 Ewes and lambs, 
£99 15s.; 6 Shear-hog rams, £42 10s.; 6 Ewes and 
lambs, £31 10s.; 26 Theavs, £109 4s. ; 10 Shear- 
hog rams, £200 ; 10 Shear-hog rams, £260 ; 3 Rams, 
£50 ; 3 Rams, £300 ; 
From the same document we find the sums that some 
of his long-horned beasts were valued at. 
One red cow and cow-calf £35, one cow and bull- 
calf £50, one cow and cow-calf £40, one two-year-old 
bull <£70, one red cow and calf £40, one cow and calf 
£60, one cow and calf £35, one cow and calf £30, 
one cow £30, one cow and cow-calf £30, one bull £20, 
four bulls £105, three cows £150, three cows £60* 
As a practical farmer Mr. Bakewell attained great 
celebrity. He was in advance of the age, and we may 
say full half a century before any of his neighbors. 
It may be questioned if the land in Leicestershire is 
even now so well cultivated as Dishley farm was when 
its possessor died. He adopted the system of irrigation, 
and turned a small rivulet that flowed along a portion 
of his farm to such good account, that from it he con¬ 
trived to water from 60 to 80 acres of meadow-land 
every season. He turned this little brook also to other 
useful purposes, making it to feed a mill, and save the 
trouble and expense of carting his turnips, which, be¬ 
ing thrown into the stream, were allowed to float down 
with the current to the barn end, where their further 
* Old Comely, the parent mother of all the above 
stock of cattle, lived to the age of 26 years. When 
killed, the fat on her sirloin was four inches in thick¬ 
ness. 
progress was impeded by a grating at the bottom of a 
reservoir, from which they were taken out and laid up. 
clean and freight free, for the winter’s supply. The 
idea was beautifully simple, and eminently useful, but 
Mr. Bakewell possessed a mind that was continually 
devoted to the improvement of rural affairs. He pur¬ 
sued the drill system of Tull, never sowing broadcast: 
both grain and turnips he always sowed by the drill, 
and kept the ground clean by the horse-hoe. There 
was a striking contrast also in his system of plough¬ 
ing and that of his neighbors. Some of them employ¬ 
ed from four to seven horses at the plough on a sandy 
loam soil, and then did not turn up much more than 
half an acre per day. Mr. Bakewell invariably con¬ 
fined himself to a pair, and stirred up an acre with 
ease, thus quadrupling the quantity of work done with 
an equal portion of strength. Dishley, in fact, was a 
school of practical agricultural reform, and it appears 
rather wonderful that the system was not generally 
adopted by the Leicestershire farmers. It is not now 
unusual in that county to see a string of four or five 
horses attached to the plough. For a long time the 
drill system also met with considerable opposition, 
but within some few years it has been looked upon 
in a more favorable light. Cultivators naturally look 
to the amount of profits that are likely to arise from 
the practice of any separate system ; that of Mr. Bake¬ 
well did not place him among the wealthy, but had he 
been less liberal in his ideas, less given to hospitality, 
less visited by the patrician portion of the community, 
who entailed enormous expenses upon - him, he must 
have lived and died a rich man, whether it was his 
desire to do so or not. It does not follow that a system 
must be erroneous because it does not at once open a 
mine of gold to fill the pockets of the inventor. Every 
system must have time to work, and every effort at im¬ 
provement deserves, and ought to receive, the strictest 
attention. A practical agriculturist is of far more 
value to a nation than even a practical manufacturer, 
for the benefits the one confers upon the human race 
are lasting—the other but transient; yet both deserve 
to be honored by their country. 
Dishley Grange was not* exactly what a fashionable 
auctioneer would term “ one of Nature’s most favor¬ 
ed spots,” but under the care of Mr. Bakewell, it be¬ 
came more noted for its usefulness than its beauty. 
Clumps of willows were planted for ornament and 
shelter, which were carefully cut every seven years, 
and the wood thus supplied was brought into use to 
make handles for rakes, and other purposes of husban¬ 
dry, manifestly causing a great saving of expense. 
Even the peelings of the willows were not thrown 
away, but by the direction of the master hand, were 
applied to make the bottoms of the sacks. Swampy 
as the grounds adjoining the house were, Mr. Bake¬ 
well contrived to make even their barrenness avail¬ 
able 
The gardens were cultivated rather for utility than 
for show ; the fish ponds were always kept well stored, 
and even the drainings from the yard were conveyed 
to the brook, and thus, mixed with the water, used for 
the purpose of at once irrigating and manuring certain 
fields belonging to the farm. 
It ought to have been remarked that the liberality 
and high-mindedness of Mr. Bakewell never evinced 
itself more fully than in his incessant application to 
the improvement of the Dishley estate. He was but a 
tenant, but he yearly increased the value of the land 
he rented for the benefit of the landlord. He stood 
I forth as a model for all practical farmers to study; an 
example fjjr all honest tenants to follow. He was in¬ 
deed a man of rare merit, and it would perhaps be 
