The ewe bought in at

A lamb and a half, which is the average, at 12 s.
Wool,

Prime coft,

* Profit,

I 4 O

His breed is between the Tees water (reckoned the largest sheep in England) and Swaledale fheep; the first for the fize of their carcafes, and the fecond for the shortness of their legs.

Their winter food is grafs, and hay at the ftack. In fpring they have cabbages, but in cafe they have not, then two bushels of oats each, in troughs befide their hay. I he average weight, per fleece, is 8 lb. but has had 17 lb. from a fhearing weather, and 14 lb. from a fhearing ewe.

In the tillage of his arable, this moft attentive cultivator reckons fix horfes neceffary for 60 acres. He uses two or three in a plough, according to the itate of the foil, which do an acre a day, stirring fix inches deep.

According to the fyftem of management which he has guided himself by, 6 or 700l. would be neceflary to stock a farm of 100 1.

a year.

The principal part of this gentleman's experimental agriculture is the railing of cabbages, which he began in 1762, and has fince conftantly carried on with great fpirit and no lefs fuccefs. In that year he had three acres upon a clay foil, winter-fallowed. They were both winter and spring plants, that is, raised from feed fown at those times. The rows were four feet afunder, and the plants two feet from each other. They were well horfe and hand-hoed. The crop was upon an average 1 lb. each cabbage. They were begun to be ufed for all forts of cattle about Martinmas, and found of admirable use for all.

1763. This year, encouraged by the fuccefs of the laft, he planted eight acres, alfo upon a clay foil, both winter and fpring plants; the preparation of the land the fame; the rows as before; and the horfe and hand-hoeing likewife the fame. They were begun at Martinmas, and lafted into May.-The average weight per cab. bage 14 lb. They were ufed for theep, fatting oxen and cows, and with great fuccefs for all.

1754. Eight acres were likewife planted this year upon the fame foil, in the fame manner, and managed as before: they were began at Martinimas, and lafted till Lady-day: ufed for all forts of cattle; the average weight per cabbage 12 lb

176. Eight acres, of a loamy clay, that had been bat three years in tillage, were planted this year; the preparations and management as before: they were used for all forts of cattle, and lafted to the middle of April. Average, per cabbage, 2c ib. fome of them 42 lb.

The Author makes it 11. 5 s. by a mistake, in the ngures, which we have rectified here.

1766. Nine acres of clay were appropriated to them this year. Culture, &c. as before. Lafted from October till April. The average weight, per cabbage, 181b. Ufed for all forts of cattle.

1767. Nine acres of clay this year applied to them; in every respect under the fame management as before. The average 15 lb.

1768. The great fuccefs hitherto attending the culture of this moft profitable vegetable, induced Mr. Crowe to apply no lefs than 13 acres to cabbages this year. I viewed them with great pleasure; the weight Mr. Crowe expects not to be equal to the preceding years," from the very unfavourablenefs of the season, as a fevere drought fet in juft after planting: but this fuppofition is no certainty, as they were not near arrived at their full growth. I weighed feveral which I apprehended near the average fize, and found them, upon a medium, 7 lb. each: I should fuppofe the crop will come to 10 or 11 lb. each.

'Cabbages are found much fuperior to turnips; this is a remark Mr. Crowe has conftantly made, and it was proved ftrongly this year, by a piece of turnips being fown in the cabbage field, which evidently to the eye were not comparable to the cabbages; not amounting to above a fixth part of the weight of them.

The mention of turnips reminds me of the very bad common hufbandry of this country, relative to turnips, viz. the not hoeing them. Of the product of crops fo managed, I can give a pretty exact account; for expreffing a defire to weigh a fquare perch of the common turnips, Mr. Crowe carried me to a field of one of his tenants for that purpofe; as he was willing to give them fair play, he rejected the firit field, on viewing it, as the crop was very bad: we then walked to a fecond, and that proving much the fame, he enquired of the people with him where the best common crop was to be found. Their opinions were various, but for fatisfaction we walked from one to another, and at last one was fixed on as the beft; furthermore, the very best spot in the whole field was fought for and found, and a fquare perch meafured, the turnips topped and tailed; and the product in baskets as follows;

50 lb.

50

52

41

193

12

181

which is per acre, 12 tons 18 cwt. I have myself cultivated turnips on worfe land, and without dung, to 35 tons per acre, through a whole field the want of hoeing is fufficient to counterbalance every poffible advantage.

Here was a trial not only of the beft field, but of the best part of the field; and the product to be fo trifling, fhews very plainly the infinite ufe of hoeingIt is true, fomething is to be allowed for growing; for turnips do not arrive at their full growth till Christmas,

G 4

or

or the first frofts; though I apprehend much fooner when crowded fo thick as they are in fields not hoed: for this reafon, if we fuppofe them only three fourths grown, I am confident the allowance will be an ample one. In this cafe, the full weight will be near 16 tons. But here let me remark, that from this weighing and walking thro' feveral fields, I am perfectly clear, the average weight per acre of the whole country would not rife to above five tons. Mr. Crowe has raifed cabbages, over a whole field, of 50 tons per acre; in other words, as much on one acre as the farmers do of turnips on ten. very ftriking comparison !

A

Candour, however, requires me to add, that this gentleman prefers turnips to cabbages on light or gravelly land: but I must be allowed to remark upon that opinion, that the juftnefs of it depends merely upon the turnips being hoed or not. If they are hoed, I leave it to further enquiries to decide the parallel if they are not hoed, common fenfe muft determine it in a moment. The cabbages are a very valuable crop; whereas the turnips, for more reafons than one, are pernicious. They are efteemed a fallow, though full of weeds, and the land bound, and fo rough; the confequence of which is, the foil being conftantly in wretched order; the corn crop miferably full of weeds-fo that you will walk over them, and pointing it out, be told, it is after a fallow-that is to fay, turnips unhoed; a very capital fallow, it must needs be confeffed!-but the contrary of all this is the cafe with cabbages. The remedy for this bad husbandry is very plain; if turnips are hoed thoroughly, let them pafs for a fallow; if not, a crop.

Such are Mr. Crowe's experiments upon this very valuable crop : next I fhall present you with his general inftructions for the cultivation of cabbages, the effect of his experience.

Soon after Michaelmas, the land fhould be ploughed and limed at the rate of a chaldron per acre. In the fpring it is to be ploughed twice more, and thrown the fecond time into ridges, four feet afunder.

The feed for winter plants fhould be fown in Auguft, and pricked out into a piece of good land at Michaelmas about eight or nine inches afunder; and into the field along the above ridges, two feet from plant to plant, in March—the fooner the better.

For fpring plants, the feed mufl be fown in February; and pricked out or not as it happens; it is not fo neceffary as with the winter plants. The end of May, or the beginning of June, is the time for tranfplanting them to the ridges, which feason will allow a third fpring plowing.

They are never to be watered; not but in fome feasons it might be beneficial, but, upon the whole, they do extremely well without it; and the work is not only expenfive but very troublesome.

As foon as the plants are ftrong enough to bear earth againf them, and stand of themfelves, then turn a furrow from them, and in a day or two throw it back again; this loofens the moulds, and renders the foil fit for the young cabbages to ftrike root into as foon after as any weeds are perceived upon the ridges, they fhould be hand-hoed; and repeat it by that direction as often as it may happen during the fummer.

:

The

The horse-hoeings are to be directed upon the fame principle; when the intervals are weedy, or tending to too great a ftiffness, or the plants looking as if they wanted nourishment; the horse-hoeing fhould, in fuch cafes, be repeated, without regard to time.

They will, in general, be ready for ufe about Martinmas; a very convenient time; for the after-grafs is then going off, and they will, for all forts of cattle, fupply its place: no food is found better for fatting beafts old or young ;-nor can any thing thrive better upon any fort of food than fheep upon cabbages. They will in general laft till May-day.

With the preceding management, upon clay land of 10 s. an acre, they may be expected, upon an average of foils and feafons, to rife to 14 lb. one with another.

Rent,

The expences per acre, are as follow;

At 14 lb. each, they amount to 34 tons, 5 cwt. per acre.

These instructions are clear, judicious, and truly the refult of experience: I need not therefore add, that they are peculiarly valuable. They fufficiently prove how important an object cabbages are in rural œconomics.

• Potatoes Mr. Crowe has cultivated for many years, and generally from one to four acres. His method is to make them a fallow year. Winter fallows for them, manuring with long dung or haulm. He plants them in April, in rows two feet afunder, the fets nine inches from each other, 12 bushels to an acre. He horse-hoes them with a common plough four or five times; but the first operation is to harrow the land over as foon as they are up, to level it; befides the horse-hoeings, they are well hand hoed, as fast as the weeds get up. At Martinmas they are ploughed up, unless the land is for wheat; in which cafe, they are taken up at Michaelmas. The average produce 120 bushels per acre. Wheat is better after them than after a fallow. If any thing befides dung is used for them, such as haulm, ftraw, ferns, rufhes, &c. they are laid on a heap with fome dung at top about Michaelmas, to be fomewhat rotten in the fpring when ufed: this is an excellent practice, and worthy of imitation.

This gentleman has made fome difcoveries in the ufe of them, which are very important. When boiled, nothing feeds poultry better, and hogs fatten upon them excellently. All forts of young cattle in the farm-yard, he has found, will eat them raw, but if boiled they will be more nourishing, and go much farther. This is the refult of experience, and deferves great attention; for in foils that are fuitable to this root, the quantity produced from a few acres is prodigious, many hundred head of cattle might be wintered, with the application of very little land to this ufe.

• If

If the potatoe foil is dry, Mr. Crowe covers the tops of the ridges (of fuch as are for family use) with long ftraw, haulm, &c. He then takes them up as they are used, and finds that they will laft good till Candlemas, and alfo grow till then.

Jerufalem artichoaks he has alfo cultivated, and with good fuccefs; he gets about three bushels from a fquare perch, or 480 bufhels per acre: has had a peck from one root; and half a peck of potatoes.

Another very important experiment made by Mr. Crowe was in the article of tillage. He gave a large clay field a two years complete fallow, both winter and fummer: he both years limed it well, one and a half chaldron per acre, three chaldrons per acre in the whole. The fecond Michaelmas it was fown with wheat, after 12 ploughings. What may be fuppofed the refult? Surely a moft capital crop-no fuch matter. After the corn was finely up, the spring rains, from the fineness of the foil, plaiftered the whole furface like mortar; the crop only 14 bushels per acre, and corn bad.

Upon this experiment (which is very curious) I should remark, that the warm advocates for tillage, ought not to be general in their expreffions; like Tull, De Chateauvieux, M. du Hamel, and an hundred others, fince it is evident a thorough pulverization may on fome lands be pernicious. This gentleman had never fo poor a crop on any fort of land, or with any management, which plainly indicates the true reason. I have myfelf had much experience of foils, which bake with a quick fun after rain; and can easily believe, that the finer they are made, the worfe is the chance for a crop, unless it is a hoeing one, fuch as turnips or beans, potatoes, &c. which are not only hoed, but will bear a harrowing in cafe of rain, and plaiftering: Had this crop of wheat been mine, I fhould have harrowed it in the spring thoroughly.

For the purpose of cleaning his fallows, Mr. Crowe invented a horfe rake, which he finds of incomparable ufe: it rakes out twitch and fuch trumpery very effectually *.

Another most excellent practice of husbandry, and which I believe is quite peculiar to this gentleman, is the moving all the old hedges about his farm, which were upon hills and high parts of the fields, into bottoms; an admirable thought! the propriety of which muft ftrike every one at the first mention. The ditches upon the higher parts of the fields are of no ufe in draining, which is one great end of ditches: and the hedges in fuch fituations can only keep the fun and wind from the land, which in wet foils, and all clays, is a very great difadvantage: but by making them in the bottoms and hollows, the land is neceffarily drained; the expence of the ufual drains in fuch places faved: the fun and wind have a free courfe over the fields, which are confequently fo much the fooner dry, and ready for ploughing; and in all refpects the founder and healthier. I cannot fpeak of this practice in the manner it deferves. It is worthy of univerfal imitation on clay, and all moift foils where the country has any variations of furface.

Nor is this fpirited cultivator lefs attentive to draining his clay foils by means of large covered drains. He digs them from three to fix feet deep, two feet wide at bottom, and four feet at top, and

The Author gives an engraving of this machine.