Comparative Statement of (what would have been) the Expence of Broad-Caft. *To ploughing the land into butts, for the feed to be fown, at 6s. per acre £. s. d. 3 15 O о 6 96 I 17 6 060 vered by the harrow, at 6d. per acre To mowing, gathering, and binding up, at 5s. per acre To 5 quarters 6 bushels of Seed-Beans, at Balance in favour of the Drill Husbandry £3 18 5 *N. B. The previous working of the land is not brought into this account, but taken in the fame ftage of Drill and Broad-caft management. OBSERVATIONS -Charging every expence attending both the Drill and Broadcaft Husbandry, it appears, that double the quantity of feed is uted when fown broadcaft, than when drilled in drills eighteen inches apart; and the produce of a crop of Beans is (with me) mostly one third less in quantity per acre by the Broad-cast Hus dry than by the Drill Husbandry. The time of reaping the above crop of Beans was the last week in September, which was three weeks later than I ever reaped before, though fown equally as early in the fpring; but this backwardness was occafioned by the season, not by the Drill. Mode of ufing the Straw.-Some of the ftraw is used for litter, and fome for cutting, and mixing with light corn for young stock, fuch as colts, &c. and for cart and plough horses; and when it is well got, there may be a great faving of hay; for, at the time of fupping the horses up, after they are bedded, give every horse a small armful before him, and he will need little or no hay in his rack, and will equally work as well, and keep his condition, as if his rack was fupplied with hay; and that part of the ftraw which he does not eat, ferves for fresh litter for him the following night, and (with me) I think it makes the best manure, by putrifying fo foon, Nature 1 Nature of the Soil.-The foil of this field is a ftrong hazel loam, about ten inches deep, and under that is a brown loamy fand, twelve inches deep; under which sand, in a part of about four acres, is a yellow rock: in all other parts of the field (under the fand) there is marl, about four yards deep, under which is yellow fand. The Horse-boeing.-The horse - hoeing was performed in the following manner. land being left quite even when the Beans were covered, I have a finall light machine, in the form of a plough, which is only two inches broad on the fole or bottom part (which is alfo useful for hoeing potatoes); this machine was drawn up the fide of each row of Beans, for the first hoeing, when they were about three inches high: the inftrument, being fo narrow, left a small rib of earth in the centre of the drill; and, when they were about twelve inches high, the fecond hoeing was performed with a doublemould board-plough, with two reests, four inches broad on the fole part, which was drawn up the centre of the drill, and divided the rib of earth, before left, to each row of Beans, which then made a perfect drill. Sowing Wheat.-After the Bean-crop was cleared off the land, the first preparation for the fowing of Wheat, was running the plough across the drills, as deep as the bottom of the drills; this being done, I harrowed it with a harrow (which I call the cultivating harrow), which brings most of the weeds, &c. that are within the land, to the top. It was then run over with a common harrow, and all the weeds, &c. picked off, and laid by for compoft, with the addition of horse-dung, &c. It was then ploughed into butts of three yards broad, and thirty yards were fown broadcaft, and thirty yards fown in drills (at nine inches), all through the field, which is now finished, and is little inferior, for cleanness and good condition, to a fummer fallow. HENRY HARPER. The fubfcribers have viewed the field above mentioned, in Mr. Henry Harper's farm, and have confulted the account ftated, of the measurement of the field, from a plan lately taken, and have feen the Beandrills, after the crop was reaped, but before ploughed up again for wheat; and have measured the diftance of the drills, each of which correfpond as above ftated. The crops of Beans, fo far as might be collected from the appearance of ftubble, appeared good, and the land clean in general, only from chickweed. We have alfo again viewed the land of the fame field, after being fown with Wheat, and finished off in a complete manner, and examined the labourer who affifted in thrashing a part of the Bean-crop, to ascertain the produce of the whole land; and believe, fo far as we have obferved from the information obtained, that the contents of the letter are truly and fairly stated. HENRY HEATHCOTE, Walton, Oct. 27, 1796. Mr. MORE. Vicar of Walton. S. HOLT, Surveyor of Agriculture for the county of Lancashire. |