The horse-hoing husbandry: or, an essay on the principles of tillage and vegetation ... Wherein is shewn a method of introducing a sort of vineyard-culture into the corn-fields, in order to increase their product, and diminish the common expence; by the use of instruments described in cuts / By I.T. [J. Tull].

  • Jethro Tull
Date:
1733
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The horse-hoing husbandry: or, an essay on the principles of tillage and vegetation ... Wherein is shewn a method of introducing a sort of vineyard-culture into the corn-fields, in order to increase their product, and diminish the common expence; by the use of instruments described in cuts / By I.T. [J. Tull]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    350 They advifed the Drilling of St. Foinupon Land that Was wet too near the Surface in Win ter; and had beenfc planted before with that Grals, and it died in theWinter, and fo did that which they drilled. This was great Folly in the Pretenders, becaule every new thing that mifcarries in anyPartis aDifparagement, tho’ theMifcarriage be. not from the Thing itfelf, but from the Mifapplication of it: So was this, lor the Caufe was in the impro¬ per Land, not in the Drill (if I was told Truth) the St. Foin came up very well and even, and that is all that can be reafonably expected from the Engine. Their Directions about Drilling of Corn were likely to be as vain and ineffectual. To prevent the ill Confequence of their Proceedings, I did all that was in my Power by Letters ; but for want of being prefent in Perfon, thofe Endeavours proved unfuccefsful, though back’d by a Noble Lord, who knew my Integrity, and the Vanity of thofe Pretenders by his own Expe¬ rience ; and what was the word Misfortune of all, one of the Pretenders (I may fay the Chief) was a Per-* fon, for oppofing of whom I was blamed and ill thought of even by thofe I would have fecured againfl fuffering by his Follies, which I oppofed. They who have made Trials by the Directions of any Pretenders before my Effay was publifhed, can have made no Trial of my Husbandry ; and confequently could not reafonably expeCt the Succefs of it, un- lefs by a Miracle the EfFeCt fhould be produced without the Caufe; and who have been thus deceived, may through a caufelefs Difgaft, as rafhly defill (and deter others) from proceeding further when they have my Directions, as they began without them. I faw in one of Mr. Ellis's Books an Account of an Experiment, which to the belt of my Remembrance was as follows, viz. A Farmer plowed his Ground in Furrows at eight Foot affunder, and into them lowed Beans by Hand ; then he hoed thefe monftrous Intervals with a Wheel-Plow, which could not, I am confident* plow much nearer than two Foot from the Rows ; fo that the Bean-roots were not likely to reach the hoed Earth through fuch a Diftance of unhoed hard Land, which was fufficient to produce Weeds that would ftarve the Beans ; and for the Rows themfelves they were probably fo broad and irregularly planted, that it lhuft be difficult to pull the Weeds and Grafs from among!! the Beans: They could have no more Benefit from fuch Hoing than if it had been performed in an adjoining Field ; the Event of fuch rafh Proceedings is not hard to guefs at, though Mr. Ellis had not told us that a very indifferent Crop of JBeans was produced ; and yet this is by the Ignorant judged as a Trial of Horfe-Hoing. As I live obfcure from the World, I am not apprized of all fuch Trials that have been made; nor of any but by Accident: Yet I am pefwaded, that he who confults my Effay, will judge all Examples of equal Raffinefs, to be for want of confuting it. P. vi. L. 7. To fend them Servants to injtruR them in it, &c.] Since I began my Scheme, I have not had one, whom I could recommend for that Purpofe. Hired Servants are arrived at fuch a Pitch of exorbitant Power and Conceit, that they think it an Affront to be put out of their Way ; and therefore pretend they cannot do what they are only unwilling to do. An Inflance of this, I am informed, happen’d in the Cafe of a Nobleman (well skilled in Agriculture) who had two arable Eftates in his Hands; on that which was near the Place of his Lordfhip’s Refidence, the four-coulter’d Plows had been ufed with Succefs; his Lordfhip therefore font fome of the fame Sort to Bis other Eftate, which Was a Day or Two’s Journey diflant, with Orders for his Servants to ufe them there In like Manner but a while after my Lord going down to fee how thofe Plows had been there employ’d, he found that not one Furrow had been plowed with them. ’Twas in vain to be angry at the Difappoint- ment ; for Bailiff and Servants Steward and all affirmed, that though thofe Plows might be ufed on the other Eftate, yet the Land of this was fo different, that ’twas impoffible to plow with them here. No Argument his Lordfhip could urge to convince them of their Miltake prevailed, becaufe they were refolved not to be Convinced ; till at laft my Lord went into the Field, fet the Four-Coulters with the Wedges himfelf, threw off his Coat (and Enfigns of Honour) then plow’d a whole Land, or great Part of one with this Plow j at this the Plowmen were fo afhamed, that they condefcended to plow well with the Four-coulter’d Plows. ’Twas their Will not their Skill that was wanting before. Alfo feveral Farmers have had thefe Plows, and their Plowmen can eafily Plow with them ; but when the Matter is out of Sight, they either throw the three foremoft Coulters into the Hedge, tye them up under the Beam, or elfe fet their Points above the Ground; in which laft Cafe if they fee the Matter coming, they flop their Horfes and pretend to be wedging the Coulters. By this, may be guefs’d what will be the Cafe with my other Inftruments, where the Matter expedls to b« taught byS ervants. P. vi L. 12. T-'at few Gentlemen can keep their Lands, ] But ’tis feared the three Statutes, which now in a manner prohibit them to occupy their Lands, will e’er long compel them to it, by prohibiting Ren¬ ters, whofe Patience and Subftance are fo much diminifhed, that a Scarcity of Tenants that can pay their Rent is already complained of. P. vi. L. 28. The Difreputation, Cfc.j To Gentlemen are owing all (or raoft of) our Improvements in A- griculture, notwithttanding the Disadvantages they have in refpect of their Price of Labour different from that of the labouring Farmers, it being a common Maxim, that the Rent of arable Land is the Odds between faying to the Hirelings, Go, do it; and faying. Come let us do it. And the Difadvantage even of the Far¬ mer, now is to pay (if he hires it) two Years Rent for the fame Labour that forty Years ago was reckoned at but one Year’s Rent, though the Price of Corn and other Provifions be lower now than ’twas then ; and in¬ deed we find, that the Price of Labour rifes in Proportion to the Cheapnefs of Corn ; the lower that is, the higher is the Price of Labour ; and when thofe Hirelings have raifed their Price, they feldom or never abate of it. I wilh therefore (as far as is confiftent with the publick Good) Gentlemen had fuch Jutomata, until the Three Statutes that make them needful, are made effectual to the Purpofes for which they were defigned ; and that ’tis feared will be impoffible, without firlt repealing them, and then making all three into one, to be fo executed, that Gentlemen and other Freeholders may not be wronged in Perfon, Lands or Goods by Trials at Difcretion againit the Common Law. P. vii. L. 24. Make the Improvement by St. Foin the greater. ] What added to this Improvement, was th* exorbitant Price of Labour, of which a vgft Quantity is neceffary to Corn more than to St. Foin, though the Product of the latter was of more Value ; but there is now a great Alteration in both, as to the Quantity of Labour, and Price of the Product. At prefent the Labour of making Hay cofteth treble to what it did for-* merly, whereas the Labour of Arable Land cofteth only double: The Haymakers, till within thefe few Years pall, ufed to work on the Hay as late in the Evening as was convenient for the well-making of it, which it often till between feven and eight o’Clock, which is the Time expreffed by the Statute: But now they have take*'