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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    Rooks, T confented it fhould then be planted ; yet contrary to his engagement he went away upon plea- fure and diverfion, taking no care of the Wheat at the critical time, whereof the Rooks took the advan¬ tage, and devoured a great part of it; whether they did eat the fourth or half I know not, becaufe the Crop is ftackt up in a Rick alone by itfelf, not to be threlhed till next fummer. But by what the Rooks left, it appeared that it would have been one of the belt Crops I had if they had been kept from it. This I am confident of, that I have more Wheat yearly than the Tenant had grow on the fame Farm in four or five years. The Field which had laft year the eleventh Crop of Wheat, as in p. 249, has now the twelfth on it, very likely to be a good ono. Perhaps it may be asked why I drill’d fo many Oats when a Crop of Wheat is much more valuable than a Crop o: Oats; and the Expence of both is nearly equal ? I fay it was by the Difappointment I had of a Tenant, who 1 expe&ed would have Town the Wheat Crop, fo that I did not prepare to plant it : and then I was forced to p’ant Spring Corn, or elfe let it lie for a Fallow j but the following Autumn I planted all fuch Land with Wheat that I thought was in tolerable Condition for it ; and the next Autumn after that I drill d the hundied Acres; and now I have in good Condition fix fcore Acres of Wheat, an hundred Acres of which are on the Stubble of the laft years Wheat Crop. ’Tis true, I was at great Lofs by giving Attention to that Tenant; but I was defirous of being out of all Bufinefs, my Infirmities encreafing upon me, and having no one of my Family, whom I thought ca¬ pable and proper to leave in it after me, ’twas the belt Way to Let my Farm, if I could have met with a good Tenant. Of an EXPERIMENT. P. I. 31. From two f oints about four Inches afunder.] The Joints may be yet farther afunder, if a large Mint-plant be fet to itrike Root in a Bottle with a long Neck, and the Fibres which come out be¬ tween the upper and lower Joint be daily rubb’d off. Of D U N G. P. 19. I. 41, and p. 211. That without it (Dung) little Good can be done by the Old Husbandry.] I keep a Team of Horles for the Ufe of a File-Kiln, which helps me at prefent to Dung for about ten Acres yearly ; but if I put them oft, as I intend, I fhall not raife Dung for above three Acres; yet I pro- pofe to have fix Score Acres of Wheat every Year, as I have at this Time ; an Hundred of them being drill’d on the Stubble of my laft Year’s Wheat Crop; but if I had only Dung for three Acres, I could then have no more than three Acres of Wheat in a Year by the Old Husbandry. Well is it for me, that Dung is not neceftary in the New Husbandry. ROOTS infume their Pabulum by Preffure. P. 23. 1. 9, XJnlefs they (the Roots) come into Contafi with andpref againf all, £5k.] Roots cannot have any Nourifhment from cavities of the Earth that are too large to preis againft them, except what Water when kis in great Quantity, brings to them, which is imbibed by the gentle prefi'ure of the Water ; but when the Water is gone, thofe large cavities being empty, the preffure ceafes; and this is the Reafon that when Land has few other but fuch large cavities, the Plants in it always fuffer more by dry Weather, than in Land which by Dung or Tillage, has more minute and fewer large cavitie* Theremay be fbme moiftureon the fuperficies of large cavities; but without prefiure the fibrous Roots cannot reach it; and very little or no preffure can be made to one part of the Root’s fuperficies unlefs the whole that is included be preffed. If it be objected that a Charlock Plant when pulled up and thrown upon the Ground will grow thereon, this proves nothing againft the neceftity of Preffure, &c- for the weight of that Plant preffes fome of its Roots foclofely againft the Ground, that they fend out (unlefs the Weather be very dry) new Fibres into the Earth, and there they are preffed in all their fuperficies, without which Fibres the Plant doth not grow. Of the DeftruElion of IV E E D S. P. 39. L. 35. lit time will probably make fuch an utter Riddance of all forts of Weeds, fffc.] I have now a piece of Wheat drill’d early the laft Autumn upon a hill, fallowed and well pulveriz’d, part of it was driP’d with wheat in double Rows upon the level nine years ago, Horfe-ho’d, and the Partitions thorough¬ ly Hand-ho’d to cleanfe out the Poppies, of which the Land was very full; the other part of this piece was never drilled till this year : the whole piece hath been before this Winter Horfe-ho'd ; now the Partitions of the part that was never any way ho’d, are fo ftockt with Poppies matted together, that unlefs they are taken out early in the Spring, they will totally devour the Rows of Wheat; but in the other part that was ho’d fo long fince, there are now very few Poppies to be feen. Both thefe parts have had feveral fown Crops of Barley together fince, and have lain with St. loin, thefe laft five or fix years. The Caufe oj a Wheat Crop following a drill d Crop being better than after a dunged Crop. P. 50. L. 44. That that part had been Dunged which was not, £sk.] If the Dung did pulverize as much as the Hoing, the Caufe muft be from the different Exhauftion. Of preventing Damage by ROOKS. P. 55- L. 29. Beware of the Roots.] ’Tis true, that Wheat which is planted early enough for its Grain to be unfit forthe Rooks, before the Corn that is left on the Ground atHarveft, is either all eaten by them, or by Swine, or elfe grow’d, plowed in, or otherwife fpoiled, is in no danger ; but as this fometimes hap¬ pens foon after Harveft, the time of which is uncertain, a timely Care is neceffary. Many are the Contrivances to fright the Rooks, viz. To dfg a hole in the Ground, and ftick Feathers therein ; to tear a Rook to pieces and lay them on divers parts of the Field; this is fometimes effe&ual;but Kites or other Vermin foon carry away thole pieces. Hanging up of dead Rooks is of little ufe •, forthe living will dig up the Wheat under the dead ones. A Gun is alfo of great ufe for the purpole; but unlefs the Field in time of danger be conftantly attended, the Rooks will at one time or other of the Day do their Work, and you may attend often, and yet to no purpofe, for they will do great Damage in your Abfence. The only remedy that I have found infallible is a Keeper (a Boy may ferve very well) to attend from Morning until Night; when he fees Rooks either flying over the Field, or alighted in it, he Halloos, and throws up his Hat, or a dead Rook into the Air, upon which, they immediately go off, and tis feldom that any one will alight there, they finding there is no reft for them, they feek other places for their Prey, wherein they can feed more ur.diiturbed, ,