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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    caufe then fome of the fine Earth that is harrow’d down will reach to the middle of the Intervals whereon the Ridges are to be made for drilling. Or if there fhould be time for Plowing thrice, the Ridges of the firft and fecond Piowings arc to be harrow’d in the common Manner alfo. The Harrowing of Ridges mult never be crofs-ways, unlefs when they are to be made level for crofs- plowing, in order to lay out the Ridges of a breadth different to what they were of before. When you perceive the Ridges are too high, harrow them lower by the deferibed manner of harrowing ; firft with the heavy Harrows for harrowing out the Stubble, and then with light ones, which may be of¬ ten, for making the Earth on the Ridges the finer for Drilling, without throwing much of it down fre¬ quent Harrowings in this manner not being injurious like too much harrowing on level Ground, which is fometimes trodden as hard as the Highway by the Cattle that draw the Harrows; for in harrowing thefe Ridges, the Beafi that draws the Harrows always treads in the Furrow where there is none or very little Mould to tread on. The price of Hand-hoing of thefe double Rows, is a Penny for thirty Perch in length of Row, which f> - mounts to between eighteen and nineteen Pence for an Acre. I fhould fay that in Hand hoing, the Earth muA never be turned towards the Wheat, for if it were, it might crufh it when young ; neither could the Partition be clean hoed. The Hand Hoes for hoing the ten-inch Partition have their Edges feven Inches long ; they are about four Inches deep from the Handle ; if they were deeper, they would be too weak; for they mult be thin and well keeled. The Labourers pay for them, artd keep them in order for their own Ufe. Thefe Hoes mull not cut out any part of the two Rows, nor be drawn thorough them, as the four-inch Hoes fometimes mav thorough the treble Rows. If I am taxed with Levity in changing my treble Rows for double ones, it will not appear to be done of a (iidden, when the Reader looks back to p. 55, where he will find, that in my firft Dire&ions 1 advifed double Rows where hand hoing was likely to be neccffary. I alfo in p. 248 advifed the Trial of both forts. And now upon fuller Experience I find the double Rows much preferable to the Treble, efpecialiy fox Wheat. When Gentlemen faw the middle Row on low Ridges fo much inferior to the outfide Rows, they were convinced of the Effed of deep hoing ; for they faid, there was no other Reafon for this fo vifible a Diffe¬ rence, except the outfide Rows Aanding nearer to the pulveriz’d Intervals than the middle Row did. And when on high Ridges the middle Row was nearly or quite as good as one of the outfide Rows, I was not convinced that they were not diminifhed by the middle Row, as much as the Produce of it amounted to; hnd this I now find to be the Cafe ; for four Rows of Oats without a middle Row produced fomewhat more than the fame Number that had a middle Row ; two of which treble Rows were taken on one fide, ajid two on the other fide of the double Rows, purpofely to make an unexceptionable Trial. And it is, as far as I can judge, the fame in Wheat. ’Tis true, I began my Horfe-hoing Scheme firfi with double Rows, but then they were different to what they are now ; for the firft had their Partition uneven, being the parting Space as deferibed in p. 56, where¬ by it was lefs proper for Hand-hoing, which I then leldom ufed, except for ablolute neccffity, as to cleanfe out Poppies, and the like. The Intervals alfo were too narrow for confiant annual Crops. By all thefe three Methods I have had very good Crops; but as this I now deferibe is the lateft, and is (as it ought to be) the beft > I publifh it as fuch, without Partiality to my own Opinions; for I think it lefs difhonourabletoexpofemy Errors, when I chance to detedl them, than to conceal them ; And as I aim at nothing but Truth, I cannot with any Satisfaction to my felf, fuffer any thing of my own knowingly to efcape, that is in the leaft contrary to it. I have a Piece of five or fix Acres of Land which I annually plant with boyling Peafe, in the very fame manner as Wheat; except that the fecond Horfe-hoing (which is the laftj throws the Earth fo far upon the Peafe as to make the two Rows become one. Thefe Peale cannot be planted until after the 25th of March, elfe two Horfe-hoings might not be lufficient. The fame Drill that plants Wheat plants Peafe, only fome times we change the Spindle, for one that has its Notches a little bigger. I drill no more Barley becaufe’tis not proper to be followed by a Crop of Wheat without a Fallow ; for fome of the fhatter’d Barley will live over the Winter and mix with the Wheat in the Rows, andean fcarce poffibly be thence timely taken out, its firft Stalk and Blade being difficult to dikinguifh from the Wheat, and this is a great Damage to the fale in the Market > and for the fame Reafon I plant no more Oats. Note, where ’tis faid in p. 237, That I had left off making low Ridges, ’tis meant of fix-foot Ridges, on account of the treble Rows, which, together with fix-foot Ridges, I have now left off for Wheat. A Barley Farm converted into a Wheat Farm. P. 65. 1. 24, and P. 227. Situate upon a Hill, tsV.] My Farm was termed a Barley Farm, not from the good Crops of Barley it produced ; but becaufe the Land being almoft all Hiliy was thought too Light toe Wheat; for in their old Management, it was often deftroy’d by Poppies and other Weeds, and feldora was there a tolerable Crop of Wheat. In a dry Summer the Barley Crop fail’d for want of Moifture, and of more Pulveration, and was not worth half the Expence. Land is feldom too dry for Wheat, and this dry Soil in the Hoing Culture brings very good Crops of Wheat, which is the Reafon I have now no Barley, except what is fown on the Level, as it always muft be for planting St. Foin and Clover amongft it; were it not for that purpofe, I fhould plant no Barley at all. That Wheat Bars do not Ledge by Reafon of their Weight. P. 7 l. 1. 5 2. Sofar are the Ears from caufmg it (the WheatJ to fall.] This was proved by my whole Crop, the lafl Harveft, and particularly by the Meafured Acre, the Ears of which, tho’ prodigious large and heavy, were none of them Lodg’d, when thofeof fown Wheat on the other fide of the Hedge were fallen down flat and Lodg’d on the Ground. Ufe but three Bulls in a Hoc-PIovj. P. 123.1. 28, andp. 235. May require four Oxen each.] I now ufe no Oxen properly fo called; but fcnly Bulls, bought in at the Time when they are cheapeft, and have them Caf rated. Thefe are hardier than Oxen, tho’ of a lefler fize. Oxen being C aft rated whilft they are Calves, grow much larger than Bulls We never put more than three of ihere ('they are called Bull Stags J to a Ho-Plow. C AIL