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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    z6 4 ADDENDA Ail Individuals formed and had their Exifance in the firjl of their refpeSiive Species. P. 214, I.32. Contains in it an almoji infinite Progeny of its ovon Species.] That is to fay ; the firft of each Species that was created, contain’d in it all the Individuals that have already, or ever will proceed from it. Thofe who are of a contrary Opinion give no better Reafons than they who hold Equivocal Generation ; for ’tis as unreafonable to fuppofe a Power in an animal or vegetable Body to produce Animalcles or Plan- tules from inorganical Matter by Secretions of the Aliment, as they pretend. The firft Rudiments of Animals and Plants being Organical, can be the Work of none but the Infinite Creator, tho’they are increafed and produced by the Secretions, &c. of the Aliment. But the Oppofers of this Dodrine make no diftin&ion between Creation and Production ; nor feexnthey to have any notion of Infinite Divifion, or Infinite Smallnefs •, if they had they would not make the Objec¬ tions they do, againft the Creation of all Animals or Plants at once, contained within one another. Neither is the multitude of Animalcles that are loft any Objection ; for if the Creator had not known it neceflary there ftiould bean Overplus of them, he would not have made them fo numerous. The rosting of Roots a Manure to Land. P.233. 1-64. I imputed it to the rotting of the Roots.~\ Some have objeCted againft this Opinion, and fay the Effeft was rather to be imputed to the Rows of St. Foin (hadowing the Earth under them, or elfe from their keeping the Earth under them free from Couch-Grafs, of which the Intervals were full: But I think it more probable, that the Couch-Grafs, having very long horizontal Roots, might draw Nouriftiment from the Earth under the Rows, and from the Intervals equally. And as to the Shadow of the Rows, tho’ for the firft and fecond Years, the St. foin Plants were very large, yet being afterwards for five or fix Years, until plow’d up, conllantly fed by Cattle, and being more fweec was eaten very low, whilft the Couch Grafs remain'd entire in the Intervals, and fhadowed them more than the Earth of the Rows was fhadowed by the St. Foin. Befides the rotten Turneps, which were free from both thefe Objections, had the fame EffeCt on the Barley, as the St. Foin had on the Oats. Of Exhaufion. P. 237.1 11. A leffer ExbauJHon.~\ ’7'is by this that both Endsof thefe Rows in Time become equal: for tho’ ten Plants that produce an Ounce of Wheat infume more Pabulum than one Plant that produces the fame Quantity (the Reafon for which is given in p. 224) yet a Plant that produces fix or feven Drams infumes lefs than one that produces an Ounce ; for a Plant which produces fix Drams of Wheat, cannot be a poor one, and therefore infumes no more Pabulum than in proportion to its Augment and ProduCE Thus the Soil of thofe Ends, which by being doubly exhaufted by Weeds and Wheat-Plants was made poorer, gradually recovers an Equality with the other Ends, by being for feveral Years lefs exhaufted than the o- ther Ends are by larger Plants whilft the number of Plants and the Pulveration of each are equal. To the Reafons already given there is another to be added, why Horfe-ho’d Wheat exhauft the Soil lefs thaii fown Crops, where the ProduCf of Wheat produc’d by each is equal; which Reafon is that the former has much lefs Straw than the latter; as appears by the different Quantities of Grain that a Sheaf of each of equal Diameter yields; one of the former yielding generally double to one of the latter ; for a Sheaf of the fown has not only more fmall under Ears, but alfo its beft Ears bear a lefs Proportion to their Straw than the other ; for a Straw of fown Wheat fix foot high, I have found to have an Ear but of half the fize of an Ear of drill’d Wheat on a Stalk five Foot high, having meafured both of them (landing in the Field, and rubb’d out the Grain of them. This difference I impute to the different fupply of Nouriftiment at the Time when the Ears are forming. Thus the Sown Crop exhaufts a Soil much more by its greater Quantity of Straw. And this is one Reafon why annual Crops of fown Wheat cannot fucceed as Crops of Horfe-ho’d Wheat do. There muft be Dung and Fallow to repair the Exhaullion of the Sown ; neither of which are necef- fary for Crops of the Horfe-ho’d. Additions concerning the Manner of making the Drill, and the Hoe Plovj. Plates 2. 3. 4-S-^ 6. To a Workman who would make thefe Inftruments, I will add the following Directions. For the more eafy finding the particular Figures in the Plates, fee the Index p. 201, 202. The firft thing to be done for making the Drill, is to place half a Sheet of Paper to the Back of Plate II. by palling it on to its Margin ; and likewife another half Sheet to Plate III. in the fame manner. Then witha needle prick thorough all the Out lines of A. B. C. and D. in Fig 2. which will mark out both Sides and both Ends of the Mortife of the Turnep Drill-Box. Alfo prick thorough the Out-Jines of the great Hole in the middle of A, and of the Elliptical Hole in B. AHo prick the little Holeat E, in A, and at F, in B. Prick thorough the prickt Line, p, q. in B, which is the Line to which the Setting-Screw Fig. * 6, or Fig. 12. that is to pafs thorough the Hole in C. muft be parallel. When the Paper is taken off, cut out of it the faid A, B, C, and D, by the Pricks made by the Needle. Then cut the fame in Paftboard by laying thefe pieces of Paper thereon (becaufe Paftboard being ftiffer than Paper will be more fit for the Ufe.) Draw a Line with Ink on the prickt Line, p. q. The Hole in C muft befomething larger than in the Cutt, becaufe the Setting-fcrew muft be fo, being beft to be of Brafs, which is lefs apt to ruff than Iron, of which Metal it was formerly made; but Brafs being weaker requires the more of it to equal the ftrength of Iron. The Wreath Fig. 14, is not neceflary ; becaufe the Slider Fig. 15. is fufficient without it; but then Care muft be taken that the Edges of its Claws A B, which rub againft the Cylinder of E in Fig. 9 be taken off, to prevent their cutting it. This Slider is fometimes made of Brafs and fometimes of Iron. Thus the Workman will have the Sides and Endsof the Tumip-Mortife, which make the whole of it, whereby he may make it exattly in foft Wood. Fig. 7, call’d the Inner Cylinder being put into the Cylinder A, of thefteel Tongue, Fig. 4, whereby the Holes for the Axis of the Tongue being the lower from the Top of the Mortife, doth not only fecure the Edges of the Mortife from breaking out, but alfo gives room for the Flanches B, C, in Fig. 9. to be made to reach as far forwards as the Axis of the Tongue and farther ; hereby the Hole in the Bottom of the Hop¬ per maybe as wide at the fore End, as at the prickt Line at the Letter B. The Notches in the Spindle Fig. 5. feem to appear deeper than is ufual for Turnep-Seed ; but I remeny ber I have drill’d Furze-Seed with a Turnep Drill without altering the Notches. As for the fhape of thefe Notches, they art fo fully deferibed in Fig 6, and Fig. 8. of Plate 3, that I can add nothing to that De- *'• '• ‘ fc/iption;