When a Roller is used, which is less than a Hoeing, because one Person to lead is enough, and that may be a Boy; and once in an interval may suffice; then ’tis less Labour than half a Hoeing; and for this we may well abate One Hoeing of the Eight.
They who follow the old Husbandry cannot keep Oxen so cheap, because they can do nothing without the Fold, and Store-sheep will spoil the St. Foin. They may almost as well keep Foxes and Geese together, as Store-sheep and good St. Foin. Besides, the sowed St. Foin cost Ten times as much the Planting as drill’d St. Foin does, and must be frequently manured, or else it will soon decay; especially upon all sorts of chalky Land, whereon ’tis most commonly sown.
The Expence of drilling cannot be much; for as we can hoe Six Acres a Day, at Two Furrows on each Six-feet Ridge, so we may drill Twenty-four Acres a Day, with a Drill that plants Two of those Ridges at once; and this we may reckon a Peny Half-peny an Acre. But because we find it less Trouble to drill single Ridges, we will set the Drilling, at most, Six-pence per Acre.
As every successive Crop (if well managed) is more free from Weeds than the preceding Crop; I will set it all together at Six-pence[231] an Acre for Weeding[232].
[231]This is when the Land has been well cleansed of Weeds in the preceding Crop, or Fallow, or both.
[232]This may be enough, if the Land be well cleansed the Year before, and considering that several Years in such there is no Occasion for Weeding at all: And as this Calculation is comparative with the old Way, we should examine the Price of weeding the sown Corn, which by the best Information I can get, was in the Year 1735. about 4s. per Acre for Weeding of Barley; and of Wheat, round about where I live, about 6s. and in Wiltshire, 15s. per Acre for their Wheat, amongst which much Damage is done by the Weeder’s Feet, and yet some Weeds are left.
For a Boy or a Woman to follow the Hoe-plough, to uncover the young Wheat, when any Clods of Earth happen to fall on it, for which Trouble there is seldom necessary above once[233] to a Crop, Two-pence an Acre. One Peny is too much for Brine and Lime for an Acre.
[233]But this Expence being so small, ’tis better that a Person should follow at every Hoeing, where we suspect, that any Damage may happen from any Earth’s falling on, or pressing too hard against some of the Plants.
Reaping this Wheat is not worth above half as much as the Reaping of a sown Crop of equal Value; because the drill’d standing upon about a Sixth Part of the Ground, a Reaper may cut almost as much of the Row at one Stroke, as he could at Six, if the same stood dispersed all over the Ground, as the sowed does; and because he who reaps sowed Wheat, must reap the Weeds along with the Wheat; but the drilled has no Weeds; and besides, there go a greater Quantity of Straw, and more Sheaves, to a Bushel of the sowed, than of the drilled[234]. And since some Hundred Acres of drilled Wheat have been reaped at Two Shillings and Six-pence per Acre, I will count that to be the Price.
[234]One Sheaf of the latter will yield more Wheat than Two of the former of equal Diameter.