But to compare the different Profit, we may proceed thus: The Rent and Expence of a drill’d Acre being One Pound, and of a sow’d Acre Five Pounds; One Quarter of Corn, produced by the drill’d, bears an equal Proportion in Profit to the One Pound, as Five Quarters, produced by the other, do to the Five Pounds. As suppose it be of Wheat, at Two Shillings and Six-pence a Bushel, there is neither Gain nor Loss in the one nor the other Acre, though the former yield but One Quarter, and the other Five; but if the drill’d Acre yield Two Quarters, and the sow’d Acre Four Quarters at the same Price, the drill’d brings the Farmer One Pound clear Profit, and the sown, by its Four Quarters, brings the other One Pound Loss. Likewise suppose the drilling Farmer to have his Five Pounds laid out on Five Acres of Wheat, and the other to have his Five Pounds laid put on One dung’d Acre; then let the Wheat they produce be at what Price it will, if the Five Acres have an equal Crop to the one Acre, the Gain or Loss must be equal: But when Wheat is cheap, as we say it is when sold at Two and Six-pence a Bushel, then if the Farmer, who follows the old Method, has Five Quarters on his Acre, he must sell it all to pay his Rent and Expence; but the other having Five Quarters on each of his Five Acres, the Crop of One of them will pay the Rent and Expence of all his Five Acres[235], and he may keep the remaining Twenty Quarters, till he can sell them at Five Shillings a Bushel, which amounts to Forty Pounds, wherewith he may be able to buy Four of his Five Acres at Twenty Years Purchase, out of One Year’s Crop, whilst the Farmer who pursues the old Method, must be content to have only his Labour for his Travel; or if he pretends to keep his Wheat till he sells it at Five Shillings a Bushel, he commonly runs in Debt to his Neighbours, and in Arrear of his Rent; and if the Markets do not rise in time, or if his Crops fail in the Interim, his Landlord seizes on his Stock, and then he knows not how it may be sold; Actions are brought against him; the Bailiffs and Attorneys pull him to Pieces; and then he is undone[236].
[235]Or suppose a drill’d Acre to produce no more than One Third of the sow’d Acre’s Crop, whose Expence is Five times as much as of the drill’d, ’tis much more profitable, because a Third of Five Pounds is One Pound Thirteen and Four-pence; and a Fifth of the Rent and Expence being only One Pound, such drill’d Acre pays the Owner Thirteen and Four-pence more Profit, than the other which brings a Crop treble to the drill’d.
[236]Tho’ only Five Acres and one Acre be put, yet we may imagine them Two hundred and Fifty, and Fifty to enrich the one, or break the other Farmer.
III. The Certainty of a Crop.
The Certainty of a Crop is much to be regarded; it being better to be secure of a moderate Crop, than to have but a mere Hazard of a great one. The Farmer who adheres to the old Method is often deceiv’d in his Expectation, when his Crop at coming into Ear is very big, as well as when ’tis in Danger of being too little. Our hoeing Farmer is much less liable to the Hazard of either of those Extremes; for when his Wheat is big, ’tis not apt to lodge or fall down, which Accident is usually the utter Ruin of the other; he is free from the Causes which make the contrary Crop too little.
A very effectual Means to prevent the failing of a Crop of Wheat, is to plow the pulveriz’d Earth for Seed early, and when ’tis dry. The early Season also is more likely to be dry than the latter Season is.
1. The Advocate for the old Method is commonly late in his sowing; because he can’t fallow his Ground early, for fear of killing the Couch, and other Grass that maintains his folding Sheep, which are so necessary to his Husbandry: 2. And when ’tis sow’d late, it must not be sow’d dry, for then the Winter might kill the young Wheat. 3. Neither can he at that time plow dry, and sow wet, because he commonly sows under Furrow; that is, sows the Seed first, and plows it in as fast as ’tis sown. If he sows early (as he may if he will) in light Land, he must not sow dry, for 4. fear the Poppies and other Weeds should grow, and devour his Crop; and if his Land be strong, 5. let it be sown early, wet or dry (tho’ wet is worst), ’tis apt to grow so stale and hard by Spring, that his Crop is in Danger of starving, unless the Land be very rich, or much dung’d: and then the Winter and Spring proving kind, it may not be in less Danger of being so big as to fall down, and be spoil’d. 6. Another thing is, that though he had no other Impediment against plowing dry, and sowing wet, ’tis seldom that he has time to do it in; for he must plow all his Ground, which is Eight Furrows in Six Feet; and, whilst it is wet, must lie still with his Plough. 7. When he sows under Furrow, he fears to plow, deep, lest he bury too much of his Seed; 8. and if he plows shallow, his Crop loses the Benefit of deep plowing, which is very great. When he sows upon Furrow (that is after ’tis plowed) he must harrow the Ground level to cover the Seed; 9. and that exposes the Wheat the more to the cold Winds, and suffers the Snow to be blown off it, and the Water to lie longer on it; all which are great Injuries to it.
Our Hoeing Husbandry is different in all of the fore-mentioned Particulars.
1. We can plow the Two Furrows whereon the next Crop is to stand, immediately after the present Crop is off.
2. We have no Use of the Fold; because our Ground has annually a Crop growing on it, and it must lie still a Year, if we would fold it, and that Crop would be lost; and all the Good the Fold could do to the Land, would be only to help to pulverize it for one single Crop; its Benefit not lasting to the Second Year. And so we should be certain of losing one Crop for the very uncertain Hopes of procuring one the ensuing Year by the Fold; when ’tis manifest by the adjoining Crops, that we can have a much better Crop every Year, without a Fold, or any other Manure.