SECT. 1I.-New Farms.
Upon the enclosure of Ashby Wolds, two entire new farms have been established, and several large additions made to old farms ; one of each of these, I particularly examined. The new farm, in the occupation of Mr Johnson, held under the Earl of Moira, consists of 250 acres, of which a lease has been granted for 21 years, at about 13 shillings per acre, but under the following conditions :
1. The tenant to lay out £1000 in building, upon his own plan, but to be approved by the landlord. A plan of this farmery is given in Chap.III.SectII.Farm Buildings,
2, The tenant to enclose the whole, upon a plan approved by the landlord, or his agent, but the latter finding all materials. The tenant is possessed of activity and spirit. I remarked to him, that I thought his terms not very favourable ; but he answered, that it was an object to get possession of a farm, under a family that never changes or rack-rents tenants, and especially to him, who is likely to have plenty of successors ; and that he believes he shall be able to work through the difficulties attending the undertaking. He has now, 1807, been in possession, I believe about five years, and has gone once over most of the arable ; and the land he began with, is come round to produce good clover -See ChapVII.SECTIII. Course of Crops ; Sect.XVII. Potatoes. ChapXI. Wastes ; and Chap.XII. SECT.II. Paring and Burning. See also Chap.XVI.SECTI Roads.
The enclosure is done with post, rail, and quicksets (See Sect I.) at the expense of about four pounds per acre, of which three-fourth goes for materials, and one-fourth for labour. Whether the tenant was paid for this labour or not, I was not informed. The cultivation begins with paring and burning, at the expense of one pound eleven shillings and six per acre ; he lays on also about three tons of lime per acre ; and 1, fallows for wheat ; 2, wheat ; 3, oats ; 4, three tons of lime per acre, repeated for turnips ; and 5, barley with seeds, clover and ray grass. Sometimes a third crop has been taken before turnips, as with two crops, he thinks the land hardly sufficiently pulverized, and believes it is better for the land, and for the grass seeds, to take three crops before turnips and barley ; much drainage is also necessary.
I told Mr. Johnson, that I thought three crops after paring and burning were too exhausting to the land ; but he says it is necessary to rot the turf and the old herbage, and that the land is restored by the lime ; besides they have the manure arising from the crops on the premises, and restore it to the land. He keeps eight draught horses, and with them fetches annually 70 waggon loads of lime, at six and a half miles. He grows some vetches for his horses, and had in 1807, 98 acres of oats and barley, and between 40 and 50 of wheat ; some of the crops had been good, and were in general fair crops, but nothing can be done without lime. He showed me a barley stubble, in which a small part had been omitted liming ; he reckoned the limed part 32 bushels per acre, and the unlimed part eight bushels only ; and the young clover appeared in about the same proportion ; on land too strong for a green crop, he fallows and limes the fourth year of the course, for barley and seeds.
The Ashby canal reservoir, of 36 acres is within this farm - See Chap.XVI. Canals. He hopes to make 30 acres of water meadow ; at present he keeps only three dairy cows, which he hopes soon to increase ; he has a good many young cattle brought in, but can at present keep no sheep, on account of the state of the fences ; this he thinks a great inconvenience and loss, which he trusts by degrees he shall be able to remedy.
On land too cold for barley, he sows grass seeds with oats. I observed on the Wolds in August 1807, crops of wheat, oats, and barley, some growing, and some cut ; stacks of grain made, and making ; oats mown, gathered, bound, and set in rows ; wheat stubbles mowing for litter ; wheat fallows and lime ; also crops of turnips, Swedish turnips, and potatoes.
Mr. Smith , of Ashby, who is a great improver, has in hand 130 acres of new-enclosed Wolds, which he is very rapidly improving ; part is an allotment laid to an adjoining farm, and part glebe land, allotted to the rector in lieu of tithes, and rented from him. Mr. Smith's grent means of improvement are paring and burning, fallow with lime, and plenty of drains. Wheat after a pared and burnt fallow well limed, was valued by Mr. Ingle of Ashby at 13 pounds ten shillings per acre ; but without lime, the land, and treatment the same, at only five pounds ten shillings per acre
Mr. Smith also sometimes takes three crops to pulverize the soil, before turnips, or the seedling crop ; thus 1, pare, burn, and lime six tons per acre, on a fallow for wheat ; has had the paring and burning done at 30s. per acre, 26s. paring, and 4s. burning. 2, wheat ; 3, oats ; 4, wheat repeated ; 5, turnips, or fallow ; 6, barley and seeds ; or 4, turnips and fallow ; 5, barley and seeds ; had this season, 1807, oats after a lost fallow, meant for wheat, but too late to sow in good order, and therefore let it lay for oats ; was ploughing the stubble three times for wheat. Mr. Smith's ploughing here was doing with two plough teams, of horse to lead, and oxen to follow in each team, with wheel ploughs and a driver, but no holder ; or, a horse to lead, and four oxen sometimes draw a two-furrow plough.
Draining was done with great spirit on the harsh clay soil, (See Chap. XII.) and meadows are already forming. Stone on the swells or rising grounds, beneath the soil is in great plenty, which is used for rough walling and draining at 9d. per cart load ; these swells, or hills, are sometimes light soil.
The course on the glebe land is, 1, pare and burn, and lime for oats ; 2, oats repeated ; 3, wheat ; 4, fallow, or tunips, with lime ; 5, barley and seeds. An oat stubble had been cleared so early as to sow coleseed and rye in August, and which was very promising for a sheep pasture : this would of course be followed by turnips.
I cannot help thinking that taking three crops running, before the turnip or fallow crop, is harder tillage than necessary ; and that the land might be sufficiently pulverized by two crops, to complete such pulverization by fallow or turnips. Good clover was however produced on the Wolds in 1807, after such treatment, and the young clover amongst the stubbles, where lime had been freely used, was very promising : the attempts at cultivation without paring and burning had not been attended with success, in any proportion equal to those above detailed, and the practice of paring and burning had therefore been very general.
Land on the Wolds in its open and unimproved state, had been sold at £16 per acre. From these details, it may be supposed the land had naturally some depth and staple, which is the case ; though in its open state it had a very unpromising appearance from water lying, and tufts of rushes. It also threw up furze and heath, but with many bare places of matt grass, (nardus siricta). It still abounds with plenty of its native plants and flowers, particularly ragwort, (Senecio Jacobaa) : sneeze wort, (achillea ptarmica) and rushes