Chapter VII.
Arable Land

Sect. I - Tillage.

The tillage land in Leicestershire is much less in proportion than in than that of most other counties. In the south, east, and middle of the county, are many instances of farms and occupations, without any tillage land whatever.
In the north and west a proportion of each farm is commonly kept in tillage : on Dishley farm about one-fourth of the land is kept in tillage, including green crops : on the Beaumont estate, one-third of the land is sometimes allowed in tillage. Mr. Astley's farm, at Odstope, grows a good deal of grain, as do Messrs. Stones' on their different occupations ; but oats and barley are with most of them a much greater favourite than wheat.
Ploughing is very generally done with one or two furrow plough, described in Chap. V. The one-furrow plough, drawn by three horses, will easily plough an acre a day ; or, the two-furrow, with five horses, two acres in the same time : the furrow is about nine inches wide, and from four to six inches deep, seldom more for common crops. A furrow nine inches wide requires eleven miles in length for an acre ; allowing one mile for turning, the team goes only twelve miles to perform the above task, which at two miles an hour would be done in six hours, and is therefore but a moderate day's work : in seed time, or when work is pressing, more may be done. As the soil of Leicestershire is scarcely ever very light or sandy, but has a tenacity or staple, with an admixture of loam, the above strength, and number of horses, is not more than the case requires.
The ploughing on Lord Moira's farm (Donnington Park) is done by two horses drawn abreast, and guided by reins, with a light neat plough, which requires holding (See Implements): on broken or loose ground they go on well, but I conceive, upon strong lay turf land, ploughing up a good furrow fit to sow with a crop, must be too heavy work for two horses with any plough. This mode of ploughing is imitated but in few instances ; if two horses be quite sufficient for all work, it is worthy of more general imitation.
More information is given respecting ploughing, and sorts of ploughs, under the article Implements, which see.
Harrowing.- Various kinds of harrows are made by Hanford and Co. (See Chap. V.) Scufflers, or cultivators, now in some measure supply the place of harrows, in working and pulverizing land ; but harrows are used to cover in the seed, drawn by one, two, or three, or more horses, according to the weight of the harrows, and the state of pulverization of the soil.
Rolling of land after sowing is generally done on spring sown crops ; also, on turnips after sowing, to break small clods and level the surface ; and always after sowing grass seeds, a plain common roller is generally used. On fallow ground, heavy spiked rollers are used after the harrows, to break clods, and assist the pulverization, which is sometimes a work of difficulty on strong harsh soils.
Scarifying is only used to my knowledge with Cooke's drill, to loosen and stir the soil between rows of barley, sometimes previous to sowing the clover and grass seeds.
Ridges.- Most of the land of Leicestershire requires ridging, very little, if any of it being sandy or dry enough to lay quite flat. On the lighter loams the ridges are of a moderate width, four, five, or six yards wide, and raised as much as one or two gatherings of the plough. In the strong lands, and particularly in the ancient common fields, the ridges are much broader and higher ; from ten to twenty yards wide, and from one to three feet deep in the hollows, (supposing a line stretched across the ridges to measure from), is very common ; and I have heard of ridges where two persons could not see each other standing in the opposite hollows, but I suppose this to be an exaggeration-See Chap.IV.Enclosures.
Drilling is fairly introduced in the county. Cooke's drill, and its appendages, are in the hands of many principal farmers, as well as Bailey's Northumberland drill ; and at Dishley, and elsewhere, they have used Hanford's drill boxes, or hoppers, which may be fastened to any plough-(See Chap. V. Implements). More particulars of drilling will be given under the different varieties of crops.
Horse-hoeing is practised between rows of cabbages, potatoes, and other green crops set by hand ; also, between rows of beans, and other crops, laid in by Bailey's drill machine, and is pretty much practised at Lord Moira's, and a little elsewhere. Hand-hoeing is applied to turnips, common or Swedish, sown broad cast ; also, to pease, and to the finishing of other crops after horse-hoeing. Coleseed, or other green crops, sown broad cast, are also han-hoed, if necessary.
Weeding, by hand, is applied to turnips and other green crops after hoeing, to pluck and destroy straggling plants of chadlock, or other weeds, that have escaped the hoe ; the same is done in spring and summer, in wheat, barley, and other crops ; but for thistles, as they cannot well be handled, they are commonly cut off with a spud, or sharp tool, though they would be much better plucked up by the roots by weeding tongs, which has been done, but not generally ; but in this case prevention is better than cure, and all weeds should be extirpated by good culture in the fallow or preparation ; but if any escape, it is necessary to prevent an abundant increase, by destroying their seed, and plucking up in time ; the yellow flowered weed called chadlock, which comprehends and includes three separate and distinct weeds, viz. Wild mustard, radish, and rape, will increase a hundred or a thousand fold, if suffered to shed their seeds on the land ; the corn marigold, corn chamomile, lake weeds, provincially willow weeds, which are common upon cool bottomed land, and particularly the chenopodium species, provincially fat hen, and wild spinach, are all wonderful seed bearers, and will increase a thousand to one sown, unless prevented by cultivation or weeding ; the (thlaspi) shepherd's purse species also increase wonderfully by seeds ; chickweed and groundsell should not be suffered to seed, though they indicate a good soil, or high culture ; the former spreads both from seeds and roots on finely pulverized land, the latter will fly all over the country if not extirpated in time : these and other weeds are so injurious to all cultivated crops, that too much pains cannot be bestowed in their extirpation.

Sect. II - Fallowing.

In Leicestershire, is but little practised, except for green crops, and in the few remaining common fields ; but some few instances remain of fallowing for wheat, upon strong and cold land, where green crops cannot be grown to advantage ; this is sometimes the case upon the Beaumanor estate (Mr. Herrick's), also in the modern enclosures of Queeniborough ; but in the latter, as well as in the vale of Belvoir, it is more common to fallow for barley ; but to a Leicestershire farmer, fallow and turnips are synonimous terms, implying a course of summer tillage for cleaning foul land. But this fallow, unless the land be too stiff or strong, if it can be well cleaned in time, is most commonly sown with turnip, or if otherwise, sometimes stands over for wheat or barley ; and it is not uncommon to see a field part turnips, and part wheat after fallow, as the great intention of a fallow is to pulverize the land, and destroy weeds. To effect these purposes, it should be properly managed ; to which end the land should always be ploughed in autumn, and furrows drawn and properly opened to take off the wet ; it will then receive great benefit from winter frosts. When the land becomes dry in March, it should be cross ploughed and harrowed down as fine as may be ; it may then lay till spring seed time be finished, during which time many weeds will shoot forth : early in May it should be again well ploughed ; this ploughing will destroy the weeds already grown, and expose the root weeds, and by scuffling and harrowing they may be fetched out, and the land well pulverized : the manure should then be laid on and spread, and the land, again ploughed, will generally be ready to receive the seed of a green crop ; if not, it should lay for further harrowing and ploughing. Dry weather is always best for destroying root weeds, and for harrowing down the land, but showers best promote the growth of seedlings, which are to be afterwards destroyed by further culture.

Sect. III - Course of Crops.

The favourite course of crops of the Leicestershire grazier, breeder, or principal farmer, upon all mild, moderate, or friable loams, is a five tilth system, as follows ;
1, oats, or wheat, or sometimes, but more rarely, barley ; 2, a green crop, turnips, Swedish, or cabbages, or cole-seed ; 3, barley, with seeds, viz. Red and white clover, trefoil, and ray-grass (and at Dishley a few pounds of burnet have lately been added for experiment) ; and 4 and 5, pasture and clover mown : I believe this course will include half the tillage land of the county, or 120,000 acres.
No. 2. Upon light land the Norfolk system is sometimes adopted ; this is the case upon the Beaumanor estate, at Lord Moira's, and elsewhere, but not widely extended ; 1, wheat ; 2, green crops ; 3, barley ; 4, clover and grass seeds ; suppose on this system 20,000 acres.
No. 3. A six shift system is adopted by many good managers, and this varies with circumstances, according to the nature, state, and condition of the land, and the judgement of the occupier. Mr. Astley, and others, sometimes take thus : 1, oats ; 2, wheat ; 3, turnips ; 4, barley and seeds, and then at grass 2 years.
Mr. Watkinson of Woodhouse, 1, wheat ; 2, pease and coleseed on the stubble ; 3, turnips ; 4, barley and seeds, and then at grass 2 years.
Mr. Herrick's tenants at Beaumanor, are sometimes permitted to take, 1, wheat ; 2, oats ; 3, turnips ; 4, barley and seeds, and then at grass 2 years.
At Dishley the course is often and generally, 1, oats or wheat ; 2 and 3, green crops, in which vetches are included ; 4, barley with seeds, and then at grass 2 years.
At Lord Moira's, whose farming business is very ably conducted by Mr. Rutherford, the farming bailiff, and who is very active and intelligent, the course strong land is, 1, beans drilled at 2 feet 3 inches ; 2, wheat ; 3, green crops ; 4, barley and seeds, and then at grass for 2 years or more. I may here observe, that at Dishley and other places, the land often lays more than 2 years ; but then a piece of pasture, which I have supposed attached to the permanent grass land, is often broken up instead, which gives the same effect as though the arable had only lain 2 years.
At Mr. Stone's, of Barrow, on strong land, 1, beans set by hand ; 2, wheat ; 3, green crops ; 4, barley and seeds, and then grass 2 years.
At Queeniborough, 1, beans or pease ; 2, wheat ; 3, fallow, the land being supposed too strong for a green crop ; 4, barley and seeds, then grass 2 years.
There are other variations in the six shift tillage, as, 1, oats or beans ; 2, fallow ; 3, wheat ; 4, barley and seeds, and then at grass 2 years. This 6 shift system may, I think, be estimated to extend to 60,000 acres.
No. 4. A longer system, average suppose 8 years, is practised by some, as 1, oats ; 2, vetches ; 3,4, green crops, 2 years ; 5, barley and seeds, and then at grass 3 years ; or, sometimes at Dishley, 1, oats ; 2, vetches ; 3, 4, green crops, 2 years ; 5, barley and seeds, then at grass 3 years ; or, sometimes at Queeniborough, and elsewhere, on strong land, 1, oats ; 2, beans ; 3, wheat ; 4, green crops, or fallow ; 5, barley and seeds, and then at grass 3 years : this longer system may be estimated to extend to 32,000 acres.
No. 5. Remains of the common field system, as continued at Glenfield, Tilton, Walton, and the few remaining open fields ; this originally a 3 shift system, (1, fallow ; 2, wheat ; 3, beans), may now be called a 4 shift, as barley with seeds is sometimes sown after the beans ; or clover amongst the wheat in the spring, making it sometimes a 5 shift, as, 1, fallow ; 2, wheat ; 3, clover ; 4, beans, or other pulse ; 5, barley or oats ; or, 1, fallow ; 2, wheat ; 3, beans, or other pulse ; 4, barley or oats ; 5, clover : it may therefore be reckoned a 4 shift on the average, thus ; 1, fallow : then one-third of the remainder wheat ; one-third beans, or other pulse ; and one-third barley and clover ; extent 8000 acres.
An anomalous system is practised upon the new enclosure of Ashby Wolds, under pretence of pulverizing the soil of this ancient waste (See Enclosures). This is, 1, pare, and burn and lime, for wheat ; 2, wheat or oats ; 3, oats, repeated ; 4, fallow or green crop, and the lime repeated ; 5, barley and seeds. Upon my objecting to this as an exhausting course, I was answered, that it is necessary to reduce and pulverize the soil ; that the double liming restores it, and that they have the manure arising from the crops in the yard, ready to return to the land. But this course being merley temporary, will of course, in due time, naturally mix with some of the established and less exhausting ones above-named.

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