Horse-hoeing husbandry : $b or, an essay on the principles of vegetation and tillage. Designed to introduce a new method of culture; whereby the produce of land will be increased, and the usual expence lessened. Together with accurate descriptions and cuts of the instruments employed in it.Tull, Jethro
Science
Horse-hoeing husbandry : $b or, an essay on the principles of vegetation and tillage. Designed to introduce a new method of culture; whereby the produce of land will be increased, and the usual expence lessened. Together with accurate descriptions and cuts of the instruments employed in it.
Tull, Jethro
Agriculture -- Early works to 1800; Plows; Tillage
If after the last Horse-hoeing there should be Occasion for another
Hoeing of the Intervals, where the Narrowness of them, and the
Leaning of tall Wheat, make it difficult or dangerous to be performed
by the Hoe-plough; a slight shallow Hoeing may be performed therein
by the Hand-hoe with Ease and Safety, at a very small Expence, which
would be more than doubly repaid in the following Crops.
* * * * *
If any one doubts of the Efficacy of thus managing Wheat, it can’t
cost much to make proper Trials. But then Care must be taken, that
the Trials be proper. I do not advise any one to be at the Expence of
my Instruments for that Purpose, but to imitate them in pulverizing,
and all other directed Operations by the Spade and common Hoes. His
Ridges of Experiment need be no longer than Six Feet. Instead of a
Drill, make use of a triangular Piece of Wood, Seven Feet long, and
Four or Five Inches thick, with one Edge of which make Channels, and
place the Seed regularly even into them by Hand, and cover it with
the same Piece of Wood; but if the Earth be so wet, as to cling to
the Piece, then make use of it only as a Ruler, whereby to make the
Channels strait with a Stick.
Let some of the Ridges have double Rows, others treble; and let some
have treble Rows half-way, and leave out the middle Row in the other
Half, to shew whether the double Row or the treble Row produce a
better Crop.
Then for the First time of Hoeing, the Spade must work with its Back
towards the Row. The Second time, in turning the Earth to the Row,
the Spade’s Face must be towards it. These Two, and several other
Hoeings should be deep; but when the Roots are large (and the Hoeing
is near the Plants), the Spade must go shallow; and neither the Face
nor the Back of it must be towards the Row, except when the Earth is
turned towards it; and then the Face must be always towards it; but
for the rest of the last Hoeings, the Spade should work with its Face
towards one or other of the Ends of the Intervals, that the fewer of
the Roots may be cut off, and the more of them removed, and covered
again. Let the Spits be thin for the better pulverizing of the Mould.
The Hand-hoe will sometimes be useful in the Intervals, as well as in
the Partitions.
Four or Five Perches of Land may suffice for making proper Trials.
The Expence of this will be little, though perhaps Ten times more
than that which is done by the proper Instruments for the same
Proportion of Land.
But I must give this Caution, that no Part of it be done out of the
Reach of the Master’s Eye; for if it should, he may expect to be
disappointed.
The richer the Land, the thinner it must be planted to prevent the
lodging of Corn.
The Master ought to compute the Quantity of Seed, due to each Perch,
at the Rate of Five or Six Gallons to an Acre, by Weighing, _&c._ as
I have shewn in my Essay.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account