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
The Vine indeed has the Advantage of being a large perennial Plant,
and of receiving some Part of its Nourishment below the Staple; but
it has also Disadvantages: The Soil of the Vineyard never can have
a true Summer Fallow, tho’ it has much Summer Hoeing; for the Vines
live in it, and all over it all the Year: neither can that Soil have
Benefit from Dung, because though by increasing the Pulveration,
it increases the Crop, yet it spoils the Taste of the Wine; the
Exhaustion of that Soil is therefore supply’d by no artificial Help
but Hoeing: And by all the Experience I have had of it, the same
Cause will have the same Effect upon a Soil for the Production of
Corn, and other Vegetables, as well as upon the Vineyard.
All Vineyards must be ho’d one Way or other[45], or else they will
produce nothing of Value; but Corn-Fields without Hoeing do produce
something, tho’ nothing in Comparison to what they would do with it.
[45] Vines, that cannot be ho’d by the Ploughs, are ho’d by the
Bidens.
Mr. _Evelyn_ says, that when the Soil, wherein Fruit-Trees are planted,
is constantly kept in Tillage, they grow up to be an Orchard in half
the Time they would do, if the Soil were not till’d; and this keeping
an Orchard-Soil in Arable, is Horse-hoeing it.
In some Places in _Berkshire_ they have used, for a long time to
Hand-hoe most Sorts of Corn, with very great Success; and I may say
this, that I myself never knew, or heard, that ever any Crop of Corn
was properly so ho’d, but what very well answer’d the Expence, even of
this Hand-work; but be this never so profitable, there are not a Number
of Hands to use it in great Quantities; which possibly was one Reason
the Antients were not able to introduce it into their Corn-Fields to
any Purpose; tho’ they should not have been ignorant of the Effect of
it, from what they saw it do in their Vineyards and Gardens.
In the next Place I shall give some general Directions, which by
Experience I have found necessary to be known, in order to the Practice
of this Hoeing-Husbandry.
I. _Concerning the Depth to plant at._
II. _The Quantity of Seed to plant._
III. _And the Distance of the Rows._
I. ’Tis necessary to know how deep we may plant our Seed, without
Danger of burying it; for so ’tis said to be, when laid at a Depth
below what ’tis able to come up at.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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