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
[67] I have now a Piece of Wheat drill’d early the last Autumn upon
an Hill, fallowed and well pulveriz’d: Part of it was drill’d with
Wheat in double Rows upon the Level Nine Years ago, Horse-ho’d, and
the Partitions thoroughly Hand-ho’d to cleanse out the Poppies, of
which the Land was very full; the other Part of this Piece was never
drilled till this Year: The whole Piece hath not been before this
Winter Horse-ho’d. Now the Partitions of the Part that was never any
Way Ho’d, are so stock’d with Poppies matted together, that unless
they are taken out early in the Spring, they will totally devour the
Rows of Wheat; but in the other Part that was ho’d so long since,
there are now very few Poppies to be seen. Both these Parts have had
several sown Crops of Barley together since, and have lain with _St.
Foin_ these last Five or Six Years.
[68] And except also such Weeds, whose Seed is carried by Birds,
which is the most common Manner of transporting the Seeds of
Vegetables from Field to Field, against the Content of the Owner: For
Birds, whether great or small, do not care to eat their Prey where
they take it, but generally chuse some open Place for that Purpose.
’Tis, I am persuaded, by this Means chiefly, that a Vineyard or
Field, made ever so clean from Grass, will, in lying untilled a few
Years, be replenished with a Turf of that neighbouring Species of
Grass, which best suits the Heat and Moisture of the Soil: Yet there
are some Species of Seeds that Birds (at least such as frequent this
Place) do not affect; else the Burrage-weed (mentioned in _p._ 77.)
would have appeared again in my Field in some of the many Years since
the Hoeing has extirpated it there; for it grows plentifully in the
unplowed Way adjoining thereto.
The Seeds of some Weeds may be suspected to come in the Air; as the
Seed of the Grass that grew in the _Cheapside_, in the Time of the
Plague; but it might come from Seeds in the Dirt, brought thither
by the Feet of People and Cattle, and by the Wheels of Coaches,
Carts carrying Hay: Or otherwise continual Treading might keep it
from Growing; and when the Treading ceased, ’tis no Wonder the Seeds
should furnish the Streets with Grass.
And I have observ’d on the Floors, two Stories high, of a lone,
ruinous, uninhabited House, being long uncover’d, a sort of Herb
growing very thick; I think it was _Pimpernel_, and believe that its
Seeds did not come thither in the Air; but in the Sand which was
mix’d with the Mortar that had fallen from the Cielings; and ’tis
like there were few Seeds at first: Yet, these, ripening for several
Years, shed their Seeds annually, until the Floors became all over
very thick planted: Besides, Hay-seeds and Pimpernel are too heavy to
be carry’d far by the Air.
CHAP. VIII.
_Of_ TURNEPS.
As far as I can be inform’d, ’tis but of late Years that Turneps have
been introduc’d as an Improvement in the Field.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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