The Goodness of a Crop consists in the Quality of it, as well as the
Quantity; and Wheat being the most useful Grain, a Crop of this is
better than a Crop of any other Corn, and the ho’d Wheat has larger
Ears (and a fuller Body) than sow’d Wheat. We can have more of it,
because the same Land will produce it every Year, and even Land, which,
by the Old Husbandry, would not be made to bear Wheat at all: So that,
in many Places, the New Husbandry can raise Ten Acres of Wheat for One
that the Old can do: because where Land is poor, they sow but a Tenth
Part of it with Wheat.
We do not pretend, that we have always greater Crops, or so great as
some sown Crops are, especially if those mention’d by Mr. _Houghton_ be
not mistaken.
The greatest Produce I ever had from a single Yard in Length of a
double Row, was Eighteen Ounces: The Partition of this being Six
Inches, and the Interval Thirty Inches, was, by Computation, Ten
Quarters (or Eighty Bushels) to an Acre.
I had also Twenty Ounces to a like Yard of a Third successive Crop of
Wheat; but this being a treble Row, and the Partitions and Interval
being wider, and supposed to be in all Six Feet, was computed to Six
Quarters to an Acre. And if these Rows had been better order’d than
they were, and the Earth richer, and more pulveriz’d, more Stalks would
have tillered out, and more Ears would have attained their full Size,
and have equall’d the best, which must have made a much greater Crop
than either of these were.
But to compare the different Profit, we may proceed thus: The Rent and
Expence of a drill’d Acre being One Pound, and of a sow’d Acre Five
Pounds; One Quarter of Corn, produced by the drill’d, bears an equal
Proportion in Profit to the One Pound, as Five Quarters, produced by
the other, do to the Five Pounds. As suppose it be of Wheat, at Two
Shillings and Six-pence a Bushel, there is neither Gain nor Loss in
the one nor the other Acre, though the former yield but One Quarter,
and the other Five; but if the drill’d Acre yield Two Quarters, and
the sow’d Acre Four Quarters at the same Price, the drill’d brings the
Farmer One Pound clear Profit, and the sown, by its Four Quarters,
brings the other One Pound Loss. Likewise suppose the drilling Farmer
to have his Five Pounds laid out on Five Acres of Wheat, and the other
to have his Five Pounds laid put on One dung’d Acre; then let the Wheat
they produce be at what Price it will, if the Five Acres have an equal
Crop to the one Acre, the Gain or Loss must be equal: But when Wheat is
cheap, as we say it is when sold at Two and Six-pence a Bushel, then if
the Farmer, who follows the old Method, has Five Quarters on his Acre,
he must sell it all to pay his Rent and Expence; but the other having
Five Quarters on each of his Five Acres, the Crop of One of them will
pay the Rent and Expence of all his Five Acres[235], and he may keep
the remaining Twenty Quarters, till he can sell them at Five Shillings
a Bushel, which amounts to Forty Pounds, wherewith he may be able to
buy Four of his Five Acres at Twenty Years Purchase, out of One Year’s
Crop, whilst the Farmer who pursues the old Method, must be content
to have only his Labour for his Travel; or if he pretends to keep his
Wheat till he sells it at Five Shillings a Bushel, he commonly runs in
Debt to his Neighbours, and in Arrear of his Rent; and if the Markets
do not rise in time, or if his Crops fail in the Interim, his Landlord
seizes on his Stock, and then he knows not how it may be sold; Actions
are brought against him; the Bailiffs and Attorneys pull him to Pieces;
and then he is undone[236].
[235] Or suppose a drill’d Acre to produce no more than One Third
of the sow’d Acre’s Crop, whose Expence is Five times as much as
of the drill’d, ’tis much more profitable, because a Third of Five
Pounds is One Pound Thirteen and Four-pence; and a Fifth of the Rent
and Expence being only One Pound, such drill’d Acre pays the Owner
Thirteen and Four-pence more Profit, than the other which brings a
Crop treble to the drill’d.
[236] Tho’ only Five Acres and one Acre be put, yet we may imagine
them Two hundred and Fifty, and Fifty to enrich the one, or break the
other Farmer.