ters beans, clover and turnips good. Loamy land, 5 quarters barley, 3 quarters wheat, pease 3 quarters,-clover and turnips good.

The mode of cultivation, however, is very irregular: as the farmers have no leases, they make hay when the sun shines, and often crop the ground as long as it will carry. I know a great many farmers who keep their land in a poor state, to prevent the owners from advancing it.

Draining very little known in this part of the country. The wet lands improveable; but the dry lands much more,so.

With regard to the poor sands betwixt this place and Bautry, which are at present in a very shabby state, my opinion is, that the best way of going to work with them would be, first to begin with a good turnip fallow, and 10 loads of manure, of two tons each to the acre, which may be had at Doncaster at 5s. per ton, as they have scarce any themselves. This will produce a good crop of turnips, which ought to be eat off with sheep, and the land sown with barley and seeds-quantity of seeds, 1 peck of rye grass, 14 pound white clover, and 14 pound trefoil. I would pasture it with sheep for two years, break it for wheat or rye, and return to turnips. My reasons for this are; rye grass is a very good winter plant, and scarce can be eaten too near in the spring, when grass is of most value. If it run to a bent, it exhausts itself for that scason, and is worth nothing till autumn. Trefoil is more early than white clover; therefore, with these mixtures, three different springs are get. Many farmers like red clover; I do not, except for cutting, and I think it much the better of a little rye grass. Red clover, on many soils, stands but for one year, therefore is very improper seed for pasture, which those sands should be applied to as much as possible, to fasten them. All artificial grasses should bear two years eating at least, the expence of seeds being great; but none will scarcely bear more than three years. No poor sand or lime-stone ought to be pastured longer than it will keep a sufficient number of sheep to leave a good top dressing when ploughed up; by reason the land is then losing what was put into it before, and returning to its natural state. In time, a hot-bed will come to earth. Manure, mixed with soil, causes fermentation in some measure, like yest put amongst wort, and will soon go off, and cease to operate.

The land in its present state of cultivation lets high; though worth double the sum if properly managed. Sheep are much wanted, as there is no improvement equal to the sheep-farming: it is both the cheapest and best upon all dry soils. If the farmer could only be made to understand he had a sort of inheritance in his farm, which can no way be done but by giving leases, it would be of general utility to the kingdom at large. The farmers are the first and the grand machine of all improvements, and therefore ought to have every possible encouragement given them. I never was in any part of the country where the people were more flat to improvement than in this neighbourhood. I apprehend the cause is this, a great many gentlemen live in it, consequently near their tenants, and are curbs upon their ingenuity. Most experiments are costly, and the farmer is afraid his landlord will look upon his attempts to improve as acts of extravagance,-such as hiring a Dishiey ram for 100 guineas the season, and other things of the same kind.

There is an absurd idea some men have, that the scheme I have adapted for the sands will diminish the quantity of grain: I say no, it will only add to it; for an acre managed in the way I have described, will produce as much as two do now. As

for the small mutton and fine wool that would be lost by my scheme, there will always be plenty of the former on the mountains, for the tables of the great; and if lamos are clipped, they will produce fine carding wool, which does away these objections.

No. XI.

During our Survey a Journal was regularly kept, wherein was inserted the whole information received at the different places we visited, which was always taken down, as nearly as possible, in the words of the persons who gave us the intelligence. Considering the great extent of the West Riding, the different qualities of soil, and the various modes of cultivation adopted, the following abridgement of its contents, in which a number of observations daily made by ourselves are included, will, we hope, present to the public as just a picture of the present state of Husbandry in that district, as could well have been accomplished, had any other method been adopted.

OCTOBER 18th, 1793, received our commission from Sir John Sinclair, President of the Board of Agriculture, to draw up an account of the stock and husbandry of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and to inquire into the state of manufactures, so far as they were connected with the agriculture of that district.

Óctober 22d, set off from East Lothian, and arrived at Boroughbridge on the 24th.

Boroughbridge is a market-town, situated upon the great north road, and about half way betwixt London and Edinburgh. It elects two members to Parliament, in consequence of a peculiarly qualified burgage tenure, and was first summoned to send members by Queen Mary in 1553. It is a town of small extent, enjoys the benefit of inland navigation from the river Eure, which passes this place, and is navigable to Rippon, Here we received the following information relative to the husbandry of the neighbourhood.

The land generally belongs to small proprietors, and farms are of various sizes, Soil good; mostly deep loam; and the rent about 20 s. per statute acre, besides public burthens, which may be about 12s. more. Rate of wages 14d. per day for winter half year, and 16d. for summer, with extra allowance in hay time and harvest. Wheat cut with the sickle at 5s. 6d. and 6s. per acre. Harvest early; generally over by the end of September. A great part of the land kept in grass. Rotation upon the clay land, two crops and a fallow, and these crops are wheat and beans; the fallow limed with 32 bushels Winchester measure, per acre, and the dung chiefly applied to the grass: upon light lend the rotation is, turnips, barley, clover, and wheat, sometimes oats in place of wheat. Mr. Fretwell drills turnips, but the general practice of the neighbourhood, is to sow broadcast: where the soil is proper for it, the turnips are eat upon the ground with sheep, which is considered as most advantageous. Some cattle bred, but not a fourth part of the necessary quantity: those that are bred, are chiefly for cows, the males being killed when calves. Few or no sheep bred. Mr. Fretwell, and Mr. Fletcher buy their ewes from Northumberland: bought them this year at 22 s. per head; sold the lambs at 15 s. 6d.; and the ewes in autumn, after being fatted, at 29s.; value of the Reece 3 s.-about 3 fleeces to the stone. An acre of good pasture will carry four ews, and their lambs. Land almost totally inclosed, and the inclosures small. Difference of rent betwixt open and inclosed land, ten shillings per acre. Some waste unimproved common in the neighbourhood, which ought to be divided and inclosed. No land is watered here.

Prices of corn this year higher than usual, but markets in general steady. What corn is more than necessary for home consumption, is disposed of at Knaresborough market, and from thence carried to the western, parts of the county. Corns mostly stacked in the fields, as there is found less loss by vermin than in the stack-yard. Some threshing machines in the neighbourhood. Roads in good order. The byeroads supported by the statute work, which consists of 2 s. from cach householder, and six days labour of a team of three horses, and two labourers from the farmer for cach sol. of rent, with an assessment of 6 d. in the pound upon his rent. Paring and burning is only practised upon the waste lands; expence about 18 s. per acre." The first year it is sown with rape sced; produce from two to five quarters per acre, generally about four quarters; price at present thirty guineas per last, but very fluctuating; expence of reaping and threshing about 20s. per acre, if stacked and threshed in winter; but according to the general practice it is impossible to calculate the expence, the whole neighbourhood being gathered to the threshing, when it is done in the field. In this mode it is a perfect teast, where all comers are welcome: but this good old custom is fast going out, and the thriftier practice of stacking it in the yard, and threshing it in the winter, introduced in its place.-The straw of the rape is sold to the soap boilers at about 5 s. per acre. The plough used here is of the Rotheram kind, drawn with two horses upon light land, and three upon clay. A ploughman works his horses only; labours generally 10 hours per day, when the season allows. The want of leases one great obstacle to improvement. Most part of the farmers are upon yearly leases, filled with innumerable restrictions; and leases of this kind are as good as none.

From Boroughbridge we proceeded to Copgrove, the seat of Henry Duncombe, Esq. M. P. for the county. Upon the road to Copgrove we passed several common fields, which appeared to be of good quality, but under execrable inanagement. The

far greatest part of the land was inclosed, and the grass very rich; those inclosures adjoining to Mr. Duncombe's house particularly so.

The information received at Copgrove was to the following purport.

Sort in general light, well adapted to turnips, carrots, and other drilled crops. The whole parish of Copgrove possessed by Mr. Duncombe; but there is a considerable number of small proprietors in the neighbourhood. The majority of the farms are small, not exceeding 150 acres. The land is employed both in pasture and tillage; about two-thirds in pasture. Of the tillage part, one-third annually under fallow, and turnips taken upon it. Mr. Duncombe drills a few, but they are other wise universally broadcast. Two crops of corn allowed to a fallow, and these crops are either wheat and oats, or oats and wheat. Mr. Duncombe's steward thinks it best to take oats first. Mr. Duncombe sometimes sows rape upon the fallow, eats it off in autumn with sheep, and sows it with wheat: at other times, after eating it in autumn, lets it stand till spring, when it is eat again with sheep, and sown with barley or cats. When land is sown down for grass, if intended only to stand one year, red clover is sown by itself; if for sheep pasture, white clover, yellow clover, and rib grass; and if for meadow, white clover and hay seeds. The stock kept upon the pastures are a mixture both of sheep and cattle. A considerable part of the fallow is limed; the turnips all dunged, and the remainder of the dung laid upon grass. Horses chietly employed in the plough, being found most expeditious, though a few oxen are also kept. Harvest generally commences about the middle of August, and is finished before Michaelmas. The land is mostly inclosed, there being but few open fields. The value of the land is increased one-half by inclosing; inclosures in general small; average not above 10 acres: inclosing not injurious to population. Some common fields, which are very detrimental both to the proprietors and the tenants. Some waste lands, but not extensive, which might be improved it they were divided. Prices of labour greatly advanced; farmer's servants, by the year, 12 of wages, and vic tuals; labourers, 1 s. 6d. per day, with their victuals in hay time and harvest; hay cut at 2s. per acre; oats and wheat, 6s.; threshing wheat 2s. 6d. per quarter; oats, 10d.; barley, 6 d. Some part of the land in the neighbourhood is meadow, but being common, has not been drained, which would prove highly advantageous. Paring and burning greatly practised; of use to break up grass lands in this manner; expence 20s. per acre. Not much wood in the neighbourhood; but the quantity is sufficient to answer the demands of the inhabitants. Provisions high; beef and mutton 4d. and 4d. per lb. and keep pretty equal for the season. Roads in good order; the bye-roads supported by the statute work. Farm-houses and offices, in general, not well constructed, nor properly situated, and might be greatly improved. No leases are granted. The tenants are mostly under covenants and restrictions; some of which are detrimental both to the interest of landlord and tenant. No manufactures here, but a number of cotton mills in the neighbourhood; as they are lately established, their effects are not yet known. No agricultural societies. The Dutch or Rotheram plough is used by Mr. Duncombe.

Arrived at Knaresborough.-Waited upon Robert Stockdale, Esq. from whom we received a great deal of valuable information. The forest of Knaresborough, consisting of 33,000 acres, was divided in consequence of an act of parliament passed in 1770; and his account of this transaction, as published in the Appendix to this survey, will throw great light upon the system by which common lands are at present divided and inclosed.

Knaresborough is a market-town of great antiquity, and formerly a place of considerable strength. It is almost encompassed with the deep river Nid, and strengthened by a castle situated upon a craggy rock, whence the name of the place is supposed to be derived. It has a weekly market on Wednesday, at which great quantities of com and provisions of all kinds are sold. A good deal of linen is manufactured in this place and neighbourhood; but little or nothing done in the woollen way.

Information received here from Mr. William Bramley, steward to Sir Jo. Coghill, Bart.

Soil about Knaresborough part light, upon a clay bottom, and a considerable part a deep rich loam. The majority of proprietors small, and generally occupy their own land. The fields about the town mostly in grass, and employed in feeding milk cows. The cows are chiefly of the Holderness breed: farther west, they are of the long horned or Craven kind, which are hardier, and answer better for the soil and climate. When land is broke up from grass, two crops of oats are taken, then fallow, which is sown with wheat or barley and grass seeds. Sheep, both bred in the neighbourhood, and bought at the adjoining fairs. Wool sells at about 10 s. 6 d. per stone of 15 lb. avoirdupois, three fleeces to the stone. General rotation of crops ;-fallow, wheat, beans, and oats; but some take only two crops after fallow. The fallows are limed, 2 chalders, or 64 bushels to the acre. Turnips often taken for a fallow which are worth £5. per acre, when eaten upon the ground; after them, barley. Plough of the Dutch or Rotheram kind, wrought with 3 horses in a line. No cxen used. Wheat sown about Michaelmas, if the season answers, beans in March, or as early as possible, oats in April, and barley immediately afterwards. Land almost wholly inclosed, and supposed to be worth 5 s. more rent per acre than the same soil in open field. Inclosures from 3 to 10 acres. Thinks it would be of great utility to inclose all the common fields; and that inclosing can never have a bad effect upon popula tion. A waste common in the neighbourhood, which might be greatly improved. Planting the waste lands not supposed advantagcous; as there were some of the higher parts of the forest planted, which have done no good. Wages high; in her vest 2 s. per day for men, and 15 d. for women. Hours of labour, in summer, from six to six; but in harvest, do not enter till eight o'clock. Paring and burning greatly practised; expence 14s. per acre. A good deal of wood in the neighbourhocd. Provisions plenty; beef and mutton at 31 d. and 4d. per lb. avoirdupois. Farmhouses not very good, and stand in need of improvement. A number of leases granted; some for 7, others for 14, and a few for 21 years. Thinks it would greatly promote the interest of both landlord and tenant, if the whole of the lands were under lease; thinks also that covenants, or restrictions upon the tenant, during any part of the lease, except the three last years, are a great hardship, and very detrimental to