general view of the agriculture of the county of derby - thomas brown
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7/26/2019 General View of the Agriculture of the County of Derby - Thomas Brown
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GENERAL VIEW
OF
THE
AGRICULTURE
OF
THECOUNTY
OF
DERBY,
WITHOBSERVATIONSON THEMEANSOF ITS IMPROVEMENT.
BY THOMAS BROWN,
OF LUTON IN BEDFORDSHIRE.
DRAWN UP FOR THE CONSIDERATION
OF
THE BOARD
OF
AGRICULTURE AND
INTERNAL
IMPROVEMENT.
LONDON :
PRINTED BY W. BULMESAND
CO.
M.DCC.XCIV.
-
7/26/2019 General View of the Agriculture of the County of Derby - Thomas Brown
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7/26/2019 General View of the Agriculture of the County of Derby - Thomas Brown
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TO
THE
READER.
IT
i s
requested,
that t h i s
Paper
may
be returned to
t h e
Boa r d
of Agriculture, a t i t s o f f i c e i n L o n d o n , with any
additional
re
marks a n d observations w h i c h may
occ u r
o n t he perusal, written
on
t h e margin, as
s o o n
as
may be
convenient.
I t
i s
hardly
necessary
to
add,
that
the
Boa r d
d o e s
not
c o n
sider i t s e l f
r es po ns ibl e, fo r a n y
f a c t
or
observation
co n t aine d
in
t h i s Report,
w h i c h a t
present i s printed a n d
circulated,
fo r
t he purpose m e r e l y of
procuring
farther information r e
s pe ct ing t he
h u s b a n d r y
of t h i s d i s t r i c t ,
a n d
of enabling e v e r y
one, to contribute h i s mite, to t he i m p r o v e m e n t of t he
country.
The
Board
has ad op te d t he same plan, in r e g a r d to a l l t h e
ot h e r
counties
in
t he
united
kingdom
;
a n d
w i l l
be
happy
to
give every assistance i n
i t s
power, to any person who
may
be
desirous of improving his breed of c a t t l e , sheep, &c. or of tr ying
any useful experimen t i n h u s h a n d r y .
London, J ul y, 1 75 4.
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I
I 1.J
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INTRODUCTION.
7e Si r John
Si n cl a i r , Bart.
President o f
t h e Board
e f
Agriculture.
Sir
en I h a d
the
honour of receiving y o u r commands, to draw
up a n Account of the present
State
of
Agriculture
in the County
of D er by , a n d the Means o f i t s Improvement, I f l a t t e r e d myself,
from what
you
informed
me,
that I s h o u l d receive much a s s i s t
a n c e
from the well known
a b i l i t i e s of a
Gentleman, whose local
knowledge of t h e d i s t r i c t would h a ve r e n d e r e d the task much
l e s s a r d u o u s . This Gentleman
being
very much e n g a g e d d u r i n g
the
t im e I spent i n Derbyshire, I could n ot o bt a in
more
t h a n a n
h o ur 's c o nv e rs a t io n with Him ; yet, i n j us ti ce t o hi s politeness, I
h a ve
to
a c k n ow l e d g e ,
that
h e
rendered
me
every
service
a n d
re
c o m m e n d a t i o n ,
which
t he s ho rt
t i m e
h e h a d to spare
c o u l d
po s
sibly lead me to
h op e
f o r .
nder
t h i s d i s a p p o in t m e n t , I l o o k
t o
t he indulgence
and
c a n d o u r
o f
the
Boa r d o f Agriculture,
as well
as to
that
of
t he
g e n t l e m e n
a n d
yeomanry o f D e r by s h i re , to fo r
give
every inaccuracy ,
misinformation,
o r o m is s i o n, t ha t a stranger
n\ust be l i a b l e to in
executing th e
agricultural s u r v ey o f a
county.
In treating
on
t h i s subject, I h a v e e n d e a v o u r e d to fo ll ow t he
instructions o f
t h e Board, by giving
th e
present state
o f
Ag r i c u l
ture i n t h e d e sc r ip ti o n ofhe nature o f
the
s o i lhe climate
The manner i n which the l a n d i s possessedhe manner in
which
the
land
i s
occupied
he
manner in
which
th e la nd
i s
employedhe rotation of cropsr a s s e s cultivatedpecies
of stock;
u n d e r which I
h a v e
m e n t i on e d , i .
cows,
2 . sheep, 3.
h or ses , 4. h o g s
rrigationr a i n s principally
cultivated ;
and
u n d e r t h i s h e a d I h a r e m e nt i o ne d , 1 . c h a m o m i l e , 2. t h e
practice
of
fallowing
m p l e m e n t s
u sed
in h u s b a n d r y ; a s , I .
ploughs,
2 .
harrows, 3 .
c a r t s ,
4 . waggons- D r a u g h t horses
and oxen
eed:
t i m e
and harvest
nclosures
and
commonsPopulation
a
bo ur, and
h o u r s
o f w o r k i n g
r a i n s
and
drainage
Pa r i n g
and.
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[8]
burningPrice o f p r o v i s i o n s State o f roadsState of buildings
and farm-offices
Leases
ommerce
and
m a n u f a c t u r e s .
Under
these
heads, I h a v e introd uced s u c h occasional r e m a r k s
a s o c c u r to a person a c c u s t o m e d to h u s b a n d r y in Hertfordshire.
My s e c o n d object wa s the introduction of s u c h miscellaneous
r e m a r k s as o c c u r r e d on myTour; a n d t h es e a r e pr i nc i pa l ly c o n
fined t o
emarks
on
agricultural s o c i e t i e s
u p er a bu n d a n c e o f
and deficiency in
provision
xports and imports
aking
che e se
aking whey-butter, a n da y i n g barn
f l o o r s .
I h a v e treated with much diffidence
on tenures ;
in which I
h a ve
m e n t i o n e d t he
t e n u r e of what i s called
t h e k i n g' s
f i e l d ; a n d
On t i t h e s .
In respect t o t he se , and other subjects, I h a v e barely
hinted
a n
opinion
on
the means
of
improvement;
and with t h e
same view I h a v e given
some t h o u g h t s
n
th e br ee d o f c a t t l e
On the management o f s o i l s , i . in the f e r t i l e ; 2 . l o w peak;
3.
h i g h
p e a k ;
4 .
lime-stone
s o i l ; 5 .
grit-stone
s o i l ; 6 .
l a n d
ca
pable
o f irrigation, or
being converted t o arable, meadow,
o r
pa s
t u r e ;
7. s o i l
that may
be pared a n d burnt ; 8 . s o i l
that
may be
planted;
nd, i n a l l situations, on the u s e
and
improvement to
be
made
by l e a s e s . The i m po r t a nc e o f
the
subject
i s
a d m i t t e d
. 1 have only to observe, that what I h a v e d o n e ,
the
Boa r d of
Agriculture w i l l
please
t o
consider
a s only
a
syllabus
o f
what t h e y
h a ve to h op e from
men
of greater t a l e n t s , of
more l e i s u r e ,
a n d
who h a v e more l o c a l k n o w l e d g e of the county. From those men
I t ru st fo r c a n d o u r in a n y remark they may please to make, as
s u ring
t h e m , a s well a s
the
Board,
that
I s h o u l d
be
extremely in *
sensible, were I t o o m i t a c k n o wl e d g i n g
the
c i v i l i t i e s a n d
attention
which I received f r o m the
inhabitants
of
every d e n o m i n a t i o n ;
and
which
I shall ever remember with gratitude a n d pleasure,
and
readily a s k n o w l e d g e my inability to render them that j u s t i c e , t h e
Bo a rd that service,
and
t h e
subject
t h a t el u cid a tion,
which
may
reasonably be expected. I h a v e the honour to r e m a i n ,
Sir,
Your most obedient,
and
most obliged humble
servant,
Luton, Bedfordshire,
TH. BROWN.
J u l y ,
1 79 4 .
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C9l
THE
SOIL.
Of the County of Derby i s
various,
as
n a t u r e
in
h e r
most capri
cious mood
could
form
:
o
trace these variations
in agricultural
l a n g u a g e , or to a t t e m p t to mark
them
accurate ly on a plan
of
a bo ut s i x
miles
a n d a n half to an
inch,
ar e
d i f f i c u l t i e s
o f
which
every o n e must be
sensible.
These d i f f i c u l t i e s , though great,
ought no t h o w e v e r to damp
a l l
at tempts t o inv es t iga t ion. Nature
in her most caprickfus mood observes
s o m e t h i n g like
universal
laws ; and we find
t h i s
c o u n t y
demarktd
by what s he ha s t h o u g h t
f i t to elevate and depressi g h
and l owi l l
and vale. These
the
natives of
D er by sh i re h a ve '(taking
a
general
vi ew of
the
co un ty) l on g a g o
d e n o m i n a t e d
High Peak a n d Low Pe a k,
leaving
th e more f e r t i l e parts
o f
the c o u n t y
undistinguished
by
either: so
that,
generally
speaking,
to
make
a
distinction
o f s o i l ,
the
c o u n t y a d m i t s o f three parts, which I
shall
(a s a n i n t r o d u c
tion to observation and improvement c a l l
he Fertile, th e
Low
Peak,
nd t he High
Peak.
I t
i s
h o w e v e r r e m a r k ab l e ,
t ha t in a l l of these, n at ur e h as made some marked varieties in
the n a t u r e
of the r oc k
with which t h i s
c o u n t y
a b o u n d s : t he agri
culturist
distinguishes
them by lime-stone and
grit
:
he
nice
discriminations of t he c h e m i s t I shall leave
fo r
the improvements
t ha t a re t o be made w h e n e v e r t h i s work
maybe
r e n d e r e d of general
use.
F ol l ow i n g
these o ut li ne s, I h a ve
given
two
s ma ll pl a ns
o f
t h e
c o u n t y
; on
the
o n e
I
h a v e
marked
t he principal
roads,
and
on the other the principal r i v e r s ; c h o o s i n g that marked with t h e
roads fo r
myown observations
; and
leaving t he o th er
fo r
th e
ob
servations of those
g e n t l e m e n
who h a ve more
local
knowledge o f
t h e county,
and ar e willing
to a 1- t l , ' s tK. 1 h a v e p u r s u e d
the three leading features of
the
county, and these I h av e s ub
divided
into
lime-stone a n d grit; in t he grit I h a v e marked
where
coals h av e be en discovered. I s h a l l now a t t e m p t s o m e t h i n g like
an
agricultural
description of each.
Ftrtile Soil . i s n o t inaccessible to th e
pough;
i t consists
B
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[10]
principally o f a
red
loam on various
sub-soils,
a ppro a ch i n g ( i r e
patches)
n e are r
to marie, to clay, to black l oa m , t o s a n d or g r i t , or
to
gravel,
as may happen fro m the s ub-strat um, or the atmosphe
r i c a l
exposure
;
a n d
these
s o i l s
a d m i t
o f
o t h e r
variations,
from
their
proximity to s pr i ng s , t o r i v e r s , or to s tagnant water.
Low
Peak i s more d i f f i c u l t
o f access, bu t
in
no
instance
inaccessible
to
the p l o u g h
; i t
i s
h o w e v e r more strongly tinctured
wi t h q u ic k transitions, bu t c h i e f l y consists o f drier s an ds o r g r i t s .
The clays
and
lo a m s h e r e
ar e
in general more valuable (perhaps
from
being more scarce)
; a nd wh er e
they are
no t
too much
e l e
vated,
are
certainly inviting
fo r
t h e
husbandman t o
pulverize and
s ubdue.
Higb Peak i s chiefly
what
the natives c a l l a cor n
loam
;
t h i s
s e e m s to
me
to
consist
of
virgin e arth
i mpr eg na te d wi th
nitre on
the
m ou n t a i n s ,
a n d
l i b e r a l l y
po ure d
down
by
them upon
the happy
v a l e .
Where t h i s c o r n
l n a m
i s i n
s u f f i c i e n t quantity,
a n d m ee ts wi th a
s t r a t u m
o f m a r i e o r clay, i t f or m s a
most
desire-
able f i e l d f or c u lt i va t io n ; bu t i s ever overbalanced
by
the vast
t r a c t s of barren
h i l l s
and
m o un t a in s f r om
which
t h i s s o i l i s w a s h e d .
The sides
o f
these m o u n t a i n s ( f or m i n g
a
considerable
part
o f
the
w hol e ) pr e se n t v e ry l i t t l e s o i l to view, being
chiefly com
posed of rocks. Where the lime-stone f or m s the mountain
(the
f l a t s
on
the tops, a n d w h e r e the s i d e s are n ot t oo
perpendicular
fo r s o i l to lodge), the s o i l , though scanty, i s productive o f t h e
f i n e r grasses whic h form pasturage fo r sheep. Where grit-stone
ab ou n d s , the s o i l i n general approaches near to the n a t u r e of
peat m o s s , in places
f o r m i n g
vast morasses, retentive
of
water,
a n d rendered d a n g e r o u s fo r either man or beast to tread u p o n ,
except i n d r y w ea t he r ;
th e surface
presenting
n o t h i n g
h u t
the
barren,
black m o s s , thinly clothe d with h e a t h nr n g ,
and
every
wh e re yawning o u t a d re ad fu l rock.
In
a l l
these s o i l s ,
very
considerable alteration
i s made
from t he
minerals
o f whic h
the s ub-strat um
consists: bu t in
c o nf o r m i t y
to
my general plan, of only o pe ni ng a n i n troducti on to what
may
be
expected* when
a l l hearts and a l l
h e a d s are
united
in i m p r ov e *
m e n t , a n d when
every
individual
s h a l l
anxiously s t r i v e accurate ly
N
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7/26/2019 General View of the Agriculture of the County of Derby - Thomas Brown
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to describe and
i m p r o v e
hi s own situation ;
I s h a l l
only
r e m a r k ,
t h a t
d u r i n g my tou r I did not d i sc ov er l im e- s to ne , grit-stone,
a n d peat
m o s s ,
u n d e r
the
same
surface;
a n d t h i n k i n g i t material
in
t he fu tu re
improvement
o f
g re at pa r t
o f
t h i s
d i s t r i c t ,
to
add
lime a n d peat m o s s , mixed with
every
o t h er s u bs t a n ce that w i l l
a d d to the q uantity o f staple; a n d with
t h i s
v i e w I
be g
leave to
hint, as
m a t te r
fo r
future investigation,
that i f lime-stone, coal,
a n d peat
m os s ,
are ever
discovered i n contact, I s h ou ld t h in k t h i s
a favoured spot f o r t r yi ng t h e experiment,
-which
I shall hereafter
t a k e the liberty t o suggest,
when
I come to treat o n
H in t s f or
Im
pro ve m e n t.
CLIMATE.
From
the
description
that
has
been
given
of the
s o i l a n d
situa
tion, a f a i n t idea of t h e c li ma te may be inferredn general i t i s
wet and
cold. The degrees o f cold vary more t h a n
are
easily
co n
ceived; a n d a l t h o u g h I am sensible that o u r feelings are not the
proper scale by
which
we
are
to
form
o u r
judgment
o f
the
d i f f e
r en t d eg re es
o f
heat a n d cold, ye t
finding
mine s o s en si bl y af
fected, I
c ou ld n ot
help r e m a r k i n g that in
travelling
from Sud
bury
to
Ashborn I f o u n d
a
pleasing
te mpe ra t u re :
passing
t h r o u g h
A s h b o r n , in my way to
Buxton
(without
a n y
apparent
c h a n g e
in
the
a tm o sph e re) , before I h a d
l e f t Ashborn three miles,
I
fo un d
a n
additional c oa t a bs ol ut el y n ec es s ar y
;
and
t h i s
s u d d e n
transi
tion
i s
every
w h e r e f e l t , on a sce n di n g
into
atmospherical elevation.
The
f e r t i l e
part o f the c o u n t y i s salubrious and temperate, though
inclining
to wet. The m o u n t a i n o u s part
i s
cold,
enveloped
in
clouds, and d u r i n g
t hp wi nt er
mnn'Ht much incumbered
with
snow ; bu t
d u r i n g
my tou r I wa s
n ot
fortunate enough to meet
wit h a n y regular a cco un t kept of t he q u an t it y o f
rain
or s n o w ;
n o r
di d I h e a r
o f
a n y meteorological jo urnals
be i ng k e pt in a n y
part o f
the county.
I h av e l on g been o f opinion, that to ascer
t ai n t he q uantity
o f m o i s t u re
that f a l l s , a n d
abo ve a l l the
propor-
B 2
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[12
]
tion
of
t i m e t ha t t he
surface o f
a n y c o u n t r y i s we t a n d dry, t h e
h ou rs o f sunshine, and
the
h ou rs o f clouds, would i n a great mea
sure
ascertain what t h e n at u ra l p ro d u ct i o ns o f
t h e c li m at e a r e ,
and
f i x
some
d a t a
fo r
i m p r o v e m e n t s
in
a l l
situations.
Eve ry
o n e
may
e a s i l y conceive
t he
e q u a l
distribution
o f
the
sun's
rays,
when h e
c on s id er s t ha t were i t n ot fo r t h e intervention o f clouds, vapours ,
a n d s h a d ow s ,
every
spot on
earth would
be exactly
half i t s
time
u n d e r t he
i m m e d i a t e influence
o f
those
rays ; a n d
must
be
equally
sensible,
that
the re
are h a r d l y
t wo
spots
on
earth
(o f
a n
e q u a l
extent with
t h i s
u n d e r investigation)
that enjoy
t h i s
blessing in th e same degree. I trust I may venture to a d d , that
the
various
p r o d u c t i o n s
of
every
climate,
a n d
of every county, as
well a s the cultivation a n d management o f those
productions,
are
greatly influenced
by
t he o bs tr uc ti on s t he s un me e t s with ; a n d
as every place i s capable o f making a f a i r e stimate o f i t s n atural
a dv an ta ge s o r disadvantages in t h i s r es pe ct , I t h i n k i t m at te r o f
curi ous
a n d
useful information,
and o f
c on s e q u e n c e
as furnish
ing
d a t a
on
which hints
fo r
improvement may
be
f or m e d . Al l
that I c o u l d
learn
from local information
on
t h i s subject, w a s ,
that a t Cha t t e sw or t h
(situate
betwe e n two m o u n t a i n s in t h e High
Pea k) the average q u a n t i t y
o f
rain i s
a bo ut
one-
third
more
t h a n
what
f a l l s in the vicinity
o f
London. If a n y information,
how
ever, has been collected upon t h i s subject, I trust that i t w i l l
be
transmitted to th e Boa r d .
THEMANNER IN WHICHTHE LAND.
IS
POSSESSED.
This c o u n t y
originally
wa s in
the
possession o f p er h a ps as few
individuals a s a n y part of t he kingdom of a n e q u a l extent: wc
are told that at t he time of the Norman survey, i t be l o n ge d w h o ll y
to seventeen
individuals
; and some o f
the
p re s en t p os s e ss i o ns
h a v e l i n e a l l y
d e s c e n d e d from
those individuals down t o t he ir po s
t e r i t y , the present proprietors, bu t with considerable d i m i n u t i on
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[13]
in point o f t e r r i t o r i a l extent. The acquisitions o f th e
c h u r c h ,
u n d e r the Roman
superstition,
t ook considerable
root
i n t h i s soil;
bu t
t h e
distribution
o f
h er
property,
after
the suppression
o f
r e
ligious hou ses, se e m s to h a ve f a l l e n
into
many h a n d s . The en
terprising s p i r i t o f trade,
cherished by
a
wise
a n d excellent c o n
stitution, established
a t t h e g lo r io u s
revolution, ha s diffused
those
Immense possessions, d i vi d in g t h e t e r r i t o r y , a n d hiding what
u s e d
to be t he a nc ie nt g e n t l e m a n i n obscurity. Bu t bywell-concerted
marriages, hereditary
possessions
are
in
many
instances wisely
preserved ;
a n d
in the
c o u nt y
o f Derby we find some r e n t - r o l l s
upwards o f 20,000 ; several upwards o f 1 0, 00 0; many o f
more
t h a n
3,000Those families possessing a
rental
of 1000 pou nd s ,
or
u n d e r that sum
(w h er e
t he re a re
n ot o t h e r resources), risking
their e s t a t e s in t r ad e, a n d bringing up
their
children to
manufac
tures and commerce ; and (what i s too often th e
case)
wh er ev er
agriculture
i s
c l og g ed w it h difficultly
whi ch
require
property
and
t a l e n t s , they carry that property and those
talents
of whi ch t h e y
are possessed into
trade
; leaving the improvement o f the s o i l to
men o f l e s s property,
and
c on s e q u e n t l y o f l e s s power
a t i g u e d
with trade, the mutability
o f
the human
m i n d , previous
to
the
appro ach o f
old
age,
frequently
drives men o f t h i s d e sc r ipt i on t o
gratify
a s e c on d c h a n g e o f sentiment,
and
search fo r
s o m e t h i n g
new in t he s eq u es t er ed vale; a n d
every
w h e r e we find
small ha
bitations d e c o r a t e d
with
plantations,
on a confined s c a l e .
THE
MANNER
IN
WHICH
THE
LAND
IS OCCUPIED.
From t he g en er al division
o f property,
i t i s
easy to conceive
the distribution o f land amongst occupiers in Derbyshire.
The
e s t a t e s
o f
the
nobility
a re well
a r r a n ge d
fo r
occupation,
h a v i n g
l o n g
ago a cq ui re d a basis
f o u n d e d
on
experience.
The intelligent steward readily
discovers what
are t he requisites
to enable
the
t e n a n t to pa y
the
most
fo r s u c h
e s t a t e s as
h e
i s c o o
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C u]
suited
in l et ting ; a n d in
a l l well
regulated
e s t a t e s ,
we find th e a d
vantages of landlords and tenants (a principle I always i n s i s t
upon
as inseparable) m u t u a l l y consultedhe particular manner o f i t s
being
s o , w i l l
hereafter
be
t h e s ubj ec t
of
a
s ub s e q u e n t
chapter.
The
smaller
landholder (provincially
s t a t e s m a n ) , who has not
a
s u f f i c i e n t
capital i n stock,
and
i s
unwilling
to
part
with
h i s here
ditary property, finds
h i s
mind
distracted
how to preserve
h i s
e s
t a t e , as well a s
the
r a n k his father
held, and
how to
imp r ov e
his
fortune on rational principles.
For
want
o f
property, a n d
a
r e g ul a r s y s te m , men
of
t h i s description
wander
i n to l a by ri n t hs ,
where, jf no t w or s e bewildered, we
find
them s i t t i n g down in ob
scurity, content
with the p r o d u c e o f their
land
o u se
their
own
phrase, Sitcb a s God sent.
The
tradesmen's e s t a t e s (the bulk
of
their fortune being o t h e r
wise
e mplo ye d) are confined to small
t e r r i t o r i a l
possessions ; pe r
haps f r o m
h e n c e
arose the n umbe rle s s
misfortunes
whic h
r e
cently s h o o k the v i t a l s o f t h i s
c ou n t r y
; bu t wh e re these
estates
exist on a n y tolerable s c a l e , they are e mblem a ti c of
what
t he face
o f
t h i s
c ou n t r y
would be , i f f a r m i n g
was
e qually
studied, and
on a s
re gular
a s ys te m a s trade ; therefore, generally speaking,
there ar e i n D er by sh ir e fa r ms o f a s u f f i c i e n t s i z e to oc c upy that
capital
which f or m s f u l l
employment
fo r a farmer; much o f
the
county,
however,
i s
occupied
in rather
small
fa r m s
( un de r
100. a
year)
a n d by
men
e n g a g e d i n pursuits
distinct
from
i m p r o v e m e n t s in agriculture :en either p u r s u i n g
the
riches
o f m i n e s ; men employed in t h e m e c h a n i c a l operations of manu
factures
;
or
men labouring
fo r
the
t r a d e s m a n ,
a n d
whose
atten
tion i s more i m m e d i a t e l y e n g a g e d in
the
operative part o f manu
factures t h a n in the improvement of
the
s o i l t h e y occupy. There
are,
h ow e v e r , in t h i s c o u n t y occupiers of a n o t h e r description, very
properly
styled yeomen;
men cultrrating
their
own
estates with
a
s u f f i c i e n t capital, or e m p l o y i n g a considerable capital in t h e oc
cupation o f the ancient
hereditary e s t a t e s
o f
th e g e n t r y
; here we
d is co ve r t h e d a w n i n g s o f s o l i d a d v a n t a g e to
themselves
and th e
community, t h e y
are
r e d u c i n g
the
t he or y o f a gr ic ul tu re i nt o
practice, and the i mpr ov em en ts a nd discoveries made by t h e m ,
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C 1 6]
rerisher o f
th e
land, bu t in the
lighter red loams, i t
makes
excel-
lent pasture, where the land
i s
s tocked with a m i xt u r e o f bullocks
and sheep.
In
the stronger clays t h e y fallow
fo r
wh e a t ; a
c r op
of
beans
succeeds,
and
t h e n
fallow
the bea n stubble. The im
poverishing farmer
w i l l
take several
successive
crops o f w hi t e
corn,
ofwhich oats w i l l make t wo or
thre e;
a n d
when
worn o u t with
cropping, will la y t h e land down with foul
hay-seeds,
and
a mix
ture
of
a r t i f i c i a l grasses ; y et e ve n
u n d e r
t h i s
cruel
treatment, i t i s
wo n de rf ul to see th e
e f f o r t s
t h i s s o i l w i l l naturally make to
recover i t s e l f . In
o n e of t he best
managed
fa r m s I saw, consist
i n g of a bo ut 200
acres, there
are 5 5 a cr es a ra bl e, 40 acres
mown fo r hay, 1 05 acres fe d with cows, bullocks, a n d sheep,
one-third
of
t he 5 5
acres
i s summer fallowed for turnips, cabbages,
o r
clean t i l t h
;
( t h i s gives f u l l
scope
fo r the intelligent farmer to
exercise
h i s
judgment,
and
c on su lt t he
natu re
and
circumstances
o f
the
land to be
followed.) On e - t h i r d i s
wheat, a n d one-third
i s
barley
or
oats.
With
th e barley
the farmer s ows grass se:ds,
u n d e r
which
the land i s rested, a n d i n the n ext ye ar
h e
breaks up
an
e q u a l q u a n t i t y
of that which
i s grazed, where
the
a r t i f i c i a l grasses
a re e xh au st ed , and
the
land most in want o f
restoration
by
lime, manure, and
cleaning.
.1;-.>
. Oa ts j- oats.
. . . . l . f / r . .
Or, according to the n a t u r e a n d condition o f t he la nd f r o m th e
operations of t he season, I wou l d a ga in t ur n the land t o fallow
after the wh e a t stubble. . . t .
\ s - j
Travelling farther north in t h e High
Peak,
w e i : f i n d
h a r d l y
a n y
t h i n g like a re gular
rotation o f
crops ; tbeoquantity
of
land
u n d e r
t i l l a g e
i s
comparatively
nothing,
oh t a k i n g a g en er al view
of
the c ou n t y; o at s, o at s, o at s, o at s, (and
a l a s ,
s o u r
oat
cakes )
a few potatoes, a l i t t l e barley, and s t i l l l e s s wheat, would be
the
food o f the natives, did no t
their
n e i g hb ou r s cultivate
. t h e i r
land
better
t h a n t he y d o. Th e ir m u tt o n, however,
i s
e xc el le nt , a s I
shall hereafter observe.
At
Hurdlow
h o u s e
I wa s
obliged
to pa r
t ak e o f
i t s
g e n u i n e
t a s t e ,
fo r want of either .
bread
or
vegetable;
or,
wait t i l l the
baker
came.
H e r e ,
- ' Fa r as
t he eye c o u l d reach,
n o
trees
wer e s e e r f ,
- :
* Ea r t h
clad
i n
r u s s e t , scorn
d
the l i v e l y green.
Stonewalls, meagre
inclosures, d a r i n g rocks, a n d a f ew m i se r
able animals s i t x j h a s
God
sent,
ar e the only
objects
presented
t o o u r
view.
1 . ' .
. . . . .
. - ' : : . . '
; - ' > . '
m i
I s h a l l , therefore, dismiss t h i s
subject,
t i l l I come to spe a k of
impro ve m e n t s.
.
. .
. > . . . . . .
. 1 .
.
'
.
. ' . . .
.
.
\ .
. : ' R4?SES
aULTlYATED.
; ;
From
what ha s been
s a i H
on die
1
(nation o f crops,
i t w i l l
ap
pear that
the
broad-leaved clover, rye-grass, t r e f o i l , and white
cl ov er, a re
the principal
seeds
sown
fo r
a r t i f i c i a l pastures.
Occasionally
we
find
he re
a n d
there the ribbed grass,
o r plantain,
introduced The meadows p r od u c e a l l t h e n a tu r al grasses com
mon t o
the
s o i l s
a n d situations described.
-
'.'';. . .
- . . '
i - - > ' . C 2 . : .
-
l^ i ; z
J .
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[; *o ]
SPECIES OF STOCK.
The number
o f recent
inclosures, and t h e n atural
t e n d e n c y o f
th e
s o i l
to
g r a z e
c a t t l e ,
h a v e
greatly
i nc re as ed t h e
q u a n t i t y
o f
meadow
and pasture land ; a n d t h i s being c h i e f l y employed in
dairying a n d r e a i r i n g
of stock ;
the
pro d uce o f
t he d ai ry f o r m i n g
the chief a r t i c l e
from whic h
the rents
ar e m a d e ,
t he D e rby s h i r e
f a r m e r very naturally turns his
attention
to
Cows. 1 h a v e alre ady
m e n t i on e d ,
that in
Derbyshire
there
are some good a n d
some
indifferent farmers; i n n ot h i n g d o t h ey
d i f f e r more
t h a n in their opinion ab ou t
c ow s
; a n d in no part o f
their fa n n i n g perhaps (in
point
o f a d v a n t a g e) are t h e y s o n ea rl y
equal.
The original breed o f
cows
in Derbyshire
appears
to
h a v e
been
inferior
in
many
respects
e v e n
to
those
of their
n e i g h *
hours. Th e se , i n many parts of the county, ar e s t i l l held in e s t i
m a t i o n
;
bu t
when
compared
with
the
new
imp r ov ed
breed,
are
fa r
short in excellence
of
shape
and
q u a l i t i e s , bo th as to th e
flavour
of
their
fleshT
and t he f a c i l i t y with
which t h e y ar e
f a r t e d .
To bring
th e
i de a t o the c o nc e pt i o n o f
those
who h a v e n o t seen
the difference, l e t them i m a g i n e the most
awkward,
ill-shaped,
pl od d i n g
hack,
o f eight pounds value, compared with the
highest
bred
blood horse, who
fo r hi s
pedigree
and excellence
i s
e s
t e e m e d a n at io na l treasure. The f i n e blood horse, however, dif
f e r s from t he f i n e
bred
h ei fe r i n t h i s essential
point
:
n
o ld
a ge
the horse
i s
w o r t h
n o t h i n g
; bu t t h r ou g h
l i f e ,
a n d to
th e
ex tre m e
of
o ld a ge , the
cow i s , in
the l a n g u a g e
of
the
breeder, in
a l l
s i t u
ations,
and
u n d e r
e ve r y c ir cu ms t an ce , a l wa ys
f a t .
Those
who
are
n ot
willing
to
allow that t he breed
o f
c a t t l e i s a l l
that
i s
n e
cessary
to make them f a t ,
w i l l however
always f i n d , that wh e re ve r
t h i s well-bred heifer ha s
that pasture
which w i l l
m a i n t a i n
a n y
other
heifer decently, sh e
w i l l
do better t ha n t he old
coarse
breed ;
and i t i s
a n
undeniable f a c t , that i n
th e
pastures
of
D e rby s h i r e the
t i t x e bred heifer w i l l
be f a t ,
a n d f i t fo r the
butcher,
wh il e h e r com
pa n i o n of t h e old
sort i s
l i t t l e more t h a n skin and
bone. Much
praise i s d u e to Mr. Bakewell of Leicestershire for
his
indefati
gable attention
to
t h i s
part of rural economy. Ot h e r s ,
h owev e r ,
t h a t
are
n ot so
universally
known,
are not
wi t h ou t
their merits ;
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7/26/2019 General View of the Agriculture of the County of Derby - Thomas Brown
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n o r
h a ve their e n d e a v o u r s
been
w i t h o u t success i n
point'
o f pub
l i c u ti l i ty .
In
Oxfordshire
there
i s
a n instance o f
e xc e l le n ce t h at
c a n n ot e s c ape p ubl i c notice; a n d in
t h i s
county, i t i s a pleasing
r e f l e c t i o n , that men
o f
much e m i n e n c e fo r enterprize a n d public
s p i r i t , h a v e
carried their researches
a n d
improvements to a
h e i g h t
that
e n t i t l e s them
to
g r ea t c o ns i d er a t io n
among
the breeders
and
improvers o f stock ; and what promises
the
greatest s t a b i l i t y to
their
fame,
i s,
that n o t
only
farmers,
bu t
men
of
th e
f i r s t indepen
d e n c y a r e
e n g a g e d
in t h i s l.iudable pursuit. Improvements i n stock
seem to me in the f i r s t
instance
to
h a v e g o n e
down the throats
o f
Sitch as God s e n t ;
and
t o h a v e made i t s app e a r a n c e i n th e f a t
a n d
well f av ou r e d kine. Through the a n i m a l kingdom there
a r e ^
clear di sti nctio n s between
th e
b l o o m i n g healthy families, a n d the
lean and ill-favoured
;
e t w e e n
t h e nicely proportioned sym
m e t r y
of bone and muscle, a n d the c r o s s - m a d e and
disfigured
a n i m a l
of ev er y species
:
perhaps a
nice
o bs er va nc e o f these
qualifications
ga ve
r i s e
to
a
preference
s o j u di ci ou s ly
made
by
men
o f
experience
a n d
s k i l l .
Though
better s o i l s , I . a ppre h e n d ,
f i r s t
p r o d u c e d these
distinctions,
discerned
by
men
of s k i l l , they
p r o d u c e d the
readiest
s a l e and be s t pr i ce s a t m a r k e t ; and we find
originally t ha t t he
Lan c a s h i r e breed
became e m i n e n t
;
the
i n h a
bitants of that d i s t r i c t , perhaps, wi t h ou t
being aw a r e that t h ey
were
l i a b l e to be r i v a l l e d ,
allowed their
best
breed
to be picked
by
their
more s o u t h e r n
neighbours,
who, more tenacious,
fo r
many years carried on th e improvement, by what they affirm to
f c e a t ' t h i s d a y a gre at s e c r e t , until they p r o d u c e d what i s now
called the new breed ; some of which ar e endowed with a pedr-
gree
a l m o s t a s l o n g as that
pro d uce d by Mr.
Bannister
in
the c h a
racter
of Ca dw a l l a d e r
owever,
w h a t e v e r
merit
there
be
in
th e
pedigree, there certainly i s intrinsic m e r i t in t h i s breed o f animals ; .
that they
will
fatten sooner t h a n any other breed ; a n d t h a t
there
i s
l e s s bone and o f f a l a bo ut them
t h a n in a n y other s o r t
of a n
e q u a l
s i z e in th e kingdom. They
are
e a s i l y distinguished,
even'
in t h e
d a r k ,
fo r
there i s
a softness i n
th e handling,
that
when-
ontra$ted with t h e common breed, i s as different as the f i n e s k i n .
of
t h e
race hqrse
t o
the
coarse
hide o f a boar-stag. The
merit
o f
this
bceed of h o n i e d
c a t t l e ,
as
grazers,
I b e l i e v e , in Leicester
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t 1
s h i r e , No rth a mpto n s h i re , Cheshire, a n d Lancashire, as well a s
most other grazing counties,
stan ds
uncontroverted. Besides t h e
famous breed o f c ows i n Derbyshire, we find
others
whic h n o t
many
years
a g o
were
held
i n
g r e a t
estimation,
and
among
many
o f
th e
ol d
fanners ar e s t i l l e s t e e m e d
(and
perhaps Very d e s e r v e d ^
so )
fo r
the
dairy.
This cow
i s
p r o d u c e d f r o m crosses of t h e ^L a n *
cashire,
W a rw i c k s h i r e ,
a n d
o t h er br e ed s ;
a n d i s
w h a t ' t h e Leices
tershire breeders c a l l th e old-fashioned sort. The merit of t h i s
'
ol d
s o r t I am wi ll in g t o bring to
public
view,
by
relating t h e
following
experiment, a s i t c o m e s from a g e n t l e m a n o f
unques
tionable veracity:
hat h e h a s made
seventeen
pounds a n d a
Quarter o f butter f r o m a cow o f t h i s k i n d m
seven
d a y s ; that s h f c
Was a lwa ys h ea lt hy; bu t never s h ewe d a t a n y a ge much i n c l i r i a *
t ion to become fat; a n d that, a t twelve years old, h e sold h e r to
t he butcher
a t 1 2
pou n d s .
Th i s w o r t h y
g e n t l e m a n
goes on
to re
mark, that nine D e rby s h i r e
:cows
o f
t h i s
br e ed w er e pastured with
nine coWsv o f t h e t t ol de rn es s b r e t d ; t he HoMerheSs cows gave
the - greate st1
q u a n t i t y
o f 1 milk, bu t t he r r l l l k of the Derbyshire
c ows wa s considerably more productive o f
butter
a n d cheese.I
am sorry t h i s g e n t l e m a n
has
n ot f av ou r ed me with a co mpa ri so n
o f
the m e a sU re
o f
milk, a nd we ig ht
of
butter a n d cheese
; a n
ac
q u is it i on t h at
would
be h ig hl y gratifying, bu t
must
be l e f t fo r
m a r g i n a l additions. T e m i l c h c ow s br o u gh t by the d ea ler s t o
Derby
m a r k e t
daririg'the 'spHrrg m o n t h s ; ar e c h i e f l y of the York
shire k i n o / f r o m
tne'fleignttourhood
o f Kotheram
; t h i s the
Der
bys h i re f a r me r s cross With a '
Derbyshire
bull of the old fashioned
s o r t ; *
but
the
'decided
preference
d u e
to
the
bull
o f
the
new
Le i
cestershire breed,'
i s
l i k e l y to
root
o ut the
old-fashibried
sorters-
f i r e l y
; '
a n d
r r i o r e
e s p e c i a l l y a s ' soine
o f
t he br ee de rs
of
t h i s neW
sort f a i r l y
challenge
any1 o t h e r br e e d
o f c ow s to
e q u a l
-them
in
p r o f i t to t r i e dairy, 'and
certainly
W i l l excel them i n g r a z i n g . I t
i s m a t t e r o f much controversy
among
the farmers i n D e rby s hi r e ,
wh e th e r t h i s ne'w breed
bfcows
ca n
be
made equally
productive
in the
dairy
with a n y other species, a n d re tai n the i r decided supe
r i o r i t y a s
grazers.
If this c a n
be
a cc om pl is h ed , e v en t he new
Leicestershire'
breeders w i l l
\ > e a s to n is h ed t h em s el v es ,
a n d
yield
t he
palm
to th e
Derbyshir^cow.
80 fa r a s
my'bwn
experience
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31/88
f * 3 3
ha s
g o n e , I confess
this
new breed o f h o r n e d
c a t t l e
may be callei
a new creation
;
bu t s t i l l more beneficial t o the
ooruraun i ty would
these
new species o f
animals be , i f t h e
n u t r i m e n t
a n d
f l u i d s . that
pass
t h r o u g h
their
o r g a n s
could
be
d i re c te d i n to
^wo' channels at
cmce, m i l k a n d f l e s h h a v i n g hitherto been held t o be incompatible.
I be li ev e the idea
o f
their be i n g i n c o mp at i bl e i s n ot altogether
n ew, several unsuccessful at tempts h a yi n g be e n made
some
time
ago.
I
intended
t o h a v e
annexed
portraits of t h i s
breed
; bu t
un
d e r s t a n d i n g
t ha t t he re i s
t o be a
G e n e r a l
R epo rt o n
the
different
Breeds
of
Cattle
i n
the
Kingdom,
be g leave
to
refer
to
that
.Report
fo r further particulars. I s h a l l conclude t h i s description o f the Der
by s hi r e n e at c a t t l e with r e m a r k i n g , that I am
told
the re ar e in th e
c o u n t y of D erby , of t h i s new breed, bu ll s t ha t
a re
deemed w o r t h
300, and cows
nearly
that sum; to impro ve upon t h e m , would
pe r ha ps be to pu t
i t
ou t of the power o f m o s t men to
enter
upon
a
dairy
fa rm
;
bu t
in
the
High
a n d
Low
Peaks,
we
find
a
useful
l i t t l e cow
among
t he f ar me rs and miners, wh ich , with a small
cross
o f the new
Leicestershire breed,
would
i n
a l l
probability
s u i t
their pasture
better
t h a n even
t he h ig he st breed
we
find
in
t he
Fertile
S o i l .
Sbeep. In the F e r t i l e S o i l s we d i sc o ve r t h e new Leicestershire-
s h e ep
more
o r
l e s s perfect,
according as the
g o o d n e s s
of
land, the
i m p r o v e m e n t s
a n d attention
of the
f arme r,
or
o t h e r
circumstances
a d m i t .
These breeds o f s h ee p s e e m to
me
to h a v e had
their
r i s e
from the same cause,
and
i n the
same way with th e cows
I
h a ve
.described ;
bu t
as their origin a n d description belongs more im
mediately
to
th e
c o u n t y o f
Leicester,
a n d
a s
I
d o
not
know
of
a n y
particular improvement
in them that t h i s c o u n t y
i s i n t i t l e d
to
t he
merit
o f , I
s h a l l
content myself
with saying,
t ha t t he w ool
of the
s h a r - h o g usually wpighs between s i x a n d eight po un ds ; a nd to
gain
some idea
of i t s value a n d goodness ,
when.
the f i n e s t
short
wools
are
w o r t h
30s.
pe r
t od o f
z81b. t h i s
usually brings ab ou t
34s.he carcass
i s
o n e c o n t i n u e d pulp o f f a t , from the t ime of
being lambed t i l l
i t
i s slaughtered fo r
th e
t a b l e , whic h i s ge n e
r a l l y before, or s o o n after being t wo years
and
a half
old
: a t t h i s
age, in
Derbyshire,
t h i s s h e ep u s u a l l y .
weighs f r o m
3 01 b. t o 4 01 b.
pe r
quarter, and i s
so
f a t ,
that a
very m o d e r a t e
quantity of
t he
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mutton
will
s a t i s f y
the
keenest a ppe ti te .I wish I could
say
a s much fo r t h e flavour o f
t h i s m u t t o n ,
as I c a n fo r that I
tasted without
bread a t Hurdlow h o u s e ,
which
wa s
o f
t he s ma ll -
h o r n e d
s h e e p
I
meet
with
in
t he
High
Peak,
on
th e
moors
a n d
more ba r r e n p ar t o f
th e
county,
where
t he farmer usually keeps
them to
t he
a g e o f f i v e years, a t whic h t i m e they become
valuable
fo r the parks and tables of
th e
gentry o f
t h i s
and other counties.
I
am
a wa re that the new Leicestershire mutton h a s i t s advocates,
a n d that in some instances,
those
who give
t he
preference to t he
smaller a n d
older sheep, h a v e bee n deceived at t h e
table o f
their
friend : bu t d u r i n g t h e time I wa s i n D e rby s h i r e ( t h o u g h no
epicure) I f o u n d
no
d i f f i c u l t y
in distinguishing
t he flavour, and
giving t h e
preference to
t h e
a ge d small mutton
;
and
therefore
in
this
respect
I am f r e e t o
own, t ha t th e
new
breed o f
Leicester
shire
beef
h a s
a n
a d v a n t a g e
over
the
new
br ee d o f
Leicestershire
m u t t o n .
Taking a general v ie w o f the s h e ep i n
Derbyshire,
from th e most
pure Leicestershire newbreed, t h e y g r a du a l ly lessen i n s i z e a n d value
down to
the small, coarse, hairy-polled~ heep
; and i n the
moun
tainous part o f
the
county, we
find the
s i z e o f the
s h e ep
propor
tioned to the
quality of
the land, a n d n a t u r e
o f
t h e
pasturage
: on
t he commons, many
o f
a l l s o r t s
o f
breed, wh ich I shall c a l l fo
reigners,
f r o m
their being sent to
j o i s t
from different places ; bu t
i n g e ne r a l, in
the
High
Peak, they
c h oo s e the
close woolled h a r d y
sheep,
observing the closeness of t h e wool as a certain pr oo f o f
their being more l i ke l y t o s t a n d th e
r a in y s e a so n s o f
this d i s t r i c t )
and
indeed
I
am o f
opinion
that
they
must
imp r ov e
their
land
be fo r e t h ey
ca n
much i m p r o v e their sheep. In a
large d i s t r i c t ,
n e a r the source o f the D e r w e n t , I f o u n d considerable s h e ep farms
in
what i s
called
t h e Woodlands
(a
t e r m
I think
i l l - a p p l i e d ,
fo r
I s a w very
l i t t l e there)
;
the breed
s e e m s calculated fo r
t he
pa s
ture
;
a n d i n t h i s instance I must
beg
the Leicestershire breeder
will excuse me in differing from him in opinion, when
h e
asserts
that
their s h e e p ar e t o be
preferred,
i n a l l
pasture s, and
a l l s o i l s
and situations w h a t e v e r ,
to a n y
o t h e r
that c a n be
pu t into t h e
same pasture
with
them
I t h i n k
the size
o f
t he s heep, th e
q u a n t i t y
of
i t s
wool, the close texture o f
i t s
f l e e c e , and tht
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[6J
s h ap e o f the
a ni ma l be i ng
calculated to u n d e r g o the
fatigue
o f
searching fo r
i t s
food (w h ia h i n some situations i s
absolutely
n e
cessary) , are requisites w h i c h the new Leicestershire breed do no t
possess.
I
ca n
assure
h i m ,
that
i n t ra ve ll in g
from
G l o s s o p
to
Derwent I wa s ov e r t a k e n by a s h e e p purs ue d by a dog; the
s h e e p I
s uppo se
h a d
strayed
i n
quest o f
f ood ( a n d
w h e r e scar
city
i s ,
s ur el y t h e s h e e p
calculated
to
search,
i s preferable to that
which i s loaded and incapable o f travelling) : this a nima l I ob
s e rv e d e ve r y now a n d
t h e n
stopped to
g r a z e
;
t he dog
s e e m e d
no t
t o
u n d e r s t a n d
perfectly
hi s master's
signals, who h a d placed
him
s e l f
on a n e m i n e n ce , as i f to direct
the
c h a s e ;
a n d
fo r th e
space o f half
an
h o u r
t h i s s h e ep was
in my view, and
ce r
tainly led the dog a d a n c e of two miles. I do not say that t h i s
r a c i n g wa s necessary, bu t I w i l l m a i n t a i n that searching fo r f ood
wa s
next
to
self-preservation
;
and
that
perhaps
t h i s
q u i c k
mo
tion
t h r o u g h
t he ai r
might
s h a k e of f
the
wet,
and
cause the f l e e c e
to
d r y
s oon e r
t h a n
i t
would
h a ve
d o n e
i f confined to
one spot.
And I
would a s k a n y
Leicestershire
breeder, how
his s h e e p
would
h a v e
shifted i n
s u c h
a
situation
?
H or s e s . The
c a t t l e u s e d fo r the
plough
in the f e r t i l e
part
o f Derbyshire, are c h i e f l y bro o d ma re s, o f
the
-strong
cart
ki n d ;
and i n
general
a re e xc el le nt stock fo r
breeding
waggon a n d
d r a y horses, w h i c h
are
in
s u c h req uest
i n
every
part
o f
the k i n g
dom. The o p po r t u n i ty a
dairy
fa rm e r h a s o f
laying
brood m a r e s
in pastures, and ke epin g a
s u f f i c i e n t number
to do the wo rk , a nd
occasionally r e s t , s e e m s t o me a n a d v a n t a g e , by which h e may
avoid the exorbitant e xpe nc e o f horses in the
stable
feeding
on
hayand
c or n
t o
go
to plo ugh . . .
.^ >
The introd uction o f
bro o d
m a r e s to dp the wor k , se e m s to me
o n e cause why we find
no
oxe n employed i n t i l l i n g the
s o i l
; a n d
in br ood
m a re s ,
great
impro ve m e n t s'
h a ve certainly been made,
and
I trust w i l l
continue
to go o n, from th e
co n ve n i e n cy of the
pastures,
and the
f a ir f i e l d they
ope n
fo r
extending and i mpro vi n g
t he breed
o f d r a u g h t horses. Mr. Bakewell's s t a l l i o n s
are
h e a r d
o f ,
bu t not half so
much
as the
show
o f Leicestershire r a m s
a n d
b u l l s . In th e m o u n t a i n o u s part of the c ou n t y , we find a nim
ble, lighter animal, which
h as a lwa ys been habituated t o travej
D
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[*6]
ver rocks
a nd p r e c i p i c e s , and
d r a w i n a l i t t l e c a r t , or carry a kind
of
pannier o n
i t s back ; and
what
I
s a i d
of
the
Peak
sheep,
I am
ready
t o
say
of th e
Peak
draught h o r s e
improve the
s o i l , a n d
then
yo u
may
improve
t h i s
s p e c i e s
o f an im als
;
f o r I
am
of
o p i
nion, t h a t l a r g e r and
b e t t e r
h o r s e s
would
r e q u i r e b e t t e r keep, a n d
b e t t e r roads
t o
t r a v e l upon,
than
what the Peak i n
i t s present
s t a te a f f o rd s .
Hogs
As
a d a i r y country, k
may
be
supposed
to ab o u n d
with hogsIn every dairy farm we f i n d a very good stock of hogs,
an d of a very
go o d
s o r t * such a s i n
the
southern part of the k i n g d o m
a r e k n o wn - by
the
a p p e l l a t i o n of
the
Berkshire b r e e d . The ma
n a g e m e n t of
the
d a i r y being w e l l understood
by
the m i s t r e s s of a
Derbyshire farmer's f a m i l y ,
she
does not neglect her
hogs
; a n d
we f i n d t h a t from the
breeding
a n d
improving of
hogs,
a
p r o f i t
of from twenty t o five-and-twenty
s h i l l i n g s
i s
m a d e from
eacb
cow,
by
t h e
mai nt enance
of
hog s
from
the
o f f a l
o f t h e
d a i r y .
IRRIGATION.
The s i t u a t i o n of t h i s county, c o n s i s t i n g of h i l l
a nd
v a l e - , '
may
n a t u r a l l y be s u ppo s e d t o pr esent u s with great improvements
by flooding
the
land
h a t i t has been
p r a c t i s e d
long
ago,
a n d
that l e s s i s do ne now than formerly, i s observable i n many p a r t s
of
t h i s d i s t r i c t . T aki n g
t h e general s e n s e of the occupiers of l a n d ,
they a r e
not very f on d o f i t . The
s t i l l
brooks t h a t empty
themselves
i n t o
the
Dove,
h a ve be e n
converted
t o
t h i s
purpose
i n s e v er a l p l a c e s .
Bu t the Answers
t o
Queries
d i s p e r s e d i n t h i s neighbourho o d a r e
not i n i t s favour; the ba d e f f e c t being by s o m e (very properly) a t
tributed
t o
l e t t i n g the water
remain too
l o n g -
upon
the land t
from o t h e r s I . r e c e i v e d the
following
answer t o t h a t query
: What
l i t t l e has been
t r i e d , n o
advantage has been r e c e i v e d . The coal
a n d minerals of Derbyshire, a r e c e r t a i n l y strong r e a s o n s f o r the
water
not f e r t i l i z i n g the land ;that
i r r i g a t i o n
i n c r e a s e s the
ve r
dant appea ra nce of the m ea d, a nd the bulk of i t ' s c r o p , i s an u n -
controverted
f a c t , bu t in many p l a c e s , a s w e l l a s i n Derbyshire, i t s
e f f e c t s
a s
a n
improver
of t h e .
s o i l ' become
extremely
problematic.
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7/26/2019 General View of the Agriculture of the County of Derby - Thomas Brown
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Myown
op i n i on
h a s always been, that in f l a t meadow grounds,'
where a
r u n n i n g
s t re a m
i s
applied,
in
process o f
t i m e i t ch a n ge s
t h e n a t u r e
of
the
grasses,
substituting
the
coarser s o r t s . The s i -
t u a t i on where th e most benefit may be expected, i s the declivity
of a
h i l l ,
w h e r e a s m al l q u a nt i t y o f wa te r may be diverted over a
g r e a t surface,
and
readily t a k e n
o f f ;
more especially where
the
wa te r i s i m p r e g n a t e d wit h t he d ra in in gs o f a t own , v i l l a g e , o r
e ve n
farm-yard. Rapid w as h i n gs wi t h clear water, w i l l certainly
f i l l th e pores
o f
the
earth wi t h m oi st u re ;
bu t I find some d i f f i
culty in believing t ha t t he surface o f t h e meadow s c ou r ed w it h a
clear
rapid
stream,
c an a dd
to
t he staple,
o r i m p r o v e the
s o i l
as
a
manure
deposite
s e e m s the
more likely
method to
i m p r o v e
i
and
I am sure that wh e re ve r t he s ma ll deposite o f a c l ea r r iv e r i s o f
a chalybeate nature, t h e growth o f t he plants
gains
nothing'
by
t h e ba r ga i n .
Per h ap s
i t
i s
owing
to
t h i s
that
the
f i n e r
grasses,
whose roots spread nearer
the
surface,
ore
obliged to give way to
t h e coarser
s o r t s ,
whose roots
r u n n i n g deeper
in t he earth,
escape
t h e
poison, and
g a i n an
a s c e n d a n c y
ov e r
those
t ha t a re more
i r a *
mediately expo se d to i t s influence.
That a
considerable
part o f D erby s h ir e may be watered, i s true,
bu t I s h o uld
s t rongly recommend the ex a m i n a ti o n
o f
t he
n a t u re
o f the
water,
before
i t
be a t t emp t ed
on
a large s c a l e .
THEGRAINS PRINCIPALLY
CULTI
VATED.
By
reference to
t he rotation
o f crops, m e n t i o n e d
under th e
head,How the Lund ' e mplo ye d. *
w i l l
appear, that in t he dis
t r i c t d e n o m i n a t e d Fertile,
wheat,
barley,
oats,
a n d beans, are t h e
sorts
o f g r a i n principally
cultivated
n
the
Low
Pe a k, barley,
pease,
oatsnd in th e High Pe a k, chiefly oats. In a l l o f these,
h ow ev er ,
mixtures
o f
o th er s a re
also
t r i e d . We
discover vetches,
l e n t i l s , potatoes, and cabbages. At Br et by , t he g a r d e n s which
formerly
po ure d
on th e tables
of
their i l l u s t r i o u s possessors a l l
t o t
Da
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[28]
profusion w h i c h
the s o i l
a n d
climate
wer e capable of pro d uci n g,
are now e mplo ye d i n raising t he s ee d
o f
cabbages
; a
s o r t
(o f t h e
York species) that
has
been cultivated there with
great
success
fo r
many
years, a n d i s r ema r k abl e fo r i t s size a n d durability in
t h e
winter.
Potatoes being
more
e m i n e n tly a Lancashire produce, i t might
be deemed tau tology to say a n y t h i n g here o f t h eir c u l tiv a tion : I
s h a l l
only
m e n t i o n i h e m , i n order to give
room fo r
m a rgi n a l ob
servations, i f
a n y
i m p r o v e m e n t s h a v e oc c u r r e d to a n y of my
readers
i n the c o u n t y of
De rby.
Bu t
finding
in Chesterfield, and
some o f the
ad joining
parishes,
particularly in that
o f North
Wingfield, i n that d i s t r i c t w h i c h I
d e n o m i n a t e
the Low Pea k ,
many acres planted with
Chamomile,
a n d conceiving i t
not usually cultivated a s a
fieH
crop,
I
shall
begin with
observing,
that
a
loamy
s o i l
i s c h o
sen fo r t h i s purpo se that after the ground i s
well
prepared by
t h o r o u g h cleanings (w h ic h h o w e v e r i s n ot always practised),
ab ou t the
e n d
o f March, the roots o f a n old plantation are t a k e n
u p,
and
divided into small s l i p s , which are planted i n r ows ab ou t
eighteen inch* as under, a n d ab ou t the same distance i n t he rows.
The plants are kept clean by frequent
h o e i n g a n d
w e e d i n g wit h
t he h a n d .
In September, the flowers are f i t to gather;
their
pe r
fection
d e p e n d s upon
their being fully b lo wn , w it h o ut h a v i n g
s tood so long a s t o l os e t he ir
whiteness
; t h e f lo we r in g continues
t i l l
stopped by
the f r o s t s . The gatherings
are repeated a s
often
as
a s u cc es s io n
of
flowers
appears
; t h i s
d ep end s
very
much
upon
t h e
season,
d ry
years furnishing m o r e , a nd we t o r dull w e at h e r f e we r
successions of flowers. When g at he r ed , t h ey are carefully dried,
either i n kilns very m o de r a te ly heated, o r
on
the f l o o r s o f
bo ar d e d r o om s, heated
by
slow f i r e s ; the object
i s
to k e e p th e
flowers white a n d
who le
;
and
t h i s i s
d o n e
only
by
d ryi n g
them
as
slowly
a s pos s ibl e. The
pr od u c e
varies from t wo h u nd r ed weight,
o r e ve n l e s s , to
four,
f i v e , a n d
i n some
( t h o u g h as
I h a v e learned
bu t in
few instances)
to s i x h u n d r e d weig h t pe r acre:
th e
price
has a l s o varied from
40s.
to 7
pe r cwt.
From the
best
a c c ou n t s
I
have
been
able
to obtain, four
cwt.
a t
4
pe r cwt. may be con.
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09]
sidered
a s
the
a v e r a g e
pr od u c e a n d
p r i c e . The plants
usually
stand three years, of which the f i r s t
affords
the smallest, a n d t h e
se co n d the best a n d greatest produce. Sometimes
the
same plants
are
continued
beyo n d
three years,
bu t
the
g r o u n d
gets
f o u l , and
th e flowers ar e
weak
and
bad. The flowers
when dried
are packed
in bags, and
bought
up by
persons
in
the
n e i g h b o u r h o o d
;
by
whom t h ey
are
sold principally to
the
dr uggists i n London.
Some persons h a ve u sed them i n brewing, a s a succedancum fo r
h op s ;
a n d o th e rs c on t ri ve to
mix them with
hops. I
am
i nfo rm
ed they w i l l n ot a ns w er the
Qnd,
a n d that fe w people
a ppro ve
th e
t a s t e , e v e n when
mixed .
From the
information
given m e , I appre
h e n d
that a bo ut
t wo
hundred
acres
of land here
are
employed in
the
cultivation
of
t h i s
plant.
Fallowing. From what
has been s a i d ,
the Boa r d w i l l
pe r
ceive
t h at f al l owi n g
i s
practised
in
Derbyshire,
a n d
I
am
proud
to ad d , by the very
best
practical
farmers. Green crops, s u c h
as
v e tc h es , c lo ve r , cabbages, coleseed, a n d turnips a i e ,
no
doubt,
substituted,
with additional ploughings, i n
l i e u o f f al lows i n
many
parts o f the kingdom, particularly in the n e i g h b o u r h o o d o f great
towns, post roads, or wh e re ve r what I
c a l l
foreign
manures
( such
a s are br ou g h t i nt o a fa rm over a n d above that whi ch annually r enew s
from
the
pro d uce) ar e
procured;
ye t even i n t h i s
situation
land may
be over c r opped a n d rendered unfruitful, fo r
want
o f clean f a l
lowing a n d r e s t . Although
t h i s
may
no t appear a t f i r s t sight,
ye t
so fa r a s my experience
goes, sooner
or l a t e r
the
land
w i l l
be
r e d u c e d to that
s t a t e
of
we a kn e s s
a n d imbecility, in whi ch no
manure,
no has ty stimulus, or
drunken
dressing,
n o r
gre e n
crop,
w i l l
enable i t
t o sustain a n d perfect a beneficial
c r op
o f grain. Ma
n u r e a n d gre e n
crops,
i t i s t r u e , w i l l pr od u c e a
c r op
o f straw, bu t
fo r
want
of
that
v e ge t a bl e a l ime n t , which c a n only be restored by
fallowing
a n d r e s t , the crop of grain w i l l
ever
f a l l short o f
that
farina,
which i s the l i f e and soul of a l l white crops. I
am
aware
that the advocates fo r exploding fallows w i l l say,
why
d o
you.
dress y ou r
land
so much
;
you
must
crop k
oftener,
fo r the
land
i s
too
rank.
F ol l ow
their notion,
and
yo u
will
find y o u r
sys te m
of h u s b a n d r y reduced. to s u c h a
narjow.
b a s i s , be t we e n w ee d s a n d
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[30]
s tr aw, t ha t f i f t y to
o n e
th e
c r op
will
f e l l
a s a c r i f i c e t o the o n e
o r
t h e o t h e r ;
i f
i t h a s the
good
fortune
to
escape the calamity
o f
being
l a i d ,
from t he happy
c ir c um st a nc e o f a
d r y
season,
i t
t h e n
h as
to
struggle
with
the
c h a n c e o f be in g o ve r- ru n wi th
s u c h
we e d s
a s
are n o t c h e c k e d
by d r o u g h t ,
and
frequently,
instead
of
a cr op of wheat, you r e ap wi ld oats. I know
some
land whose
management
i s within my own observation, and
that
fo r t h e
l a s t
z o
years
ha s
n o t
been rested more t h a n o n e year a t a time, un
d er clover, a n d never
experienced
a clean summer fallow ; t he
land i n
my
eye
wa s
l a s t year
sown
with
wheat, after
a very abun
d a n t
c r op
o f vetches
mown g r e e n fo r
horses.
The c r op at t h i s
t i m e i s
i n
sw a r t h s
fo r hay, fo r instead o f a c r op of w he a t , there
i s four to o n e wild oats ; a n d ye t together
the
wh ea t and wild oats
are s u f f i c i e n t l y p r o l i f i c t o y ie ld after t h e
rate
o f two truss bound
load
o f
h a y to
an
acre.
So rooted,
h ow e v e r , i s t he occupier
o f
t h i s
land
(who
by
the
by
i s
also th e
owner
) .
i n
hi s
a ve rs io n t o clean
fallows and r e s t , that h e i s n ot to be pe r s u a d e d from i m m e d i a t e l y
s o w i n g i t
with
turnips,
and
next spring, i f
th e
turnips are
good
and ea t off in time, in a l l probability w i l l again sow i t with
wheat,
c on fi de nt t ha t i t i s so f u l l o f dressing, i t wa n ts n o t h i n g bu t
cropping.
In t h e poorer s o i l s , i t i s extremely d i f f i c u l t ( a n d c o n s e q u e n t l y
very ra re) to bring them into t h i s state o f imbecility ; bu t in
lands by natu re p r o l i f i c I am pe r s u a d e d i t will h a ppe n . And
t u r n i n g o u r
eye
to the
most p r o l i f i c s o i l s
o f eastern
countries,
e v e n t h e land o f J u d e a ,
when
i t s cultivation wa s in
the greatest
perfection,
the
legislator
commanded
th e
husbandman
to
c a u s e
the
land to
enjoy
i t s sabbaths.
IMPLEMENTS IN HUSBANDRY.
Ploughs*Ofh i s i n s t r u m e n t in De rbysh i re t h ey u s e seve
r a l
s o r t s ; the d o u bl e p lo u g h , mounted
on
wheels,
p e r f o r m i n g
two
furrows at once, drawn by three, four, and s o m e t i m e s f i v e o r s i x
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horses
at le n gt h in
t he fu rr ow.his i n s t r u m e n t ,
when well
made, per for ms very
well, bu t
wh e re ve r i t requires four o r
more
horses, a n d a driver, the only a d v a n t a g e I discovered wa s to th e
ploughman, fo r
i n
p l o u g h i n g
two acres,
h e wa lks o n ly
that
length
o f ground which the ploughman,
with
t he single plo ugh , does in
p l o u g h i n g
o n e acre. When I s a w i t s per for ma nc e with four
horses
and t wo men,
and viewed the
n a t u r e
o f t h e soU, I
wa s
s t r uck with
the idea,
that
two o f the Nor fol k wheel-ploughs, two
horses,
a n d with o u t a driver, would per for m more
work with
t h e
same powers, a n d more ease to th e horses; and I
believe
most o f
t h e
farmers that
us e t h i s plo ugh
w i l l
admit,
that
two plo ugh s ,
with two horses in a plo ugh , w i l l per for m
more
labour,
a n d with
more
ease
t o t he horses, t h a n
four
horses i n o n e o f these plo ugh s.
But t h e y
say, that fo r t wo ploughs,
two
drivers are
requisite,
a n d
here
they
do
with
o n e ;
the
a d v a n t a g e
i s
gained,
a n d
the
d i s
a d v a n t a g e
vanishes
w h e n e v e r t h ey may a d opt
the
Nor fol k
p l ou g h ,
and
manner
of plo ugh i n g.he single pio ugh ,
with
two wheels,
i s u s e d here; i s
well
m ad e, a nd pe rfo rm s the operaition well:
t h e y
make them s t i l l
l i g h t e r ,
with only
o n e
wh e e l :
u t
the plough
most commonly in use, i s that of
which
I am favoured wit h t h e
d r a w i n g
(Fig.
I . ) ,
sent to me
by the l i b e r a l i t y
o f Mr. R oc , t h e
d r aw ing - ma s t er o f t he pu bli c sch ool at R ep t on, bein g the pe r
f o r m a n c e
of o n e o f hi s
pupils
in
t h a t f a m o u s
s e m in a r y o f learning.
h i s simple i n s t r um e n t i s e a s i l y procured, and in most cases
performs
very
well. But I ca n n o t
help
suggesting, that wh er ev er
t h i s i n s t r um e n t will
per for m with two horses
and a d ri ve r, I
t h i n k
th e Nor fol k plough
would
p e r f o r m
equally
well, a n d save t he
ex.
pe nc e o f a boy.
HarrowsThey h a ve t h e common light h a r r ow s , made
lighter
o r heavier
a cco r di n g
to
the n a t u r e o f the s o i l , and
g e n e
rally
co uple d
together,
e a ch hor se
d r a w i n g his
own h a r r o w
in
t h e
u s u a l
way ;
bu t in
th e Peak I s a w
a practice o f d r a w i n g two h a r
r o ws
with
two
horses
a t length,
and
the
man
leading the
fore
most
he a wk wa r dn e ss a n d
absurdity
of t h i s
practice,
even t h e
man h i m s e l f
readily
owned
;
bu t
added/
i t i s , what we
a r e
u s e to. . . .
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[-]
C a rt s and Waggons, on
the common
Construction,
ar e
in
u s e a l l over the c ou n t yn the m o u n t a i n o u s part, they h a ve a
light l i t t l e c a r t , drawn by o n e horse ; and h e r e we plainly d is c o
ve r the a d v a n t a g e o f small c a r t s , wh er e o ne man go i n g to the coal
pits with
four,
f i v e ,
and perhaps
seven
o r eight of
these l i t t l e
carts, a n d
o n e
h o r s e
to
each, w i l l certainly bring away more
weight, with l e s s
f r i c t i o n ,
a n d
more
f a c i l i t y , t h a n
the
same num
ber of horses could
draw
in o n e waggon. During my Tour, I
d id n ot discover a n y i n s t r u m e n t that i s no t commonh e cradle
scythe u sed in He rtf ordshi re , o f which I h a v e g i v e n d r aw i n g s
(Fig.
II.),
I t h i n k
would be a n
acquisition
to many farmers
in
Derbyshire. The cradle costs two s h i l l i n g s , and may
be
mounted on
the gra scythe which i s in
common
u s e
in
the
c o u n t y of D erby.
OF
HORSES
AND
OXEN.
The dairy farmers
s e l d o m
pl ou g h much, a n d consequently h a v e
l e s s t o
do
with either horses or oxen ; bu t e v e n the dairy farmer,
that i s alternately br e a k i n g up a n d laying down
h i s
a r t i f i c i a l pa s
tures, a n d
i m p r o v i n g
h i s farm,
finds considerable employment
fo r d r a u g h t
e a t t l e .
This in
Derbyshire, as
I
h a ve already
ob
served, i s performed, I believe,
entirely with horses;
fo r 1
d o no t
recollect
to h a v e
seen
or
h e a r d
o f
a n y t e a m s
o f
ox e n u s e d
by
farmers
h e i r bro o d
m a r e s ,
o f t h e d r a u g h t
kind,
f o r m their
t e a m s ;
a n d
in a dairy country, I am persuaded,
are
well
calculated
to breed
t h e s t r o n g
d r a u g h t
gelding,
so much
wanted
in every
part
o f
t h e kingdom. Suppose
t he
work
of a
fa rm s u f f i c i e n t
to
emplsy
four
horses ; instead of four,
the dairy
farmer
keeps
eight,
and wor k s them alternately : hi s eight m a r e s , l o d g e d continually
in
hi s
pastures
a n d
yards, with very
l i t t l e corn, w i l l
d o the work
. o f four horses, or o f s i x bullocks, a n d rear him f i v e or s i x c o l t s ;
these c o l t s , - a t 1 2 months old, ar e sold from 1 2 t o 18 .pounds
e a c h; i f so , t h i s nearly r e pa ys t h e expe n ce of ke epin g
the
beasts
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