Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 1.djvu/899

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attended with whirlwinds and Hurricanes, which will raife up the water of fome lakes in form of a thick pillar up to the cloud, and carrying on before the wind this vaft body of water, will fometimes fall in other places on dry land, and drown the houfes and gardens where it chances to fall.

HURST, or HYRST, in our old writers, denotes a wood or grove of trees.- Hence fuch places as have this word for part of their names, have been iituate near a wood. In Kent, RufTex, and Hampfhire, there are many fuch, becaufe for- merly the great wood called Andrefwald, extended itfelf thro 1 thefe counties.

HUSBAND (Cyd.)— Husband- W, a term ufed in Scotland for a portion of land containing fix acres of fock and fcythe land; that is, of land that may be tilled with a plough, and mowen with a fcythe. Tr. Pra£t. Geom. p. 86.

HUSBANDRY. The new method of Hufiandry, called by Tull the horfehoeing Hufiandry, has many evident advantages over the other, or old way ; but the difference between them in regard to the former, is belt explained by a fair compa- lifon. In order to do this juftly, there are four things to be carefully confidered : i, The expence of a crop. 2. The good- nefs of the crop, 3. The certainty of it. And, 4. The con- dition in which the land is left after the crop. The profit or lofs arifmg from land, is not to be computed only from the value of the crop it produces, but from its value after all expences of feed, tillage, <3*c, are deducted. Thus when an acre of land produces a crop worth four pounds, and the ex- pences of it amount to five pounds, the lofs of the farmer is one pound upon it ; whereas, when as much land produces a crop only of the value of thirty fliillings, and the expences are only ten fliillings, the owner receives one pound advantage. The common expence of an acre of fowed wheat, in the ufual way, is four pounds ten millings, and the common ex- pence of an acre of wheat, in the horfe-hoeing Hufiandry, is only ten {hillings, including all the expences that can attend it. Thus this method of Hufiandry is but a ninth part of the charge of the common way ; and as no fheep are required, as there are in the other way, the lefs ftock will do to begin with. The goodnefs of a crop confifts in the quality of it as well as in the quantity, and wheat being the molt ufeful of all grain, a crop of this is more valuable than a crop of any other corn. Add to this, that a crop of hoed wheat has always larger ears, and a fuller body, than a crop when fown in the common way. More wheat may alfo be obtained this way than any other, becaufe the fame land will thus produce crops every year ; and even the land which has been exhauifed by the common Hufiandry, will produce wheat in plenty this way, without fallowing or dunging, both which would otherwife be neceffary. So that, in many places, this Bujbandry can raife ten acres of wheat for one that the old way could pro- duce, becaufe where land is poor, they fow but a tenth part of it in wheat. Tu/i's Horfe-hoeing Hufbandry, p. 124. The largeft produce of an acre of wheat land, fo far as has yet been experienced, feems to be ten quarters, or eighty bufhels to an acre. This is lefs indeed than the produce of an acre in the common way, according to Houghton's com- putation ; but to compare the different profits to the farmer, we proceed thus : The rent and expences of a drilled acre be- ing one pound, and that of a fowed acre in the common way being five pounds, one quarter of corn produced by the dril- led, bears an equal proportion to one pound in profit, as five quarters produced in the common way do to five pounds. As fuppofe it to be of wheat at two millings and fix-pence abufhel, rher^ is neither gain nor lofs in the one nor the other acre, tho* the drilled produce only one quarter, and the other five quar- ters.

But if the drilled acre yield two quarters, and the fown acre yield only four quarters at the fame price, the drilled acre brings the farmer one pound profit, while the other has one pound lots. Likewife fuppofe the drilling farmer to have his five pounds laid out in five acres of wheat, and the other to have his five pounds laid out in one dunged acre, then let the price be what it will for the wheat, if the five acres have an equal crop to the one acre, the gain and lofs muft be equal. But if the price of wheat be at two (hillings and fix-pence, the farmer in the common way, if he have five quarters on his acre, mult fell it all to pay his rent ; whereas if he who drills the land have five quarters on each acre, the produce of one acre will pay for all five. Or fuppofe a drilled acre to produce no

more than one third of the fown acre, which is ratine it

very

. low indeed, the expence of the fown acre being five tin much as that of the drilled one, it is much more profitabli to the owner to have the drilled acre; becaufe a third part of five pound is one pound thirteen and four-pjnee, and a fifth of the rent and expence, which is all his charge, being only one pound, fuch a drilled acts brings the owner thirteen and four-pence profit more than the fown acre, tho* that brings three times as great a crop. Id. ibid. p. 130. The certainty of a crop is greater this way than in the old way of fowingi for molt of the accidents attending wheat crop?, are owing to their being late fown, which is neceffary to the farmer in the old way ; but in the horfe-hoeing method the farmer may plough two furrows whereon the next crop is to ftand, immediately after the firft crop is off. In this Suppt. Voj.. I,

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manner of Hufiandry the land may be ploughed dry and dril- led wet, without any inconvenience ; and the feed is never planted under the furrow, but placed juft at the depth which is moil proper, that is at about two inches, in which cafe it is eafy to preferve it, and there is no danger of burying it. Thus the feed has all the advantage of early Towing, and none of the disadvantages that may attend it in the other way, and the crop is much more certain than by any other means that can be ufed.

The condition in which the land is left after the crop, is no lefs in favour of the horfe-hoeing Hufiandry, than all the other articles. The number of plants is the great principle of the exhaufting of land. In the common Hufiandry, the num- ber is vaftly greater than in the drilling way, and three plants in four often come to nothing, after having exhauiled the ground as much as profitable plants ; and the weeds which live to the time of harveft in the common way, exhauft the land no lefs than fo many plants of corn, often much more. I he horfe-hoeing method deftroys all the weeds in the far greater part of the land, and leaves that part unexhaufted and perfeflly frefh for another crop. The wheat plants being alfo but a third part of the number at the utmoft of thofe in the fowmg way, the land is fo much the lefs exhaufted by them ; and it is very evident from the whole, that it muft be, as ex- perience proves that it is, left in a much better condition after this than after the common Hufiandry.

The farmers who are againft this method, object that it makes the plants too ftrong, and that they are more liable to the blacks, or blights of infefls for that reafon ; but as this allows that the hoeing can, without the life of dun", nive too much nouriihmem, it is very plain that it can give chough ; and it is the farmer's fault if he do not proportion his pains lb as to have the advantage of the nourifhment without the dif- advantages. It is alfo objeaed, that as hoeing can make poor land rich enough to bear good crops of wheat, it may make good land too rich for it. But if this fhould happen, the lowing of wheat on it may be let alone a while, and in the place of it the farmer may have a crop of turneps, carrots, cabbages, and the like, which are excellent food for cattle, and cannot be over-nourifhed : Or if this is not chofen, the land, when thus made too rich, may foon be fufficiently impoverifhed by fowing corn upon it in the common old way. See Hoeing.

Vhgilian Husbandry, a term ufed by authors to exprefs that fort of Hufiandry, the precepts of which are fo beautifully delivered in Virgil's georgics. The Hufiandry in England is uirgihan in general, as is feen by the method of paring and burning the furface, of raftering or crofs-plowing, and of the care in deftroying weeds upon the fame principle, and by much the lame means. In thofe parts of England along the fouthern coalt, where the Romans principally inhabited, not only the pradice, but the expreflions are in many refpects the fame with thofe of the antient Romans, many of the terms ufed by the plowmen being of Latin origin, and the fame with thofe ufed by thofe people on the like occafions. And on a ftria obfervation, more of Virgil's Hufiandry is at this time pradifed in England than in Italy itfelf. This change in the Italian Hufiandry, is, however, much more to the credit of that people, than the retaining the virgilian fcheme is to ours.

Tull, who has eftablifhed a new method of Hufiandry, ob- ferves, that it is upon the whole fo comradiaory to this old plan, that it may be called the anthirgilian Hufiandry ; and adds, that no praaicc can be worfe than the virgilian.

Antivirgittan Husbandry, a term ufed by Mr. Tull to ex- prefs a new fyftem of Hufiandry which he has introduced, founded upon principles fo different; from the common Hufiandry of England, which in general is the fame with that delivered in Virgil, that it deferves this contrary title. See the articles Hoeing and Husbandry, fupra.

HUSBRECE, in our old writers, an offence now called Bur- glary. See Bur clary, Cyd.

The word is Saxon from hus, a houfe ; and irice, a breaking. Blount, in voc.

HUSCANS, in our old writers, a fort of boot or bufkin made of coarfe cloth, and worn over the ftockings : We find them mentioned in the btat. 4 Edw. 4. c. 7. Blount.

HUSGABLE, Hufgablum, in our old writers, denotes houfe- rents, or fome tax or tribute laid upon houfes. Blount.

HUbKS (Cyd.)— The Hufis or cup of the flowers of plants are not fo much regarded with a view to their medicinal virtues as they deferve. Petiver, in the Philofophical Traniafiions, fpeaking of the virtues of the verticellate clafs of plants, among which are included the fage, rofemary, and the like, obferves that it is an erroneous, though general opinion, that the flow- ers of thefe plants contain their principal virtues, for that the Hufis are the part in which this is lodged. For inftance in the rofemary, the fine fcent of the Hungary-water is not in the flowers, but Hufis ; and the flowers alone, when clean pick'd from them, yield very little odour. The cups in this and other plants of the fame clafs, is the only part in which their vifcous and fulphureous qualities are lodged, and that fome- thing of this kind is depofited particularly there, may be per- ceived by the touch and fmell ; for they appear moift, and

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