Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1860-05-19
THE GAZETTE.
Ancient ana Modem PcoductiVe,ses5 OF Land.

Ancient ana Modem PcoductiVeHes5 Of Land.
One Of the mist interesting and important
questions for the p '!iEca economist - settle,
i how our skill III Agriculture has improved
the productiveneSs of the land in proportion
to the labor bestowed upon it. Caesar tells
us that. in his day, the northern British
tribes never SUwed their lands, but, like our
Indians, lived on the chase. They kept
cows, (the Short-horn Durham, then as now
probably being u tavorlte. In the South OF
England. however, lands were better cuti-
waited, and even quite well MANFRED Inc
use ut mari was well known to them ana used
with great discr. mlnatlsn. They used the
pough and the fail, and stored their wheat
in circular sutterrancan chambers. The re-
mains of some of these have been discovered
in this century. The Romans no doubt did
something 10 develop the agriculture OF Bri-
tain, although they had first sought the Brl-
fish Isle for its commerce in tin, and then
sought to reduce it hv their armies; and SIl-
d!erS are seldom good farmers
Daring the Anglo-Saxon period, great at
ientiOn was paid 70 agriculture, and the toun-
datiun OF that taste laid which has since made
the English the best farmers in the world
for improving their lands. In the time OF
Ethelbert working man or slave was sold
Tor from eight to fourteen dollars, n horse FOR
two-thirGs that amount and Il COW for about
dollar and a half, pig for halt dollar,
and a sheep for quarter
After the SaxvnS had settled down, great
care was taken OF weed land. Arabic land
wa, enclosed with fences and gates. But
,hree parts cut of four Of the land seem to
E.a aal t,,vn I'm
this in common An acre Of land would
sometimes be sold for the price of four sheep.
But vet it has been calculated that, A. ID. 700,
twelve hundred acres would rent for what is
equivalent TO $500 and that the whole pro-
Guce of such Il farm would be about ten
1ines that amount. or $4,000; equal to 81
per acre.
In those DAYS, while the farmers Jared
we'll, the Seris or laborers were about as poor
" treated as slaves Onc-titih even OF the
cattle are supposed to have died Of starvation
during the winter if severe. Still ali sorts
of good eating known now were always
beautifully exhibited on the table at the nan
or-houSe. As commerce advanced, the price
of sheep rose on account of the wool; SO that,
On an average they wonld bring Il dollar;
out at come seasons of the year twenty-five
cents was considered an ample price. Mauur
ing was carried on, and pluughng with four
oxen. The plough stirred up the ground
pretty deep; but no attempt seems to have
been made to turn the clear turrow, upon
which all depends with Us. The SPADE and
the pickaxe, the axe, the scythe, and the tlall
r,ere in common use. Tie sickle was used
iDr reapjng and the pitchiurk more largely
than with US, and they had wagons and carts.
After the time Of the Conquest, the land
',;as more highly MANFRED, breeding horses
ard cattle became Il passion OF the Normans,
and they drained vast extents OF land. The
monks were, however, the most active and
most progressive farmers of this period
Thomas 4. Beckett himself, the Archbishop
of Canterbury, aud the most proud and am
bitiou preiate of all Eng land, would % and
AXE turn in the field at hay-makng time
Or reaping They now plouShed their lands
twice in summer and once in winter, to pre-
pare them for wheat Gardens, orchards,
und vineyards were carefully planted, and
market @nrdei.s at fu!ham and other places
were established. Thus only by SLOW de
yrees and long experiments has faaGia"d
been brought up to its present state OF fer
tiitv More has been done, however, with
m the last fifty years, than in any five mum
dret previously. What the next fifty years
ill bring, who shall tell?-Ledycr.