MEMOIR OF JOHN OF JOHN HUDSON, ESQ., OF CASTLEACRE, IN THE COUNTY OF NORFOLK, MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL OF THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY, &c., &c. Is not the field, with lively culture green, A joyous sight more than the dull morass ? Do not the skies, with active ether clean, And fanned by sprightly zephyrs, far surpass The foul November-fogs and slumberous mass With which sad nature veils her drooping face? Had unambitious mortals minded nought But in loose joy their time to wear away; graze and ruminate in the glorious green of the most fertile pastures. With these feelings we commence a hurried sketch of the subject of our memoir; but before we do so, we may remark on some antecedent and collateral circumstances connected with his useful, peaceful, valuable, and most successful career. It is well known to many an octogenarian, if not sexagenarian, that a great part of the eastern district of England was partly swamp and partly a blowing sand, with here and there patches of cultivation, like Oases in a desert, where little was heard but the wild sea-bird's cries, or felt save the oft-returning alternations of the ague, burning or freezing its unfortunate victims. What are those parts of Norfolk, the Isle of Ely, the "Washes," and the fens of Lincolnshire, now? change? Whence the wondrous One man stood forth, not of brilliant genius, not lynx-eyed discoverer of the secrets of nature or art, not supported and assisted by the power or the fashion of the world, not It is exceedingly pleasing, amidst the glare and glitter of a London season, the excitement of an expiring parliament, the hurryings to and fro of candidates for a new one, the revolutions of ministries and almost of dynasties, and all the other stirring topics that occupy the journals of the day, to turn to "green pastures and to still waters," to mark the peaceful and the permanent triumphs of agri-a cultural science and industry, to point to those Friends of their country and their species who are making two blades of grass to grow where one "Hung round with ribands, or stuck o'er with stars;" alone grew before, converting sterile lands into but alone; simple, unassisted, yet earnest; deterwavy and golden harvest-fields, and where the frog mined, benevolent, and, above all, just; who, croaked and the bittern shrieked in the days of having for his motto the golden maxim of landlord their fathers, to behold the fat and sleek cattle and tenant, "Live, and let live," led the farmers, OLD SERIES.] [No. 1.-VOL. XXVII. A whom God had given him as his natural followed his footsteps-sed longo intervallo—in the lowers and allies, to make Norfolk the garden of England and the admiration of Europe. That man was Thomas William Coke-a name honoured by tenant-farmers above all other names long before a patent of peerage was annexed to it. Under the precepts and the protection of this excellent man, who united in himself the justice of Aristides, the courage of Cato, and the tastes and pursuits of Cincinnatus; and of whom it was once triumphantly asked, in reference to Walpole's libel upon all public representatives, "What is his price?" under this man John Hudson commenced, and for many years carried on his practical and improving farming, until it has reached that point of excellence which commands the respect and admiration of the whole agricultural community. Mr. Hudson was born at the village of Grinston, near Lynn Regis, in the county of Norfolk, on the 14th of June, 1794; and is accordingly just entered upon his fifty-fourth year. After finishing his education at Lynn in 1809, he began to acquire some knowledge of farming by going through the practical part of it under the tuition of his father, who, the previous year, had taken a farm of light land, called "Walton field," at East Walton, near West Acre, belonging to the late Anthony Hammond, Esq., which farm he continued to occupy for fourteen years. As illustrative of our previous observations on the then unfertile state of Norfolk, it may be remarked that for the first two years Mr. Hudson senior, cultivated this farm, so poor and barren was the land that the produce of wheat sold from it did not in either of those years exceed fifty quarters. Such was the ordinary state of a great part of Norfolk when the truly noble Coke began to shed the light of his countenance and give the force of his example to a better system of cultivation. The annual meetings at Holkham called "The Holkham Sheep shearings," had commenced, when a princely mansion had its hospitable doors opened to all comers, both British and foreign, interested in agriculture, for three days in succession. Mr. Coke had commenced his encouragement to tenant farmers by granting leases of twenty-one years, building for them good houses, out-houses, and other appropriate premises, and offering them rewards for agricultural improvements, both in the breeding of stock and the better cultivation of their farms. In fact, alone and unassisted, this prince of landlords commenced and carried out in Norfolk what the Royal Agricultural Society is attempting to do throughout the whole kingdom-the improvement of practical agriculture. Another good landlord, the late Christian Curwen, M.P., a warm friend and pupil of Mr. Coke, fol county of Cumberland; and instituted the Holm Cultram Agricultural Meeting, in imitation of that of Holkham, but greatly inferior in extent and magnificence. Let it be hoped that many more individual landlords, stimulated by the great success of the system, if not by higher and worthier motives, will "go and do likewise;" and thus prove that they understand the true principles of "protection to agriculture," by being fathers to their tenants, and the best friends, because the greatest producers, to their country! Mr. Hudson and his father constantly attended the Holkham reunions, and profited well and largely by what they saw and heard. They zealously and perseveringly put in practice all those improvements they considered adapted for the farm they then cultivated; and in a few years "Waltonfield," which had been little better than a rabbit warren, produced a large and rapidly increasing quantity of wheat; so that the original fifty quarters in the first two years of the lease were succeeded in the last four by an average of 600 quarters, with a proportionate increase in the number of stock kept upon the farm. In the year 1820 Mr. Hudson married the only daughter of Mr. Thomas Moore, of Warham, near Holkham-a highly esteemed tenant of Mr. Coke. In 1822, when many farms changed occupiers, Mr. Coke offered to Mr. Hudson the farm of Castle Acre, which he still occupies; and the same year Mr. Hudson, sen., hired the one adjoining, called "The Village Farm." In 1834 advancing years incapacitated the old gentleman from those active exertions in which he had long delighted, and induced him to surrender "The Village Farin" to his son, since which both farms have been united; and to give our readers some idea, though a very inadequate one, of the mode and success of Mr. Hudson's system of cultivation and carrying on farming business, we shall present them with the following extract from a Treatise "On the Agriculture of Norfolk," by Baruch Almack, Esq., published in the Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society, vol. v. part ii. Mr. Almack says: "The farmer whom I shall select is Mr. John Hudson, of Castle Acre, one of the principal tenants of the Earl of Leicester. Mr. Hudson names as his model or "tutor" in agriculture the justlycelebrated Mr. Blakie, late agent at Holkham; and I could not avoid observing that many others of the best farmers of the district are doing precisely as that gentleman recommends in his publications. The two farms at Castle Acre occupied by Mr. Hudson contain about 1,500 acres, the soil being a "sandy loam on clay or chalk." He also has a farm of low land, at Seech, near Lynn, about 200 And, as there is no instance of more being used at one time for common ploughing in any part of Norfolk, I shall not think it necessary to state the number used in any other ploughing herein described. acres. When he first took the land at Castle Acre, | case done during September or the first half of Ocin 1822, he only kept about 30 head of cattle and tober. If no such opportunity offers, these will not 800 sheep: he now grazes "about 200 beasts, and be performed; but the whole of the land will be from 2,500 to 3,000 sheep annually." He has prepared for turnips in the following manner :doubled the produce of barley, and nearly doubled Ploughing five inches deep (or as deep as may be the produce of wheat. To account for this change, without turning up dead soil) with Ransome's he uses yearly about 100 tons of rapecake and wheel-plough, drawn by two horses or oxen. bones for manure, and about 200 tons of linseedcake for fattening cattle and sheep; the whole of the land has been clayed or marled, and, where necessary, drained. Here, as on most other large farms in West Norfolk, a bailiff is engaged for each farm, to superintend the different operations. Now, Mr. Hudson objects to cross ploughing each let us suppose that these have received Mr. Hud-time, because it cuts the land into diamonds, and son's instructions, and commence operations, and renders it unlevel; he therefore always ploughs it that the farmers of Norfolk generally are aware of twice in succession in the same direction-that is, what is going on, and give their opinions occasion- if he has turned it out from a furrow, he turns it in ally (neighbours and others sometimes will) as to the next time. In districts where fallows are the policy of the modes adopted in the particular ploughed in very wide pieces this objection to cross situation; also how and when they ought to be va- ploughing each time does not apply so strongly; ried under different circumstances. but, as Mr. Hudson's are only 20 yards wide, it is These latter I shall insert as seems convenient in his case well founded. and necessary. Ploughing the same depth as before, and in the Mr. Hudson's Course at Castle Acre (or the Com- same direction or otherwise, as may be consistent mon Four-course Shift). 1. Turnips; 2. Barley; 3. Clover; 4. Wheat. Preparing Land for Turnips, Mangold, &c. FIRST YEAR. Immediately after harvest, if the weather is too dry to plough clover layers for wheat, it will be particularly well adapted for the work of clearing and preparing part of the land for turnips next season; thus with the above rule. This may probably be done in February if the first ploughing was performed early; but that ploughed for the first time in December will not be ready before the end of March or beginning of April. Scarifying with Blakie's grubber or Biddle's scarifier. He considers some scarifiers* to be good harrows, but bad ploughs, and therefore ploughs oftener than some of his neighbours. Well harrowing with heavy harrows (two drawn by three horses). Ditto, occasionally afterwards, to destroy the annual weeds, &c. Rolled as occasion may require. Any rubbish which the land contains may now be supposed to have come to the surface, and is picked off by hand for 6d. per acre; it formerly cost 20s. A "clean earth" (the third ploughing), called the "stirring earth." Harrowed with the three-horse harrows, followed by the light ones as before, and rolled if necessary. This supposed to be about the end of April or beginning of May. Mr. Hudson prefers ridging to flat work on such soil as that at Castle Acre. He thinks the land more certain of bearing a crop if ploughed about ten days before sowing, in doing which his aim is to leave the soil light, and as finely pulverized as possible.† By skeleton-ploughing the wheat stubbles about three to four inches deep, all the soil is cut, but not turned over; therefore, the stubble, &c., will be left on the surface. This is done by Ransome's Suffolk plough, without its "plat,' or mouldboard. Scarifying across with Blakie's grubber, or some similar instrument, usually drawn by two or by three horses; well harrowing with heavy harrows, two of them being fastened together when at work, and drawn by three horses. They are considered at least twice as effectual at this stage as those which could be drawn by one horse each, and therefore the work progresses more rapidly by the use of them. Harrowing afterwards with lighter harrows, two horses drawing a gang of three. In performing this operation it is usual to drive the horses much more rapidly, by which each harrowing becomes more effectual than it otherwise would *During the last spring and summer I have be. The stubble, &c., raked into rows, carted into used Biddle's improved scarifiers to great advana heap, and afterwards carted into the yards, as tage, and certainly saved a ploughing by using opportunity offers, that it may be used for litter in them for barley, as well as for turnips.-J. HUDwinter it is never burnt. SON. †The strong land on Mr. Overman's farm at These operations only apply to that part of the Weasenham is thus prepared for turnips: In Noshift which there is time to get through during vember ploughed deeply, the ploughs having such a period of dry weather as prevents any more "short plats" (or mould-boards), that the land may valuable work being attended to, and are in that be more exposed to frost; in the spring scarified |