264 Agricultural Revolutions and Change
Professional surveyors
The professional surveyor also played an important role in the extension of new
technologies. They were farmers employed periodically by landlords to survey ten-
ants’ farms in order to establish the conditions, or covenants, of the lease, calculate
the financial equivalent of improvements made by tenants, and suggest appropri-
ate rents. The method of surveying was ‘to view every piece of the land contained
in each farm’ and record in detail all aspects of farming and land management
(Sayer, 1747; Peak, 1799). Sometimes tenants were found to be in breach of cov-
enants: Arthur Biddell recorded in the 1820s that the ‘cropping of field 11 of Mr.
Fuller’s farm has been contrary to covenants and good husbandry’, and that ‘a large
part of muck which remains on the farm should be laid on Field no 2’ (Biddell,
1828). A valuation by Mr Utton of the estates of Sir Philip Broke said one farm
was capable of considerable improvement as ‘it lies extremely well for getting
manure from Ipswich, but little or no advantage is taken of it’ (Utton, 1848). By
also applying marl and chalk, and adopting the four course system more cereals,
turnips and artificial grasses could be grown, and so more livestock kept: ‘Each
farm could be greatly benefited by carrying more sheep.’ The landlord was recom-
mended to make arrangements to pay back a sum equivalent to those improve-
ments made but not yet benefited from, so giving each tenant every ‘inducement
to ... make all (the manures) he can’ (Utton, 1848).
Sometimes these reports go further and recommend the tenant visit other
farmers to observe the effect of their improvements. Another Suffolk surveyor, Mr
Brolter, having recommended the use of clay, marl and ashes, also noted their use
was common in the neighbourhood and that the farmer should look himself: ‘these
improvements would impart financial benefits, besides it would add to the beauty
of the prospects from the house’ (Brolter, 1790).
Books, magazines and newspapers
The results of many of these surveys were published in books and journals, so giv-
ing farmers elsewhere the opportunity to learn of advances. Farmers also had access
to agricultural information in newspapers, magazines and pamphlets. The period
of the agricultural revolution saw a remarkable increase in these sources of infor-
mation: in the period 1550–1600 about 2–10 new books concerning agriculture
were published per decade; by 1700 this had grown to 20–50, and by 1800 to
150–400 (Donaldson, 1854; Perkins, 1932; Canney and Knott, 1970; Sullivan,
1983).
The quality of writing changed too. Whereas in the 16th–17th centuries
authors tended to offer maxims and advice (see for example, Tusser, 1557;
Markham, 1631) or to be urban-based lawyers, merchants, court officials and aca-
demics (see Donaldson, 1854, passim), books came increasingly to be written by
farmers and based upon first-hand observation and experience. The first author to
record experiments was Adam Speed (1626), who discussed trials with clover, car-