EXPEEIMENT ON THE CULTIVATION OF CABBAGE. 171 



formation, moderately dry naturally, and rendered so by drains 

 where necessary. The exposure is south-westerly, situated about 

 two hundred and fifty feet above the level of the sea. 



Previous Croppinrj. — The field experimented upon was only 

 under the charge of the reporter for part of the time occupied 

 by the two previous crops, so he can only vouch for details after 

 that date ; what was before that is taken from books to which he 

 has access, and which he believes to be correct. 



The crop immediately preceding the one reported on was oats, 

 which was a fair one. The one before that was mangolds, grown 

 with twelve cartloads of farmyard manure, no artificial manure 

 being applied. This crop had just been sown when the reporter 

 entered on the charge of the farm. During the very dry months 

 of June and July the mangolds made very little progress, so 

 little that the reporter had serious thoughts of ploughing them 

 down, but before doing so he thought of giving them another 

 chance, and had them deeply pared by a common plough from 

 which the mould board had been removed. The improvement 

 was immediate, and caused, in the reporter's opinion, by the 

 paring having broken the crust which prevented the roots 

 getting below the sun-burned surface soil. This crust had been 

 allowed to form by the land having been subjected to many 

 shallow plough ings and no deep ones. 



Preparation of the Field. — Encouraged by the success of deep 

 paring already described, the reporter had the field ploughed 

 with three horses abreast, during November and December fol- 

 lowing to the depth of between nine and ten inches, this he 

 found to be very difficult work, but the extra labour was amply 

 repaid by the fine, clean, free, porous seed-bed that was pro- 

 cured the following spring, the grubber having only to be passed 

 throuqli it twice to render the soil all that could be desired for 

 the experiment. 



Manuring and Seeding. — The field being thus prepared, the 

 reporter selected four acres in the middle of the field for the 

 experiment, of as equal equality as could be procured ; two acres 

 he determined to plant with cabbages, one acre with Fosterton 

 hybrid turnips, and another acre with Skirving's swedes. The 

 field was tlien drilled with the double mould-board plougli in the 

 ordinary way, the drills being 28 inclies wide, thirteen cartloads 

 of farmyard manure were applied per acre, and 2 cwts. dissolved 

 bones, 1 cwt. nitrate of soda, and 1 cwt. guano were then sown 

 broadcast, and the whole covered by the double mould board 

 plough ; tliug far the treatment was the same for all the crops. 

 The turnijjs and swedes were sown on 2Gth j\Iay (immediately 

 after the manure was covered) in cluni])S 11 inches a])art, quan- 

 tity of seed nearly 2^ lbs. ])er acre. 



Mode of Planting. — The cabbages were planted on 28th May, 



