IMrKOVF.MKXTS ON THE ESTATE OF DENBItAE, I'lFKSIIIIM:. 107 



work over, a field of old rou^li pasture, extendin^u;' to 15 acres, 

 covered with whins and large stones, and which liad never been 

 cultivated, was reclaimed. The whins were first l)urnt, and the 

 large roots taken out with mattocks; sometimes liorse-])ower had 

 also to be ai)plied to extract th-em, and these were carted away 

 and given to the farm labourers for firewood. The largest of 

 the stones were blasted, and carted to the dyke-sides where they 

 would Ijc required. The field was first ploughed with a suIj- 

 soil plough, (U'awn l)y three horses, to extract the smaller roots 

 and stones; tlu'u it was gone over witli a lirake harrow, after- 

 wards with connnon harrows, and rolled. At this stage it was 

 allowed to lie until it was drained, which was done in the same 

 way as the other fields. It was then cross-ploughed, harrowed, 

 and rolled, then ploughed for seed, and sown with oats. Tlie 

 crop l)rair(.led very irregularly, and the return was small — only 

 4 bolls per acre ; but, prol)aldy this was on account of the old 

 turf not having sufticient time to rot, and no artificial manure 

 having been ai)})lied. The following year it was ploughed 

 once, and again sown witli oats and 2^ cwt. of guano per acre. 

 The return was almost double that of the previous year, or 

 7 bolls per acre. The year after, it was ploughed and gruljlx'd 

 several times, cleaned of weeds and stones, and sown witli 

 turnips, which were a very good crop ; it was then limed, and 

 cultivated in rotation along with the other fields. The expense 

 of reclaiming this field, I consider, repaid itself in a few years, — 

 the estimated rental of it in its rough state was about 15s. per 

 acre, and it was subsequently let for 30s. 



In almost every field on the farm large whinstonc boulders, 

 some of them partially covered with the soil, interrupted the 

 ploughing very nnich, and damaged the implements as well as 

 the horses. I therefore found it necessary to employ an extra 

 man on the farm for several years to blast them, pick them out, 

 and drive them away ; which had often to be done by means of 

 a harl, many of them being too heavy t(i cart, especially for one 

 man. In a few years this made a great difference to the work- 

 ing of the land, and had a man not been specially employed for 

 that work, it would never have been done. 



All the arable land on the farm was completely overrun with 

 weeds, and that intended for green crop in rotation had to be 

 ploughed, grubbed, harrowed, and rolled at least three times, 

 and the weeds gathered off, before a field could be sown ; but it 

 took a rotation of croj)s Ijcfore it was thoroughly cleaned. The 

 weeds, or rack as it is termed, were always carted to a heap and 

 mixed with lime, then laid on the land previous to its being 

 sown with barley and grass. 



No wheat was grown on the farm for many years previous to 

 my taking possession, the land being so wet that the young 



