36 ON THE AGRICULTUEE OF 



of about 30 acres eacli, and the work of draining and fencing 

 was at once begun, one field being taken each year. Where the 

 surface was pretty level the drains were put down every 18 feet 

 apart, and from 3 to 3J feet deep ; but where the old furrows 

 were deep, the drains were laid in the furrows 2J feet deep. 

 Pipe tiles, 2 and 2i inches diameter, were laid in the branch drains, 

 4 inch tiles being used in the main drains, which were cut 3 

 inches deeper than the others. A small proportion of the drains 

 was tilled with broken stones ; these being plentiful, it was the 

 easiest way to get rid of them. As draining proceeded, the land 

 was ploughed as deep as a two-horse plough could turn a fur 

 over coming down the hilL Two or three men followed each 

 plough and turned out the stones on to the surface, when they 

 were carted away, and employed in building dykes to enclose the 

 fields. So numerous were the stones that few additional needed 

 to be quarried to complete the dykes. 



Ploughing and carting off stones was carried on during winter, 

 and about the end of March the land was sown with " sandy " 

 oats. 



All the fields got nearly the same treatment, except that which 

 we will call No. 1, which was not so rough and stony as the 

 others. Two crops of oats were taken off" and the ground w^as 

 then sow^n down with grass. Lime was applied at the rate of fifty 

 barrels or 5 tons per imperial acre, after the second crop of 

 oats was sown and harrowed in. Two crops of oats were taken 

 off the other three fields, and the third year as much of the land 

 as could be got ready was green-cropped, and the remainder 

 summer-fallowed. Farmyard and bone manures were used 

 in putting down the crop, and during early summer lime was 

 applied at the rate of fifty barrels per acre, and wrought in. The 

 following year the fields were ploughed in ridges 18 feet wide, 

 sown down with oats, grass, and clover seeds, and have been in 

 pasture ever since. The following mixture of grass-seeds was 

 sown per acre : — 2 bushels perennial rye-grass ; 8 lbs. fescues and 

 meadow grasses ; 2 lbs. crested dogstail ; 6 lbs. " Timothy " ; 4 lbs. 

 white, 2 lbs. alsike, and 2 lbs. perennial red clover ; and J lb. 

 rib grass. As a rule, the first crop of oats was very poor ; the 

 second was good all over. Green crops, on the average, were 

 good, and the sown-out oat crop was excellent. 



The following is a summary of the total expenditure incurred 

 in reclaiming this piece of land : — 



Draining, including tiles, 



j^ime, ...... 



Building stone-dykes, 



Eaising stones. Levelling, &c., . 



