THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



477 



barren spots should continue as deserts in the midst of fer- 

 tility, I have a great idea that with the blessings of peace 

 the comparative luxuries of life— as meat, butter, barley, and 

 wool (for broad cloth) will be much higher in value relatively 

 than wheat (the positive necessary), and that we must adapt 

 our course accordingly. "With dear meat we require abundant 

 grass, and much may be done to secure this by improved pas- 

 ture-farming. Without breaking up or relaying, our pastnres 

 might be as luxuriant as our root crops ; but whilst we strain 

 every nerve and dive our hands deep into outlay to produce 

 the mangold, turnip, or swede crops, we do not invest one six- 

 pence in manure to secure abundant grass crops. Pethaps we 

 feed aud mow alternate years ; but the principle is bare-faced 

 robbery, for the mown crop is bodily removed and the fed crop 

 partially, as the animal manufactures meat therefrom and per- 

 haps milk in addition; consequently the whole system is errone- 

 ous, and has brought us through a long course of years to our 

 present undesirable position — poverty in our pastures and pau- 

 city in our stock. Upon the subject of arable meat produce I 

 have in another place and upon a former occasion, expressed, 

 and I now repeat my conviction, that in this and the adjoining 

 counties we have erred in principle aud in practice, in the 

 average of years, by too expensive a system of bullock grazing ; 

 that we have bought our lean beasts at too dear a rate for 

 profit ; that under altered circumstances we have too much 

 adhered to old past fattening principles, and we have too much 

 adhered to exploded and expensive methods of manure making, 

 to the partial neglect of cattle and sheep rearing. I have also 

 previously expressed my belief that more might be profitably 

 done in lamb rearing on heavy land, and I now express my 

 opinion that more maybe done in sheep-breeding and fattening 

 on light and mixed soils. I know well that at the current 

 prices for lambs, mutton, and wool, it is well worth trying, and 

 I am certain those will be behind in the pecuniary race who do 

 not make the attempt. To show you I speak not simply from 

 my own experience, I will relate the practice of a gentleman in 

 West Suffolk, giving you full particulars and the result of his 

 long experience. I visited him last month, in company with 

 Mr. Kersey Cooper, Mr. Mumford Sexton, Mr. W. King, and 

 Mr, Bate ; and whilst these gentlemen, with myself, were 

 equally pleased with the first-class condition of the lambs, and 

 the healthy and satisfactory appearance of the ewes, they were 

 at the same time equally astonished at the large number of 

 sheep kept to so small a proportion of land. He farms 260 

 acres of very good friable loam clay-land, of which only about 

 twenty-five are pasture, and, by gradually increasing his stock 

 yearly, as lamb-rearing has promised to pay, he now annually 

 keeps from twenty to twenty-one scores of ewes, and each year 

 the fall of lambs has been large : this year exceeding thirty to 

 the score. Of course the wonder is how so many are main- 

 tained, and the supposition follows that much artificial food 

 must be used. The annexed account of expenses and returns 

 is copied from Mr. F.'s balance-sheet : — 



1857. 



; Expenditure. £ s. d. 

 Artificial food .... 66 00 

 Outkeep in summer55 

 Annual loss of 10 



ewes, & the amount 



expended for 60 



shearlingewes after 



deducting the value 



of crones 70 



Amount realized for 



farm produce con- 

 sumed by flock.. 535 18 



1857. 



Receipts. £ s, d. 



400 lambs, at 24s.. 480 



100 lambs, at 228.. 110 



18 lambs, at 148.. 12 12 



3fat 5 2 



Wool 119 4 



£72618 £726 18 



The value of the manure is placed against the labour, 



Now how is this vast practical result annually accom- 

 plished ? How are the sheep fed ? The secret is, the yard 

 and straw system. The ewes are mainly fed during the 

 winter months upon fresh-thrashed barley or oat-straw 

 placed in binns, and some cut into chaff, \vith which is ad- 

 mixed trefoil husk when procurable, and, previous to lamb- 

 ing, some millers' offal is given. They have also_ about four 

 Scotch cart-loads of turnips each day. 



For the spring feed, rye and Italian rye-grass are grown 

 upon the fallow shift, previous to sowing for the turnip 

 crop. Cabbages are also grown, and the clover layers are 

 usually fed. 



Of course it would appear probable that the whole farm 

 must be given up to sheep husbandry. Now such is not 

 the case ; and upon the 8th of April, 1859, 1 recorded the 

 present position of the farm as to its cropping. It is as 

 follows : — 

 Acres. 



49 wheat ; 



55 barley ; 



24 peas and beans ; 



12 white clover fed in spring, and to be saved for seed ; 

 16 red clover fed in spring, and to be saved for seed ; 

 15^ Italian rye-grass, ditto ditto; 



10^ sainfoin, to be reserved for hay ; 



1 cabbage seed ; 



2 oats, after cabbages ; 



f 16a. for mangold wurtzel ; 

 I 8a. Italian rye-grass, after feedmg for 

 , p., J swedes, turnips, or kohlrabi ; 



41 tallow -j 6a. winter oats, ditto, ditto; 

 I 8a. rye, ditto, ditto; 

 l_ 3a, tares, ditto for cabbages ; 



25 pasture ; 

 8 waste. 



259 acres. 



Thus 130 acres are with corn, 44| for seeds, 10|-formow- 

 ing; consequently, nothing more than the fallow shift is 

 specially set apart for the Hock, and although the clovers 

 and Italian rye-grass intended for seeding are first fed, it is 

 not at all clear to me, at the present market price of seeds, 

 that such a course is not much more paying than growing 

 wheat at 20s. per coomb. I am convinced it is more profit- 

 able, and ample food is thus provided for spring consumption 

 for the lambs. 



Thus, straw and a few roots, with slight artificial additions, 

 sufiice for the first three months after tupping ; then cabbages 

 are added as lambiug proceeds, and then the Italian rye grass 

 and clovers. After the lambs are sold, the ewes are put out 

 to keep for two or three months, and after the Italian rye grass 

 has seeded, rape is sown, upon which the ewes are fed during 

 tupping. 



Now, Gentlemen, I said I beUeved it possible, and paying, 

 that more sheep should not only be kept upon heavy clay lands, 

 where hitherto they have been comparative strangers ; but 

 then I also believe it desirable more should be kept upon the 

 mixed soil and poor light lands. 



It was my intention to have made some observations upon 

 the desirability of growing more seeds generally ; upou the 

 desirability of using the liquid manure drill to ensure a turnip 

 plant, and the superior efticacy of the manure thus applied ; 

 upon the great improvement in drilling instead of sowing clover 

 seeds ; upon the important position which barley will probably 

 take in the market, and its extended culture ; upon steam 

 ploughing and extended autumn cultivation ; and upon the de- 

 sirability of adopting some systematic plan of stack dressing, 

 to prevent serious losses from vermin ; but time fails me, and 

 I will briefly recapitulate. I have shown that, owing to ex- 

 treme competition, more especially for the hire of farms, the 



