THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



205 



pressing iu and burying any bits of grass left on the edge of 

 the furrow, and leaving a sort of groove, which, when the wheat 

 13 sown broadcast (as is generally the case), becomes a recep- 

 tacle for the seed, and it comes up iu rows almost as true as if 

 drilled, with the exception of (what I consider to be an advan- 

 tage) the plants not too crowded together. This system I 

 have every reason to believe would a uswer well on our hills. 

 Next comes the time of planting, and this I think should take 

 place between the third week in September and the third iu 

 October for full wheat. Aa regards our April or spring 

 wheat, I consider it requires much the same treatment as 

 barley, and may be planted successfully from the third week 

 in March till the first in May. The last week in March and 

 the first iu April I thiuk the best time. Now comes the mode 

 of planting ; and here I decidedly say by the drill, which 

 raises the question as to the width between the rows. I eay 

 this should be from seven to eight inches. I will relate to you 

 a little experiment that I tried in the year 1853. I divided a 

 field of eight acres of two years' seeds into four portions of 

 two acres each, two of which were drilled at a width of rather 

 over 7i inches, with 14 gallons or 7 pecks of seed per acre: 

 two at 8J inches, with 12 gallons 1 quart; two at nearly 9^ 

 inches, with 10 gallons 2 quarts, and the remaining two at 11 

 inches, with 8 gallons 3 quarts. The land was ploughed in 

 August, rolled, well dragged, and planted the last week in 

 September. The whole came up well, the thin lots through 

 the wiuter, in proportion to the width and quantity of seed, 

 looking the most barren. The plant, however, stood well 

 through the winter, and as spring advanced the thinner por- 

 tions began to assume a more healthy and vigorous appearance 

 —in fact, it soon surpassed in luxuriance the whole of the 

 wheat on the farm. As harvest time drew on, it became very 

 evident that the straw of that at wider intervals was not so 

 kind and healthy, being more flaggy and darker in appearance, 

 and there was a decided difiference as to the stages of ripeness. 

 That drilled 7^ with the seven pecks of seed, being quite a 

 week earlier than the widest and least quantity of seed; the 

 intermediate lots iu correspouding ratio. Now as to the re- 

 sults with respect to the straw : the difference in weight to 

 appearance (1 did not weigh it) was much the same, that from 

 the thickest portion being much the kindest. Lot 1st, from 

 the 14 gallons of seed, gave 27 bushels 3 pecks of head wheat, 

 weighing 62^ lbs. per bushel, with 67 lbs. of tail ; lot 2, 

 from the 12 gallons 12th, 28 bushels and half a peck of 

 head, weighing 61 lbs., with 77 lbs, of tail ; lot 3, from 10 

 gallons 2 quarts, gave 26 bushels 1 peck, weighing a trifle 

 over eOlbs. per bushel, with 841b3. of tail ; lot 4, from 8 

 gallons 3 quarts, yielded 25 bushels B^ pecks, not quite 60 

 lbs. per bushel, with lOllbs. of tail. The whole was har- 

 vested well, but there was a decided difference in appearance 

 in the value of the several lots. I was, however, much struck 

 with the similarity of the yield. The conclusion 1 arrived at 

 was that, as a rule, the narrowest intervals with the 7 pecks of 

 seed were the safest to follow. Mr. Drew also made some 

 practical remarks on the subject of manures, but want of space 

 compels us to abridge our report. 



Mr. G. Thomas thought with Mr. Ritchie that seeds (or 

 ley) were a good preceding crop for wheat, but differed from 

 him with respect to mowing them tvrice. He thought the 

 more they were fed the better. 



The Chairman wished to know the advantage of keeping 

 down seec{s two years. If shortness of pasture land and 

 maintenance of stock were the object, he thought it would be 

 better to lay down a portion permanently, as he should think 

 by keeping it two years in grass it would be more apt to get 

 foul, thus endangering the prospect of a crop of wheat, With 



respect to drilling the seed, he thought the intervals between 

 the rows should be wide enough to admit of horse-hoeing, and 

 6 pecks he considered a sufficient quantity of seed; it should, 

 however, be of the best description, not only as regards the 

 kind suited to the soil, but also trueness of character and ful* 

 uess of berry. Frequent change of seed was also a great 

 requisite. 

 The following resolution was ultimately adopted : 

 "That as a general practice, manures should be applied to 

 the lands for the root crops, clover, or beans, instead of directly 

 to the wheat crop. That in case of a deficiency of plant, Mr. 

 Drew's experiment is strongly in favour of the spring applica- 

 tion of nitrate of soda. That after roots are hauled off the 

 land (supposing the land to be deeply ploughed for the roots) 

 the less working the land has the better for the wheat crop. 

 That after roots fed on the land a ploughing of about 3 inches 

 is the best. Tnat on large light-land arable farms, the five- 

 course system is preferable to the four-course, as the land is 

 much better consolidated and prepared for wheat by feeding 

 second year. That the two years' ley should be ploughed up 

 about August, and should be afterwards firmly pressed, and 

 as soon as any couch that is iu the land shows itself, it should 

 be forked out, or worked out by the cultivator. That in pas- 

 toral districts the four-course system is preferable, the clover 

 being mown twice. That the best time for reaping wheat is 

 as soon as the straw is turned yellow at the ground. That 

 two bushels of seed, which should be of the best quality, 

 should be sown on the bills, but that a smaller quantity is 

 sufficient ou richer Boils." 



DERWENT ANNUAL PLOUGHING 

 MATCHES. 



The annual prize ploughing matches in the Derwent Vale 

 district were held in a field on Stephen's-hall Farm, the pro- 

 perty of Mr. W. Cowen, between Rytou and Greenside, North 

 Durham, on Wednesday, Feb. 7. The managers acted very 

 judiciously iu dividing the classes, the first being for 

 men competing with wheel and swing ploughs, the second 

 for boys under eighteen years of age with the same. 

 There were ten entries of men for the wheel-plougb, and 

 fifteen for the swing-plough; two boys for the wheel 

 plough, and five for the swing plough, the whole number being 

 thirty-two. The appearance of one field was animated iu the ex- 

 treme. It was about twenty-five acres in extent. The soil was 

 in capital order, and turned up beautifully. The well-laid fur- 

 rows were such as in almost every case wen the admiration of 

 the spectators, a vast nutnber of whom were in attendance, 

 for the most part farmers. The judges were Mr. Heniy 

 Brownless, Hill House, Brancepeth ; Mr. George 

 Arthur, Hill Head, Mewburn; and Mr. Joseph 

 Robinson, Greenwell House, Blaydon Burn. They frankly 

 expressed their high opinion of the work performed by the 

 competitors generally, and especially of the following, to 

 whom, as will be seen, prizes were awarded. 

 Class I.— Men. 



Wheel-ploughs — Ist prize, Thomas Pearson, Low Moor, 

 Durham. 2nd, £1, Thomas Jamieaon, with Mr. Yellowby, 

 East Boldon. 



Swing-ploughs.— Ist prize, £3, Andrew Kerr, with Mr. 

 James, Reedchester. 2nd, £1, George Wilkie, with Mr. Fish, 

 East Boldon. 



Class II. — Boys under 18 years of age, 



Wlieelploughs— 1st prize, £1 lOs., George Bruce, Hodge- 

 pudding, Denton. 2nd, lOs., J, Corner, with Mr. Richardson, 

 IloUinside. 



Swing Ploughs — 1st prize, £1 lOs., Robert Wood, Heavy 

 Gate. 2nd, lOs., James Heslop, with Mrs. Turnbull, Fen- 

 wick, Stamfordham. Highly Commended, G. Hunter, Me- 

 domsley. 



The annual dinner was held at the Rose and CrowP, Greea^ 

 side, and a " merrie" meeting was spent, 



S 2 



