Report on Spring-sown Wheats in 1873. 



105 



-.Vl 



It does not appear likely to be very productive of grain of good quality, but it 

 has not been tested by threshing yet. 



These remarks apply to both varieties of wheat sown. No hoeing and no 

 top-dressing were done this year. The following are my 

 memoranda of harvest time :— Fig. 6. — Hunter's 



Ten acres of Hardcastle, sown after summer fallow (Pedigree^ Wheat. 

 (strong land), sown November 2nd and 4th, cut 

 August 19th and 21st. — Ten acres of Hardcastle, 

 sown on manured clover-root, November 1st and 2nd, 

 cut in patches, as it ripened, August 15th, 21st, and 

 22nd. Patches of this field were re-sown with Talavera 

 April 3rd ; not cut till September 20ch, and even then 

 not altogether ripe. — Twelve acres of Hardcastle, 

 sown on manured clover-root, November 9th and 10th. 

 Cut in patches, as it ripened, August 23rd and 27th. — 

 Fourteen acres Hardcastle and 10 acres Essex Rough 

 Chaff, sown Februaiy 14th, 15th, and 17th, were cut 

 August 29th, 30th, and September 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. — 

 Fourteen acres of Essex Kough Chaff, sown February 

 18th to 20th, after turnips eaten by sheep, was cut 

 August 23rd and 26th. — Nineteen acres Talavera, sown 

 on light land (mucked) after mangolds, was cut August 

 27th to September 2od. — Six acres Hunter's white 

 (Pedigree) (Fig. 6), sown on turnijD land March 13th, 

 was cut September 3rd. 



The harvest of 1873 was a remarkably tedious one, 

 especially as to barley with much clover in it. The 

 rainfall was, as measured by the gauge, by no means so 

 great as it has often been at the same season, but few 

 days passed without some rain. The low temperature 

 checked sprouting. 



The best quality of wheat was grown this season 

 after turnips and mangolds ; very little mildew in this 

 case ; whereas there was a good deal of mildew in the 

 cases of all the wheats sown on clover-roots, both in 

 autumn and spring. 



E. W. Ealph. 



7. Eastoft Grange, Goole, Yoekshiee. 



(400 acres, chiefly Arable.) 



Soil. — "Warp-land. This land, with several thousands of acres in this district, 

 5ias been warped by the warping sluice and canal of the late Mr. Ealph 

 ■Creyke, of Rawclifife Hall, in this county. 



The Rotation is the three-course system : — (1) potatoes; (2) wheat, (3) about 

 one-half of mixed seeds for depasturing, and red clover for mowing for winter 

 food, and the remainder divided amongst beans (princiiaally the winter variety), 

 oats, barley, flax, mangolds, and; turnips, all of which, with the exception of 

 the white crops, experience proves to be favourable for the succeeding crop — 

 potatoes — the first of the next triennial course. 



All wheat is autumn-sown, except in very wet seasons. 



The difficulties of the wheat seed-time of 1872 were, in consequence of the 

 excessive rains, almost insurmountable ; and on undrained land necessitated 

 the ploughing up of large breadths and re-sowing in the spring. 



