Report on Sprivg-souni Wheats in 1873. Ill 



14. New Park Farji, the New Forest. 



(269 acres ; 161 Arable, 100 Pasture.) 



Soil. — Decomposed leaf mould ujx)n gravel. 



The Botation of Cropping generally adopted is as follows : — Tu-o years 

 Italian ryegrass, fed constantly with sheep, once mown each year, then Chidham 

 wheat, then barley, with Italian ryegrass sown upon it when well up. The 

 Italian ryegrass is irrigated with farmyard-liquid after mowing. 



The extent sown with wheat in ordinary years is about 45 acres. 



The difBcultiesof the wheat seed-time in the autumn of 1872 were very oreat 

 indeed from continuous rain ; not one field was finished with winter wheat. 



The extent of land intended for wheat left unsown in 1872 amounted to 

 16 acres, Avhich were sown in April with bearded wheat, besides 12 acres 

 intended for spring wheat. 



Chidham white wheat was sown in the autumn, and bearded April wheat in 

 the spring. We dress with soot and nitrate of soda early in the spring. 



Harvest began the first week in August for the winter wheat, the second 

 week for the April ; both were excellent in quality and quantity, and were 

 harvested in capital condition. None threshed at present. If the nine ricks 

 were put end to end they would measure 95 yards, off 58 acres of land in the 

 New Forest. 



I have sent you two ears of my Chidham wheat, the autumn-sown, and two 

 ears of the bearded, sown in April ; the straw of both is first-rate and about 

 five feet long, which is the average length of the crops. Every one that 

 saw the wheat standing and those that have seen the ricks express themselves 

 surprised at the jiroduce. 



W. DiCKINSOK. 



15. Nursling Farm, near Southamptox. 



(400 acres of Arable, 100 acres of Water Meadow.) 



Soil. — Deep loam, on a gravel. Climate warm, and early to harvest. 



Rotation. — The four-field system of croiiping, and in some instances three- 

 field. 



I sow about 100 acres of land to wheat on an average. 



We had a most difficult seed-time in the autumn of 1872 ; many fields could 

 not be sown till late in December ; and then the land was wet and unkind, a 

 deal of the seed perishing. The crop was thin, weak in the straw, and much 

 blighted, with the exception of that sown in October. 



Twenty acres were sown in January and early in February, after swedes 

 eaten off with sheep consuming cake and corn. This is often done on farms 

 in this locality, where many sheep are fattened, as barley gets much laid if 

 sown after swedes. 



White Trump wheat and Eed Nursery were sown. The White Trump, 

 drilled in October, was fit to cut by the 4th August, was thrashed in September, 

 and yielded 34 bushels per acre, weighing 65 lbs. per bushel, realizing 17?. 10s. 

 per load of 10 sacks. The same sown in an adjoining field (the land being in 

 a high state of cultivation) the latter end of December, produced only 4 sacks 

 per acre, weighing only 61 lbs. per bushel. 



Red Nursery was sown January 19th after swedes, sheep having eaten cake 

 and corn. Small ears, but thickly planted ; crop not threshed, but computed 

 at 24 bushels per acre. 



The spring-sown wheat in our warm climate is not more than ten to twelve 

 days later at harvest than the autumn-sown. Spring-so^Mi wheat is not hoed 

 in this locahty. 



