112 Report on Spring-soicn Wheats in 1873. 



16. Patton Farm, Much Wenlock. 



(503 acres ; 400 acres of wliich are on the Ludlow rock formation, at an average 

 elevation of 700 feet.) 



Soil. — A rich loam, hut much affected hy the absorhent nature of the sub- 

 stratum, so that only in very dry and sunny summers can a first-class crop of 

 wheat be obtained : 225 acres of this portion of the farm are arable, and 175 

 permanent pasture. 



Rotation. — The cultivation is on a five-course, seeds remaining two years." 

 The usu^l quantity of autumn wheat was sown, but a great portion perished, 

 and one-third of an average crop was the result. This was supplemented by 

 a field being sown in the spring after turnips, which, however, proved a 

 complete failure, and was ploughed up again. 



The other portion of the farm is on the Old Eed Sandstone formation, at an 

 average elevation of 500 feet : 30 acres of this pasture is arable, the remaining 

 73 permanent pasture ; the soil a strong loam ; rotation four-course. The 

 portion for wheat being fallow, could not be sown in the autumn. It was 

 sown in the spring with bearded wheat, which produced about two-thirds of 

 an average. The usual area of wheat sown is from 50 to 60 acres, and it i& 

 invariably sown in the autumn, spring-sown wheat being unsatisfactory. I 

 write tills for my son, who is now the tenant here. I retired from farming 

 five years ago, but I must saj' that, after 40 years' experience, the autumn of 

 1872 was the most disastrous for wheat culture I ever witnessed. 



My son also occupies a small farm of his own adjoining (120 acres), also on 

 the Old Eed Sandstone — 80 arable, 40 pasture ; rotation iour-course ; soil a 

 strong loam. The portion for wheat could not be sown in the autumn, but 

 was sown in the spring with autumn w^ieat, and a most miserable crop 

 (9 bushels to the acre) was the result. The farm is called Weston Farm, and 

 has an average elevation of 600 feet. 



Evan Davies. 



17. Dorchester. 



The Botatio7i of Cropping is generally a four-course system, viz., wheat, 

 turnips, barley, and clover on light soils ; but on strong land winter vetches 

 frequently take the place of turnips. 



Without naming any particular farm, I think it right to say that in this 

 county of Dorset a great portion of the cultivated land is on a chalk subsoil, 

 and therefore much the greater portion of it was sown as usual with wheat in 

 the autumn ; but in all the valleys of the county less than one-half was sown 

 in the autumn, the remainder being sown in the spring with Nursery wheat and 

 April wheat. 



The Nursery wheat sown in February gave a better return than the April 

 wheat, which was sown a month or two later ; but the produce of each of these 

 wheats was only from one-half to two-thirds of ihe quantity usually grown 

 from wheat sown in the autumn. 



The treatment of the crop was the same for that sown in the spring as the 

 winter-sown wheat. The spring-sown wheat came to harvest about a fortnight 

 later than the autumn-sown, and as the weather had then become bad, the 

 former wheats were much deteriorated in quality. 



As a rule, spring- sown wheats are not very productive in this county, and 

 it is quite evident that barley will make a better pecuniary return than wheat, 

 if not sown in well-cultivated land in the autumn. Ordinary winter wheats, 

 when sown in the spring in this county, will not answ^er. 



E. Damen. 



