76 Lois-fJ'eef/on WItcat-Grmoinp 



advantages combined to enliance the severity of my test. One- 

 third of the field was foul with couch, all of it was much pestered 

 with buttercups ; and beginning operations too late in the season, 



1 had no time to clean it. Such was the weather, that the barley- 

 stubble, ploughed and harrowed, gave me only a seed-bed of 

 hard clods ; yet, as it was now the end of October, and thin- 

 seeders enjoin sowing in September, I could not wait for rain, 

 and roughly drilled my wheat-rows so thinly that the drill-man 

 said " sowing like that was mocking the land." 



Details of my husbandry shall be given by and by : what I 

 wish to show first is, that the method adopted DID pkoduce 



PAYING CROPS UNDER CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH PRECLUDED THE 

 GROWTH OF PAYING CROPS BY ORDINARY MANAGEMENT. In May 



the wheat was of a good colour, but nearly two of the ten acres 

 showed a wretchedly thin and bad plant ; while everywhere the 

 hoe encountered plenty of thistles, sow-thistles, and buttercups. 

 An early harvest (1857) brought me a light, poor crop, with very 

 short straw ; but the ears were exceedingly good, some having 

 (J4, and a few 75 grains each. The vield (of red " Rattling 

 Jack ") was a trifle over 30 quarters, or 24 bushels per acre, and 



2 pecks of light tail — the natural weight of the best being (JO lbs. 

 per bushel. The head-corn was sold at 505. a quarter ; and 

 deducting the merchant's charges of " porterage and discount," I 

 received for the grain exactly 11. 65. lO^f/. per acre. No manure 

 being returned to the land, of course the straw must be included 

 as a portion of the produce ; and to be within the mark, I valued 

 it at only 5^. per acre, making my total receipts 11. Ws. \0^d. 

 per acre. The total expenses for every operation by hand, horse, 

 or machine, for seed, rent, tithe, rates, and income-tax, amounted 

 to 6/. 4^. 2d. ; thus leaving me a profit, even on that bad crop, of 

 1/. 7.?. 8^fZ. per acre. 



If the ground had not been " exhausted " before, it certainly 

 must be in a low condition now : dare I try wheat again, as a 

 fourth cereal crop on the same ordinary land, without an ounce 

 of any manurial dressing ? I could certainly put in my seed- 

 corn in more reasonable style ; but as a set-off against this, I 

 could scarcely hope for another good wheat-season like that of 

 1857. Any way, a crop worth reaping, raised after such a 

 flogging course, would thoroughly prove the potency of my in- 

 tercultural tillage. 



Well ; after cleaning outmost of the couch, " goose-grass," and 

 butter-cups, 1 sowed (as before) 31 pecks on the same 10-acre 

 field, in the beginning of October. This seeding was at the 

 rate of 3 pecks per acre ; but as from the fallow intervals left, 

 there were only half the usual number of wheat-rows, the seed 

 lay in each row with the thickness of 6 pecks per acre. 



