Farming of Leicestershire. 309 



The Eesults of Drainage. 



The improvements effected bj this drainage of the land, both 

 on grass and arable land, has been very great. In some instances, 

 on the grass land, where it has been followed up by top-dressing, 

 and the consumption of cake and other artificial food by the 

 animals depastured thereon, the annual value of second-rate 

 pastures has been nearly doubled. 



A field of this description in the vicinity of the Hall, in 

 extent 16 acres, carried and fattened during the late summer 

 20 bullocks and 22 sheep, the artificial food given in addition 

 being ] lb, rapecake and 1 lb, of steamed mixture per head per 

 diem. 



The amxclioration of the arable is not less marked. The 

 condition of a farm situated near " Robin-a-Tiptoes," which 

 Lord Berners purchased and took in hand a few years ago, 

 may be surmised, when we instance a field of oats purchased 

 from the outgoing tenant, one half of which was so bad as not to 

 be worth thrashing, the other half produced 2^ qrs. of very 

 inferior grain per acre. 



This field was drained and subsoiled, and in the following 

 year, by the aid of artificial manure, produced a very fine crop 

 of swedes and Norfolk Bell turnips, which were consumed on the 

 land by sheep, a crop of oats following which averaged \lh(irs. 

 per acre. 



The pastures on this farm (Tilton) were in quite as deplorable 

 a condition as the arable, many of them nearly covered with 

 ant-hills, and so wet and soft that the hunters could scarce gallop 

 across them. These likewise were thoroughly drained, the 

 ant-hills cut, carted into heaps, and burnt, a portion of the ashes 

 being taken to the yards, and at last used as litter, making an 

 excellent portable manure to drill for root crops, the remainder 

 being carted and spread over the field. Tliis, followed by 

 judicious grazing with stock eating cake, &c., effected an extraor- 

 dinary change in the character of the herbage ; weedy, worthless 

 plants disappearing, and their places being filled up with a 

 variety of good nutritious grasses. From poor store land it ac- 

 quired a useful fattening quality, and its value to rent increased 

 80 per cent. These are facts which need no comment. 



Lord Berners' present occupation comprises 850 acres, 450 

 acres being in grass, the remainder arable. His usual rotation 

 is a four-course one. Autumn cultivation he has practised for 

 40 years, and on this heavy soil considers it most important, as 

 essentially contributing to the general success of the farming, 

 as well as to the immediate growth of superior root crops. 



Steam cultivation, which was adopted in 1861, has afforded 



