Norfolk Farming. 269 



been termed the garden of Norfolk, more truly from its natural 

 fertility than from its garden-like culture. The soil of this 

 district is a free-working loam, of capital texture and great 

 depth. It is certainly good land, and will produce good crops 

 with very little expense ; but it is not the land to bear forcing, 

 nor is its yield of grain in proportion to the quantity of straw it 

 grows. There are certain exceptions to this, and in the dry season 

 of 1845 there Avas one wonderful field which produced ninety 

 bushels of wheat to the acre. However, being sown with wheat 

 again, it did not yield much above four quarters. A stranger, on 

 looking at a crop of wheat in this district, would probably over- 

 estimate the yield, while on some of the chalky soils of West 

 Norfolk he will guess the return at four bushels below what is 

 grown. There is this important difference between them, that 

 on these good lands crops are grown from the natural produce 

 of the soil ; whilst on the chalks expensive artificial means must 

 be resorted to, so that the crop is half bought before it is reaped. 

 The soil of this locality is generally deficient in calcareous matter, 

 and in some parts there is no chalky clay or marl within a long 

 distance. These mineral manures are brought by water-carriage, 

 and some are drawn from pits many miles away. 



There is not much improvement to note in this district. It has 

 been well farmed for generations. Perhaps more corn is grown than 

 formerly — the five-course (oats or barley following ley-wheats) 

 being frequently practised. Land of this description ought to bear 

 an extra corn crop ; but whether from this or other causes, the 

 stubbles are certainly not cleaner than they were. Perhaps the 

 great quantity of mangold wurtzel now grown may also have some- 

 thing to do with this. This crop is sown in the beginning 

 of May, whereas the old white turnips were not sown before 

 July ; so there is less time for cleaning the land than formerly. 

 This district readily produces couch-grass, it being a nice 

 friable soil for its roots to riot in. Another reason for so much 

 being grown is, that some of the stubbles are not ploughed till 

 the spring. Very few sheep are kept, as, when turnips are 

 eaten by them on the land, the barley crop generally lodges ; but 

 it is the country for splendid stall-fed oxen and good beef. The 

 store cattle eat the small white turnips and swede-tops on the 

 wheat stubbles by day, and lodge in yards at night. It is con- 

 tended that the treading of heavy cattle is beneficial to these 

 lands, that it greatly stiffens the straw of future corn-crops, and 

 almost dispenses with the use of clay ; so that the foul stubbles 

 are poached and trodden all winter long, and not ploughed up 

 till the turnip-tops are finished. This custom is certainly going 

 out of fashion ; and so it ought. Independently of preventing 

 autumn tillage and winter ploughing, the cattle cannot do them- 



