CULTIVATION OF THE DOWNS. 141 



in England seven, and sometimes six, shillings ($1.68 and 

 $1.44) being all that a man usually receives for a week s 

 work. 



We saw seven ploughs at work together, and thirteen 

 swarths of lucerne falling together before thirteen mowers, 

 thirteen women following and shaking it out. It is not un 

 common to have four or five hundred acres of wheat or two 

 or three hundred of turnips growing on one farm. One down 

 farmer has eight hundred in wheat annually. The prairie 

 farmer would not despise such crops. 



As there is no chalk soil in America, I will not dwell long 

 upon its peculiarities or the system of agriculture adopted 

 upon it. The manner in which the downs are brought into 

 cultivation may, however, afford some hints of value for the 

 improvement of other poor, thin soils. &quot; The sheepfold and 

 artificial manures are looked upon as the mainstay of the 

 Wiltshire down farmer. When the downs are first broken 

 up, the land is invariably pared and burnt, and then sown 

 with wheat. Barley is usually taken after wheat, and this is 

 followed by turnips eaten upon the ground, and succeeded by 

 wheat. It then falls into the usual four or five-field course, 

 a piece being laid out annually in sainfoin, to rest for several 

 years before being broken up again. The sheepfold is shifted 

 daily until the whole space required to be covered (i. e., ma 

 nured) is gone over. Turnips and other green crops are 

 consumed where they grow, which saves the labour of taking 

 home the crop and fetching back the manure. The sheep are 

 made the manure carriers for any portion of the land on 

 which it is thought desirable to apply it. Much of the corn 

 crop is stacked in the distant fields, as it would be almost im 

 possible to carry it home so far, with the despatch necessary 

 in harvest operations. In many cases it is thrashed where 

 stacked, a travelling steam-thrashing machine being hired for 



