JUNE 223 



kind of farming nowadays to what he was accustomed to when he 

 was young, ' farming with the hoe instead of with the plough,' and 

 that was what made the weeds. What he meant was that in the 

 old days a root-field would receive three or four ploughings in 

 addition to the necessary baulkings. Doubtless this was very 

 good for it, but in our time we can scarcely afford to put so much 

 labour into the land, which will not pay the price. This field, for 

 instance, has been only twice ploughed, then baulked and split 

 back (two baulkings are supposed to equal one ploughing). As 

 it is, root is the most expensive of all crops to grow, because of the 

 amount of labour that must be expended between the preparation 

 of the land and the ultimate 'haling' of the crop often an uncer- 

 tain one to say nothing of the value of the necessary manure. 

 But although our ancestors did well enough without it after their 

 own fashion, if we had no beet and swedes our farming would, I 

 suppose, come to an end. Root culture is, after all, quite a modern 

 thing ; I believe that it only began in the time of Arthur Young, 

 about a hundred years ago. 1 



On my way to field No. 22 I passed the piece of beans, No. 26. 

 On the other side of the Holly Lodge drive is another field of 

 beans that does not belong to me. These beans the farmer sowed 

 in the spring, whereas mine were got in last autumn, and it is 

 extraordinary to see the difference between them to-day, the latter 

 being almost twice the height of rny neighbour's. This goes to 

 confirm the local prejudice in favour of autumn-sown over spring- 

 drilled beans ; but I must try to follow the fate of the two crops 

 till they reach the barn-door, which will put the matter to the 

 test. So far this season has not been favourable to the setting of 

 beans. 



The beet on No. 22 are sown on the flat, and not on baulks. 

 Whitrup, with the assistance of a boy, who leads tne horse, is 



1 In the General Dictionary of Husbandry , published by Messrs. Longman 

 about ninety years since, I find that there is no entry under the hesds of Beet, 

 Swedes, or Mangolds. Turnips, however, are fully treated of; but it is 

 mentioned that their culture is of quite recent date. 



