364 A FARMER'S YEAR 



OCTOBER 



October 4. On my return to Ditchingham I find that the fierce 

 drought still prevails, although the country here is not quite so 

 much burnt up as is the case in Hertfordshire. The pastures are 

 perfectly brown, almost as brown as the African veld in winter ; 

 indeed, if these seasons are to go on I believe that it would pay to 

 sow with our mixtures a proportion of seed taken from the deep- 

 rooted grasses which grow in the colder parts of the South African 

 High Veld. The stock I find looking well, but although they 

 are liberally supplied with cotton cake, the cows, or rather their 

 milk supplies, are shrinking sadly in this bitter drought. 



Since harvest about 250 loads of manure have been carted 

 from the yards direct to the various fields where they are to be 

 spread, and sundry dykes on the marshland have been drawn. 

 Also a little thrashing has been done both here and at Bedingham, 

 and we have sold some barley at sixteen shillings and fifteen 

 shillings the coomb, according to its quality. A neighbouring 

 farmer, whose land marches with my own, as I hear, realised eighteen 

 shillings a coomb for barley which he thrashed upon the field ; 

 but I am told that his crop, although the sample was good, ran 

 out only at the miserable total of four coombs an acre. This year 

 there is a great deal of straw, but so far the cast does not seem 

 to be heavy. The men with the thrashing engine complain much, 

 as they are paid per the score coomb actually realised, and 

 it takes them a long while to work this great bulk of straw through 

 the machine. 



Store cattle have dropped heavily in price, and I am glad that 

 we bought none before harvest, as it is evident, owing to the 



