200 



fr' A R M E R S ' REGISTER. 



time with the same end, roils a second rid^je the 

 first lime with the other ; which, a<.rain, in return- 

 ing, it rolls a second lime, alon<r wiih a third ridi^e 

 the fust time. In lliis manner it goes over all the 

 ground twice, the sowing-machine, between tlie 

 first and second rollings, depositing tlie seed in the 

 middle ol' tiie ridges, in a contmued line, directly 

 above the line of duuir, and at the rate of three- 



aiso thrive much better upon them ; and this is an 

 additional value that cannot he esiimuted. 



All the turnip crop is led oil on the ground ; and, 

 in lolding, the j)lan adopted on this larm ia; to iiavc 

 three or lour lois ol sheep in the same field ai once, 

 but so as to allow each lot to run over ilie ground 

 which it has cleared. Il is Ibund that, when sheep 

 have a good quaniily of ground to run back upou, 



quarters of a pound of seed per acre. This ma- i they thrive better than wfien i hey are cooped up 

 chine is guided by a man, and being attached to I on a small space. By this plan, also, the dung 

 the roller, the same horse draws boih; the ma- may be disinbuteJ over those pans ol' the field m 



chine is of Mr. Hayward's construction 



The time of sowing the common turnips is in 

 June, and a great part of these is also drilled : but 

 what is sown broad-oast is dunged belbre it gels 

 ihe last ploughing, care being taken to have it 

 spread equally over all the ground. The seed is 

 sown vviih a machine, which a man wheels belbre 

 him, and which sows at the rate of one pound and 

 a half per acre and seven or eight acres a-day. 



Hoeing. — The hoeing begins as soon as the 

 rough leaf makes iis a|)pearance, on those thai 

 are sown broad-cast ; but those that are drilled 

 somelimes get the first hoeing belbre this period, 

 ])articularly if the land is subjecl to annual weeds. 

 Twenty men and boys are generally employed in 

 this work. The turnips alwajs get two hoeings, 

 which cost fourteen shillings per acre, besides two 

 quarts of beer per acre, lor each hoeing. This 

 work requires to be well perlbrmed, as on il depend 

 in a great measure the bulk and value of ihe crop. 

 The loosening of the soil about the roots of the 

 plants wiih the hoe tends much to their growth. 



Many farmers in this district put their lambs 

 amongst the turnips in August and September, to 

 keep down the weeds that spring up amongst 

 them, particularly the charlock. This does no 

 ^ood ; and the presence of weeds is an evidence 

 of the slovenly way in which the land has been 

 prepared for the turnips, and of the imperfect 

 manner in which the hoeing operation has been 

 performed. This mode ol' weeding turnips by 

 lambs is never resorted to upon this farm. The 

 hoeing, as it is here perlbrmed, answers the pur- 

 poses ofthinning'ihe turnips to the properdislances, 

 of cutting up a// the weeds, and of loosening the 

 soil around the roots of the young plants, which 

 both hastens and enlarges their growth. 



The turnips, in general, are much larger, and 

 the weight per acre mucli greater, when they are 

 drilled, than when they are sown broad-cast ; and 

 the chief reason seems to be, that, when they are 

 drilled, the seed being deposited directly above the 

 •dung, the roots of the plants get in contact with 

 the whole of it ; whereas, it is merely by chance if 

 the seed is deposited upon it, when Bown broad- 

 cast. 



The Swedisii turnips require a better soil than 

 the common; but the advantages of them are 

 very great. Neither cattle nor sheep reijuire so 

 much hay by one-half when feeding on them, as 

 they require when l(?eding on the common turnips. 

 And, besides this, they Iveep much better in the 

 spring, which is of immense consequence, — the 

 common turnips not keeping longer than March. 

 In consuming the common turnips with sheep, one 

 ton of hay per acre is generally given : only half 

 this quantity is required by the sheep, when they 

 have Swedish. The value of these, iherelbre, over 

 other turnips, of the same weight ofcrop, is at least 

 ■equal to half a ton ol'hay per acre. But the eheej)i 



which it is most wanted, by putting each of the 

 lols of sheep on the poorest part of the field first, 

 and making them eat the turnips on the richest 

 part last. The labor of a team that is required 

 in cultivating this crop, may be stated equal to six 

 and a half dnys, per acre, on what is sown broad- 

 cast, and seven and three-quarters per acre on what 

 is drilled. 



A portion of the Swedish turnips is left for the 

 sheep, till late in the sjiring. The land upon 

 which the}' grow is much impoverished by the 

 fresh growth of the plants in the sj)riiig. A pecu- 

 liar course of cropping is, as we have already 

 mentioned, adopted on this land, which is a por- 

 tion ol the best of the liirm, — it is planted with po- 

 tatoes instead of barley. 



II. Barley. — In preparing the land for the bar- 

 ley that IS sownafter turnips, it is either ploughed, 

 or sometimes only hall-ploughed, (raftered, as it, 

 is called here,) as fast as the grouiul is cleared, 

 and, generally, across the field : the harrows are 

 drawn over it, if it has been raltered or half- 

 ploughed, to level the land a litile, belbre it re- 

 ceives the seed-furrow. The first furrow is as 

 shallow as it can be ploughed — ^jusi deep enough 

 to cover the manure that has been dropped by the 

 sheep ; the second furrow is a liitle deeper. The 

 land having been previously cleaned and well pul- 

 verized Ibr tlie turnip crop, nothing more is wanted 

 now than to get a good seed-bed for th^ barley 

 and the seeds ihat are to be sown with it. 



The labor that is required to prepare the land 

 for this crop depends upon the state of the weather 

 during the time the sheep were consuming the 

 previous crop. If the weather was dry, the land 

 will be left in a most excellent, friable state ; and 

 with one ploughiiiir, it will, perhaps, be in a better 

 condition ibr leceivmg the seed, than with three 

 ploughings, if the crop was eaten oil by sheep lu 

 vvet weather; Ibr, by their trampling in wet, 

 weather, the surface of the land is left like clay 

 well tempered Ibr making bricks ; and, unless the 

 land, in this state gets host alter the first plough- 

 ing, it will, in the second ploughing, be turned up 

 in hard lumps, which cannot be reduced but with 

 considerable labor. A heavy roller is used Ibr this 

 purpose; but no labor can reduce land, in this 

 state, so well as a good, hard host would in one 

 night. The earlier that land, which has been 

 trampled by sheep in wet weather, is ploughed, 

 the greater is the chance of getting host to assist 

 in reducing it to a proper state of pulverization, a 

 greater degree of which is required ibr the seed- 

 bed of liarley than Ibr that of any other grain that 

 the liirmer cultivates. 



The quantity of seed sown is four bushels and a 

 half per acre; it is always sown broad-cast, and 

 is never drilled on this farm, nor in the district. 



Amongst the barley the grass seeds are sown 

 with a amchiue, which a man wheels belbre him ; 



