FARMERS' REGISTER. 



203 



hole. They are planted at this distance in the 

 rows, that there may be room lor the hoe to sret in 

 between then), when they are hoed. The Berk- 

 shire bean (as it is called liere) is used lor eecd ; 

 ond al)oiir iliree bushels are required to plant an 

 acre. The planlin;^, which costs about five shil- 

 lincs per acre, is perlbrmcd by men and women ; 

 and the ground planted is rim over each day wiih 

 the harrow, to fill up the holes and cover tlie 

 beans. The hoeing (two hoeings being given, 

 ifrequired) beirins as soon as the beans are above 

 the ground. It requires to be done as deep as to 

 reach the mots of all the weeds; and costs rrom 

 six to eight shillings an acre. 



Instead ofbeing ploughed, the land is sometimes 

 dug with the spade, which can be done when it is 

 too wet to admit ot'being ploughed. The expense 

 of diirging is from twopence to twopence-halfpenny 

 per perch, or from twenty-six shillings and eight- 

 pence to thirty-three shillings and I'ourpence per 

 acre. 



The reapinff of this crop is never done till all the 

 leaves drop off, and the stalks begin to get black. 

 It is reaped, tied into sheaves, and set up into 

 shocks for eiffht shillings an acre. It is soon ready 

 to be carried after it is cut, and it is stacked in the 

 rick-yard. It is always thrashed out with the 

 flail, and at the rate of twenty pence per quarter. 

 The produce is about twenty-lour bushels per 

 acre. The straw is kept to put under the ricks, 

 and is afierwards made into dung. After the crop 

 is carried, the land is dragged first one way and 

 then across, to loosen the roots. These Ibrra a 

 good store of winter fuel lor ihe poor, who are al- 

 lowed to pick them up, and for whom Mr. Hay- 

 ward carts them home. 



Potatoes. — Upon the ibrty arable acres of the 

 best sort of land, potatoes are introduced in the 

 rotation after Swedish turnips, which are fed off' so 

 late in the sprino-, that it would be difficult to get 

 the land prepared for barley or oats. The only 

 thing peculiar in Mr. Hayward's mode of culti- 

 vating this crop is, (hat lie Generally plants them 

 after the breaet-plnugh instead of the common 

 plough ; and as it is intended to describe the mode 

 of cultivating this most valuable root, practised on 

 the farm of Stancombe, in the lower part of this 

 county, where the cultivation of it is the principal 

 object of the farmer's attention, we shall abstain 

 from any details here. 



Vetches. — A crop of winter vetches is taken 

 upon a portion of about thirty acres of the best and 

 cleanest of the lar.d. destined, in the course, for 

 turnips. The land is ploughed once, as early as 

 possible alter the crop of oats or barley is cleared. 

 The vetches are sown broad-cast, and dragged 

 and harrowed well, to get all the seed covered, two 

 bushels and a half of which are required per acre. 

 A few acres of them are generally kept to supply 

 seed fbr the crop of the fbllowing year; and a 

 small quantity sometimes cut and given as green 

 food to the horses in the early part of the spring. 

 All the rest is consumed with sheep on the ground, 

 — tlie sheep being folded on them as on turnips. 

 As the ve'ches are fed off' with the sheep in May 

 and June, the land is prepared for turnips ; and 

 the cultivation necessary for these after vetches 

 is Ihe same as that which has already been de- 

 scribed. 



Vetches, like every other crop, thrive best upon 

 the freshest land, that is, upon the land which has 



not grown a crop of the same kind lor the greatest 

 number of years. 



Sainlfoin. — This plant will not grow upon the 

 thin clay, nor upon the dead or ' fainty' sand ; but 

 upon all (he stone-brash soil, it is the most valua- 

 ble plant that ever was introduced into this dis- 

 trict ; lor with it the farmer is able to get one ton 

 and a half of the most excellent hay, where he 

 could not get one-lburlh of that quantity before. 

 The driest season seems not to injure it, nor doea 

 a wet season retard its growth. It makes the 

 best food lor sheep and horses ; and the hay made 

 from it will keep three or lour years without sus- 

 taining the least injury. 



The saintfoin crop is taken, on tliis farm, after 

 the barley, which lollows the turnip crop in the 

 general course. But as the sheep, which con- 

 sume the turnips on the ground, consume also 

 upon it one ton ol" hay per acre, the seeds which 

 drop from the hay would grow up amongst the 

 saintfoin, were it sown amongst the barley. Mr. 

 Hayvvard, therefore, prefers taking a crop of oats 

 alter the barley, tliat all the seeds of grass, lop- 

 grass, and other seeds, which come up amongst 

 the barley, may be destroyed by the two piough- 

 ings that are necessary in preparing lor the crop of 

 oais. The sain'Ibin is sown amongst the oats, at 

 the rate of four bushels per acre, without the mix- 

 ture of any other seed whatever, the saintlbin be- 

 ing thus left in full possession of tlie ground. The 

 first year's crop of saintlbin, which is had by thus 

 sowing it unmixed with trefoil and other seeds, 

 contrary to the practice of some farmers, is light j 

 but the plants are much stronger the second year, 

 and it then comes to a lull crop. Some larmers 

 sow only from two and a half to three bushels of 

 seed per acre ; and although, when sown so thin, 

 the plants may last longer, yet their stalks are 

 much larger and more woody, and make strong, 

 coarse hay : whereas, when the land is sown thick, 

 the stalkc being much closer together, are mucii 

 finer, and the hay is of a very superior quality. 

 In the latter case also, the sheep eat the saintfoin 

 much better, when they are put to pasture it, after 

 the crop of hay is made. 



When the saintfoin plants begin to fail, which 

 is about the sixth year, the land is pared, and bur- 

 ned, and sown to turnips, being first properly 

 prepared, and then enters into the general system. 

 But it is never broken up till another portion of 

 land has been laid down to fill its place, one- 

 seventh part of all the arable land being always 

 in saintfoin. 



The saintfoin is earlier ready for the scythe than 

 the clover; and as soon as the blossoms appear, 

 it is cut down. The sooner it is cut, after their 

 appearance, the betier is the quality of the hay, 

 though the quantity may not be so great. If it is 

 allowed to stand till all the blossomes come out, 

 the stems get very woody and hard, and it loges 

 great part of its excellent qualities as hay. This 

 plant, like clover, must not be shaken about much 

 in making it into hay, as tlie leaves easily part 

 from the stalks. It is on this account turned over 

 only once ; and if the weather is at all liivorable, 

 as it lies very loose and open, it will be ready to 

 carry in four or five days, with one turning. 



The time of mowing the saintfoin crop is about 

 the first of June. The expense of mowing is 

 generally two shillings per acre, and a gallon of 

 beer to each man, per day. It is a good day's 



