!839] 



FARMERS' REGIS|TER 



761 



lime, as it is taken from the ship or kiln, in small 

 heaps on the land, to be slaked by the atmosphere, 

 or by the moisture of the soil, which in dr}' seasons, 

 is thrown upon it. By the ibrmer meiliod every 

 particle of the lime is reduced to a pow(ier, which 

 seldom happens the other way. The only advan- 

 tage attending ihe latter mode is, that the quantity 

 per acre can be more correctly applied ; but any 

 one who has had experience of the raeihod recom- 

 mended, knows iiom the appearance of the lime 

 on^ the ground whether it be above or below the 

 intended quantity. It is apprehended the more 

 etiectual slaking of the lime, and consequently the 

 more equal distribution of it on the land, more than 

 compensates for the additional labor ol turning, wa- 

 tering, and caning it out. The quantity per acre 

 applied 10 the field lor turnips was one hundred 

 and eighty bushels. When the whole limo has 

 been spread on the land irom the carts, the field 

 gets one turn of the harrows, both for the purpose 

 of mixing the liine with the soil, and to prevent 

 any of it irom being carried ofi'by high winds. 



Turnip soroing. — At this stage the drilling for 

 turnips commences, the drills being made twenty- 

 seven inches apart, when the dung, which had been 

 previously carted to the field and well fermented, 

 is laid ill the botton^ ol'the drills, taking great care 

 that it is regularly spread. 'I'his is of greater con- 

 sequence to the success of the crop than is gene- 

 rally imagined. 



in this instance no more than nine tons per acre 

 could be allowed, as no other manure could be 

 procured ; and bone dust, now so generally and 

 successfully used, was not known here at ihe lime. 



Sowing commences about the 8th of June, and 

 continues till the end of the month, and is per- 

 Ibrmed with a double drill machine in the usual 

 way. The kinds of seed sown on this larra are 

 field yellow, green topped white, and white globe, 

 commencing with the yellow and finishing wiih ihe 

 globe. Swedes were obliged to be discontinued, as 

 the hares are so numerous as to destroy them belore 

 the season arrived when that valuable root is gen- 

 erally used. They could have been taken up and 

 stored, but their quality would have been injured 

 by long keeping. The yellow, vvhich grow to a 

 greater size than the Swedes, supply their place, as 

 they stand the frost nearly as well, although their 

 quality is deteriorated earlier in the springs on ac- 

 count of (heir greater tendency to shoot. 



The produce of the field first improved was very 

 great ; but as no portion of it was weighed, a cor- 

 rect estimate of the crop cannot be given — it con- j 

 siderably exceeded in bulk any crop the writer ! 

 ever saw on old improved lands. This maybe] 

 accounted for from the circumstances of a turnip j 

 crop being new to the soil, and li'om the applica- 

 tion of lime to the fresh mould taken up. 



Fallow fur IVheat. — As the greater part of the 

 dung purchased from the former occupants was 

 applied to the turnip field, eight and a half acres 

 only could be manured for wheat. 



In the cleaning process the treatment was in 

 every respect the same as in the turnip field. As 

 the land is deeper and rather more compact, it got 

 two hundred buehels per acre of lime, and about 

 twelve tons of firm manure, both being applied 

 immediately before the last or seed furrow. 



Wheat sowing. — The seed, which was procured 

 from a chalk farm in Kent, was of the white eort, 

 and was sown about the middle of September, at 

 Vor,. VII— 06 



the rate of three and a half bushels per acre' 



Produce. — The eight and a half acres of wheat 

 yielded the very great return of forty bushels per 

 acre ; and it may be mentioned that the last crop 

 of oats which the same land produced to the former 

 tenant, was so bad as scarcely to pay the expense 

 of cutting it down. 



In the following year a small field of twelve 

 acres, treated in every way like the former, with 

 this important exception, that it got no manure, 

 produced thirty-six buslirls per acre. 



These great returns may be ascribed principally 

 to the operation of the lime on a deep and natu- 

 rally rich soil, to which no calcareous manure had 

 ever been previously applied. But as the pecu- 

 liarly fine season of 1826 must have had conside- 

 rable influence on the })roductiveness of the crops 

 of this farm, which is situated considerably above 

 the level of the sea, it must be mentioned, that in 

 no subsequent year did the crops yield so much, 

 although the "bulk on the land was fiequently 

 greater. 



In the manner already described, improvement 

 of the other fields was conducted until the whole 

 farm had been gone over, which was nearly ef- 

 fected in November 182S, being little more than 

 three years and a half since operations were com- 

 menced. It being an object with the propietor to 

 carry on the improvements with all possible dis- 

 patch, a considerable number of laborers were 

 consequently employed, which caused the im- 

 provements to be completed in little more than half 

 the lime that in ordinary cases would have been 

 neceesar}\ 



It must be here stated, that, although from the 

 scarcity of manure in the first season, tlie number 

 of acres sown with turnips and wheal w-ere necessa- 

 rily very limited, other improvements, as trenching, 

 ditching, inclosing, &c., were proceeding on a 

 large scale. 



It aiided in no small degree to the labor, that, 

 'during the period alluded fo,upwards of fifty thou- 

 sand bushels of lime were carted a distance of 

 four miles to the farm, on a road of considerable as- 

 cent, and without any assistance from hired carters. 



JSstablishment.' — 'The farm, during the continu- 

 ance of the improvements was worked by a bail- 

 iff, six ploughmen or carters, and three laborers, 

 in constant pay, and six pair of horses ; but as a 

 considerable portion of the farm is now kept in 

 grass, and two fieldsin permanent pasture or mea- 

 dow, the number of horses is reduced to four pairs 

 and a supernumerary horse. 



Expense of improvancnt. — As it may be satia- 

 fictory 1o give an idea of the expense of the im- 

 provement of some of the fields, two are sflected ; 

 the one the most expensive, the other the least so. 

 But it must be observed, that in pt;\ting the items 

 of expense, no price is put upon the labor of the 

 farm horses in carting the lime, fallowing, &c., 

 which would at least come to five pounds per acre. 



21-jfcre field. 

 Blasting large stones, - - - £75 

 Trenching, G^ acres, at 12L 10s. per 



acre - - - ' - - - 815 



Drains 3 



Lime, 3,024 bushels (144 bushels 



per acre), at 6|(/. - - - 81 18 

 Inclosing wiiJt stone dvke - - 52 7 



Average, per acre, 18/. 19?. 6d. £233 10 



