20 



No. 42. 8 acres BARLEY sown early in April on mixed soil, 

 broken up in March, 1917, out of 7-years-old grass to a depth of 

 7 inches. Seed sown broadcast and the land heavily rolled and 

 harrowed four times. Crop failed owing to wireworin and the 

 dry weather. 



No. 43. From the reports received it would appear that the 

 breaking up of grass land has been unusually unsuccessful in this 

 county; it need not be assumed, however, that the conditions 

 here are peculiarly unfavourable. The history of a 10-acre field 

 in Nottingham has been supplied by one reporter. The soil is a 

 light loam on the Trias Sands; it had long been under grass 

 of indifferent quality. It was broken up in February, 1907, 

 by horse plough and consolidated thoroughly with a Cambridge 

 roller. The 1907 crop was oats, 8 quarters per acre ; in 1908 it 

 grew potatoes, no manure, 8 tons per acre; in 1909 again 

 potatoes, 10 tons per acre, artificial manures were used; 1910 

 wheat, 8 quarters per acre. 



LEICESTERSHIRE (7 reports 5 successes, 2 failures;. 



No. 44. 24 acres CATS sown in April on medium soil ploughed in 

 March out of 27-years-old grass by plough fitted with skim coulter, 

 to a depth of 5-6 inches. After ploughing, ground dragged 

 thoroughly, and oats sown with a disc drill. Land then harrowed 

 and rolled, and rolled again after the oats were up. Crop very 

 satisfactory. The farmer remarks : ' ' The lesson I have learnt is 

 that I shall never plough turf so late again, because if this wet 

 weather (in June) had not come, I should not have had oats 

 worth cutting." He also says that the result would have been 

 far better if the land had been pressed with a two-furrow land 

 presser after the plough. 



No. 45. 32 acres OATS sown in the end of March on soil of good 

 quality ploughed out of old grass in January and February to a 

 depth of 8 inches. The land was not pressed or rolled after 

 ploughing, but was harrowed 8 times in all. Crop a great success, 

 attributed to the continuous working of the land. 



No. 46. 18 acres OATS sown April 16th on clay soil overlying the 

 Lias, ploughed in December and January out of 14-years-old 

 grass covered with coarse herbage. Ploughed to depth of 5 inches. 

 Oats sown broadcast and harrowed in. Crop poor. Failure 

 attributed to severe frost and subsequent dry weather, also to 

 wireworm. 



No. 47. 5 acres LINSEED sown May 7th on heavy loam over- 

 lying Boulder Clay. Ploughed in December out of 50-years-old 

 grass ; land not rolled, but disc harrowed twice in March and again 

 in April, then twice cross-disced, the second time the discs being 

 set so as to work obliquely. Finally thoroughly harrowed with 

 ordinary harrows. 80 Ibs. per acre linseed (Argentine seed) were 

 sown. Crop " very good." Success attributed to winter frosts, 

 to thorough use of the disc harrow, and to gas lime with which 

 the field had been dressed. 



An adjoining field was treated in the same way, but broken 

 up with steam plough. It was a partial failure. The horse 

 plough was set so as to invert the furrows and bury the turf. 

 The steam plough did not thoroughly turn the furrow and was 

 not fitted with a presser, so that it made an unsatisfactory job. 



