€76 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 11 



in their experiments; for they appear to us to 

 have been made on far too minute a scale to ad- 

 mit of any just inference respectinij their proper- 

 ties in the feeding of catile. Ahhough a cliemi- 

 cal analysis n)ay ascertain the respective propor- 

 tions of nutriment which each apparently contains, 

 we have yet to learn the effect of the diirestive or- 

 gans in extracting it from the dilferent species ; 

 and nothinir but experience should satisly any 

 one regarding their assumed value. We mean 

 to say nothing disrespectful of chemistry, and we 

 make no doubt the science will be gradually 

 brought still more beneficially to the aid of affri- 

 culiure; but it is a well known remark — that, 

 when chemists dabble in husbandry, they are al- 

 most invariably found to be bad practical iiarmers. 



Transplantation of Turf. \ 



A plan was introduced about twentj'' years ago 

 by Mr. John Blomfield, of Warham, an eminent 

 larmer upon the estate of Mr. Coke, of Norfolk, 

 of laying down land to pasture, by transplanting 

 a portion of old turf in stripes or pieces, in the 

 same manner as sods are usually laid for lawns, at 

 certain distances from each other, leaving tiie 

 other parts uncovered, whence they afterwards 

 extend their roots, and become one united sward. 

 The operation, as described by Mr. B!aikie,*from 

 whom we have partly extracted it, commences in 

 antunm, as soon as the turf, which is intended to 

 be removed, is sufficient!}^ moistened by the rains, 

 eo that it can be pared off clean, and without in- 

 jury to the plants: or as soon as the farmer can 

 spare his teams and laborers after harvest. 



A clean, sweet old turf, of the best description, 

 is then chosen, and cut with the common breast 

 plough, or with any of the implements used in 

 paring and burning,! into slips of about two inches 

 and a half in thickness. Tiiese are also some- 

 times cross-cut with a scarifier, heavily weighted, 

 eo as to press the tines to a proper depth into the 

 turf ; or they are carried to the field intended to be 

 laid down in larije flags, then set in straight lines 

 at regular distances, and chopped into pieces 

 about three inches square, and placed in the man- 

 ner hereafter stated. 



A harrow, or a scarifier, with round or square 

 tines, about an inch and a half in diameter, and 

 set about seven inches and a half apart, or four 

 times to the yard, is, however, first drawn reuu- 

 larly over the field at right angles ; thus mark- 

 ing out the distances for placing the pieces of 

 turf, and makino" an opening for their reception at 

 those angles where the tracks of the times crof-s 

 each other. Women and children are then em- 

 ployed to |)lace the pieces with the grass side up- 

 permost, and as they plant each separate piece, 

 they press it into the ground with the foot; or, if 

 any difficulty should occur thronnrh the hardness 

 of ihe ground, a common wooden hand-rammer 

 may be used. Particular attention is, however, 

 requisite to this part of the process, for if the roots 

 of the plants are left exposed to the weather, they 

 will be malerinlly injured. The whole process 

 should, therefore, be "executed with all possible 

 expedition, especially when carried on towards 



* On the Conversion of Arable Land into Pasture, 3d 

 ) edition. 



t For which see chapter xvi. 



winter ; for, as frosts may occur at any time during 

 that season, no more turf should -be cut, carried, 

 and spread in the day, than is likely to be laid be- 

 fore night ; and no greater extent should at any 

 time be undertaken than there is a probability of 

 completing perfectly. 



An acre of old turf, thus divided into squares of 

 three inches, will plant nine acres of arable ;* but 

 although this is the most common, and generally 

 considered the most proper size lor the pieces, and 

 the distances for their being set apart, yet if not 

 convenient to spare so much old sward, they may 

 witli saft_ny be placed still wider. It is also evi- 

 dent, that no part of the old meadow need be 

 wholly destroyed, as narrow stripes of turf may 

 be cut from it at such moderate distances as will 

 insure the blank spaces being afterwards filled up 

 with a fresh growth. It has, indeed, been found 

 to improve rather than to injure sward which was 

 previously hide-bound, or mossed, in the same 

 manner it would as if scarified: it should, howe- 

 ver^ have a good top-dressing, be replenished with 

 the seeds of those grasses in which it may be de- 

 ficient, and be well rolled. 



The expense of this mode of converting arable 

 land to pasture has been stated by one of the 

 claimants for a premium, offered by Mr. Coke, for 

 the encouragement of this species of husbandry, 

 to be about 21. 9s. 3d. per acre, according to the 

 following account. 



Paring 1 a. 2 p. 18 f. of turf, at 10s. per 



acre, £0 16 2 



Carriage of 600 loads of turf, fifty days 



work for one horse, at 3s. per day, 7 10 



Lads driving carts, 19 8 



Scarifying 11 a. 15 p., at 2s. 6d. per acre, 17 9 



Laborers filling, cutting, spreading, and 



planting the turf on ditto, at 30s. per 



acre, 16 12 10 



It must, however, be observed, that there is no 

 allowance made for the year's rent and taxes, or 

 for the expenses incurred by the previous summer 

 fallow of the arable land, nor any charge for re- 

 storing that from whence the turf was taken ; the 

 real cost should, therefore, be stated at considera- 

 bly more. With the view, however, of lessening 

 this outlay, some experiments were made at Holk- 

 ham, under the immediate inspection of Mr. Coke, 

 for the purpose of ascertaining whether crops of 

 corn or pulse could not be sown at the same time 

 as the transplantion of the turf, without injury to 

 the future pasture, and in this we learn that he 

 has partly succeeded. A piece of arable land, 

 which had borne a crop of Swedish turnips, was 

 ploughed, harrowed, and transplanted with turf in 

 the month of March, and four bushels per acre of 

 Poland oats were sown broadcast at the same 

 time with some clover; the seed being scarified in 

 before the turf was planted, and the whole after- 

 wards lightly rolled. The result was, that the 

 oats produced a crop which was estimated at six 

 quarters per acre, and were reaped without injury 



* Tims — " One acre cut into pieces of three inches 

 square will produce 696,960 plants. One acre of ara- 

 ble marked out in squares of nine inches to the side of, 

 the square, or eighty-one square inches, and one plant 

 to each square, will require 77,440 plants, each stand- 

 ing; six inches apart, and occupying nine square inches 

 of space." — p. 17. One acre of turf to .^?.r of arable 

 is, however, a surer proportion. 



