57 



JOHN WRIGHTSON. High Farming in England. (The Standard 

 Cyclopedia of Modern Agriculture, edited by P. Wright. London, 1909, 

 vol. V, pag. 144). 



'* An important feature in high-class Wiltshire farming is the devo- 

 tion of the entire area of wheat stubbles to catch crops. The barley 

 and oat stubbles are sown with clovers or with sainfoin ; but the wheat 

 stubbles, which in ordinary farming are winter fallowed for roots, 

 are in this case broken up at once after harvest and apportioned 

 to trifolium, winter barley, winter rye, winter oats, and winter vetches. 

 The farm is therefore one continuous expanse of green in spring 

 without any bare winter fallow. " 



" The fertility ol the land is almost entirely kept up by sheep 

 folding, and the amount of purchased manures employed is small, 

 and consists of some 2 to 3 cwt. of superphosphate applied to the 

 roots. Nitrate ot soda is occasionally used for the second corn crop. 

 The down land is naturally poor and easily run out, so that this 

 system of farming requires to be maintained, and if relinquished, 

 two years are enough to reduce the yield to 24 bushels of wheat 

 or barley and 40 bus. of oats to the acre. This system pays through 

 the sheep, and so liberally are the lands treated that the best 100 

 wethers are often sold at 56 s. to 60 s. per head in August or 

 September. Even those who do not aspire to ram-breeding follow 

 out the same system. In the case of ram-breeders, averages of 10 

 and 12 guineas (318 francs) per head are realized, and sometimes 

 80 to 150 gs. for individual lambs (from 2120 to 3975 francs); so 

 that in these cases the profit comes directly through the sheep ; but 

 in the case of wether-lambs it comes jointly through sheep and corn. 



" As an example of high or intensive cultivation, the farm of 

 Mr. Teasdale H. Hutchinson, The Manor, Catterick, may be taken. 

 It was the first-pi ize farm in the competition for 1891, and is si- 

 tuated in one of the most favoured parts of Yorkshire, and is 600 ac, 

 in extent. The chief points to be observed upon, in respect of 

 intensity of cultivation, are the amounts of live stock and of foods 

 and manures purchased. Next come the yields of crops and the 

 rotation pursued. We have little to do with buildings or implements, 

 because some of the best farming in the kingdom is carried on 

 with poor buildings, and implements which may be old fashioned 

 in construction. Good farming does not consist in externals or in 

 shov, but in results; and we therefore pass on to consider this 

 prize farm on its intrinsic merits. The stubbing up of ' miles of 



