A HISTORY OF DORSET 



The principal sales of draft ewes and lambs are those held at Dorchester and Blandford during 

 July, August, and September. Though strenuous efforts have been made to get a distinct class 

 allotted by the Royal Agricultural Society they have not yet met with success. The Bath and 

 West of England, however, have given a distinct class to this breed in their annual show, and the 

 breed appears at all local shows. The Dorset Down Sheep Breeders' Association owes its inception 

 to the Milborne St. Andrew Farmers' Club under the chairmanship of Mr. William Bedford of 

 Bere Regis in 1904. 



The general management of the breed differs very little from that of the Dorset Horn, the 

 sheep being allowed to run in the pastures by day and brought in on arable at night. The carcase 

 fetches on an average ^d. to id. more per lb. than the Hampshire breed does, and an average clip of 

 washed wool would be, lambs 2 to 2^ lb., ewes 4^ lb., and rams 9 lb. The Flock Book of the 

 Dorset Down Sheep Breeders' Society for 1906 contains the registration of over 21,000 ewes, 

 8,000 ewe hoggets, and 350 rams. 



The system of field farming now general in Dorsetshire is that known as the ' four-field 

 system,' but on the large sheep farms round Blandford the five-field system is more prevalent, 

 pastures being kept down two years instead of one. In that part of the county which adjoins the 

 Yeovil district of Somerset the three-field system is general. On the hill farms of Dorset no 

 systematic rule can be adopted. The failure of the crop is not unexpected and cannot be guarded 

 against, so the occupier farms as he in his judgement thinks best, and as he has to pay the 

 piper he may well be trusted to call for that tune which is most likely to suit the requirements 

 of the season. 



The Norfolk course of turnips, barley, clover, and wheat was introduced at the beginning of 

 the nineteenth century but, with the natural conservatism of the Dorset farmer, was not much 

 practised, and the old system of white straw crops still continued. Some farmers followed a course 

 consisting of (i) turnips, rape, manured after ploughing in winter and spring ; (2) oats ; (3) beans, 

 vetches, which were drilled and horse-hoed ; (4) wheat ; (5) turnips, rape, &c. ; (6) oats, &c., sown 

 with clover (7) ; clover ; (8) wheat. This was subject to variation, but the principle was never to 

 have two white corn crops in succession. Summer fallowing was also practised as part of the 

 course. 



It was about the year 1850 that 'high farming' was first introduced into Dorset, and since 

 that time the practice has spread until no farmer of any size or repute is to be found who sticks to 

 antediluvian methods of cultivation. The practice has been fostered by the survey of the soils of 

 Dorset undertaken by the college at Reading in 1898, under the auspices of the Dorset County 

 Council, which was productive of much sound service to the farmers. For wheat and oats it is 

 general, where available, to distribute 10 to 15 tons of farmyard manure per acre, and in spring to 

 sow I cwt. of nitrate of soda per acre. After clover generally 2 cwt. of superphosphate or 3 cwt. 

 of basic slag is applied. Where farm-yard manure is scarce an application of 4 cwt. rape dust and 

 4 cwt. basic slag, or 3 cwt. superphosphate, is recommended. For barley, after roots fed off, 2|cwt. 

 superphosphate or 2^ cwt. guano is applied, or, where following a cereal crop, f cwt. nitrate of soda, 

 2 cwt. guano, or 2^ cwt. superphosphate and 2 cwt. kainit is applied. For turnips, it is usual to 

 use farm-yard manure, about ID tons to the acre, followed by 3 cwt. superphosphate, or instead of 

 the dung I cwt. sulphate of ammonia and 2 cwt. kainit, the latter with I cwt. nitrate of soda. 

 The different varieties of soils all require special dressings, and no particular fertilizer can be said to 

 be in general use. 



All implements common to agriculturists are in use in Dorset at the present day. Some 

 reluctance was shown at the earlier part of the century, but the present-day farmer is widely awake 

 to the advantages of labour-saving devices. Steam tackle has made great strides in Dorset, the 

 implement firms letting the machines out on hire to farmers. At the beginning of the nineteenth 

 century wheat was cut with smooth-edged hooks, and the scythe was very little used. Later the 

 use of the scythe became more usual, and even to this day continues in some districts. This is very 

 uncommon in England, though the use of the scythe for barley is recommended and known to 

 produce a better sample. The old-time plough of Dorset was a single-furrow plough with the 

 mould-boards usually covered with plate iron 9 in. wide, which was the breadth of the furrow. 

 This was drawn by oxen, a practice which died hard, and even to this day there are one or two 

 teams of oxen at work in the field. The harrow consisted of five beams, each of which contained 

 five tines, 9 or 10 in. apart. These harrows were sometimes drawn in pairs. There was also 

 in use a smaller harrow for clearing ground of couch grass as well as an implement termed a nine- 

 share plough, which would now be called a cultivator, and this latter did the work of the spring 

 harrow. Sometimes instead of shares tines were inserted. 



A wooden roller was used, which was in sections and covered with iron bands nearly 2 in. 

 wide. This was used for rolling wheat, a smooth surface not being considered good. It corre- 

 sponds to the rib-roller of to-day. Drills were not used much in the earlier half of the century, 



284 



