AGRICULTURE 



Fairford on 30 September, 1826, says, 'Wheat sowing is yet going on, on 

 the Wold ; but, the greater part of it is sown, and not only sown, but up, 

 and in some places high enough to hide a hare.' Although very little is 

 now sown before the end of September, and more frequently October and 

 November are the busiest months for drilling, a stale furrow is the best, 

 and the ploughing is done as far as possible in August. After the land 

 has been rolled and a seed bed prepared with the harrows and' drags, about 

 nine pecks of seed are drilled to the acre and harrowed in. Now that 

 wheat has so greatly depreciated in price it is seldom hoed, and remains 

 until the spring, when it is rolled to consolidate the earth, and lightly 

 harrowed. When ripe it is cut and tied by the self-binder. 



As soon as the corn is safe in stack a start is made on the wheat stubbles, 

 and as large an area as is possible is stirred by the cultivator. On light soils 

 the cultivator is followed by the roll, and the couch dragged out on the surface 

 and burnt. The first root crop to be drilled in the following spring is man- 

 gold, and for this a clean piece of wheat stubble is selected, given a good 

 dressing of farmyard manure, and ploughed at once to ensure its working well 

 in spring. The land intended for swedes and turnips is also ploughed, and 

 the whole of the root land should have been ploughed once by the end of the 

 year. In spring it is ploughed across, rolled, dragged, rolled again, and 

 drilled. The water drill is largely used on the Cotswolds, and roots are 

 drilled on the flat and not on the ridge. For mangolds 3 to 4 cwt. of salt 

 is broadcasted previous to drilling, and about i to 2 cwt. of nitrate of soda or 

 guano drilled in April with the seed. After the seed is up it is top-dressed 

 with about i cwt. of either nitrate of soda or guano, if the smaller amount 

 has been used with the drill. 



The soil being generally speaking deficient in phosphates, about 3 cwt. 

 of superphosphate of lime or sometimes 2 cwt. added to i cwt. of dissolved 

 bones is drilled with a swede crop. Rather less is usually applied for 

 turnips. Rape is often sown in March or April to provide early keep for 

 lambs in July and August, and thousand-head kale may be drilled at almost 

 any time to provide a succession of sheep-feed throughout the winter 

 and spring. The greater part of the root land is sown with swedes to come 

 in for food after the turnips are finished, towards the end of the year, and 

 maintain the sheep until spring. It is of great importance that the root crop 

 should be singled early, as soon as the rough leaf is developed, and as this 

 coincides with the haymaking season there is a difficulty where labour is not 

 over-plentiful in getting all the crop hoed over in proper time to secure the 

 development of the plant. 



Mangold and swedes are singled out and seconded, but as a rule turnips 

 are only singled. As soon as they show well above ground, and afterwards 

 throughout the summer at intervals, three or four horse-hoeings are given 

 whenever the weather is favourable and the horses can be spared. The rain- 

 fall on the Cotswolds is considerable, and generally sufficient to produce a 

 fair crop of roots even upon this light dry soil, but the plant is often 

 irregular. Owing, however, to the available amount of lime, the disease 

 called ' Finger and Toe ' is almost unknown, and the roots are generally of 

 good quality and free from mildew. The mangold should be pulled and 

 secured in the clamp by the first week in November, and later in the month a 



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