214 APPENDIX. [March, 



How long had it been in grass before you turned it up ? — Some of 

 it 15 years. 



What is the next crop after the turnips and potatoes? — I then lay 

 down what 1 have had in potatoes with wheat ; I sow wheat in the 

 end of the season, as soon as I can get the potatoes up ; what I have 

 had in turnips I grow barley upon in the spring, and I sow grass seeds 

 upon both. 



You could not have attempted barely upon that soil before 1 — Not 

 with any success, and not wheat, because the land was so full of mois- 

 ture that it honey-combed by frost, and so threw out the plants. There 

 was one field especially, after a very severe winter, and with a frost, 

 there was sometimes a space of 20 or 30 square yards from which 

 every plant or vegetable had been thrown, not a bit of grass remaining 

 upon it. 



After the wheat what do you take ? — I sow grass and barley. 

 Do you cut the grass for hay 1 — Some ; the other is pastured from 

 the beginning. 



What is the nature of the grass it produces? — Very good, and very 

 heavy crops of hay ; T have generally about 300 stone, which is about 

 three tons per acre. 



Do you think that any improvement is likely to be so valuable for 

 general purposes as frequent draining and sub-soil ploughing for strong 

 land ? — None. 



That, you think, is the most important thing for general purposes 

 of farming that you are acquainted with ? — Decidedly. 



And applicable to more qualities of soil than any thing else? — Ap- 

 plicable, I should say, to all qualities of sub-soil. 



And equally applicable to England as to Scotland ? — Equally so, 

 and very much wanted. I have a friend who has made an experiment 

 under my directions in Cheshire, upon very stiff land, Mr. Barton ; it 

 is the most thorough brick clay I ever saw ; an extremely sterile farm 

 in its original state. Mr, Barton has been completely successful ; he 

 has thoroughly drained the ground and sub-soil ploughed, and it is 

 now laid down without furrows, and I there saw a large field of this 

 extremely stiff clay with a beautiful seed surface upon it. 



Mr. Denison. Do you think that it is applicable to a soil where 

 there is a bad gravelly sub-stratum ? — I think so ; I think any sub- 

 stratum, if it is exposed to the atmosphere for a sufficient length of 

 time, will become fertile. In the most barren country, if you see 

 where a ditch has been dug, on the soil which has been thrown up 

 you will generally find a richer verdure and strong weeds growing. 



