250 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ September 26, 1878. 
grass, which will necessitate something approaching the four- 
course system, in order that the land may be cleaned by a fallow 
crop such as mangold and other roots. In this case a considerable 
portion of the land may be sown with wheat which in the ordi- 
nary four-course would be sown with Lent corn, either barley or 
oats. According to our experience the yield of corn does not so 
much depend upon the distance of time between the crops of 
wheat as it does upon judicious management and preparation of 
the land. We have found with but few exceptions that when the 
seed has been put in under favourable circumstances, and the 
ground good enough to produce a full crop of straw, that the pro- 
duce of corn depends upon the season. In hot dry summers we 
usually obtain a good yield, and in a cold wet season the reverse. 
We have, however, noticed sometimes, that although the grain 
has been abundant the weight of it has been deficient perhaps 
about 2 Ibs. per bushel. In some cases we have known the same 
field of good hazel loam cultivated or rather cropped with potatoes 
and wheat alternately for a number of years, and that whenever 
the season was favourable large crops of wheat—as much as fifty- 
two bushels per acre, have been grown. When we haye cropped 
the land thus the potatoes received a liberal dressing of guano, and 
the same of yard or town dung was applied to the wheat crop. 
We must now allude to a mode of cropping called the three- 
course rotation, and when the land is clear it is adopted with 
great advantage, particularly where the soil is a little too flat and 
heavy for the winter folding of sheep whilst eating roots—viz., 
first, wheat out of clover lea; second, barley or oats according 
to climate ; third, clover mown twice for hay or seed. This plan, 
by judicious cultivation, will pay more rent and leave more profit 
than the four-course system. But although this plan may be 
carried out on the home farm, yet on many farms the occupier 
would be debarred by the conditions of his lease. It may be 
said that this system will keep but little stock; but upon the 
home farm where there is a good portion of meadow or park lands 
these will keep the stock principally in the summer months, and 
upon a portion of the clover lain good roots may be grown after 
one cutting of clover, and good stubble turnips after the wheat, 
where the climate is favourable. 
We will next speak of the cultivation for wheat after clover. 
If any portion is broken up for roots the cultivation for it will 
be referred to further on under the head of Light Land Culture. 
Upon good loamy land the early ploughing and pressing is of 
great consequence, because in these soils, which often vary in the 
same field, it is very necessary that the land be allowed to lie and 
become mellow before sowing, and at the same time it becomes 
consolidated, so essential to the well-doing of the wheat plant. 
It is on the lea that the dung should be laid out and ploughed in. 
Let us, however, guard against the couch and water grass as much 
as possible, and if it is found on the clover lea by no means to 
attempt a late or what is commonly termed a bastard fallow, this 
being the worst preparation for wheat on these soils which we 
know of. We prefer to scarify very shallow and clear away the 
grass, and then to lay out manure, plough, and press the land ; 
this will give all the advantages of the clover lea without making 
the land hollow and unkind for wheat. Upon these soils the 
roots of clover make a capital manure for wheat, and it is better 
that the clover be cut twice or even cut for seed because of the 
great increase of the substance of the roots of clover. We have 
repeatedly seen the difference in the wheat crop, where two cut- 
tings as compared with once cut and then fed off with sheep, the 
former proving the best preparation for wheat, although the sheep 
may be folded upon the land whilst eating off the clover. 
The time of sowing wheat upon these soils, although it may 
have been early ploughed, should be deferred until about the 
middle of the month of October ; and the quantity of seed should 
not be less than two bushels and a half per acre, as the wireworms 
are more likely to attack the plant than upon a fallow preparation. 
It is also important that the wheat should be prepared and steeped 
to prevent smut. It is not sufficient that the seed sample gives 
no evidence of smut, because the smut balls may have passed 
away in the act of winnowing, threshing, &c., but the ears often 
contain smut balls and sound corn also. The sound corns are, 
however, sure to produce smut the following season unless some 
method is adopted to kill the disease in the corn. Some use vitriol 
(sulphate of copper) commonly called bluestone vitriol. but the 
best way and least trouble is to use a composition sold for the 
purpose and called Down’s Farmer’s Friend. Upon loamy soils, 
if not much given to weeds, the wheat may be drilled at 7 inches ; 
otherwise it may be drilled at 9 inches between the rows, so that 
it may be hand or horse-hoed in the spring. We, however, seldom 
find athat wheat sown out of cloyer lea is infested with annual 
weeds. 
The sorts of wheat selected for seed should be adapted to the 
climate, white varieties being goog for the eastern and southern 
counties, and red sorts for the midland and western districts. 
When the jand is highly manured and a heavy crop is expected 
any short-strawed yariety is best, the Rough-chaff Essex being 
the best, quantity and quality considered. Schoeley’s Square 
Head is also a good sort. These, together with Golden Drop and 
Nursery, also with some other sorts haying local name and origin, 
when selected by Pedigree, make up a sufficient choice for growth 
upon the home farm. ‘The seed, however, should always be grown 
upon an inferior soil, and the judgment of the farm manager will 
always be required to take notice of the sorts which best suit 
the soil. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour still consists of ploughing and working the land 
for rye, winter vetches, &c. Upon all those farms where the land 
is at all foul with couch grass autumn cultivation should be 
carried on upon the land intended for roots next year by scari- 
fying or rafter-ploughing, and upon all dry loamy, or light 
gravel and sandy soils, this work may be continued in fine 
weather until the commencement of the autumn rains, and then 
it will be time to begin laying out manure, and preparing by 
ploughing and pressing the land intended for wheat; the latter 
work, however, may also be done at intervals of weather unfavour- 
able to autumn tillage of the stubbles. Upon farms in certain 
districts it is necessary in the interest both of landlord and tenant, 
and especially on the home farm, that any land requiring chalk 
should have an application immediately it is ascertained to he 
requisite. There are many kinds of weeds the growth and preva- 
lency of which indicate the absence of chalk more or less. The 
autumn part of the year whilst the roads are firm is the best time 
for carting chalk. The horses belonging to the home farm, where 
the horse power is judiciously apportioned, will, however, not be 
able to accomplish such extra work as carting chalk. We have 
on various estates with which we have been connected found it 
best to hire for this work, which is not only very laborious for 
the men and horses, but is very wearing to the harness and carts 
employed. We have found it in consequence answer a good pur- 
pose to arrange with the hirecarters of the district to deliver the 
chalk on the farm at any time during the summer, to be made up 
into heap and subject to measure. A cube yard weighs from 
18 cwt. to lton. The cost of cartage per cube yard will varv 
according to the distance frem the pit; but the hirecarters will 
accept a contract on easier terms if they have early notice of the 
quantities required, and are allowed to work at it so as to fill up 
any leisure time they may have in their hiring business. The 
horses employed on the farm may then lay out the chalk from 
heap when most convenient, from 18 to 20 tons per acre being a 
sufficient quantity upon soils in general. The odd horse will have 
full employment in various ways. It will be necessary to see 
that the rick yard is made clean and tidy by the removal of all 
litter after thatching and trimming the ricks; this will afford 
some bedding for the pigsties. The late-sown vetches and oats 
or the late-sown trifolium will now be very valuable for the 
horses, the cattle, and pigs, and will be required for use daily, and 
should be brought to the homestead by the odd horse or horses. 
Hand Labour will now be employed in various ways—tending 
the threshing machine, making up and thatching the straw and 
fodder ricks, and spreading dung on the clover leas. The home 
farm manager will do well now to look at all the fences and 
have them properly trimmed, and the ditches cut out free from 
the coarse grasses, &c., which grow upon the sides. Particularly 
examine ditches and watercourses where it is known that tile 
drains haye their outlets, so that the water may haye no ob- 
struction when the early autumn rains begin. As fast as the 
corn is thrashed have the ricks of straw and fodder properly 
stacked, and the roofs of the stacks raked down hard with the 
thatcher’s rake. In the case of wheat straw for general use the 
roofs will then only require thatching halfway down ; but it is 
different with barley or oat straw, or pea haulm required for 
fodder, for these should be put together in good shape in the 
rick, and be as carefully thatched as a rick of hay. Straw 1s now 
so dear that the same care in ricking and thatching should be ob- 
served with all that portion intended for sale. The mangold crops 
are in some cases very foul, and as fast as the last hoeing is done 
women should pick up the couch grass and weeds. The same 
observation will apply perhaps to Swedish and common turnips. 
The hoes have killed but few weeds this year on account of con- 
tinuous rains, When cabbages are required for the early spring 
they snould now be set out, and if the field is much exposed it is 
well to have the land stetched or baulked at 2 feet apart, and set 
the plants in the furrow between the stetches, guano being strewed 
along by hand. In case of snow in the winter the plants will 
then be covered, which will protect them against depredation by 
larks, wood pigeons, game, c., and being in the furrow, if the 
soil is dry, will do well and be sheltered to some extent from cold 
winds, and in the spring the plants will be well healed up in the 
act of interculture. This is now a good time to purchase a stock 
of breeding ewes, and particularly in the home counties, within 
sixty or seventy miles of the metropolis, where the horned Dorset 
ewes are kept for making early lambs for the metropolitan market, 
some of which will be required at Christmas. These ewes are 
brought in large numbers to the fairs held at Weyhill and Apple- 
shaw in Hampshire, buyers from various counties attending as 
purchasers. These ewes are very pretty and ornamental stock on 
the park lands from the middle of October until the middle ef 
