Suggested Changes of Parming System. l8l 



system, the farmer may regard the worst drought with absolute 

 indifference. The facts are of such importance that I may quote 

 the following passage from my letter published in the Scotsman, 

 November, 1901 : — 



' ' The Bank field consists of 27 acres, rather more than half of 

 which is poor, stony, and exposed, and in some parts very steep land. 

 The remainder consists of fair medium soil for that part of the 

 country. For the last nineteen years 24 acres of the field have never 

 been manured, excepting with the artificials used with the turnips. 

 The remaining 3 acres have once — some years ago— had some farm- 

 yard manure, and the seed mixture used, and the reasons for using 

 it, are giving on page 95 (2d edition) of my " Agricultural Changes." 

 It was sown last year with a crop of barley. From October 1, 1900, 

 to October 1, 1901, the value of grazing and hay attained was 

 estimated by us at £7 3s an acre. Our estimate has been referred to 

 a tenant farmer, who is employed as a valuator, and his estimate 

 comes to rather more — £7 7s fid an acre." 



From October 2, 1901, to October 1, 1902, the field has been 

 stocked as follows, and I purposely allowed it to be so much later in 

 the autumn and winter than was judicious in order to see how the 

 new mixture would stand the roughest treatment ; and the effect of 

 this, as might have been anticipated, has been a decline of the 

 clover, though this seems to be recovering, and there is now an 

 abundant feed of grass in the field, which is still stocked with 

 60 ewes. The list of the stock is as follows : — 



From October 1, 1901, to December 31, 1901, 4 ewes per acre, 

 with the assistance of one cartload of either cabbages or turnips 

 per day for the field. 

 From March 15 to May 24, 1902, 3 ewes and single lambs per 

 acre, with the assistance of two cartloads of turnips per day 

 for the field. 

 From May 24 to July 28, 1902, 2^ ewes and single lambs per acre. 

 From July 28 to October 1, 1902, 3 ewes per acre. 

 From May 1, 1902, to June 10, 5 cattle. 

 From June 13 to September 4, 2 horses. 

 The fourth weak point of the existing system is that the farmer 

 is put to considerable expense is weeding his fields. I found from 

 an estimate made for me by one of my tenants that he was spending 

 lis 4d per acre in cleaning a field preparatory to sowing turnips. 

 With our system of farming we practically have no weeds, or so few 

 that they are not worth removing. In two instances we abandoned 

 our usual system, and took oats instead of turnips out of grass, when, 

 of course, weeds naturally followed. It may be mentioned here that 

 our system is turnips out of grass, then oats, then turnips, when the 

 land is laid down to grass, with oats or barley, and kept in grass not 

 less than four years. 



The fifth weak point of the present farming system is the great 

 cost of handling and re-handling farmyard manure. With the new 

 farming system you grow your manure on the spot in the shape of 



