LORD LEICESTER’S ELEVEN-COURSE SHIFT, 55 
Ten millions is the orthodox quantity of germinating seeds 
per acre, and our mixture shows half a million over that 
amount. This is, we contend, an advantage, as the sower can 
cut out a few should he choose to do so, but under the 
ordinary conditions of our average seasons the extra quantity 
will not be found excessive. 
We have omitted to append the prices of the seeds 
mentioned by us in the above mixture, because they vary 
enormously in accordance with the crop, season, and 
demand. 
During February of 1896, the Earl of Leicester very 
kindly conducted us personally over his Holkham farms, 
and thoroughly explained to us his system of an eleven-course 
shift. With his lordship’s permission we will now place 
on record a few of the mental notes we made during 
that most interesting interview. His lordship drew our 
attention at the outset to the main object for which he was 
striving, namely, Zo make his poor light lands (the quality of 
which may be judged when we inform our readers they can 
only be rolled with a Cambridge drill roll, because if rolled 
with a flat roll they would be liable to blow), show a profit on 
his rent roll. At first, we must confess, we rather doubted the 
possibility of this, but before our visit came to an end we were 
convinced how eminently successful had proved the results of 
his lordship’s efforts in this direction. The two main points 
which have influenced this success are as follows: 1. The 
cutting down of the expenses toa minimum. 2. Farming in 
such a manner that the land fertilizes itself without the help of 
artificial dressings. 
One astonishing fact was impressed upon us, that it mattered 
little to the success of the four following husbandry crops 
whether the land had been, during its seven years’ rest, under 
herbage, cropped with natural or with artificial grasses, or 
whether the artificial grasses were free from or impregnated 
