Farming of Lincolnshire. 



331 



(the Withcall estate) of 2300 acres.^ The fields are all of a 

 proportionate magnitude, varying generally from 30 to 100 acres^ 

 presenting to the eve of a stranger the aspect of open-field lands, 

 the fences being often concealed by the surface swelling into 

 hills or descending steeply into deep hollows. There is only a 

 trifling proportion of grass-land, which is found beside the rivu- 

 lets in the valleys, and is mostly mown for hay. The soil being 

 but a few inches in depth, and often containing a large propor- 

 tion of flints, naturally possesses very little fertility — often being 

 a light sand, not strong enough naturally to grow turnips — so 

 that the farmers were at first obliged to make a soil, and must now 

 maintain its new-born productiveness. The three principal means 

 by which this is done are the processes of chalking and boning-, 

 and manuring with sheep. A dressing of 80 or 100 cubic yards 

 per acre of chalk is spread upon the land, and then a crop of 

 barley is obtained, if possible, being sown with seeds for grazing. 

 The seeds are grazed with sheep two years, the sheep being at 

 the same time fed with oilcake ; and then the land will be capable 

 of producing a fine crop of oats. Bones are also used frequently 

 for the barley crop, and when they first came into use were 

 thrown upon the land in a chopped state, neither broken nor 

 crushed, and as much as 40 or even 50 bushels per acre. The 

 boning and sheep-feeding are in constant operation, but chalking 

 is required only at intervals of a few years. On the western side 

 of the Wold district, wherever the chalk adjoins the white or blue 

 marl, an extensive application of it is made to the surface. Thus 

 immense quantities of earth and stone have been added by mianual 

 labour and horse-carriage to the thin covering of original soil ; 

 and; besides this, the soil is being continually deepened by deep 

 ploughing, the chalk fragments thus brought to the surface crum- 

 bling into mould. By these means is secured the existence of a 

 soil of proper texture and capacity, and the land is then fertilized 

 and its fecundity maintained by an incessant application of sheep- 

 manure, farmyard-dung enriched with artificial food, and pur- 

 chased manures of various kinds. The lowland farmer of rich 

 land would be appalled at the prospect of laying out so much 

 capital before a crop could be obtained; and feels a becoming 

 respect for the intelligence and responsibility involved in the 

 occupation and high management of a thousand- acre Wold 

 farm.f 



* As a corroboration of the above statement it may be mentioned that, at a public 

 meeting held at Caistor a short time ago, there were present about -10 tenant farmers, 

 to whom that town would be a convenient market, whose average occupation was 1 100 

 or 1200 acres each. 



t As a criterion of the scale on v,hich business is conducted, it may be stated that 

 the Withcall farm has three tixed steam-engines upon it, and the land is worked by 

 CO less than seventy regular horses. 



