Farming of Lincolnshire. 



333 



less than 205. per acre, annually. The manure is sonnetlmes 

 laid on before plouo^hing, but g-enerally afterwards; and at various 

 rates up to 10 or 12 two-horse cartloads per acre. The seed is 

 drilled in rows from 18 to 20 inches, or even 2 feet apart, and 

 about 2 lbs. per acre. The universal practice is to drill crushed 

 bones at the same time, in quantity from 8 to 16 or 20 bushels 

 per acre. Besides this, a large amount of guano is used with the 

 bone-dust, and superphosphate of lime, urate, rape-cake, pig-eon- 

 dung, and what is called in the central part of the Wolds 

 " Louth manure," are very extensively applied to the land. 

 Sometimes the above quantities of the bones are dissolved with 

 sulphuric acid, but this does not seem to answer in some localities, 

 as might have been expected. Nothing can be more useful where 

 it is required as a temporary stimulant to the young plant ; but it 

 is thought that the raw bones are best adapted to the chalk lands, 

 as they form, in crumbling, a portion of fertile and permanent 

 soil as well as a proper nutriment for the roots to imbibe. Vast 

 sums are annually expended in these manures, commonly about 

 20.9. per acre : when the turnip land is not manured, more arti- 

 ficials are used, and there is one farmer (perhaps not the only 

 one) who every year lays out 41. per acre on his turnip crop in 

 artificial manures. The most common varieties of turnip grown are 

 the White Globe, White Stone, Purple I'urnip (or Red Round), and 

 Green-top Yellow (named also Yellow Bullock); but other sorts 

 may also be found, though only a comparatively small quantity of 

 Swedes. By high farming — i e. 10 or 12 loads of good manure 

 and ash per acre, with 20 bushels of bones, either broken or dis- 

 solved — chalk soil, in many places not more than 3 inches in 

 depth, will produce 20 or 25 tons per acre of turnips. An acre 

 of good turnips is reckoned to winter from 8 to 10 sheep for 20 

 weeks. Rape is occasionally seen mingled with the turnips ; but 

 before drilling became customary it used to be frequently sown 

 broadcast with turnips, and was much relished by the sheep, 

 which (after dressing the grass from the hedges) invariably 

 finished the coleseed before attacking the turnips. The roots are 

 generally pulled, cleaned, and sliced — Gardner's cutter being 

 universal throughout the district. A small quantity of turr.ips 

 are sometimes drawn off for cattle in the straw-yards, the hedge- 

 sides and valleys being fat enough to allow of this. Almost every 

 farmer breeds his own sheep, and the general practice is to give 

 the hogs (or tegs"^) oilcake upon the turnips, and sell them to the 

 lowland graziers in spring ; and the drape-ewes (or crones) are 

 fatted during the summer, and sold at Michaelmas. Manv of 



* A lamb eight or nine months old, and until his first shearing, is called a " heder " 

 or " sheder hog,'' " hogget," or "lamb-hog." In other counties a "teg,'" '' tog," 

 "gimnier," and " diiimont," &c. 



