Farming of Lincolnshire. 



361 



Irish heifers are summer fed. The practice of giving 2 or 3 lbs. 

 of linseed cake daily to the young cattle and those in the straw- 

 yard has much extended itself of late years. 



With regard to the larger improvements in this district it may 

 he observed that the principal part of the cold wet land (as well 

 as the limestone soil before-mentioned) has been furrow-drained, 

 the landlord furnishing the tiles and the tenant the labour. In 

 some cases, from an over anxiety on the part of the farmer to 

 go over as great an extent of ground as possible at as little cost 

 as might be, the tiles have been put in at too shallow a depth, 

 and will of course have to be relaid. before an effectual drainage 

 is established. Formerly the principle universally acted upon in 

 drainage was, that if the top water were taken out of the furrows, 

 the nearer the tiles were to the surface the better, provided they 

 were out of the reach of injury from the plough : but more recent 

 experience has proved that the majority of soils are benefited 

 most by a deeper drainage, and that with a sub-soil kept clear of 

 water, that which falls from the clouds may be safely and service- 

 ably left to percolate through the soil and descend to the drains 

 by its own gravity. Another defect in the execution of the work 

 was the inattention bestowed upon the outfalls ; the depth of the 

 cuts being often determined by the state of the ditches, instead 

 of these being put into proper order at the outset. The system 

 of claying the sand land is carried on upon a large scale, where 

 the clay can be procured at a convenient distance. It is applied 

 at the rate of 100 loads per acre, and is attended with the most 

 lasting and useful effects ; but it has been proved that a better 

 method is to lay on about 70 loads per acre, and then after 2 or 

 3 years to add a second covering of equal amount. The sand 

 upon which this is done is of the weakest, lightest, and loosest 

 description^ too barren in its natural state for any other purpose 

 than that of supporting the numerous plantations which over- 

 spread it : not only^ however, does a wide proportion of it lie in 

 sterility and waste, but (after the pattern of the Dutch wastes of 

 water) becomes dangerous by its encroachments upon the sur- 

 rounding land. Clouds of sand will arise in a hurricane, and, 

 like a simoom of the desert, bury large tracts of verdure and 

 fruitfulness ; and as an instance of what a light sand can thus 

 destroy, it may be mentioned that on a farm at High Kisby are 

 more than 100 acres of first-rate land blown over at some former 

 period with from 2 to 3 feet of arid sand from the warren, and 

 rendered thoroughly worthless. The clay stays the sand from 

 blowing, and produces good turnips and seeds, which in their 

 turn enable the land to grow good corn ; the sand being more 

 profitable to rent after claying than to be rent-free before. 



Artificial manures are freely applied to the dry turnip lands. 



