Farming of Lincolnshire. 



397 



proper management, the most harsh and infertile clays will not 

 fail to develope it into maturity and abundance. From these con- 

 siderations it appears advantageous upon most lands to devote a 

 large proportion of the green crop to the growth of swedes ; and as^ 

 from the information collected, this does not seem to be generally 

 done in Lincolnshire, it follows that in the majority of districts 

 an increase of the proportion would be desirable. In the oolite 

 district south of the Heath, Swedish turnips are only partially 

 grown ; but on the better soils near Grantham the proportion is 

 more than one-fourth, the remainder of the crop being green and 

 white top turnips. Over the central district of the county, with 

 the exception of the clay land, which contains a fair proportion, 

 they are seldom grown, whites being the chief sort. Scarcely 

 any are to be found in the flat district east of the Wolds, except 

 adjoining the great south-eastern tract, where it is usual to sow 

 white turnips on the loamy and lighter soils and swedes on the 

 stronsrer lands. In the marshes borderins: the Vv^ash thev form 

 the principal roots grown, and therefore the chief improvement to 

 be made here is in the bulk per acre rather than the acres per 

 farm. In the north-western district the proportion of swedes is 

 not great to the whole number of acres of turnips sown : on the 

 best lands there are some excellent pieces, but on the rest two 

 hindrances exist — they are peculiarly exposed to the attacks of 

 game, and demand more stimulus than the occupiers generally 

 are able to apply; and they require to be sown before the clay land 

 can be got ready, the lateness of the harvest affording no oppor- 

 tunity for working it in the previous autumn. Upon the Cliff the 

 green top yellow (also known as •'•'Hanoverian," or '^•'vellow 

 bullock"') is the sort used for spring feeding; although the swede 

 will exhibit a far more diminutive per centage of rotten bulbs 

 after a severe blast, and produce a sounder and gTeater amount of 

 food. The latter is not discarded on account of the soil, for 

 three-fourths of the land between Lincoln and Brigg would grow 

 swedes remarkably wel-l : the main objection seems to rest upon 

 the preference given to this variety by the fly. Now a newly- 

 sown field of grain, when all the crops in the neighbourhood 

 have been long above-ground, is peculiarly subject to the rob- 

 beries of rooks ; and in a similar way an isolated patch of choice 

 provender will inevitably suffer considerable ravage from the 

 insects that meet with it : the swedes will be safer when made more 

 general. In a regular fly season " the few which are tried 

 have been occasionally eaten off close to the ground, and yet are 

 so hardy as to grow up again with vigour. Surely this hardihood 



of night soil mixed with lO bushels of good loam, left in a heap for a year, so as to 

 completely amalgamate, and drilled the next. This dressing is for one acre. 



