168 State of Agriculture in Northumberland. 



to peculiar situations, but wliich it is unnecessary here to treat of 

 in detail. The first operation upon turnip-drills, so soon as the 

 plants are of sufficient size to bear it, is to take the soil from the 

 side of the drill with the small single-horse plough, by going 

 along one side and returning on the other, which cuts down also 

 any weeds that may have sprung up, and lays them in the hollow 

 of the drill ; the plants are then thinned and the top of the drill 

 cleaned of weeds, which are also drawn into the hollow by hand- 

 hoeing. Where bone-dust has been used, it is recommended rather 

 to thin the plants by pulling than by striking the hoe through 

 them, as in that way less of the bone-manure is drawn off from 

 the roots of the turnips. After ten or twelve days, when the 

 weeds have had time to wither and the plants have recovered 

 their upright position, a scuffler is run along between the rows, 

 stirring the soil which the little plough had laid there, and shak- 

 ing the weeds with which it is mixed ; the turnips are again 

 hand-hoed ; and after a while, unless a tendency to weeds renders 

 another hoeing necessary, in which case the scuffler may be again 

 applied also, a double mould-board plough is run along, laying 

 the soil back against the sides of the drill, but not so high as at 

 all to cover up the bulb, which would prevent the growth of the 

 turnip. This is the finishing process, previous to which the little 

 plough and scuffler will have been more or less frequently em- 

 ployed, as the tendency to weeds, or an unkindly state of the land 

 from heavy rains or other causes, may render advisable. There 

 is, however, great truth in the common saying, that the more 

 the irons are among the turnips, until the leaves begin to spread 

 across the intervals between the rows, the better even if there 

 are no weeds to overcome, the turning back and forward of the 

 soil, and the free admission of air, have a great effect in promoting 

 the health and growth of the plants. Having brought the crop 

 of turnips to this stage, it now remains to state the manner in 

 which they are used, and the means employed for preserving them 

 from frost. The character of the district in question, the dry and 

 early quality of the land, the alternate system of husbandry, and 

 the general absence of old grazing pastures, render it much more 

 calculated for the production of sheep than of cattle ; in conse- 

 quence of which no more of the latter are kept than are necessary 

 to convert the straw into manure, which is done by feeding them 

 in fold-yards with turnips in the winter : by far the larger pro- 

 portion of the turnips are in consequence consumed in the fields 

 by sheep. As it is essentially a breeding district, every farm has 

 its flock of ewes : these go over all the pastures in the autumn and 

 winter, and, except in times of snow, rarely get turnips till within 

 five or six weeks of lambing, but receive them from that time till the 

 spring of grass renders them unnecessary. Turnips are laid out 



