50 



Farming of Lancashire. 



weeded, or rather never weeded, I had all to do. I commenced by carting 

 upon the stubble, in autumn, 40 tons by weight of good farm-yard manure 

 to the statute acre, and ploughing it in broadcast about 6 inches deep. I 

 then cross-ploughed it with a four-horse plough 12 inches deep, and sub- 

 soiled 6 inches below that. A portion was sown with winter-vetches ; the 

 remainder was exposed to the action of the winter frost. Early in spring- 

 two other portions were sown with spring vetches, at different periods. 

 The portion unsown was then well worked, weeded of twitch, &c, ridged 

 up, bow-harrowed, sown with 1 cwt. of a compost of sulphurized bones, 

 guano, and charcoal, or wood-ashes, ridged up again, so that the compost 

 would form the seed-bed, rolled, and sown with turnips, which you saw 

 growing well. As the vetches are cut off, the land will be transplanted 

 with swede turnips, which may be safely done as late as the middle of 

 July. For work of this kind good implements are essentially necessary, 

 and I have derived the greatest benefit, from Crosskill's clodcrusher and 

 Stretton's Norway harrow, both equally valuable, the one on dry, and the 

 other on damp land. I have also derived much advantage from watering 

 the seed-bed, or the young plants, with weak manure- water, so as to 

 stimulate it through the attacks of the fly ; and I have given to Mr. Cross- 

 kill the model of a very simple and cheap contrivance, by which two boys 

 can water four drills at a time, by means of a spout and four Indian-rubber 

 tubes attached to a common water-cart. If the water is near the field, 

 they may apply it, with one horse and cart, to about six acres per day. 

 During the period of the fly I also used, with much success, a straw brush, 

 which passes over four drills at once — a light pole about 11 feet long, with 

 a small wheel at each end. The pole is lapped with straw, which trails 

 along the tops of the furrows, and disturbs the fly. It does not destroy the 

 fly ; but the chances are hundreds to one that the same leaf is not again 

 attacked during that day ; and a boy and light horse or pony can go twice 

 over 10 acres in a day with ease. 



Many experiments and close observation of the result have convinced 

 me of the value of this simple contrivance. 



As my system of transplanting is different from any other, and has been 

 very successful, I will give you the particulars. 



I prepare a bed, and sow it early in rows about 8 inches apart, and thin 

 out to 4 or 5 inches in the row. An acre will thus transplant about 20 or 

 25 acres. 



As the vetches are mowed off, the space cleared is ploughed, well 

 worked, dressed with 2 cwt. of the compost, and ridged up. As this work 

 proceeds the plants are being prepared, and are planted while each drill 

 is damp and fresh. As dispatch is only produced by division of labour, 

 the process is as follows: — One party, No. 1, pulls the best plants, keeping 

 them " heads and tails," and carries them to another party, No. 2, who sits 

 at the end of the ground to be planted, and who nips off the slender part 

 of the tap- root and the upper part of the leaves, laying them in a basket, 

 also " heads and tails ; ,? No. 3 carries them up the field to No. 4, who lays 

 them in the drill, with the leaves towards the planter's left hand ; No. 5, 

 who must be a man or boy, that, striding across the drills, no petticoats 

 may interfere with the plants just put in. I never use the dibbling-stick, 

 which, in heavy land, only hardens the inside of the hole, but the planter 

 is furnished with a light, hollow, half-round steel trowel, with which, in 

 his right hand, he lifts up a portion of soil, while with his left he puts 

 the plant in a slanting direction below it; then drawing back the trowel, 

 the soil falls loosely on the plant, and a short stride of one leg takes him 

 to the next. 



, The proportion of labour for pulling and topping depends on the size 



