34 



Account of Hall Farm 



and it is a fact, that from many of the fields no less than 200 

 cart-loads of couch were carried off per acre. The land was fre- 

 quently ploughed, no less than six or seven times in the year, and 

 in order to do this the 2 -horse ploughs were substituted for the 

 heavy and cumbersome Kentish plough generally used in that 

 part of the country. A better rotation of crops was introduced 

 when the land became thoroughly clean, and the miserable sys- 

 tem of cross-cropping, or taking two or more white straw crops 

 in succession, was altogether abolished. Great care has also 

 been taken to provide sufficient shelter for the stock, by which 

 means they fatten faster and upon less food. Tanks have also 

 been provided for collecting liquid manure. 



Owing to the greater part of the farm being naturally dry, 

 very little draining has been required, but that little has been 

 effected by the following rather ingenious method : wells have 

 been sunk to the depth of from 20 to 30 feet, at which distance 

 from the surface the Kentish rag, as it is called, or stone, is usu- 

 ally found. These wells receive the water from the different 

 drains which empty into them, and as the Kentish rag is of great 

 extent and thickness, and very porous, the wells are capable of 

 receiving any quantity of water which may issue from the drains. 

 Part of Knole Park has been drained upon the same principle, 

 and could have been drained in no other way without a very great 

 expense, as from the formation of the surface much difficulty 

 would have been found in obtaining a fall. The wells are arched 

 over at top, or filled up with stones, so that a stranger walking 

 over the farm would not be aware that any draining had been 

 accomplished. 



The system of cropping introduced generally, taking a field 

 of 20 acres as an instance, is as follows : — 



1st 



year 



20 



acres 



of turnips. 



2nd 



») 



20 



j> 



barley. 



3rd 



i> 



20 



?? 



seeds, generally mown once. 



4th 



5? 



20 



5i 



wheat. 



5th 



J> 



10 



5) 



rape. 





5J 



10 



3» 



winter tares for summer keep. 



6th 



J» 



20 



J> 



oats, barley, or peas, &c. 



Under this system, one half the land is in green crop; and the 

 result has been, that the quantity of produce of every kind has 

 been nearly doubled; and the stock, which consisted in 1838 of 

 10 horses, 14 cows, 222 sheep, and 14 pigs, in 1845 consisted of 

 10 horses, 12 heifers, 444 sheep, and 10 pigs, exclusive of 300 

 sheep which in 1841 were added to the farm from Knole Park. 



Previous to the year 1841, the sheep in Knole Park were kept 

 distinct from those on the farm ; but in that year Mr. Jones 

 stated that it would be an advantage if the two flocks were treated 



