268 On the Farming of Suffolk. 



The land of this district being ploughed with great exactness 

 in 10 or 12 furrow stetches (7i feet and 9 feet), the drills are 

 constructed to sow either a whole or half a stetch at once^ leaving 

 for wheat about 1 foot in the furrows unsown. A whole drill 

 (one that covers a stetch) is drawn by four horses (two in each 

 furrow) for wheat sowing, and three for drilling spring corn, 

 though six horses are used in the very large drills that cover a 

 12-furrow stetch. Half drills, for sowing half a stetch at once, 

 are the most generally used for 12-furrow work; in these the 

 shafts are quartered, so that the horses (usually two) walk in the 

 furrow followed by one wheel, the other wheel working upon the 

 top of the stetch ; but in wet weather the path made by this 

 wheel is considered to be injurious, pariicularly if the wheel runs 

 upon a row of seed that has already been deposited : but to prevent 

 this, the half drills are fitted with a slip axle which admits of 

 being lengthened out that the wheels can be adjusted to go in the 

 other furrow, and thus do the work without any injury either from 

 the treading of the horses or the tracks of the wheels on the land. 



The other implements, such as harrows, rolls, horse-hoes 

 (where used), are also constructed so as exactly to fit the stetches, 

 and the horses walk in the furrows. Horse-hoes, which are used 

 in some parts, though not in all, are fitted with adjusting axles 

 similar to the drills. The old common horse-hoe is used by some 

 farmers for horse-hoeing wheat, barley, beans, and roots ; and 

 with such exactness is it managed that 6 and 7-inch rows are 

 often hoed without injury to the crop. 



Barley and other light rollers are made double, and cover two 

 half-stetches, the horse walking in the furrow ; 

 |- a small roller or "follower," as it is termed, 

 I for rolling the furrow, is attached to the hinder 

 f part of the rolls by chains or by a frame of 

 - wood thus. The shafts of the double roll ad- 

 mit of being altered, so that one roller may be used by itself ; or, 

 when removed from one field to another, one roller can be conve- 

 niently placed before the other. Heavy rollers have the shafts 

 quartered or placed on one side. 



Having thus described some of the principal features of this 

 district, I shall proceed to consider the rotation and manner of 

 cultivation pursued. In the course of cropping there is much 

 variation, particularly among the smaller farmers; but on the 

 largest estates and throughout all the best cultivated farms the 

 course of cropping is : — 



1. Fallow : either clean fallow, tares, beet, or turnips. 



2. Barley. 



3. Half clover ; half beans or peas ; alternately. 

 4 Wheat. 



