On the Farming of Suffolk. 



283 



clover, women and children follow the waggons to pick the locks 

 of clover left by the pitchers. After carting, the field is raked 

 while the dew is on the grounil. The seed is either threshed by 

 hand or by the machine ; the cost of " cobbing," separating the 

 seed from the stalks, and "drawing," separating the seed from 

 the husk by hand, is from 4^. to bs. per bushel of 5 stone ; seed 

 is drawn on a wooden frame on which the cob is laid, while 5 or 

 6 men hammer away with flails ; however, this is much better 

 done by machinery. A crop of red clover-seed is 2 to 8 bushels^ 

 of white 3 to 9 bushels (of 5 stone) per acre. 



Ath year, Wheat. — Wheat follows in the last year of the course 

 after beans, peas, and clover. From 14 to 20 loads per acre of 

 farm-yard manure, generally compost, are applied on clover-lands 

 for the wheat crop, either on the seeds during the previous winter, 

 or shortly before ploughing up the land for wheat ; the clover- 

 land is ploughed up (not very deep) in September, allowing a 

 short time to elapse before planting. When the layers have been 

 fed, it is considered advisable, from the greater part of the manure 

 from the sheep washing into the furrows, to spread the first furrow 

 ploughed up ; by this means the manure is distributed over the 

 surface ; if this is not done, the corn that grows on the ridge or 

 top of the stetch is lodged. When manure is spread, it is never 

 thrown in the furrows, for these become by ploughing the top of 

 the stetch, on which the succeeding crop is grown ; and it is found 

 that that is the part where the crop grows with the greatest luxu- 

 riance. Wheat is generally planted in October or November, 

 either with the drill or by hand-dibbling ; the latter is preferred for 

 clover-lands. The dressing to prevent smut was chiefly chamber- 

 lye and lime ; this has been superseded in many places by a solu- 

 tion of blue vitriol (sulphate of copper) . Arsenic is also used ; 

 this is done by wetting the wheat, and then sifting arsenic over it 

 from a dredsrinff-box. Before dibblino: the land is 

 rolled. Dibbling is done by men who use two iron i V y 

 dibblers, one in each hand, walking backwards ; one i 

 man finds employment for three children dropping ^ I 

 the seed ; the cost from 55. to 85. per acre ; the dis- !g 

 tance between the holes varies from 3 to 5 inches, | 

 that between the rows from 4^ to 9 ; thus one row of | \^ I'-ir 

 holes is put in the centre of each furrow, or two rows 

 on a furrow; and some put 16 rows on a 12-furrow stetch, putting 

 two rows on the wide furrows, and only one on the narrow ones at 

 the ridge and furrow. After the seed is deposited, the land is 

 harrowed. Among the advantages of dibbling are — 



1st. The employment of the labourer and his family. 



2nd. The saving of seed (from 6 to 7 pecks usually dibbled). 



3rd. That the straw grows stiffer, and is not so liable to be lodged. 



