290 



On the Farming of Suffolk. 



generally taken for carting from the yards : no particular season 

 is chosen. The muck is either laid on a bottom formed of clay, 

 mould, peat, or ditch stuff ; or sometimes it is laid in a heap 

 without any heavy material. In unloading, the carts are drawn on 

 the manure heap, and kicked up ; a man being employed spread- 

 ing the manure as it arrives. The pressure given to the dung by 

 the loaded carts of course prevents loss by decomposition. The 

 manure is taken from different yards, so that the dung may be 

 mixed in the heap. A few weeks before carting on the land the 

 dung-heap is turned over ; should it consist of dung and earth, 

 care is taken to mix these well together. Fermentation now com- 

 mences ; and the manure requires to be applied to the soil before 

 this advances too far, or a great loss will be sustained in the bulk 

 of the heap. 



The land and manure being thus prepared at due time, the 

 process of covering in the manure commences. It is first to be 

 considered which practice is to be adopted, ridging or flat-work. 

 On very dry land the latter has the preference : but on good land 

 ridging may be adopted with a certainty of getting a good crop. 

 On heavy clays, where there is no possibility of reducing the clods 

 to a fine state, no advantage will attend ridging, except that some 

 facility is obtained for carting off the roots. However, ridging 

 may be adopted on heavy soils if the land is prepared in the 

 autumn. 



When the ridge- system is adopted, the ploughman begins by 

 drawing out a few ridges preparatory to the general beginning. 

 By giving him a slight start stoppage is prevented. The ridges are 



made 27 inches apart, and to keep 

 ^....^-s^. in. — -> these of the exact width a marker is 



attached to the plough of the an- 

 nexed form ; this is placed upon an 

 ' iron pin a at one end of the beam, 

 the other end being secured by a 

 line from the head of the plough. The part h of the marker 

 draws a slight furrow, in which the ploughman can go with un- 

 erring correctness ; at the end of each furrow the ploughman 

 changes the marker to the other side of the plough. 



When a few ridges have been ploughed in advance, the other 

 operations follow. The manure is carted, spread, and covered 

 in ; the ridges rolled, and the seed drilled, in rapid succession. 

 About 3 acres are completed with two ploughs in a day of eight 

 hours. The workmanlike style in which the ridge-system is 

 carried out by some of the Suffolk farmers will, I have no doubt, 

 bear comparison with the best cultivated farms of the north of 

 England. 



In addition to the farm-yard manure, some artificial manure 



