On the Farming of Suffolk. 



291 



is sometimes drilled on the ridge ; this is done with a manure 

 drill, the coulters of which are guided by rollers which at the 

 same time roll the ridges. The seed is not sown by this drill, 

 for as the manure coulters make a very deep furrow it would be 

 unwise to deposit the seed immediately. But by using a light 

 roll, this furrow is filled up, and the ridge levelled for the seed- 

 drill to deposit the seed at a regular depth. Guano is sometimes 

 sown by hand, in immediate contact with the manure; this is of 

 course done before the ridges are split. 



Before hand-hoeing the turnips or beet, they are horse-hoed, 

 a man and horse getting over about 3 acres in a day; between the 

 first and second hand-hoeing the horse-hoeing is repeated, and 

 after this as often as may be required. 



The spaces in the mangel or turnips, which have missed plant, 

 are filled up with transplanted swedes. Swedes are also trans- 

 planted after tares that have been mown for horses, and are found 

 to produce good crops. 



The system of drilling on the flat is generally adopted on nearly 

 all the lightest land of this district, both for swedes and common 

 turnips : when farm-yard manure is applied, it is carted on and 

 spread just before the ploughs, so that as short a time as possible 

 elapses between the spreading of the manure and the covering of 

 it in by the plough — it being so arranged that the men spreading, 

 followed by women and boys to divide the dung, are just able to 

 keep the ploughs in work. Some plough the manure in fleet, 

 and then plough deep before sowing. Most farmers drill directly 

 after the plough, and some, in order to ensure a good crop, drill 

 artificial manure with the seed, such as rape-cake, greaves, bones, 

 superphosphate of lime, &c. 



On a few farms peat-ashes are used. I have before said that 

 there is a narrow tract of peat soil on the banks of the river Lark, 

 and this is prepared by being burnt in large heaps, at a cost (.f 

 about 5Z. per thousand bushels for digging and burning; these 

 ashes have been used rather extensively on a few light-land farms 

 for turnips ; they have likewise been found to be productive of 

 much benefit when applied as top-dressing on sainfoin and clover 

 layers. The gentleman who first introduced the use of peat-ashes 

 has also another practice worthy of mention, which is, the using two 

 drills, one to sow the artificial manure, and the other to drill the 

 seed ; this is preferred, the seed being deposited regularly, and at 

 a uniform depth, which is seldom the case when the seed follows 

 immediately after the large manure coulter. This is a desidera- 

 tum which is still wanting in drills made for the purpose of drill- 

 ing manure with the seed. The time for drilling swedes is May 

 and June ; white turnips, June : the average distance between the 

 drills 18 inches. Some farmers have adopted the practice of horse- 



