296 



On the Farming of Suffolk. 



This practice, or modifications of it, is adopted for white turnips 

 as well as swedes, and is well suited for turnips that are left late 

 in the season, as the former is for feeding during the severity of 

 winter. The salutary check which the turnips receive by being 

 pulled prevents their drawing the land by sending up seed-stalks, 

 and, being in a more natural position than when stored in heaps, 

 they keep sound and in good condition. Beet and swedes for 

 feeding on the land with sheep are sometimes stored in the fol- 

 lowing manner on the eastern side of the county : — The roots are 

 pulled from a piece of land 6 yards square, and laid in the centre 

 of this piece in a conical heap ; a few roots in the centre of the 

 heap are topped and tailed, the remainder are laid with the tops 

 to the outside and covered with earth 6 or 8 inches in thickness. 

 Roots stored thus are said to keep well. The employment of the 

 labourer and his children is not the least of the many advan- 

 tages which the harvesting or storing of roots affords. 



Sheep grazed on turnips are sold fat from March to June ; 

 the kind of sheep preferred for grazing is the first cross between 

 the Down and Leicester. The breeding of this kind of sheep is 

 much on the increase, as it unites the quickness of fattening of 

 the Leicester with the hardiness and quality of the Southdown. 

 This description of sheep is supplied by flock-masters who keep 

 a Southdown flock (buying in ewes of that kind as the crones 

 are drafted out), and hiring or purchasing Leicester rams of 

 farmers who keep a Leicester flock for the purpose of ram- 

 breeding. For breeding-ewes the turnips are never cut with a 

 machine, and but very seldom stored, white turnips being gene- 

 rally given. Mr. Freeman, of Henham, steward to Lord Strad- 

 broke, feeds his ewes on swedes, and I believe finds that they 

 do better than on common turnips. 



The sheep are folded on the turnips at night, and in the morn- 

 ing are driven out on the heaths (on the very inferior soils), or on 

 some dry pasture, where they remain till about three o'clock ; they 

 then return to the fold to afresh piece of turnips and a bait of chaff. 

 This system of management continues till lambing-time, after 

 which the ewes and lambs are generally put on rye, and then on 

 the layers, which carry them through the summer. The custom 

 of night-folding the breeding-flock is general. 



2nd Year, Barley. — As the turnips are cleared off, the land is 

 ploughed for barley. Some farmers g:ive only one earth, others 

 two, ploughing first very fleet, and deeper the next time, by that 

 means the droppings of the sheep are well incorporated with the 

 soil, and others again scarify or ribble after the fold, and drill the 

 barley on one earth ; the plan of ploughing fleet and subsoiling 

 has been adopted by some. The barley (Chevalier or Long- 

 eared Nottingham) is usually drilled at the rate of about 3 bushels 



