On the Farming of Suffolk. 



301 



wheat, or sown before the plough when no farm-yard manure has 

 been used. The plan of sowing the rape-cake before the plough 

 is preferred to drilling it, because bj the former method the 

 manure is deposited further from the seed, it does not force the 

 wheat early in the season, but in the spring when growth is 

 desirable. The varieties of wheat chiefly cultivated are the 

 Clovers Red^ Marygold or Rattling Jack, and Spalding's Prolific 

 — the latter is a very productive though rather coarse variety, 

 which is very generally grown throughout the country, and 

 owes its introduction to a labouring man named Spalding, 

 who lived at Barningham in this county. Thirteen years ago 

 Spalding, while thrashing in his master's (Mr. Wiseman's) barn 

 found three or four particularly fine ears of wheat ; these he had 

 the foresight to pick out and plant in his garden ; the next year 

 he again sowed the produce, and the third year grew a quarter 

 of an acre ; he then sold his entire growth, which was sufficient 

 to plant 10 acres — the produce of this was upwards of 8 quarters 

 per acre. A small subscription was raised by the neighbouring 

 farmers for Spalding ; he died a few years since : there are still 

 some of the family living at Barningham. Spalding has done as 

 much for his country as many more public men ; though un- 

 known, he has had his name widely disseminated, though perhaps 

 he did not reap any very great worldly benefit from his discovery. 



The Talavera wheat was largely grown a few years back with 

 much success, but it has so deteriorated that it is not much culti- 

 vated at the present time. 



The cultivation in the spring is that of light harrowing across 

 the drills, usually obliquely, in the dry weather of March; this 

 destroys the poppies and pulls up those weeds that cannot be cut 

 with the hoe : the improved appearance of the wheat a few days 

 after is very apparent. Soon after harrowing, the wheat is hand- 

 hoed, and this hoeing repeated with weedings so late into the 

 season as June, at a cost of 65. per acre in all. 



Some farmers use horse- hoes, with which they are able to 

 hoe between drills only six inches apart. This consists of a 

 wooden bar 8 feet long on wheels. The hoes, six in number, 

 work on levers, not much unlike those of Garrett's horse-hoe, 

 attached to this bar. The levers are separate, have universal 

 joints, and handles to each. One man or boy steers two hoes, 

 and a man leads the horse. The horse-hoe, in returning, hoes 

 those drills where the hoers walked in the first bout. About six 

 acres per day are hoed on 8-inch work. Rape -cake or nitrate of 

 soda is sometimes used as a spring top-dressing. 



Wide drilling with two rows close together is said to answer 

 remarkably well on light land; by this plan wheat or peas are 

 drilled in rows 4 inches apart, Avith a space of about 12 inches 



