Improvement of Poor Lands by Subsoil- Ploughing, 261 



Red wheat was drilled upon it immediately, and produced next 

 autumn 25 quarters of plump corn. I need not add that the 

 wheat was hoed and weeded about the time it began to tiller. 

 The wheat-stubble was ploughed soon after harvest, after a mode- 

 rate coat of compost had been applied, and the field was sown 

 with winter tares. This compost was made by mixing farm-yard 

 dung with the earth which had been ploughed out of the furrows 

 on breaking up the grass, and which had been turned over twice 

 with the spade, so that it had the appearance of fine garden- 

 mould. Great attention was paid to have water-furrows sufli- 

 cient to carry oiF all superfluous water. The tares produced a 

 good crop in 1837, which was partly made into hay ; a small 

 portion was cut up green for the horses ; and a part, left for 

 seed, was reaped in the end of August. Where the tares had been 

 left for seed some manure was applied. The field, being again 

 ploughed, was sown with wheat, and produced 20 quarters (4 

 quarters per acre). It was now apparent that the weeds were 

 increasing, and that a cleaning became necessary : the wheat- 

 stubble was therefore scarified, and the surface raked ; the weeds 

 were burnt, or carried off. The whole was ploughed as deep as 

 possible before Christmas, and left rough to the influence of the 

 frost. This was in 1838. As soon as the business of the farm 

 permitted in the spring of 1839 the field was ploughed level by 

 reversing the furrows ; the heavy harrow, called here the drag, 

 was drawn over in all directions, and all the roots and weeds 

 were collected. It was next ploughed at right angles to the first 

 direction, and after a little time harrowed repeatedly, and all root- 

 weeds carefully forked out. In April, after spreading about 18 

 cubic yards of fresh stable-dung on 1^ acre, potatoes were put, 

 12 inches apart, into every third furrow, after the plough, the 

 manure being raked over the sets, and covered by the returning 

 plough. On the remainder of the field, the rest of the manure, 

 consisting of about 40 cart-loads of good yard-dung, which had 

 been carted on to the headland from the yard, and there turned 

 over once, was spread evenly. It w^as now ploughed into very- 

 small ridges, 32 inches wide, each consisting of 2 furrows up and 

 2 down, or 2 bouts, as they are called. On the top of these 

 ridges, after a light harrow had gone over, one rov/ of Swedish 

 turnips, or of the red globe -turnips, was drilled. Plenty of seed 

 was used to secure a plant. After this, the turnips, which came 

 up well, were cultivated after the Northumberland manner; the 

 intervals were ploughed, first laying the earth from the turnips, 

 and then to them again. The double mould-board plough, 

 w^hich reached down to the yellow c\a.j, deepened the middle fur- 

 rows, and gave a free course to the water. 



The Swedes and red rounds are as good a crop as I could desire. 



