54 



Farming of Northamptonshire. 



of September, after a crop of oats, he commenced by scarifying 

 the land twice over to the depth of 3 or 4 inches, then raking the 

 stubble and grass together in heaps and burning them. The land 

 lay in that state until the following March, when it was again 

 scarified rather deeper. This was repeated in the months of 

 April and May, when the land was harrowed and rolled, and the 

 remaining pieces of couch-grass carefully picked up and burned. 

 In the last week in June it was manured with 12 or 14 loads of 

 farm-yard manure per acre, which was ploughed in directly, 

 and the turnips drilled on the flat surface, the rows 18 inches 

 apart. They came up and went on well, and were one of the 

 best crops in the county. I had repeated opportunities of 

 watching the plan adopted, and should consider it a very success- 

 ful experiment. The scarifying kept the land fine and moist, 

 and the dry weather in July did not seem to have affected the 

 turnip-plants. It was on a mixed sandy and gravelly soil. 



Part of the land intended for turnips is sometimes sown wdth 

 rye or tares in the autumn, and consumed by sheep on the land or 

 taken home for horses in the yard. After the tares are consumed 

 the land is manured, receiving one or two ploughings, and if not 

 free from couch-grass, is scarified or harrowed, and got clean, 

 and then sown with white Norfolk, green-top, or bullock-heart 

 turnips ; these receive a similar treatment of repeated hoeing 

 and weeding as the swede crop. 



There exists some difference of opinion amongst practical men 

 with regard to the comparative merits of the ridge and flat 

 system of growing turnips. It has been satisfactorily proved 

 that a greater weight per acre can be grown on the flat surface, 

 but the ridge system has advantages in affording the liberal use 

 of the horse-hoe during the summer, and thereby cleansing and 

 pulverizing the soil. John Beasley, Esq., who is one of the 

 largest turnip growers in the county, plants them rather exten- 

 sively, and with considerable success, on the ridge system on 

 his farm at Overstone. 



During the last few years artificial manures have been 

 drilled in v/ith the turnip-seed. They have been mixed with 

 burnt ashes and other light manures, and in many cases have 

 been successful in assisting the rapid growth of the young 

 turnip plant. The following experiments were made by Mr. R. 

 Wiggins, of Orton-cum-Rothwell, in the summer of 1849: — 



