228 



Farmwg of Cumberland. 



Wetheral, made a trial, and succeeded ; others soon followed 

 him." It took several years to spread the culture over the 

 county : for in 1793 the first field-crop,* amounting to 4 acres, 

 vi^as grown in the fertile vale of Bassenthwaite, and several years 

 elapsed before any one followed the example there. Indeed, 

 the turnip-crop did not become general till within the last 

 twenty-five years, since when it has gone hand in hand with tile- 

 draining ; and now, no farm where a plough is kept is, or ought 

 to be, without more or less of the crop. The method of pre- 

 paring the ground for turnip-growing is much the same in this 

 as in most other northern counties, having for its object the 

 clearing of the land from weeds and the perfect pulverization of 

 the soil. The sowing! takes place as soon after the 24th of 

 April as the weather will permit, beginning with the swedes, 

 which are commonly all sown by the middle of May. The next 

 in succession are the hybrids, greentops, yellows, and globes, 

 and all are attempted to be finished by the middle of June. 



The (stitches or) drills vary from 27 to 36 inches asunder, 

 the average being 30 inches, and hardlj/^ an acre can be found 

 sown on the flat ; the approved allowance of manure is 12 tons, 

 and very frequently 2 cwt. of guano per acre in addition. Of 

 course, many apply far less manure, and some give more, whilst 

 numerous artificial preparations, bones, &c., are resorted to in 

 other cases. 



The seed is deposited in lincj chiefly by horse-drills ; and 

 after drill-harrowing and hoeing the edges off, the singling is 

 done by boys or women, who creep along the drills on their 

 hands and knees, placing a finger on the finest plant at the 

 proper distance, and sweeping out all the superfluous plants up 

 to the next, at a grasp or two, and so on. Where properly 

 taught, three will single an acre in a day, with greater speed and 

 accuracy than with the hoe, as formerly. Deep cultivation is of 

 essential service to this crop,§ and especially on drained soils, to 

 assist the water to escape into the drains instead of stagnating in 

 the soil, and to allow the fibrous roots to penetrate in search of 

 the nutriment existing in, or carried down into the lower soil by 

 rains. 



In this moist climate the soil can scarcely be drained too dry 



* By Mr. Atkinson, of Bassenthwaite Haws. 



t Many farmers raise their own swede-seed, and are very particular in selecting 

 roots of the finest shape and quality for transplanting for that purpose. Sozne raise 

 for sale also ; and very few grow more than a single kind of seed, to avoid 

 hybridizing. 



X A saving of seed, and a great saving of time in singling, will be effected when 

 drills come into use for dibbling three or four seeds at regulated distances. 

 U § A subsoiler, formed by taking both mould-boards off the double mould-board 

 plough, is a useful implement to run along the drills, as the last operation of the 

 season, at 8 or 10 inches below the drill bottoms. 



