The Agriculture of Staffordshire. 
277 
as tlie land is cleared of tlie oat-crop, the stubble is broadsliared 
twice, and the stubble and rubbish harrowed out, raked together 
with a horse-rake, and carted away to be trodden into manure by 
the pigs. A dressing of about 3 tons per acre of lime is then 
applied in a hot state, and the land drawn up in 4-yard ridges. 
It is sown with 2^ bushels per acre of wheat early in October. 
A light dressing of artificial manure is given, if necessary, in 
JNIarch or April. 
Threshing, grinding, <Scc., are done by water-power. 
The meadow-land is mown every year and dunged every second 
year. A good deal of cake, cabbage, and hay is also consumed 
upon the upland meadows in the winter by sheep and yearling 
calves, and occasional dressings of artificial manure are given in 
April upon those portions of the meadows which seem to require 
help. Slight dressings are sometimes given after the hay is off, 
in wet weather, at leisure times ; the grass is cut by machine. 
Bones and artificial manures have been resorted to on the turf of 
this farm. In one instance 15 tons of boiled bones were purchased, 
sixteen years ago, at a cost of only 3/. 12s. 6(7. per ton. A portion 
of them was applied to a 7-acre field of poor, sour, hilly pasture, 
at the rate of 1 ton per acre, with wonderful effect ; and though 
so long a period has elapsed, the improvement is still most 
marked, and the cattle show a decided preference for that field. 
Prepared bone-manure is now applied to the grass, and lasts 
longer than guano. Nitrate of soda is also found to be a useful 
grass-manure. The effect of all these applications and of a liberal 
system of stock-feeding, with a favourable soil and a cool moist 
climate, has been to produce a very beautiful turf. I have seldom 
seen grass that showed so plainly that it enjoys a suitable soil 
and good cultivation. The natural meadow clover or cow-grass 
(TriJ'olium pratense perciine) forms a considerable proportion of 
the rich herbage. Its rose-coloured blossoms quite paint the 
meadows before the grass is cut, and the abundance of this plant 
shows that the marl-soil contains, naturally and artificially, a good 
supply of lime. The grass seldom suffers in the hottest summer, 
though the summer of 1868 was a marked exception; and as Mr. 
Carrington never overstocks, no forage-grass is provided for the 
dairy, and no food is given until the grass begins to fail in autumn, 
when cabbages come in and last three months, up to Christ- 
mas. Swedes, turnips, and uncut straw are then given up to 
March, or until the cows are near calving, and 5 lbs. of crushed 
oats or 4 lbs. of oil-cake are then given daily, with abundance of 
good hay, until the grass comes. 
The stock kept consists of 50 cows, in milk, 14 two-year-old 
heifers, 14 yearlings, 14 calves, and a bull ; 70 Shropshire or 
Leicester ewes, and their progeny ; and pigs to eat the whey, fed 
