4G6 
Farm Rej)Grts. 
considers it better adapted to the West Norfolk land. This is 
particularly worthy of mention, because about 11 or 12 years ago 
the five-course system — taking, however, oats after wheat instead 
of barley and no " catch crops " — appeared to be finding favour 
in the eyes of the Norfolk farmers.* 
1. Wheat. — The clover-ley is manured with 10 loads of farm- 
yard-manure as soon as possible after the cow-grass has been 
mown, or the trefoil and white Dutch have been fed off. The 
manuring is generally done in July, August, and September, 
The land is then ploughed to a depth of about 5 inches, heavily 
rolled, sometimes with a Cambridge roller, and harrowed four 
times ; and afterwards drilled with from 8 pecks of Spalding 
wheat at the commencement of the season, to 10 pecks at the end 
of the year, the drills being 7 inches apart. It is then harrowed 
twice, and rolled with a Cambridge roller. In either February 
or March the wheat is hoed either by horse or by hand, and is 
top-dressed with 2 cwt, of guano per acre. 
Wheat is cut with a Burgess and Key's reaping-machine just 
before it is ripe ; it is sheafed by men and women at 3s. per acre, 
and is shocked by odd hands, the fields being gone over after- 
wards with wood-tined horse-rakes. The sheaves stand about a 
week on the shock, and are then put into long stacks on the field 
where the crop has been grown. This system of stacking is 
pursued with every kind of crop, and thus the necessity of stack- 
yards is entirely done away with. The stacks are generally 
13 yards long, and 7 yards wide ; and the distance from the 
eaves to the ridge is about 15 feet. The thatching is done 
at hd. per yard run at the eaves, which is equal to about \d. 
per square yard. Round stacks of 9 feet diameter at the base 
were formerly veiy much in vogue ; but they are, comparatively 
speaking, rarely made now, certainly by no means so frequently 
as in former years. Threshing is done partly by fixed and partly 
by portable steam-threshing machines, and the corn is dressed by 
hand finishing and winnowing-machines. Previous to sowing, 
the wheat is dressed with Down's Farmer's Friend. 
2. Barley. — After the wheat is harvested the stubbles are 
forked over by hand, at a cost of from 6c?, to Is. per acre, so 
as to thoroughly clean it and get rid of twitch. The land 
remains thus until February, when it is ploughed to a depth 
of about 4J inches, and dressed with 2 cwt. of guano per acre by 
means of Chambers's manure-distributor, drawn by two horses. 
It is then immediately harrowed again, and drilled with three 
bushels per acre of Golden Melon barley. Sowing commences 
about the middle of February, and is finished as soon as possible. 
* See Mr. Clare Sewell Read's Essay on 'Recent Improvements in Norfolk' 
io the nineteenth volume of this Journal, pp. 284 and 285. 
