208 
Farming of Oxfordshire. 
cultivation of the root crops on many farms is very commendable. 
The intelligent farmers of those localities prefer ridging to the 
flat, as the turnip derives tlie full benefit of the manures, the 
crops can be horse-hoed directly they are up, and the practice 
can be continued longer than on flat work. They also assert 
that their crops are heavier, and the ground is better cultivated 
when ridged up. The turnips are horse-hoed as soon as possible, 
and hand-hoed mostly twice, occasionally three times. The 
setting out and the singling are performed at one and the same 
time, not cut out in bunches and singled afterwards. On the 
flat, when turnips are horse-hoed, hand-hoeing twice costs 75. ; 
three times ditto, IO5. 6rf. ; twice hoeing without the horse-hoe 
is 95. The Liverpool swedes are most extensively grown, but 
some think them coarse and necky, and prefer Matson's Purple-top 
and the Golden Melon. Wiiite swedes are most common on the 
stonebrasli ; they are harder, and produce more milk. Early 
clamping or placing is not much practised, the swedes growing 
till they are required for consumption. It is a good plan, espe- 
cially with the white swedes, when they take the first shoot in the 
spring, to heap them up, and so prevent them from drawing the 
land ; and if checked at this early period they will remain dormant 
for a long period before shooting again. Very few swedes are re- 
moved from the field, and those are for the pigs and oxen. Most 
frequently the entire crop is eaten on the spot by sheep. 
Mangold wurzel is not very common, yet there are ten acres 
grown now of this valuable root where one only was grown some 
few years ago. It is common to manure for mangolds in the 
winter, and drill the seed with artificial manure in the middle 
of April. At Ascott the mangolds are sown in the bean quarter. 
After receiving a deep furrow in the autumn, 20 loads of farm- 
yard dung are applied during fine weather and ploughed in. 
Tlie land is not ploughed again, and the seed drilled on the flat 
without further dressing. After the roots are stored, the leaves 
are folded on the ground, which is then planted with wheat. 
Some farmers prefer ploughing the fresh tops in. Mangolds 
are chiefly used to feed pigs ; l)ut some give them to cows, fat 
cattle, and ewes and lambs. They are considered to be much 
more exhaustive than swedes, but when all the mangolds are 
removed, and all the swedes consumed on the land, the com- 
parison is hardly a fair one. A few white Silesian beet are 
grown. 
Before the disease appeared in 1845 a large breadth of potatoes 
was planted for pigs. Hardly any are grown now, and those 
only for the table : York regents are the kind most in favour, 
and early planting, if possible in February, answers best. 
Carrots flourish best on sandy and light ground, and will 
