406 Farming of Dorsetshire. 
evil. When riding over the farm in the autumn I was shown 
two pieces of turnips where clean fallows had been tried against 
turnips after vetches, and turnips after rye-grass. All the turnips 
had been sown on the same day, and if there was a difference it 
was certainly not in favour of the clean fallow. At the begin- 
ning of this year (1854) a remarkable proof of the superiority of 
the clean fallow was shown by these very turnips. They were 
shown in competition for a silver cup offered for the best general 
root crop. The competitors were good farmers, who had raised 
their roots (mostly swedes) after a clean fallow, and on much 
better turnip soils than Mr. Saunders. Yet, at the annual dinner 
of the Winfrith Farmers' Club, held January 4th, the cup was 
awarded to Mr. Saunders, who values it above all bis other 
prizes as a testimony to the soundness of his principle in farm- 
ing. It is arranged that a piece of turnips shall lay alongside a 
piece of Italian rye, to be consumed together by the sheep, so 
that in wet weather they may be drawn off the turnips on to the 
grass. This seven-field course, Mr. Saunders considers, gives 
a larger amount of green food than any other in practice in the 
county, and allows of growing wheat twice in seven years : and, 
besides avoiding clover sickness, it materially assists in the con- 
solidation of the land for wheat. It also keeps an amazing 
number of sheep. In sheep husbandry Mr. Saunders differs from 
his neighbours in this respect : that, instead of selling his lambs 
in the fall, they (suffering from scour, like all other flocks lying 
near the coast) are run round till the second year, when the best 
wethers are sold Avith the full-mouthed ewes. The best chilvers 
are kept for the ram, and the culled wethers are kept till they 
are four-teeths, when they are fatted and sent direct to the 
London Christmas market. Prizes were taken at two of the 
Agricultural Societies' meetings this year by the shepherd for 
rearing 781 lambs from 652 Down ewes. Oxen are used for 
farm purposes, and fattened off with oil-cake and swedes. About 
150 pigs are fattened, and over 500 head of poultry kept on the 
farm. The pigs tread down their litter in a kind of open loose 
box in which the straw is piled in layers to a height of 6 feet. 
In this way 620 loads of pigs' manure were made last year. 
To prevent vermin, the mows when made in the fields are cut 
hard in at their base, and rats are thrown back by the compactness 
of the reed as they would be by a board set at an angle. This 
has been found to answer most effectually. Mr. Saunders was 
one of the first to use bones on their introduction into the county. 
He strives hard to attain the character of a " clean " farmer ; 
and, in addition to the frequent horse-hoeings mentioned, the 
fields, before feeding off turnips, are gone over by an agricul- 
tural " detective " armed Avith a three-pronged fork, who " tq,kes 
