The  Yorkshire  Farm-Prize  Competition , 1883. 
567 
Oats. — Black  oats  are  principally  grown.  They  stand  better, 
grow  less  straw,  and  are  found  to  be  most  prolific.  Polish  and 
black  oats  are  sometimes  grown  together,  and  are  locally  known 
as  Watson’s  mixture.  Sixty-eight  acres  were  sown  this  spring, 
after  barley  ; this  was  not  heavy,  but  it  was  a nice  level  crop. 
Mr.  Watson  has  not  previously  grown  two  white  crops  in 
succession,  and  says  he  will  not  do  it  again.  Fifteen  acres  of 
black  oats  were  after  seeds  which  had  been  marled  last  winter. 
The  first  crop  after  marling  is  usually  lighter,  but  this  was  good, 
though  not  so  heavy  as  that  on  an  adjoining  field. 
Marling  or  Chalking. — Some  of  this  work  is  done  nearly  every 
season  ; the  field  just  referred  to  was  commenced  the  last  day  of 
the  year  1882.  A part  of  the  field  is  selected  where  the  chalk 
is  nearest  the  surface  ; the  soil — of  which  there  may  be  from  3 to 
12  inches — is  cleared  off,  and  then  operations  are  commenced. 
The  work  is  occasionally  let,  but  is  more  frequently  done  by  the 
farm-horses  and  men.  When  let,  it  costs  from  4 1.  10s.  to  6Z.  10s. 
an  acre.  The  chalk  is  quarried  out  and  reduced  into  pieces 
not  more  than  6 inches  square,  and  simply  carted  on  to  the  field 
at  the  rate  of  about  40  tons  an  acre.  After  having  been  spread, 
it  is  allowed  to  lie  exposed  to  the  atmosphere  as  long  as  possible 
before  ploughing,  so  that  it  may  fall  like  lime.  Its  action  is 
most  favourable  to  root-crops,  preventing  finger-and-toe  and 
other  bulbous  diseases.  After  all  the  chalk  required  has  been 
obtained,  the  sides  of  the  pit  are  neatly  sloped  in  all  round,  and 
ploughed  over  as  before,  without  much  apparent  difference  to 
the  crops.  When  the  fields  are  pastured,  straw  is  often  placed 
in  the  bottom  of  these  old  chalk-pits ; and  in  rough  weather  the 
stock  finds  comfortable  shelter  in  them.  Mr.  Watson  has  marled 
about  180  acres  of  this  farm,  compensation  for  which  runs  out 
in  12  years. 
Turnips. — This  crop  is  looked  upon  as  the  crowning  glory  of 
a Wold  farm.  On  it  depends  in  a great  measure  the  winter 
food  for  both  cattle  and  sheep,  and  also  the  condition  of  the 
land  for  future  crops.  Last  year  the  crop  was  superb.  In 
January  we  found  upwards  of  1000  sheep  confined  to  turnips 
in  one  field,  and  Mr.  Watson  was  then  almost  despairing  of 
their  ability  to  get  through  the  crop.  This  year  the  crop  has 
been  a source  of  great  anxiety.  Swede-sowing  commences 
about  the  3rd  week  in  May  ; the  turnips  are  all  sown  in  ridges 
24  inches  apart  ; about  two-thirds  of  the  entire  crop  is  dunged 
at  the  rate  of  about  10  tons  to  the  acre,  with  the  addition  of 
3 cwt.  of  dissolved  bones.  The  remaining  one-third  of  the 
crop,  for  which  there  is  no  dung,  receives  6 cwt.  of  dissolved 
bones  per  acre.  At  our  visit  on  the  7th  of  July  we  saw  the 
fallows  under  most  unfavourable  circumstances  ; the  previous  ten 
