Farming of Yorkshire. 
115 
as the ox-noblcs, Cliosliire whites, gieen-bull)s, shaws (once exten- 
sively cultivated for cattle food), lapstones or kidneys, protestants, 
and the rocks, have at various periods appeared in the district 
near Cjoole, but never so as to supersede tliose we have described. 
It is curious likewise to remark the dirt'erent cultivation of the 
potato within the last thirty years. Up to 1832 the land was 
ploufjhed four or five times in the sprinp:, and afterwards rolled 
and made very fine : the usual time of planting^ was from the 
middle of April to June, but experience eventually showed that 
potatoes planted when the land was damp and cool best with- 
stood the dry-rot ; hence a change was made, from the time 
above stated, to the period between the middle of March and 
the end of April. Last year operations were commenced in 
February, and finished the first week in April. The first-ripened 
potatoes invariably stand the epidemic the best ; but so great 
are the vicissitudes of this plant, that on the same farm, under the 
same culture, one portion of the crop lias realised 40/., Avhilst 
the other has not produced 6/. per acre. We are informed by 
an extensive farmer and land-steward that he has tried on a 
small scale all nostrums, planted at all seasons, used a great 
variety of manures, and has experienced diametrically opposite 
results from the same experiments : on one point he was very 
forcibly convinced, that whenever the plant suffers most the 
-atmosphere is highly charged with electricity ; it likcAvise suffers 
from all extremes — from that of wet by decomposition, and 
that of drought by stoppage in growth. 
Flax. — The cultivation of flax in the county has been steadily 
increasing during the last twelve years, the variety of fibrile tex- 
tures into which it is introduced and its high price giving an 
impulse to growers. Yoikshire has long been known for the 
■fine quality of this plant, which under the new system of 
management is considerably improved. The quantity sown is 
much influenced by circumstances, such as the price it realizes, 
and the value of other kinds of agricultural produce, and fluctu- 
ates with each particular season. On the banks of the Ouse and 
Trent, where the cultivation is considerable, the importance of 
this crop has increased with the failure of the potato. Improved 
machinery for scutching flax by steam instead of hand power has 
contiibuted to make this a more profitable crop than formerly. 
Considerable prejudice still exists among some landowners to 
this, as an exhausting crop ; but the discoveries of science have 
done much to dispel the feeling, although some persons devoid 
of experience still cling to the notion that it is baneful to the 
land. The repeated growth of flax on the same land is unprofit- 
able, because quality is then sacrificed ; but, taken in due course, 
this does not interfere with the production of other crops 
I 2 
