536 
Somersetshire Farm-Prize Competition, 1875. 
land in the spring and summer, before it is put into swedes or 
common turnips, the latter succeeding the last fed parts. 
Swedes and turnips are alternated as much as possible on tlie 
same land, on the recurrence of the root course. They are sown 
20 inches apart on the flat, and set out a distance of 12 inches : 
4 cwt. to 5 cwt. per acre of superphosphate- dissolved in liquid 
manure are applied at the time of sowing, by means of the 
liquid-manure drill. 
The Grey-stone, Green Round, and Yellow Tankard varieties 
of turnip are grown ; the first-named being put in soon for earlv 
keep, and the other sorts sown towards the end of July, and 
preserved for later grazing. The Improved Purple-top swede 
is also grown, and generally sown the first week in June. The 
green crops and roots are all consumed upon the land by sheep 
receiving a considerable allowance of corn. This system of 
treatment, with the addition of the direct application of liquid 
and artificial manures, is found to sustain in a high state of 
fertility land that has for many years received but a very small 
proportion of the farmyard-manure. 
Barley. — Imported Scotch Chevalier barley is generally put in 
at the rate of 8 to 10 pecks per acre in March, and is found to 
be very productive. 
Clovers are sown with the spring grain-crops. Pure red 
clover is never grown more than once in eight years, the alter- 
nate course being laid down with a mixture of white Dutch, 
alsike, trefoil, and Italian rye-grass. 
Wheat. — The leys are ploughed in September, and generally 
sown the end of that month or the beginning of October. 
Browick red is found to be the best sort for autumn seeding, 
and 2 bushels of seed are put to the acre. Sometimes " Tala- 
vera " is sown in the spring at the rate of 2^ to 3 bushels per 
acre, and is found to do well. The advantage of spring-sowing 
is the prolongation of the clover-grazing in the autumn if the 
ley is doing well, or otherwise the ley is ploughed and a crop of 
mustard intervenes, and is fed off before sowing the wheat in 
the spring. The disadvantage would be the great unfcertainty 
that always exists in being able to secure a productive return 
from spring-sown wheat. 
The crops growing on the land at the present time indicate 
a diversion from the true course of rotation. 
This arises from two causes. 
1st. The calamitous drought of the season 1874. 
2nd. The increase in the size of the occupation. 
I' ield No. 4 and 5, on Fig. 2, should this year have been wheat ; 
field No, 6 and 8 should this season have been seeds, 4 acres of 
