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Report on the Farming of the 
or 12 loads per acre) is carted upon the land in small heaps; it is then 
spread broadcast by hand as evenly as possible, and then ploughed in : 
if the manure is real good short muck, there is no difficulty, though a 
little care is needed in accomplishing a complete covering of the manure. 
The land afterwards undergoes the requisite number of draggings, har- 
rowings, rollings, &c. ; and I have always found that as the soil works 
up the manure works down, so that, when we want to sow turnip-seed, 
there is none or next to none of it left on the surface. The seed is 
drilled on the level at 27 inches apart. First, I used I quarter of bones 
per acre, to give the young plants a start ; last year I tried 4 tons of 
bones dissolved in sulphuric acid, and had a very good crop. I consider 
this a safer plan for our land than ridging." 
It is evident that the 60 or 70 bushels of bones per acre, at 2s. per 
bushel, spoken of by Mr. Strickland as the custom of his day, must 
have confined the application of them either to the affluent farmer 
or to a very small portion of the farm. It was consequently several 
years before it became credible that so small an amount of tillage 
as 2 quarters of ground bones per acre was sufficient to secure a 
crop. This, however, has proved to be a very valuable discovery ; 
for even in the most remote and inaccessible parts of this wide 
area, one waggon is able to convey a sufficient quantity of crushed 
bones to manure 7 or 8 acres of land, according to the above pro- 
portions. It is about sixteen or seventeen years since the Wold 
farmers became convinced that a smaller quantity of bones than 
2 quarters an acre would be sufficiently efficacious; and from that 
time until within the last year or two 12 bushels has remained as 
the ordinarily prescribed allowance. 
In the year 1846 experiments of using 4 or 5 bushels per acre 
of ground bones dissolved in sulphuric acid were partially made ; 
their success induced an extended trial in 1847. 
The following statement has been forwarded on this subject: — 
" I have been induced in the present year (1847) to try the use of 
superphosphate of lime on an extensive scale on my wold farm. There 
is not more generally than 3 or 4 inches of available soil above the 
chalk-rock ; in some parts there is chalky gravel almost to the surface; 
hitherto from 12 to 16 bushels of bones has been the presumed requi- 
site for an acre. In 1846 I tried an acre or two with 5 bushels of dis- 
solved bones, and it answered so well that I determined to risk the 
whole crop of 1847 with a similar quantity. The cost, &c., was as 
follows : — 
s. <l. 
5 bushels of bones . . 12 6 
4 stones of sulphuric acid . 5 0 
1 quarter of malt combs . 6 0 
23 6 total cost per acre. 
