10 
Agriculture of Nottinghamshire. 
" half-inch,"' that is, left in pieces of about that size, and rape- 
dust mixed with them, which serves to quicken into action their 
dormant powers. Many substitutes have, however, of late years 
been made use of, which we propose to notice briefly afterwards, 
and will only observe that the dressing supplied for the turnip 
crop forms a very heavy item in the farmer's annual expenditure. 
In 1842 the present Mr. Milward informed us that he spent that 
year at Bab worth, upon 170 acres of turnips, from 50*. to 70s. 
an acre, and even more than that sum, for the greater part of his 
crop was swede turnips, which received half-a-ton of rape-dust to 
the acre, at a cost of 71. 7s. a-ton, the price current for the year. 
The turnips were, however, good in proportion, insomuch so that, 
the great breadth considered, and the quality of the soil upon 
which they were grown, they were the best we have ever seen. 
I have heard Mr. Milward observe that he has spent upon the 
same farm, consisting of about 550 acres of arable land, upwards 
of 600/. in linseed-cake in one year; and, supposing the half of 
this cake to have been consumed in the yards by beasts, and the 
manure applied to the turnip crop, the two items form together a 
very heavy outlay of capital. 
I3ut it may be urged that the case here adduced is an extreme 
case, and a solitary one, and that the farming of an individual 
forms no criterion whereby to judge of a district. But to such a 
remark we would rejoin, that it is by no means a solitary case ; 
that, on the contrary, there are many tenant-farmers in the same 
neighbourhood who are farming with equal spirit ; and that such a 
degree of cultivation amongst the sand-land farmers forms the 
rule rather than the exception. 
As soon as the young plants are large enough to admit the 
horse-liDC no time is lost in stirring the ground effectually be- 
tween the drills, as it is found that their growth is thereby greatly 
accelerated. They will now soon be ready for striking with the 
common hoe across the drills, for the purpose of thinning the 
plants. This ought to be done by an experienced man, followed 
by a boy or girl, to leave single such ])lants as he may not have 
been able to separate with the hoe. Tlie usual distance at w^ich 
the plants are left apart is from 9 to 12 inches; and a hoe of a 
size not less than 9 inches should be used if the jilants are to 
have sufficient space in which to develop themselves. This work 
is frequently performed by the piece, at about 4s. the acre, and 
cannot be done for less to allow fair wages. In a few days after- 
wards a second horse-hoeing will be required, and not improbably 
a third, <as well as being gone over a second time by the hand-hoe, 
although at much less cxj)ense than the former one, the object" 
of this latter hoeing being chiefly to eradicate any weeds which 
may remain. 
