430 
Farming of Cornicall. 
rous experiments have been made to ascertain the cause of this 
failure, but without success. Those most liable to the failure 
are of the most valuable kind, containing the largest proportion 
of starch, and it has been observed that seed obtained from the 
coarse growan soils is less liable to failure than when taken from 
rich arable land on the slate formation; hence the common 
practice of potato growers has been, for a long while, to obtain 
their seed from the granite districts. 
These hints, if carefully followed, may lead to some practical 
results, as the proportion of starch varies considerably in differ- 
ent varieties. 
44. Rape. — The culture of rape has been partially introduced 
with success as a preparation for the wheat crop, and food for 
sheep.* The method of cultivation, where the pasture is coarse, 
is to plough the grass deeply at Christmas, and, after it has been 
cultivated and well worked, lime or sand and dung are applied, 
but now more frequently guano or bone dust, which are drilled in 
with the seed, after the second ploughing in April. But when 
the land is free from stroil and weeds, only one ploughing is 
required, which is done in March or April, with a " tiirn-iorest 
plough," having a skim coulter attached, by which the rim of the 
soil is turned completely under the furrow.f This has been suc- 
* The following experiment on the use of rape as food for sheep was 
made on Barteliver farm, where the practice has been to commence 
sowing in April, and continue until the latter part of July : — ■ 
5 acres, sown 13th and 14th of May, stocked to the 2nd of .July. 
3 acres, ditto 21st of June, ditto 2nd of August. 
6 acres, ditto 10th of July, ditto 21st of August. 
These 14 acres kept (folded) from 68 to 110 sheep to the 2nd of No- 
vember, averaging 80 in number during that period. On the 10th of 
August, 10 wether hogs were weighed that were feeding on the rape, and' 
again on the 21st of September : the increase of weight is as follows : — 
Average Weight of each 
Average Weight of each 
Average Increase of 
Average Profit of each 
Sheep, loth August. 
Sheep, 21st September. 
Weight in Six Weeks. 
Slu'ep at tid. per lb. 
146 lbs. 
IGGlbs. 
20 lbs. 
The difference between this system of farming and that of grazino- 
the sheep on the thin pastures is very considerable. Suppose the gain 
on the whole flock to average only 12 lbs. of mutton, or Gs. each sheep, 
it would pay Gd. per week each for the keep, whilst the grass that would 
have grown on the 14 acres would be trifling compared with the profit 
from feeding on rape. The expenses, too, of the wheat crop which 
follows are greatly reduced, since the manure left after the folding of tiie 
sheep is far more valuable on light soils, than any lime which may be 
applied. 
•|- It must be observed that in using this plough, the land must be clean 
