556 The Farm Prize Compelkion of lS9i. 
After repeated inquiry as to wliy Mr. Hutcbinson's wire net 
al\rays appeared such a good fence, it was found on the third visit 
that the nets were all hand made, and the ^vi^es of extra thick 
gauge, and the reason thev stood so upright was owing to a wire 
beinsT worked from selvasre to selvaore, whereas in the machine- 
made net they all run longitudinally. Russell, Grassmarket, 
Edinburgh, is the maker, who of course charges a little extra for 
hand work, which will be amply repaid in the long run. The" 
illustration (fig. 1) is that of a single mesh. 
The fallow land to be sown with swedes was being ploughed 
ten or twelve inches deep, with a correspondingly wide furrow, 
four grand horses being yoked to a chilled plough, or digger 
as it is sometimes called, and making splendid work. These 
implements, several sorts of which were on the farm, are much 
liked, and nothing else could have produced such a result. 
In returning thi-ough the stackyards, large quantities of 
swedes were seen stored, the plan being to commence if possible 
near a wall or a stack of straw, and make the heap approximately 
three feet high, with a level top, over which is thrown a certain 
thickness of old straw or waste chaff, and no earth. We 
were surprised to find that, after such a winter, all the 
roots were sound. A small walled enclosure at the new fanii, 
we were informed, was used entirely for this purpose. No 
doubt a certain amount of heat will be generated in a heap of 
such a size, not sufficient to cause the ssvedes to rot, but evi- 
dently quite ample to ward away the fi-ost. 
The enormous size of the swedes, both under the straw 
and in the fields, arrested our attention, and Mr. Hutchinson, 
after mildly suggesting 50 tons per acre, was requested to 
weigh one hundred of the best, which turned the scale at 
76 stones, or nearly half a ton. 
A woman was trimming them in the fields at one penny per 
100 yards of row, making good wages. An implement is at 
times used to loosen the roots, somewhat similar to that figured 
in the article upon sugar-beet cultivation in Austria. (See 
p. 347.) 
!Mr. Hutchinson has almost altered the face of the country 
by stubbing up miles of fences in the arable land, besides clear- 
ing away ^0 or 90 trees in one ]iart only, forming, as will be 
seen by the plan, a much more workable holding. AVire netting 
does not harbour vermin nor encourage rubbish, and with that 
to aid him the tenant would almost like to have all in one field 
only, except the grass, which of course must be divided by 
fences. 
An old wooden Dutch barn in the field, and a long piece 
