Agricultural Maxima. 
449 
men did the whole of the hoeing and drilling of the 7 acres in 3 days. They 
were kept clean by horse and hand-hoeing. The rows were 36 inches from 
row to row, and the plants in the rows averaged 24 inches from plant to plant. 
The average weight on the 7 acres was 17 lb. per root. The weight per acre 
was 55 tons 2 cwt. 
" My land is now ready in the same way for the next year's crop, which will 
he the fourth year upon the plan." 
9. The following is the full history of another remarkable crop 
of mangolds, grown on Wroxton Abbey Farm, near Banbury, 
the property of Colonel North, M.P., and given to me at his 
desire by Mr. James Innes, Colonel North's agent: — 
" The land on which this crop was grown is a deep loam, and when taken 
in hand was a poor unproductive piece of pasture, full of rushes, &c., and 
very wet from want of proper imderground drainage. It was first (in 1854) 
thoroughly drained 4 feet deep ; and as it produced but little herbage, the 
grasses being chiefly subaquatics, I determined to bring it into tillage for a 
few j'ears previous to laj-ing it down again. 
" In the beginning of 1856 the surface was breast-ploughed and burnt, at a 
cost of 4?. 10s. per acre ; half the ashes were carted ofi' to be used with artificial 
manure on other land intended for Swedes, and tlie remaining portion evenly 
spread over the field. The field was then ploughed to the depth of about 14 inches 
by one plough following another in the same furrow, each j^lough going as deep 
as possible. I may mention that I consider paring and burning to be the be^ 
system of breaking up old pasture of this description, as by it all surface weeds, 
&c., are effectually destroyed, and the ashes make a good manure. 
" In April (1856) the field was sown with oats, excepting a small portion 
which could not be prepared in time, and was therefore sown with common 
turnips. 
" In the following December I had some winter beans sown on that part 
that had previously been oats, and oats where the turnips had gi'own. The 
beans were drilled in rows 28 inches apart, and after they had been well 
horse-hoed three times, white Pomeranian turnips were sown betwixt the 
rows, to be consumed on the land by sheep after the beans were drawn ofi^. 
" The portion that had been oats in 1857 was, in the following October, sown 
■^vith Lammas wheat ; but, owing to the plant not having a firm root-hold, 
the corn was much laid, and the prodvace of a very thin and ordinary descrip- 
tion. Spring wheat was sown on the piece that had been beans and turnips, 
but the yield was like the other, light and inferior. 
" With a view to remove the excess of organic matter usually found in 
newly-broken-up land, and also to hasten the decomposition of the vegetable 
remains, and thus furnish a supply of feeding material for the use of plants, 
I had a good dressing of lime (about 100 bushels per acre) spread over the 
land in the autumn, and immediately ploughed in ; this ploughing being done, as 
in the first case, to the depth of 14 inches, by two ploughs, one following in 
the furrow of the other. 
" In the beginning of April this year the land was thrown into ridges, 
about 27 inches apart, by a double mould-board plough ; well-rotted farm- 
yard dung was then spread in between these ridges at the rate of 15 cart-loads 
per acre. The ridges were then turned back or " split " so as to cover the 
manm-e (care being taken not to have more ridges manured than could be 
split in the same day). Before, however, this was done, I had the following 
artificials (after they had been finely pulverised by a small machine made for 
that purpose, and so rendered more available for the use of the j^lants) sown 
bjr hand on the top of the dung : — 2 cwt. guano, 2 cwt. Proctor and Eyland's 
mangold manure, 2 cwt. salt, per acre, on part of the field ; and 3 cwt. Proctor 
VOL. XX. 2 G 
