On the Farming of Essex. 
25 
as a good crop is taken from the land, and the feeding the re- 
mainder is equivalent to a dressing of the best manure. 
When, however, feeding is intended, the turnips are drilled 
upon the wide stetch, such being always the case upon light land ; 
the sheep are not so liable to loss from being cast in the fur- 
rows, and the land retains the moisture better upon the latter 
system than upon the ridge-culture. The crops of turnips suf- 
fering severely in dry summers in this district, the utmost care is 
requisite to guard against drought. 
White turnips are grown exclusively upon the light gravelly 
and sandy, as well as dry loamy land, and are sown from the r2th 
to the 25th of July. A finely pulverized soil is necessary, and 
manuring highly, to produce a crop. The hoeing taking place in 
the harvest month is more expensive, and seldom costs less than 
from 10s. to 12s. per acre. As many as eight ploughings are 
sometimes given before this crop is put in, and rarely less than 
six or seven. The whole crop is mostly consumed by cows and 
sheep; but from its liability to injury by frost, is precarious, and 
is generally grown as an auxiliary to other turnip crops ; the pro- 
duce from 500 to 800 bushels per acre. 
The common drum head cabbage is grown for sheep, as also 
the thousand-head cabbage for spring feeding. These are mostly 
planted in large ridges manured with 20 loads per acre ; from 6000 
to 7000 plants per acre are transplanted in June, the cabbages 
weigh from 10 to 30 or even 36 lbs. each ; the average weight may 
be taken at 12 or 15 lbs. each. The last-mentioned varieties are 
used during severe frost or snow, and are mostly consumed by the 
flocks and neat stock. 
White carrots have been grown in limited quantities hitherto, 
but from the experiments made, are most abundant in produce, 
upwards of 30 tons having been produced to the acre ; the culti- 
vation however is exceedingly expensive, and the obtaining a plant 
very uncertain. 
The new artificial manures have hitherto been used to a limited 
extent, nor has their introduction been attended with those results 
that were anticipated ; — the soils of Essex are not so capable of 
deriving advantage from bone manure as those of Norfolk and 
Suffolk, and but little advantage has arisen from its application. 
In the early part of this report, connected with the growth of 
root crops, the proportions of arable and grazing land were ad- 
verted to. The excess of root cultivation upon any farm is not 
attended with such profit, as when moderately carried out. Upon 
farms of 200 to 300 acres of arable, from 50 to 60 acres of fallow 
are made, — about one-half or 2-3rd parts of this is applied to the 
growth of root crops : by so doing, a better di\ision of the labour 
takes place, as by growing tares, &c. The making the fallows 
