On Preparation for the Wheat Crop in Cornwall. 169 
preparation for wheat was very imperfect : that system is, to 
plough the three or four years' sward in June or July (turning 
half upon half, as the provincial expression is), break it down, 
harrow and roll it in September, and then plough clean for wheat 
in October or November, immediately before sowing. It occurred 
to the person who manages this farm, that a great improvement 
might be made by ploughing in February, instead of J une or J uly, 
and sowing rape in the spring. That has accordingly been done 
on this farm for two or three years. We were at first afraid to 
dispense with our lime, and applied the usual quantity before 
sowing the rape in May. We had abundant produce — kept our 
sheep on it through the summer with great advantage — and 
though the wheat of this summer (1842), owing to the wet winter 
of 1 84 1 -2, was thin on the ground, I have no doubt we have on 
ordinary land more than four quarters per statute acre. There 
can be no doubt that what was taken out of the lime manure by 
the rape was fully returned to the land by the sheep being 
hurdled upon it through the summer. The loss was the pasture 
from February to June on a four years' old ley. The gain was 
the keeping our feeding wethers^ and other sheep following them, 
from June to September or October. 
In consequence of a partial experiment made last year (and 
which, though under unfavourable circumstances, was successful), 
the experiment this year has been pushed further ; and the fol- 
lowing has been the course pursued this summer (1842) : — 
A four years' old ley was skimmed 2^ inches deep about the 
10th of February, not stirred till the 28lh of April ; the surface 
was then so well rotten, that after the usual labour in working it 
down, nothing remained from which ashes could be procured. 
The ashes made from the fuel used in this house have been en- 
tirely neglected— wood and coal ashes mixed — and when they 
have accumulated to some extent, carried to the garden, where 
they have been screened, the large cinders used for the fires there ; 
some of the ashes, perhaps, applied to garden purposes, and the 
refuse thrown by. About six cart-loads of these small refuse 
cinders or ashes were collected. Having been exposed to all 
weathers, they would not run through the drill ; one load of lime 
(30 Winchester bushels) was applied and mixed well with them, 
which had the desired effect of drying and separating them. They 
were drilled with the rape-seed over about 7 acres on the 5th of 
May ; seven weeks after the rape was stocked with sheep : we 
continued increasing them, but the rape still gained upon us — 
seventy-five sheep were upon it for s. veral weeks, — the greater 
part of which were fattened, and all maintained during the sum- 
mer ; fifiy young wethers are now upon it (September, 1842), 
with some other sheep ; and it will keep them till it is ploughed 
for wheat some weeks hence. The land is perfectly clean; and 
