528 Abstract Report of Agricultural Discussions. 
deep as the soil will admit of in March or April. At first I began 
by ploughing the land np earlier ; but I found that by waiting until 
the water was going down in the spring of the year, rny land came 
quicker for the root-crop than if I had turned it sooner, and it had 
received all the wet of tho winter. I also found it healthier; and 
when pressed for a dry spot for sheep, I had these good, sound, 
healthy clover-leys to go to.* I think you would bo surprised to 
sec the clover-lands that I have just turned in for roots. Notwith- 
standing all the wet weather we have had this year, they ploughed 
remarkably well, and I am much nearer a turnip-crop there than I 
ever was by repeated ploughing^ during the ten years that I farmed 
clays in Suffolk. 
I come now to the third division of the ley ground in the prepara- 
tion for roots ; that is, the rye-grass land, which was laid down for the 
ewes and lambs in the spring of the year. We plough up the rye- 
grass ley the first time in January or February, giving it more tillage 
than the rest, because Italian rye-grass gets tough and bunchy, and 
wants more dealing with than clean clover land.* 
We are now arrived at the next course — the seventh year, or green 
fallow. We generally preserve a portion of mangold on the land : 
I have now 15 or 20 acres all stored on the land, for consumption 
upon it by the sheep. But we always run off sufficient to secure us in 
tho long spring, that we may have food to give the sheep and cattle 
elsewhere. After the mangold has been removed, we plough as early 
as possible with three horses, and put in winter tares, if any more are 
likely to be required ; but sometimes the land on my farm is so 
exceedingly stiff, that I let it remain through the winter without a 
crop, and then seed it down with winter tares in good time in the 
spring, and so fold it ofi'in summer and prepare the land for wheat. 
The whole of the root course is now ploughed, and got in order for a 
summer green-crop as speedily as possible. As tho sheep clear away 
the roots and fold off the ground, so we plough the land up in 
preparation for another green crop; and the most profitable one I 
have yet met with is rape, which we put in as the land is broken 
up with the same manure that we use for turnips. The successive 
sowings provide a succession of food for the sheep ; the new green- 
crop is at once put into the mangold land for summer consumption, 
and the turnip-land comes afterwards. My earliest sowing of rape 
is in Ajn'il, and I put plenty of manure ; cultivate with barley-culti- 
vator, four horses ; harrow, two horses ; mixing and distributing 
manure, two horses ; drill, two horses ; light roll, one horse. The 
expense of tillage in preparing for the summer green fallow after roots 
on eight acres is 61. 12s. 4ri., or 16s. 6^d. per acre. 
I have now to direct your attention to the folding of turnips and the 
preparations for the same summer crop. Break with Coleman as soon as 
the land is dry enough ; let it lie and get thoroughly dry ; then, after 
the first good rain, harrow well, and raise plenty of mould, and get 
the rape and mustard in to follow for the sheep. Cultivate with six 
* For details and cost of cultivation, see diagram. 
