42 
Farming of Camhridgeshire. 
second, and third earths of the fallow, ploughed each time in a 
different direction to the preceding one. This earth, after lying 
a few days, according to the dryness of the weather, but not long 
enough to get hard and cloddy, is then rolled down and har- 
rowed, making a fine tilth for the annual weeds to vegetate in. 
The dung is then carted on the land and spread, and immediately 
ploughed in : and here too much care cannot be taken in having 
the dung in good order, and well shaken and broken in pieces in 
spreading, so as to be well covered by the plough. Some of our 
farmers set the dung on the preceding earth, and drag it out 
before the last earth is given with the Staffordshire harrow : it is 
by this plan better incorporated with the soil, and less exposed to 
the action of the air : and some few of our best farmers have 
adopted the Northumberland plan, by putting them on the ridge ; 
but the plan has not been followed by many, as it is generally 
considered, on our dry, thirsty soils, that we do better on the fiat. 
On land in the least tenacious and approaching to clay, I consider 
the ridge plan advisable ; but not on our very dry soils. The 
turnips are then drilled with about 3 or 4 lbs. of seed per acre of 
swedes. Skirving's improved Liverpool is the sort now gene- 
rally sown, as they produce a greater weight per acre, and are of 
a good quality — two very great essentials in a turnip-crop. On 
the white or chalky soils the swedes are drilled about the last 
week in May; or warmer soils, about the 11th of June: all the 
early sown have been the best this year. 
Where the land is dunged for turnips, many of our best farmers 
also apply a dressing of light compost, consisting of bones mixed 
with burnt weeds or coal-ashes. The writer of this report gene- 
rally pays about 60Z. annually for wood-ashes, which are collected 
in the winter, and mixed with bones and burnt ashes ; and 
although he fattens a great number of beasts on cake, &c., for 
the purpose of raising rich farm-yard manure, he never drills an 
acre of turnips or rape without a slight dressing of bones and 
ashes, guano, or rape-dust; and this on about 400 acres animally. 
I feel bound to state that every experiment I have made with 
guano, or seen made by others, has answered my most sanguine 
expectations. Nearly in the centre of this turnip district we 
have two very extensive and most excellent bonc-mills, situated at 
Duxford and Wliitlesford, behmging to Mr. Charles Thurnall ; 
and I feel I shall not be out of place in stating him to be the son 
of the late and ever-to-be-lamented William Thurnall, than whom 
no man ever was more beloved and respected whilst living, or 
more deeply lamented and regretted when dead, by the vvliole 
body of farmers in the county of Cambridge. The demand for 
bones has so increased of late years, that they have advanced in 
price from 15s. to 235. per quarter ; still the large importations. 
