The Past Agricultural Year. 
233 
per day. The cwcs ran on sound grass-land, and were very healthy, and 
ibrty-nine ewes produced ninety-one lambs. Good fat lambs were scarce, and 
sheep have not done so well as in drier seasons. 1 am happy to add that my 
ewes and lioiigetts have been kept on dry grass-land, and, receiving the above 
liberal allowance of dry food, have kept sound. But the sheep-rot has made 
dreadful havoc among many flocks. I hear of one case where but twenty 
remain of a flock of 800. Cattle and horses have generally been healthy. 
Cows have milked well, but unless they had meal, or, better, decorticated 
cotton-cake, there was but little cream in the milk. Grass has been too 
washy to produce butter or beef. 
(2.) Tillage and Crops. — Winter beans were a complete failure ; many were 
ploughed up, and thousand-headed cabbage or other green crop planted in 
April ; and some fields left would have been better ploughed up, for they have 
done no good. On most strong land wheats were too thin ; November of 1878 
was so wet tliat much of the seed rotted in the ground. Farmyard-manure, 
applied at seed-time, has done no good whatever to wheat ; but portable 
manures, especially soot, have answered well. Where only dung was used for 
wheat or barley on the cold clays the crop was a failure — acres did not yield 
the seed again, though the laud had been drained, and each drain could be 
accurately traced by the extra height of the grain growing just over it. On 
wheat-land, after beans, clover or vetches, slugs have been dreadfully abundant, 
and have done much damage in the spring. For me they cleared off 18 acres 
of young clover. I sowed in early mornings and late evenings 4 bushels of 
hot lime per acre, and then re-sovved clover, and thus secured a plant. I 
would advise the sowing of 3 or 4 cwt. of salt per acre, especially after clover, 
peas, beans or vetches. 
As to autumn cultivation : — As a preparation for root-crops, it is my opinion 
that on strong land it is indispensable. We cannot depend upon having 
a plant of mangolds unless the seed is sown on the frost fiuTow. Our best 
plan is to cultivate (generally by steam) as soon as the harvest is finished : 
work out and clear off the weeds, getting the laud ploughed — manuring first, if 
we can — but getting it ploughed before winter. Then, when it gets dry in 
the spring, apply broadcast the portable manure, working it well with drag 
and harrows, and drill on the flat, not too deep. By using these means we 
had a good plant ; hut more sun was wanted for rapid growth. 
Of all farming operations here summer fallows were the worst. We could 
not let them alone ; the weeds would go to seed ; yet all work was wasted, 
time. They were ploughed two or three times, but this has not done a scrap 
of good, for they were just as foul in August as at Christmas time. For many 
a summer fallow there must be paid three years' rent, rates and labour bill, 
before there is any return. 
W. P. J. Allsebkook. 
Derbyshire. — Ashhmtrne. 
The winter of 1878-9 was exceptionally severe in the Peak of Derbyshire. 
The laud was frost-bound, and the snow lay on it for many months ; and it 
was followed by a spring that was one only in name. Hence it followed that 
the large forage crops of '78 were in the great bulk of cases entirely consumed, 
and in many instances had to he supplemented by various kinds of feeding- 
stuffs, causing thereby a large and unexpected outlay, for which the prevailing 
low prices of farm-produce offered no corresponding return. 
The live-stock of the farm, as a rule, were very healthy through the winter, 
as they usually are in hard weather if only they are well attended to ; but 
when spring- time came round they seemed to relax in condition, becoming 
