Farm-Prize Com2)etition, 1880. 
549 
But sometimes Mr. Donald keeps the seeds down for a longer 
period than two years, and the cropping list which I subjoin 
will show what proportion of the farm is at present in seeds or 
crop : — 
A. R. p. 
Wheat (sown down with seeds) 14 2 36 
Oats (out of lea) 21 0 38 
Potatoes 3 0 0 
Swede turnips 2 3G 
Other fallow crops, rape, turnips, &t' 9 2 0 
First j'ear's seeds for hay 2-i 0 0 
Second „ (grazed) 20 2 0 
Third „ „ 22 0 0 
Fourth „ „ 7 0 0 
Fifth „ „ 5 0 0 
Meadow for mowing 0 3 29 
Permanent pasture 8 1 18 
The land sown with rape this year is one of the ofF-lying 
pieces which I have mentioned as peaty in character. In fact it 
is exactly like the Cambridgeshii-e fens. Not being suitable for 
turnips, rape is here found to answer remarkably well, and Mr. 
Donald gave us an instance in which his crop made 5/. per acre 
for feeding purposes in 1875, at Id. per head per week. It is 
sown early in June, and is manured with 12 loads of farm- 
yard-dung per acre. Part of this peat-land was planted with 
mangolds, but like all the crops of that root in this country, they 
were very indifferent, having suffered from the maggot which 
seems to infest the North of England. This creature settles 
in the leaves, eats out their ribs and entirely prevents growth. 
We did not find a piece free from its ravages in the two counties. 
The mangolds here get 22 loads of manure an acre and 2 cwt. of 
pure dissolved bones, and deserved a better fate. The potatoes, 
however, on this description of land were very promising. They 
were Skerry Blues and Champions. They get a large quantity of 
farmyard-manure, but no artificials. The cabbages on the same 
land Avere good, and the white turnips (at our July visit already 
set out) an excellent plant. The other swedes on the higher 
portion of the farm, though not nearly so forward as many we 
saw, were good in plant, and, for such unfavourable land, very 
promising. This piece had just been drained, which Mr. Donald 
says it much required. It is quite strong land, a clayey loam 
without a stone in it, and consequently stubborn working. In 
preparing the land for swedes, the oat-stubble is ploughed before 
Christmas, so as to be pulverized by frost. I should mention 
that Mr. Donald does not find it answer to sow swedes earlier 
than May 20th, and they are often put in in June (up to the 6th). 
Allowance was therefore made for the somewhat backward con- 
