157 
Farming  of  Gloucestershire. 
for  the  Turnip  and  Swede  Crop  Prize,  originated  by  himself  and 
continued  by  Lord  Carteret  and  others,  through  the  Cirencester 
Agricultural  Society,  and  is  frequently  a successful  competitor. 
He  obtained  the  first  prize  in  the  years  1838  and  1842,  and  a 
second  prize  in  the  years  1841,  1846,  and  1847.  His  crops 
average  20  tons,  and  this  without  ploughing  at  all,  or  at  most  not 
more  than  2 inches  deep.  Thin  ploughing  on  moory  soil  or 
gravel  has  been  long  practised  on  the  eastern  borders  of  the  county 
in  the  vale  of  the  Thames. 
Rist-baulk  ploughing  is  usually  performed  on  worn-out  sainfoin 
leys.  The  operation  may  be  understood  by  the  phrase  “cut  and 
cover.”  It  consists  of  first  ploughing  a bout  from  end  to  end,  and 
then  putting  the  plough  into  the  turf  at  just  double  the  distance 
from  the  furrow  that  can  be  turned  clean,  and  holding  it  at  that 
distance  throughout.  Thus  a furrow  is  cut  out  which  just  covers 
an  equal  space  that  is  not  cut  out  or  disturbed  at  all : the  grassy 
surface  of  each  is  brought  into  contact,  and  during  winter  decom- 
position in  some  measure  proceeds.  The  furrows  cut  out  and 
turned  up  are  not  more  than  from  1 inch  to  2 inches  thick.  The 
field  when  gone  over  in  this  manner  presents  a series  of  ridges  and 
furrows,  very  like  the  ridging  of  fallows  before  winter.  In  the 
spring  the  scarifier  is  taken  across  the  field  presenting  this  series 
of  ridges ; and  not  only  the  furrow  which  was  in  autumn  cut  out 
by  the  plough,  but  the  strip  left  untouched  is  removed.  The 
field  then  presents  a mass  of  sods,  which  are  heaped  up  and  burnt 
for  ashes  to  be  drilled  with  turnips.  The  rist-baulked  ploughing 
is  adopted  to  save  the  expense  of  breast-ploughing,  or  rather  part 
of  the  expense,  as  it  is  a common  practice  to  turn  the  furrow  over, 
which  had  in  autumn  been  ploughed  up,  to  its  place  again,  and 
on  the  top  of  it  with  the  breast-plough  to  place  the  portion  of  the 
sward  that  had  not  previously  been  disturbed. 
The  burning  after  rist-baulk  ploughing  costs  about  Is.  per 
acre ; breast-ploughing  and  burning,  without  rist-baulk  plough- 
ing, cost  from  17s.  to  25s.  per  acre.  Little  is  gained  over  breast- 
ploughing. 
Breast-ploughing  and  burning  old  sainfoin  and  other  leys  for 
turnips  has  been  practised  on  the  Cotswolds  from  time  immemorial ; 
and  notwithstanding  some  very  powerful  opponents,  has  survived 
the  threatened  annihilation.  It  is  peculiar  to  the  Cotswolds;  and 
strangers  who  argue  from  experience  on  their  own  soils  only,  or 
irom  theory,  do  not  advise  it.  I am  prepared  to  speak  positively 
as  to  the  good  practical  results  derived  from  its  adoption.  I do 
not  hesitate  to  say  that  greater  improvement  has  been  effected  on 
those  thin  calcareous  soils  by  breast-ploughing  and  burning  than 
by  anything  else  except  the  application  of  bones.  Complaints 
have  been  urged  against  this  practice,  such  as  these: — Burning 
