496 
On  the  Kohl-Rali. 
sented  to  me  by  the  author,  whose  farm  at  Spring  Park  I occa- 
sionally inspected  : — 
“ My  practice,”  he  said,  “ is  to  prepare  a seed-bed,  by  well  digging  and 
dressing  in  the  winter  a corner  of  my  earliest,  piece  of  tares.  The  seed  is 
sown  in  the  end  of  February,  or  early  in  March,  thinly  in  rows  twelve 
inches  asunder,  and  kept  perfectly  clean  by  hoeing  and  hand-weeding; 
and  as  the  tares  are  cleared  oft'  in  May  and  June,  the  ground  is  deeply 
ploughed,  ridged  up,  dressed,  and  planted.  The  plants  at  first  are  placed 
three  feet  apart,  the  ridges  being  28  inches  asunder ; but  as  the  season 
advances  the  distance  between  the  plants  is  diminished.  The  value  of  the 
root  in  any  season  is  very  considerable,  but  more  particularly  after  a dry 
summer,  when  most  other  winter  food  is  scarce.  I am  this  year  very 
fortunate,  having  on  each  of  my  farms  a considerable  breadth.” 
“ Upon  a field  of  ten  acres  broken  up  from  heath  last  year  (1846)  (part, 
of  Bagshot-heath),  I have  at  this  moment  more  winter  food  to  the  acre 
than  is  commonly  grown  on  good  soils  in  favourable  seasons  from  any 
other  root ; and  this,  too,  has  been  raised  without  the  aid  of  any  purchased 
manure,  and  on  land  hitherto  supposed  of  no  value,  and  incapable  of  any 
paying  produce  for  cultivation.” — (Page  70.) 
Here  I beg  to  offer  a few  remarks. 
On  another  farm  of  about  60  acres  the  plant  is  not  grown  on 
ridges,  but  upon  the  flat,  after  any  crop  which  may  be  off  the 
ground.  The  seed  is  sown  in  long  rows  at  the  side  of  a field, 
four  or  five  of  these  together,  at  about  the  distance  asunder  men- 
tioned by  Mr.  Davis.  Between  the  middle  of  May  and  of  June,, 
the  land  (a  fine  mellow,  sandy  loam)  devoted  to  the  bulbing  crop, 
is  manured  with  farm-yard  dung,  half  reduced,  deeply  ploughed, 
and  harrowed  to  a smooth  surface.  If  rain  have  fallen  sufficient 
to  render  the  ground  somewhat  moist,  but  not  adhesive,  the 
plants  are  taken  from  the  seed-bed  and  set,  one  by  one,  in 
straight  rows,  about  27  inches  apart,  the  plants  standing  a yard 
asunder  in  the  ranks.  Should  rain  fall  in  moderate  quantity  soon 
after  the  setting,  the  plants  may  be  considered  secure,  and  will 
bulb  without  failure;  but  if  no  rain  come  for  some  days,  a little 
flagging  will  follow,  and  perhaps  the  loss  of  a plant  here  and 
there,  which  can  easily  be  supplied.  The  grand  operation , and 
one  which  above  all  bears  upon  the  perfect  development  of  the 
plant,  consists  in  regular  horse- hoeings,  duly  performed,  so  as 
effectually  to  destroy  every  weed,  and  to  open  the  surface  of  the 
ground,  so  long  as  the  spreading  of  the  leaves  w ill  admit  the  safe 
passage  of  the  hoe.  It  is  to  this  circumstance,  which  demands 
so  much  vigilance  and  timely  labour,  that  I am  apt  to  ascribe 
the  absence  of  this  excellent  and  superior  fodder  plant,  which  is, 
de  facto,  proved  beyond  doubt  to  be  the  hull)  of  dry  seasons.  The 
weather  at  the  time  of  transplanting  forms  the  chief  obstacle  to 
success,  some  moisture  and  a few7  showers  being  indispensably 
required  to  start  the  plants,  by  the  production  of  new  rootlets. 
I have  seen  in  the  present  year,  on  the  60  acre  farm,  one  first 
