676 
On  the  Farming  of  Somerset. 
stones,  covered  with  bushes  and  briars,  and  not  worth  8s.  per  acre  when  I 
took  it  in  hand.  I merely  cleaned  and  cropped  it  with  turnips  at  a cost  of 
51.  an  acre,  and  had  a fair  return  for  the  outlay  the  same  year  ; I then  laid 
it  down  to  grass,  and  the  third  year  conveyed  over  it  the  Barle  water  in  a 
2-feet  gutter,  through  its  centre,  cutting  the  smaller  gutters,  some  at  right 
angles,  some  serpentine,  from  the  main  gutter,  according  to  the  level.  The 
expense  of  this,  sluice  and  all,  did  not  exceed  5/. ; it  is  now  worth  21.  per 
acre.” 
The  expense  is  stated  by  Mr.  Jekyll  at  an  unusually  low 
figure.  It  cannot  be  taken  as  including  any  spade-labour  for 
filling  up  hollows,  levelling,  &c.,  and  it  assumes  the  power  of  the 
owner  or  occupier  to  lay  out  the  gutters  by  his  own  skill. 
Mr.  Robert  Smith  on  Exmoor  is  making  some  excellent  mea- 
dows. If  any  one  from  the  north-west  of  our  island  desires  to  see 
how  to  apply  the  system  in  a mountainous  country,  they  can  in 
no  way  obtain  better  information  than  by  a visit  to  Mr.  Smith’s 
farm  in  order  to  see  the  operation  from  the  commencement. 
“ The  defective  Cultivation  of  the  Turnip  Crop  and  the  best  mode  of 
Management — beeping  in  view  the  peculiar  Moisture  of  the 
Climate 
It  is  needless  to  enter  into  minute  details  as  to  the  defects  of 
the  practice  of  those  who  go  on  in  the  old  way.  They  put  in  the 
seed  with  the  shaker — a box  10  or  12  feet  long  with  holes  in  it, 
carried  by  the  sower  in  his  hand.  Their  favourite  manure  is  peat- 
aslies  with  lime  and  a little  poor  dung.  There  are  some  old 
farmers  who  still  say  they  “don’t  hold  with  hoeing;”  and  some 
who  thin  the  crop  with  the  drags.  If  the  charlock  comes  up  thick, 
the  gang  of  weeders  turned  into  the  field  is  .a  flock  of  lambs  to 
pick  off  the  flowers.  The  crop  is  finally  consumed  on  the  ground, 
with  the  exception  of  a few  roots,  which  may  be  drawn  off  for 
the  calves  and  yearlings,  or  to  feed  a beast  or  two. 
But,  in  fact,  the  value  of  the  turnip-crop  is  more  gene- 
rally appreciated  than  it  used  to  be;  and  most  of  the  fanners 
who  have  the  means  take  some  pains  to  obtain  a good  crop. 
Owing  to  the  remoteness  of  the  district  and  the  nature  of  the 
ground,  implements  of  a superior  kind  do  not  readily  find  their 
way  into  the  hills  ; but  the  better  class  of  farmers  generally  drill 
their  turnips  and  keep  them  tolerably  clean,  and  the  value  of 
superphosphate  of  lime  is  beginning  to  be  generally  known  and 
admitted.  The  better  cultivation  of  root-crops  has  been  much 
promoted  by  Mr.  Michell’s  example  and  readiness  to  explain  to  his 
neighbours  the  reasons  and  to  show  the  results  of  his  practice. 
The  gradual  course  of  improvement,  and  the  best  mode  of 
management  to  be  now  adopted,  cannot  be  better  told  than  in 
Mr.  Michell’s  words: — 
“Guano  was  for  some  years  extensively  used  and  with  great  success,  so 
