On  the  Farming  of  Somerset. 
707 
which  yearly  goes  off  the  farm,  every  ton  of  cheese  carrying  off 
nearly  half  a cwt.  of  phosphates,  it  is  truly  marvellous  how  the 
fertility  of  these  soils  is  kept  up,  unless  the  manure  brought  down 
in  the  floods  is  taken  up  by  the  meadow  hay,  and  then  distributed 
over  the  fields  by  the  cattle  which  are  foddered  in  the  open  air. 
Having  ventured  to  speak  thus  freely  of  the  defects  of  the 
average  dairy  farming  of  the  Marsh,  I have  great  pleasure  in 
referring  to  the  improvements  which  are  taking  place,  and  for 
this  purpose  I must  especially  name  the  farm  of  Mr.  Yeoman,  of 
Dean  Farm,  West  Cranmore,  on  the  borders  of  the  Mendips. 
My  attention  was  first  arrested  by  the  very  superior  condition  of 
Ills  root  crops  in  the  autumn,  and  further  inquiry  confirmed  the 
impression  which  they  made.  His  practice  is  the  reverse  of  all 
the  faults  above  referred  to.  His  cows  are  all  housed  in  the 
winter,  and  the  greatest  care  and  economy  are  used  in  feeding 
them.  All  the  straw  which  is  placed  under  them  is  cut  up  by 
Cornes’s  machine,  so  that  a great  saving  of  litter  is  effected. 
They  are  fed  with  straw-chaff  mixed  with  roots,  cut  by  Moody’s 
turnip-cutter,  a particularly  useful  implement  when  chaff  and 
roots  are  to  be  eaten  together.  His  young  stock  are  fed  with 
chaff  and  1 lb.  of  cake  per  day,  on  the  Lincolnshire  plan,  the 
only  instance  of  this  practice  which  I have  met  with  in  Somerset- 
shire. 
By  these  means  he  is  enabled  greatly  to  reduce  the  amount  of 
hay  required,  and  to  increase  the  number  of  cows.  He  has  cul- 
tivated the  Kohl  Rabi,  and  found  it  succeeded  very  well.  The 
seed  was  sown  on  the  1st  of  March  ; the  plants  transplanted  in 
May,  June,  and  July,  at  2 feet  apart  each  way,  and  in  this  pecu- 
liarly dry  season  they  did  not  suffer  at  all  from  mildew ; the  roots 
were  out  in  the  frost,  and  not  injured. 
If  any  one  interested  in  the  improvement  of  dairy  farming 
desires  to  see  the  importance  of  the  root  crop,  and  of  its  careful 
and  economical  consumption,  he  cannot  do  better  than  take  a 
lesson  here.  Tenants  who  act  on  these  principles  deserve  every 
encouragement.  In  such  cases  the  breaking  up  of  inferior  grass 
lands  is  a gain  to  all  parties,  for  they  are  improved  in  value  to 
the  landlord,  and  the  demand  for  labour  is  much  increased.  Mr. 
Yeoman’s  premises,  though  he  is  indebted  to  his  landlord  for 
better  accommodation  than  most  of  his  neighbours  possess,  are 
not  more  than  are  absolutely  required,  and  of  plain  and  simple 
construction : the  chief  advantages  which  he  possesses  in  the  way 
of  machinery  and  implements  are  his  own  work. 
Peat  Moors. — In  the  Bridgewater  fiat  there  are  two  kinds  of 
peat  moor ; the  one  fibrous,  which  is  cut  out  for  fuel — the  other 
loose  and  friable. 
The  Turbary  Moor,  on  the  north  side  of  Bolden  Hill,  lying 
