On  the  Farming  of  Somerset. 
7 15 
drained  under  the  superintendence  of  Mr.  Parlies;  the  landlord 
undertaking  the  whole  expense,  except  the  haulage  of  the 
tiles.  During  the  last  winter  eighty  persons  were  at  work ; su- 
perfluous hedges  and  timber  have  been  removed,  and  the  Lin- 
colnshire principle  of  compensation  for  improvements  introduced 
into  the  agreements  with  the  tenants.  Relief  has  been  given  to 
industrious  tenants  by  taking  some  of  their  land  off  their  hands 
for  a time,  to  clean  it  thoroughly  and  show  them  what  it  will 
bear  if  well  managed.  Subordinate  to  and  in  aid  of  these  pro- 
jects the  aim  of  Mr.  Graburn  has  been  to  teach  two  points  by 
submitting  them  to  the  test  of  practice  : 1.  The  practicability  of 
growing  roots  on  the  stonebrash.  2.  The  importance  and  value 
of  a regular  rotation  of  crops.  After  five  years’  experience  he 
can  say  that  he  has  never  failed  of  having  a plant  of  turnips. 
Last  year  the  growth  of  the  bulb  was  checked  by  the  excessive 
drought  of  the  season  ; but  in  all  former  years  he  has  had  good 
crops,  both  of  swedes  and  of  common  turnips;  and,  even  last 
year,  he  had  some  good  Lincolnshire  purple  tops,  sown  in  July 
upon  a stale  furrow.  The  land  was  ploughed  in  the  autumn  and 
not  afterwards , but  scarified  several  times  in  the  summer,  his 
object  being  to  turn  the  ground  as  little  as  possible,  and  yet  to 
bring  it  to  a fine  tilth,  and  give  time  for  the  action  of  the  sun  and 
air.  The  adjoining  piece  was  sown  in  August  after  vetches,  on  a 
fresh  furrow,  and  the  crop  was  very  inferior. 
The  root-crops  are  always  put  in  with  superphosphate  of  lime, 
the  manure  being  dibbled  as  well  as  the  seed,  on  the  plan  which 
has  already  been  explained  as  having  been  adopted  last  year  on 
the  King  Weston  farm  for  mangold  wurzel.  It  was  originally 
suggested  by  Mr.  Huxtable,  and  has  been  practised  for  several 
years  at  Butleigh  for  root-crops  generally.  The  compost  used 
by  Mr.  Graburn  consists  of  the  silt*  of  the  river  Brue,  together 
with  some  rotted  dung,  at  the  rate  of  100  bushels  per  acre.  The 
artificial  manure  has  never  cost  20s.  per  acre  since  the  super- 
phosphate has  been  used  ; when  guano  was  used  it  amounted  to 
30s.  per  acre. 
The  rotation  which  Mr.  Graburn  has  adopted  is  a five-field 
course: — 1.  Roots;  2.  Barley;  3.  Clover;  4.  Winter  beans; 
5.  Wheat.  The  winter  beans  have  been  inserted  between  the 
clover  and  the  wheat  in  order  to  destroy  the  slug  which  is  found 
troublesome  after  the  clover-layers,  and  also  to  give  more  time 
for  the  clover  roots  to  rot.  The  turnips  are  grown,  as  already 
explained,  at  a cheap  rate,  with  compost  and  superphosphate  ; 
and  the  dung  is  carried  out  on  the  clovers  before  the  bean- 
crop. 
* The  analysis  of  this  silt  is  given  at  p.  741.  I am  indebted  to  Mr.  Ralph  Neville 
for  having  it  made  on  purpose  for  this  Report. 
