On  the  Farming  of  Somerset. 
733 
dition,  at  the  fall  of  the  year  for  others  to  finish,  instead  of  win- 
tering them  on  turnips,  and  growing  vetches  to  bring  forward 
another  set  in  the  earjy  spring,  an  improvement  which  was  in- 
troduced into  this  district  about  fourteen  or  fifteen  years  ago  by 
Mr.  Knatchbull,  of  Babington  House,  and  which  some  of  his 
neighbours  have  since  followed.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  he  has 
given  up  farming  ; but  there  are  two  farms  well  deserving  the 
attention  of  the  agricultural  visitor — that  of  Mr.  Woolley,  a tenant 
of  Mr.  Gore  Langton’s,  at  Wilmington,  near  Bath,  and  that  of 
Mr.  Jarrett,  of  Camerton  Park,  on  the  road  to  Wells. 
Mr.  Woolley’s  farm  is  on  one  of  the  beautiful  knolls  of  oolite 
resting  on  lias ; the  soil  is  a sort  of  stonebrash,  and  favourable 
for  sainfoin.  He  therefore  sets  apart  a portion  of  his  farm, 
about  1 5 acres,  for  that  plant,  the  remainder  of  the  farm  he  divides 
thus  : one-eighth  clover  ; one-eighth  rape,  or  early  turnips  sown 
in  May  and  consumed  in  August;  one-quarter  swedes  and  man- 
gold ; and  the  rest  in  grain  ; and  he  has  not  broken  this  course 
for  15  years.  The  sainfoin  becomes  “ ruggy,”  as  it  is  called, 
in  about  4 years,  and  then  it  is  changed  to  another  piece  of 
land. 
Mr.  Woolley  is  very  careful  in  his  method  of  folding,  with  a 
view  to  the  subsequent  crops.  The  lambs  get  the  first  run  of  the 
clover  pen,  and  leave  their  manure  for  the  wheat  during  the  night. 
In  the  morning  they  are  moved  to  the  rape.  The  draft  ewes  fol- 
low the  lambs  on  the  rape,  and  lie  there  at  night,  then  finish  what 
the  lambs  have  left  in  the  clover  field,  and  go  to  grass  to  fill 
their  bellies,  returning  to  the  rape  or  turnip-stumps  at  night. 
It  is  thus  arranged  that  fatting  sheep  should  always  sleep 
where  wheat  is  to  follow,  and  also  have  the  benefit  of  frequent 
change.  Mr.  W oolley  also  feeds  a large  number  of  Devon  oxen 
in  stalls.  He  had  very  fine  swedes,  which  were  carefully  “placed” 
in  heaps.  Plis  good  example  has  not  been  without  its  effect; 
there  is  a gradual  though  slow  improvement  in  the  district. 
He  remembers  that  25  years  ago  there  were  not  20  acres  of 
turnips  for  some  miles  round  his  farm ; now  you  may  see  100 
acres  in  any  direction. 
Mr.  Jarrett  has  rendered  great  service  to  the  neighbourhood 
since  he  began  farming;  he  took  a farm  in  hand  and  bought  the 
tenant’s  team  ; he  was  told  he  would  kill  the  horses  by  plough- 
ing with  them  two  abreast : he  has  continued  to  do  so  for  eleven 
years,  and  one  of  the  horses  is  alive  and  at  work  still.  He  has  put 
up  some  very  substantial  and  useful  buildings.  There  is  a very 
good  piggery,  from  which  the  liquid  runs  under  cover  to  a tank, 
which  is  to  be  filled  with  the  ashes  of  weeds,  which  will  be 
saturated  and  make  manure  for  the  drill.  His  turnips  are  ex- 
cellent, and  the  stock  which  consumes  them  not  less  so.  The 
VOL.  XI.  3 B 
