On  the  Farming  of  Somerset. 
739 
after  the  ninth  or  tenth  year,  thin  once  in  two  or  three  years. 
The  trees  that  are  left  ought  to  be  strong  enough  to  stand  the 
wind  and  keep  upright. 
Pruning. — When  the  branches  of  larch  or  Scotch  begin  to  die, 
it  is  better  to  cut  them  off  in  October  or  early  in  November  ; but 
they  ought  never  to  be  cut  above  half  the  height  of  the  tree. 
Other  trees  ought  not  to  be  pruned,  except  to  take  off  false 
leaders  and  to  check  the  tendency  to  forking. 
The  greatest  difficulty  about  plantations  is  how  to  deal  with 
them  after  they  have  been  neglected  forty  or  fifty  years,  and  have 
been  allowed  to  grow  thick  and  weak.  Great  care  must  then  be 
taken  to  thin  but  very  little  each  year  for  several  years,  taking 
out  only  the  weakest  plants,  till  those  which  are  left  get  strong 
enough  to  bear  their  own  weight ; after  that  once  in  two  or  three 
years  will  do. 
Felling. — When  timber  woods  are  cut  down,  make  a clear 
sweep — don’t  leave  any  small  trees — they  never  grow  to  make 
anything,  but  are  generally  stunted.* 
Implements. — Not  much  can  be  added  to  the  science  of 
agricultural  mechanics  from  the  traditions  of  this  county. 
On  the  west  of  the  Parret  the  common  tool  is  the  long- 
handled  Devonshire  shovel,  with  a pointed  end ; to  the  east,  a 
long,  narrow  spade,  with  a cross-piece  at  the  top : the  first  is 
suited  for  stony  ground  ; the  second,  for  the  soft  alluvial  soil. 
A low  single-horse  cart  like  a large  wheelbarrow,  called  a three- 
wheel  put,  is  common  in  the  hills  for  wheeling  out  dung,  or 
carrying  the  soil  to  the  top  of  the  fields  from  the  bottom, 
whiiher  it  is  annually  washed  down.  On  the  same  ground  the 
corn  is  often  harvested  in  crooks  on  horses’  backs.  The  old- 
fashioned  two-way  plough  is  a clumsy  implement  for  ploughing 
backwards  and  forwards  on  the  sides  of  hills,  always  throwing  the 
furrow-slice  down  hill.  The  only  two  ploughs  of  the  kind  that 
are  good  are  Lowcock’s  patent  plough,  made  by  Ransom,  and  a 
turn-wrest  plough,  made  by  Comins,  of  South  Molton. 
Mr.  Billingsley  said  that  in  his  time  there  was  not  a single 
threshing-machine  in  the  county : they  are  now  very  common  in 
the  western  district,  not  unfrequently  driven  by  water.  Mr. 
Blandford,  of  Orchard  Portman,  has  a re-action  water-w’heel, 
which  is  propelled  so  rapidly  by  the  pressure  of  a high  column 
of  water  on  its  flanges  as  to  require  no  gear-work  ; but  he  says  it 
has  not  power  enough  for  any  but  very  light  work.  He  has  a 
portable  steam-engine,  which  he  lets  out.  Mr.  Miles  has  one 
on  his  farm  ; and  there  are  three  in  the  lias  district,  not  far  from 
Somerton ; I believe  there  are  some  near  Frome,  but  principally 
* This  last  maxim  is  too  generally  stated.  It  may  be  true  of  high  ground  : on  low 
ground  it  is  doubtful.  There  is  experience  in  Somerset  both  ways. — Portman. 
