System of Cropping. 
173 
lucerne, and tares. Seeds are here allowed to lay down for 
three or four years. The land is subject to floods from the 
high land drainage in wet seasons, so much so that at 
one time the water was held up for weeks together ; but it 
now drains off in a few days, the drainage having been greatly 
improved by the cutting of the Witham Outfall at Boston, 
which, though many miles away, has the desired effect. The 
grass is ordinarily useful pasture, not at all of a superior 
nature, and requires a liberal allowance of cake to help 
it out. The poorer part on the hillside is apt to burn, and the 
better land below will not feed cattle without the assistance 
of cake. This low land country seems to have benefited 
greatly by the manure resulting from the liberal feeding of 
the dairy cattle, especially the meadow land, this receiving 
all the liquid manure from the cow sheds. The meadow land 
also receives a little help every year from the cleanings up 
of the lamb pens and the farm-yards. Basic slag at the rate 
of 7 cwt. per acre has answered well on twelve-year-old grass 
on the cold clay, but gives no return on the sand. In a 
growing season like l‘.t07 there was everywhere plenty of feed, 
and it is evident that the system of caking the young stock on 
the grass is bringing the pasture up to a high state of fertility. 
The farm generally is not well watered, particularly the hillside 
grass. The shallow “ cliff ” wells are apt to run dry in hot 
seasons, and in 1906 the crop and stock suffered in consequence. 
The whole farm requires skilful management and good 
husbandry, and there is every evidence that it receives both, 
and is improved greatly thereby. The land is very clean and 
free from twitch and rubbish, the fences are neatly trimmed, 
the gates in perfect order, and the hedge bottoms on arable land 
are cleaned out, the whole farm being run for profit in a 
business-like manner. 
The cropping for 1907 was as follows : — Wheat, 128 acres ; 
barley, 137 acres ; oats, 38 acres ; swedes, 40 acres ; common 
turnips and rape, 78 acres ; mangold, 11 acres ; cabbage, 4 acres ; 
potatoes, 4 acres ; mowing seeds, 71 aci’es ; grazing seeds for 
sheep, 109 acres. 
Fallows and Roots. — The portion required for swedes 
receives eight loads of farm-yard manure per acre sometime 
during the winter or before the last ploughing. Before the 
final ploughing, the turnip land is w'orked down to further the 
germination of annual weeds. The swedes are water-drilled 
on the flat in row's eighteen inches apart, a mixture of 2 cwt. of 
superphosphate and 1 cwt. bone meal being drilled in with the 
seed. This season's sowing had been delayed by heavy rains, 
and at the time of the second visit the swedes were just coming 
up and looked like growing into nice healthy plants. 
