616 
Typical Farms in Cheshire and North Wales. 
Mr. Smith has occcupied the farm for eleven years, and now holds it on 
a 21 years’ lease from Lord De Tabley. The rental has not been altered 
since the farm was first taken, but 10 per cent, reduction was allowed on 
the last half-year’s payment. Rates and taxes have slightly increased. 
The holding is 210 acres, and with the exception of 10 acres is all arable, 
in the sense that there is no restriction as to breaking the land up. 
Practically, however, taking the existing arable crops and the first and 
second year's seeds as the rotation course, there are 132 acres arable and 78 
acres pasture. The lease admits of freedom of cultivation. In case of 
mismanagement the landlord can interfere under arbitration clauses. 
The undermentioned crops were growing at the date of inspection : — 
16 acres of potatoes. 
5 „ swedes. 
2 „ mangel (Yellow fleshed 
Tankards). 
15 „ oats. 
15 „ barley after wheat (first 
time sown barley). 
18 „ wheat. 
3 „ rye. 
23 acres of first year’s seeds. 
35 „ 
second year’s seeds. 
22 „ 
third year’s seeds. 
32 „ 
fourth year’s seeds. 
11 „ 
fifth year’s seeds. 
10 „ 
permanent pasture. 
210 „ 
Mr. Smith pursues the following rotation: — Oats; green crops and 
potatoes followed by mangel, cabbages, kale, or swedes the same season ; 
wheat or oats ; oats or barley ; seeds for one, two, or more years. 
Poland oats are sown on a single furrow without manure at the 
beginning of March. The land is autumn cleaned and ploughed ; and the 
oats are followed by green crops, a portion of which are early potatoes, 
succeeded the same season by transplanted mangel, cabbages, and swedes. 
Part of the green crops are grown on the ridge, the rows being manured and 
split in the usual way. That portion allotted to early potatoes is prepared 
on the trenching system in lands or butts, as described (p. 581) under 
Mr. Burrows’s system of cultivation. Stable and butcher’s offal manure is 
applied on the tops of the lands and covered with soil, with a high- 
breasted plough, before dibbling in the early potatoes. A little nitrate 
of soda is sometimes also used for roots. Wheat is sown after green 
crops without manuring. The wheat stubbles are heavily dressed with 4 to 
5 tons per acre of lime, of which 100 tons are annually used and sown in 
the spring with oats or barley laid down with 4 lb. red clover, 3 lb. Alsike, 
1 lb. timothy grass, f lb. perennial, and | lb. Italian rye-grass per acre, and 
the seeds remain two, three, or four years, until they are broken up again 
for oats at Mr. Smith’s discretion. The clovers are topdressed with 
Warrington and Manchester concentrated manure on the first year’s seeds, 
at the rate of 3 to 4 cwt. per acre, before mowing. The first and second 
year’s leys are mown, but not more than once in the season. From 50 to 
00 acres are annually made into hay. The root crops were regular and 
starting well after hoeing, and the late potatoes (Reading Giants) were looking 
well. Theearlypotato.es — Kidneys, Duke of Albany, and Early Regents — 
which had been sprouted in boxes set on rafters over the heads of the 
cattle in the buildings, were an excellent crop, and would all be secured 
by the end of July. Beds of mangel (Yellow Tankards), swedes, Drumhead 
cabbages, and thousand-headed kale were interspersed at convenient 
distances throughout the potato field, for transplanting as the potatoes 
were harvested, and the furrows were already growing transplanted 
cabbages. These are all used for the stock in the winter, the potatoes 
alone being sold. The wheat was not very thick ; the barley forward and 
good for the season. The seeds for mowing were fair crops, and the older 
