September 29, 1881. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 301 
used as arable land, and to some considerable extent if laid into 
pasture. The total cost of drainage, outfalls, wells, reservoirs, 
alteration of buildings, clearing of hedges and trees, levelling, 
reclaiming, and remodelling the plan of the farm, amounted to 
about £4500, or £10 per acre. He, however, as owner, gained 
18^ acres of land, while the rental of the farm was largely 
increased ; also from being, as in its former state, quite unin¬ 
viting to an occupier, would in the future be sure to command a 
tenant of capital and experience. 
It will be well to examine whether this farm and the system of 
cropping adopted can advantageously be compared with the ordi¬ 
nary systems of management commonly practised upon such land 
in various districts of the kingdom. As a landlord’s question 
it is important to understand the benefit of the estate improve¬ 
ments, and also original cost thereof. It appears that the first 
cost of the 450 acres of land in the year 1861, then in two farms, 
amounted to the sum of £15,000. The purchase also of corners 
to straighten the boundaries, together with legal expenses, came 
to about £1000, thus making the total purchase money £16,000, 
or £35 per acre ; but adding £4500, the cost of improvements up 
to the year 1865, made the cost to stand at £20,500, or £45 per 
acre, and making the improved rent 35 s. per acre. In the year 
1875, or ten years after the above estimate was formed, the estate 
was valued by a well-known and competent surveyor at 45s. per 
acre, and fixing the value of the fee-simple at £31,000, or £69 per 
acre ; a considerable portion of this augmented value no doubt 
being due to the system pursued by the occupier. 
We must now look to the other side of the picture, for without 
doubt the unfortunate agricultural depression which has prevailed 
since 1875 has caused a serious diminution in the value of this 
estate, notwithstanding the large outlay in stocking and tillage, 
and the intelligent and practical management of the farm under 
a new and peculiar system. The history of the tillage upon Mr. 
Prout’s farm is well worth the study of the home farmer as well 
as the proprietor of the land. The cost of steam tillage and 
extra labour of various kinds was great, especially in the first 
four years, yet no amount of horse labour would have accom¬ 
plished the operations in the same time so as not to miss seasons, 
and without injury to the land by the trampling of horses. We 
must further point out that much encouragement for improvers is 
to be derived in Mr. Prout’s statement from the progressive 
diminution of steam tillage expenses on this farm, the average of 
thirteen years having been 429 acres, and for the last four years 
301 acres. In like manner the cost of manual labour, the average 
for thirteen years, having been £509, whereas the average of the 
last four years was only £455. These economical results are 
evidently due to the greater friability of the soil, gradually 
effected by the action of thorough drainage, and the influence of 
deep as well as mechanically efficient culture by steam power. 
Again, rotation of cropping, the basis of ordinary arable husbandry, 
is unknown upon this farm. On looking at the tabular synopsis 
of cropping it will be found that of late years, since a rotation has 
become possible, about six-sevenths of the whole area have been 
always under corn, while the acreage of roots has been little. For 
the five years ending 1874 the bare fallow was nil, the breadth of 
roots reduced to a plot of a few acres, the average extent of corn 
360 acres, and the average crop of hay made from artificial grasses 
71 acres, while latterly the cropping has been about six-sevenths 
of the farm with cereal crops, and the remaining seventh hay, all 
sold off. During the first nine years no Red Clover was sown, 
the land being Clover-sick, since then about 50 acres of Clover 
have been grown annually—in other words, 348 acres of Clover 
have been sold for £4520, equal to £12 19s. 9r7. per acre during 
the seven years from 1872 to 1878. The proportion of Wheat 
grown in the years 1872-74 was increased, because it was found 
that whatever might be the yield or the market price of Barley or 
of Oats, the Wheat crops made from £2 to £3 more money. 
Since then, however, and until last year (1880) more Barley has 
been grown, and in 1878 and 1879 the breadth of Barley approached 
to double that of Wheat. 
Having no order or exact rotation of crops a major portion of 
the Wheat follows Wheat; some is sown after Barley, some after 
Oats, and a part after Clover. To enable such a succession of 
crops to be taken with advantage we must have a soil which shows 
by analysis that its contents possess the requisite amount of plant 
food, in Mr. Prout’s case he very judiciously obtained the valu¬ 
able advice of Dr. Voelcker, in order that theory and practice 
might be made to agree upon the best-known terms. According 
to a careful analysis of the soil of three fields, which it was assumed 
represented the average of the farm, and by confining attention to 
the more important soil constituents, the three fields contained per 
acre in a depth of only 6 inches, and in a readily available form 
(without giving minute details, for which we cannot here find 
space), we find according to the given data that 6 inches of soil from 
one of these fields called “ Broadfield ” contain as much phosphoric 
acid as 118 good crops of Wheat of 40 bushels, and 2 tons of straw ; 
as much potash as 212 crops, and as much sulphuric acid as 
215 crops of Wheat ; and that 2256 crops of Wheat contain no 
more lime, 1120 crops no more magnesia than is found in 6 inches 
of this soil. In the case of a field called Blackacre was found in 
6 inches of soil as much phosphoric acid as in 171 crops of Wheat. 
Of potash 272 crops of Wheat, of lime 5476 crops, and of magnesia 
as in 391 crops of Wheat. The same calculations have been 
carried out applying to crops of Barley, and they afford clear 
evidence of the enormous quantities of plant food which lie buried 
in only 6 inches of an acre of clay land ; 2 or 3 feet of such land, 
practically speaking, contain almost unlimited stores of mineral 
plant food. Now, although it seems almost incredible that clay 
soils should possess such extraordinary powers of production, yet 
it is almost equally incredible that the resources of the soil are 
not more drawn upon in our systems of cropping and better 
understood as to the tillage required to obtain such advantages. 
These statements are full of truth and of practical knowledge, 
because no man is better able to elucidate these scientific results 
than Dr. Yoelcker ; and as he has been Mr. Prout’s adviser from 
first to last in the conducting of his farming business, it confers 
equal credit on Mr. Prout as having acted under the directions of 
Dr. Voelcker, and on Dr. Voelcker for having contributed by his 
scientific knowledge and research so great a boon to the agri¬ 
culturists of our country. At the present time of agricultural 
depression, when the idea that the growth of corn is unprofitable, 
and that strong heavy lands should belaid into permanent pasture 
is very general, not only amongst tenant farmers, but also amongst 
the owners of estates and the home farmers also, it will be our 
endeavour to advise the home farmer upon the subject. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour. —-Both horses and oxen are fully employed. There 
are still farmers to be found who persist in the use of oxen, and we 
approve of them in the absence of steam power, because they can 
when purchased or taken into work about the middle of July be 
made to render good service at any labour on the land from that time 
through the harvest and Wheat-sowing until all the land intended 
for roots or Barley has been fallow-ploughed. We know farmers 
now who prefer ox labour as a supplement to horse power instead of 
resorting to steam power ; and this may answer upon light hill land, 
and thus reduce the number of horses, which grow out of value, 
whilst oxen improve when well kept during the working period, and 
are ready at any customary period to go into the boxes and be fat¬ 
tened for the shambles. Sowing Rye, winter Barley, winter Vetches, 
winter Beans, also sowing Trifolium where it may have failed; for 
we have sown it as late as November with success, but not without 
using an extra quantity of seed, say 80 lbs. per acre. Lifting Potatoes 
may still be continued by using the lifting frame attached to an ordi¬ 
nary plough minus the turn furrow, and where plenty of hand labour 
can be obtained a large area may be lifted in little time. The land 
after Potatoes, if fairly cultivated, will be clean and fit for seeding 
with Wheat if the soii is loamy and adapted for that crop ; but in 
case of light land, either sand, gravel, or limestone, the land may 
stand over for Barley in the spring, which may be sown early. Clover 
seldom injures or delays the harvesting of Wheat as it does Barley ; 
besides, Wheat when seeded to Clover should be cut higher, leaving 
the Clover plants entire, which we have found produce a good cutting 
for horses and cattle until November, when the frost comes. The 
only green fodder to cut at present is obtained on the Clover lea 
where the first and second cutting were delayed for the purpose of 
insuring a succession, or in seeds saved in the Wheat. The cultiva¬ 
tion of corn stubbles should now be continued until the autumn rains 
set in, because there is plenty of time on the mixed soiled farms for 
ploughing and seeding for Wheat when the land has become too 
heavy for the continuation of autumn fallowing and cleaning. These 
observations, however, apply only to farms of mixed soils only, for 
on the hill farms there is plenty of work for ploughing and preparing 
and manuring for Wheat-seeding. In the same way the season for 
sowing Wheat cannot with safety be deferred on the clay land farms, 
especially where it is sown after fallow preparation or fallow crops, 
such as Tares and Mustard. 
Hand I abour. —Men, women, and boys are employed in picking up 
Potatoes as fast a3 they are lifted or ploughed out. Stubble Turnips 
should now be finished hoeing as soon as possible. Upon some flat 
land the Mangold crop may now be pulled, carted, and stored at the 
homestead or in some field where they may be required for feeding 
sheep next spring or summer. If the crop is left too long on the 
land the carting of the crop may prove injurious to the land for a 
succeeding crop. 
Live Stock. —The fatting bullocks on the pastures which are fit for 
sale should now be disposed of, retaining those in lower condition to 
be finished off in the boxes by root and cake feeding. Many farmers 
are afraid to commence the use of Mangolds for feeding the fatting 
