324 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ October e, issi, 
Prout’s agricultural successes. A survey of the clean and beauti¬ 
ful crops at Sawbridgeworth made him an enthusiastic disciple, 
and he determined to prosecute the system at Blunsden, near 
Swindon, in North Wiltshire, where he had acquired a farm of 
ICO acres of heavy clay loam. But this small holding affording 
inadequate scope he purchased several other farms, making an 
aggregate of about 600 acres arable and 100 acres of pasture. The 
Council of the Royal Agricultural Society of England also, being 
desirous that the striking results of the farming by these two 
gentlemen should be investigated and made public, instructed 
Mr. Finlay Dun, of Weston Park, Warwickshire, to prepare a 
report of these two interesting farms for publication in the 
Society’s Journal, which was published in 1875, 2nd series, 
vol. xi., part i., No. xxi. We commend this interesting and valu¬ 
able report to the notice of home farmers generally, but especi¬ 
ally to young men, who will find a fund of information narrated 
in a thoroughly intelligent and practical manner. 
As we have previously given Dr. Voelcker’s statement of the 
capability of Mr. Prout’s farm, ascertained by analysis of the soil, 
we will now quote his observations as to the future ability of the 
land to produce valuable crops upon his present system of farming. 
He states, “ No fear need be entertained that under this system 
of cultivation and manuring the land will be impoverished, for 
after twelve or fourteen years, during which I have watched Mr. 
Prout’s farming operations, I can perceive no indications of 
incipient exhaustion, but, on the contrary, clear evidence of the 
great improvement which has been effected in once unproductive 
clay land ; nor can I recognise any theoretical grounds for doubt¬ 
ing the wonderful improvement which Mr. Prout has achieved in 
his land at Sawbridgeworth will be a less success in years to come 
than it has been in the past. I can see no reason why this system 
of manuring, and an occasional dead summer fallow, in order to 
give a thorough cleaning to the land, Mr. Prout should not be able 
to grow Wheat or Barley profitably for an indefinite number of 
years without injury to the land.” This theoretical opinion must 
be accepted as correct, because it is justified by the practical 
results of Mr. Prout’s management and the profits resulting there¬ 
from ; we therefore quote from a tabular statement of profits and 
prices, which shows “ That the yearly profit of £1142 for eleven 
years, 1868 to 1878, has accrued under a general imperial average 
for July, August, and September, of 54.?. 2d. for Wheat, 365. 8 d. 
for Barley, and 27,?. 5 d for Oats. Prices were for the first seven 
years of the series, but the profit was less—namely, £1074 per 
acre ; and for the last four years prices were lower, but the profit 
greater—namely, £1262 per year. The truth is that yield and 
expenditure have a greater influence upon profit than the price 
of corn has.” This is very necessary to be remembered, especi¬ 
ally in times of depression, when it is averred by many that corn 
will not yield a profit, but that instead of farming arable land 
their chief attention should be turned towards pasture and grazing 
land. 
It is also important to know by statements up to last year from 
impartial judges the actual condition of Mr. Prout’s farm in the 
year 1880. On the 23rd of August Mr. Finlay Dun reported as 
follows in the “ Chamber of Agriculture Journal—“ Notwith¬ 
standing the limited opportunity for keeping down rubbish this 
farm is cleaner than most in the neighbourhood, or indeed most 
elsewhere. Black Grass and wild Oats are the chief weeds ; there 
is very little Twitch, and not any Docks or Thistles. Notwith¬ 
standing the scourging corn cultivation, the crops are anything 
but feeble, knee-broken, or otherwise indicative of exhaustion. 
I went over Mr. Prout’s farm this week. His 436 acres are in a 
very satisfactory state. His crops are uniformly good. He has 
158 acres of Wheat, in about equal proportions of Square-head (a 
useful, strong-strawed, white-chaffed red Wheat), and of Rivett’s 
Bearded Wheat. Barley reaches 132 acres ; as elsewhere, will 
probably pay better than Wheat. The dripping season has suited 
the Black Tartarian Oats, which are a beautiful crop—strong, 
thick, and well corned, extending to 86 acres, some of the best 
pieces promising a yield of eight quarters ; 16 acres were in tares, 
partly used green, the remainder yielding about 2 tons an acre of 
hay, which will be used for the horses cut into chaff, and given 
with a portion of the 4 acres of Mangolds. Giant Saintfoin in its 
second year in the worst field of the farm had done remarkably 
well ; machine-cut, and luckily well made, about eighty horse¬ 
loads were five weeks ago cleared off 40 acres, and put into two 
ricks, for which £350 had been bid. Forced along by the summer 
rains a second cutting has since been well saved, and must be 
worth £150. Considering that the Saintfoin has had no manure 
this year, £12 an acre must be regarded as a very satisfactory 
return.” 
We have made this quotation as given by an independent 
observer, because it illustrates that in the nineteenth year of Mr. 
Prout’s farming, while not his best because of the very moderate 
season of 1880, yet it is not an unfavourable member of the series, 
its produce not being forced by extra manure, and still betrays no 
decrease in the long-taxed fertility of the soil; nor is it easy to see 
anything likely to prevent the continuous corn-cropping under 
the same rate of manurial dressing, and the same complete and 
perfect mechanical tillage. Most practical farmers will note that 
anything like 505. per acre as an annual dressing, which is neces¬ 
sary to the continuance of the sy-tem, is a serious item in the 
accounts ; at the same time, however, it must not be forgotten 
that the produce of straw per acre when sold is worth this amount 
in nearly every district in the kingdom, and in some counties con¬ 
siderably more. The home farmer must also remember that he 
can do what he thinks advisable with his produce, not being 
hampered with the conditions of a lease, like most of the tenantry 
in England. 
The steam tillage must now be referred to, as it is the most 
important factor in the system of cultivation both on Mr. Prout’s 
and Mr. Middleditch’s farms, for we find that steam has greatly 
contributed to the success on both these farms, at Sawbridge¬ 
worth and Blunsden. It has also enabled the work to be done 
thoroughly and economically, the land ploughed up early and 
whilst it was dry, and the seed put in seasonably. The steam 
tackle which has been used is a pair of Messrs. Fowler & Co.’s 
fourteen-horse-power engines, with ploughs and cultivator. The 
perfecting of the steam drill will considerably expedite and econo¬ 
mise autumn labour, and render some of the various operations on 
the farms comparatively independent of horse labour, for it must 
be remembered that upon farms in general not only much costly 
labour incurred in root-cultivation and provision for sheep and 
cattle is entirely absent and comparatively unknown in the 
system upon which these farms under continuous corn-grnwing is 
carried on. With the steam drill which is necessary, made in two 
sections, each 10 feet wide, capable of sowing 40 acres a day, 
with both seed and manure, and with drags attached before and 
behind, the steam cultivator may be considered comparatively 
perfect. One of the greatest advantages attending the continuous 
growth of corn must not be overlooked, for under a close system 
of cropping, whether of corn or other crops, there is no time for 
Couch and weeds to accumulate in the land. This we have found 
in our own farming for many years past, although worked out 
only by horse power ; yet we found that under a careful mode of 
forking-out Couch between the sowings of various crops the land 
became extremely clean, although we farmed on mixed soils, some 
of which being sandy loam very quickly would become foul and 
weedy under any of the ordinary systems of culture without the 
aid of steam power and autumn cultivation. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour .—The horse labour on the farm is now so pressing 
that it is rather difficult to say which should be done first. In case 
the most desirable work should be hindered by a spell of wet days 
the lea ground after Clover will always be fit for ploughing and 
pressing. We suggest that sowing Trifolium, Rye, Vetches, 
winter Oats, and Beans be finished as som as possible. The best 
seedtime for Wheat on the hill farms and heavy tillage farms has 
now arrived, but upon the mixed soils and vale farms the best time 
will be between the 20th of October and the 14th of November. 
Autumn fallowing has been better done in most cases than in some 
previous seasons, and where the tillage has brought the couch and 
rubbish to the surface, and the weather unfavourable for burning, we 
recommend that it should be carted away to a heap to become fit for 
earthing the cattle boxes or for laying out upon pasture land as a 
dressing in lieu of dung. It often proves equally valuable for such a 
purpose as dung itself, partly on account of the earthy materials 
contained in it as well as for the vegetable substances in decay. We 
prefer sowing Wheat after the presser, or otherwise employing a 
