JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October 13, 1881. 
346 
FRUIT. 
S. (1. 
s. d. 
s. 
d. 
s. 
d 
$ sieve 
1 
Otnft 0 
& case. 1 ft 
fitnSO 
0 
Apricots. 
doz. 
0 
0 
0 0 
Melons . 
each 
1 
0 
2 
0 
Cherries. 
V ft. 
0 
0 
0 0 
Nectarines. 
dozen 
1 
0 
6 
0 
bushel 
0 
0 
0 0 
Oranges . 
100 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Currants, Black.. 
i sieve 
0 
0 
0 0 
Peaches . 
dozen 
i 
0 
9 
0 
„ Red.... 
l sieve 
0 
0 
0 0 
Pears .kitchen .. 
dozen 
0 
0 
0 
0 
dozen 
0 
6 
1 0 
dessert . 
dozen 
1 
0 
2 
Filberts. 
^it>. 
0 
0 
0 9 
Pine Apples .... 
& ft 
3 
0 
5 
0 
Cobs.... 
V tb 
0 
0 
0 8 
Strawberries .... 
per ft. 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Gooseberries .... 
} sieve 
0 
0 
0 0 
Walnuts . 
bushel 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Grapes . 
ft 
0 
6 
4 0 
ditto ... 
V 100 
0 
0 
0 
0 
VEGETABLES. 
s. 
d. 
s. d. 
s. 
d. 
8. 
d. 
Artichokes. 
dozen 
2 
0 to 4 0 
Mushrooms . 
punnet 
1 
Otol 
6 
Asparagus. 
bundle 
0 
0 
0 0 
Mustard* Cress . 
punnet 
0 
2 
0 
3 
Beans,Kidney .... 
V ft. 
0 
3 
0 6 
Onions . 
bushel 
8 
6 
5 
0 
Beet, Red . 
dozen 
i 
0 
2 0 
pickling . 
quart 
0 
0 
0 
5 
Broccoli . 
bundle 
0 
9 
1 6 
Parsley . doz.bunches 
3 
0 
4 
0 
Brussels Sprouts.. 
i sieve 
0 
0 
0 0 
Parsnips . 
dozen 
1 
0 
2 
0 
Cabbage . 
dozen 
0 
6 
1 0 
Peas . 
quart 
0 
9 
1 
3 
Carrots. 
bunch 
0 
4 
0 « 
Potatoes . 
bushel 
3 
9 
4 
0 
Capsicums. 
100 
1 
6 
2 0 
Kidney. 
bushel 
4 
0 
4 
6 
Cauliflowers. 
dozen 
0 
0 
8 6 
Radishes_ doz .bunches 
1 
6 
2 
0 
Celery . 
bundle 
1 
6 
2 0 
Rhubarb . 
bundle 
0 
4 
0 
6 
Coleworts_doz. bunches 
2 
0 
4 0 
Salsafy. 
bundle 
1 
0 
0 
0 
Cucumbers. 
each 
0 
4 
0 6 
Scorzonera . 
bundle 
1 
6 
0 
0 
Endive. 
dozen 
I 
0 
2 0 
Seakale . 
basket 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Fennel. 
bunch 
0 
3 
0 0 
Shallots . 
^ ft. 
0 
3 
0 
0 
Garlic . 
¥> ft- 
0 
6 
0 0 
Spinach . 
bushel 
8 
0 
0 
0 
Herbs . 
bunch 
0 
2 
0 0 
Turnips. 
bunch 0 
4 
0 
0 
Leeks. 
bunch 
0 
S 
0 4 
Vegetable Marrows each 
0 
0 
0 
1 
wiiMBBSSiS 
\\ V 
m HOME FARM 
POULTRY AND PIGEON CHRONICLE. 
CONTINUOUS CORN-GROWING AND CLAY FARMING. 
( Continued from page 324.) 
Another gentleman of great experience in agriculture (Mr. 
Clare Sewell Read, of Honingham Thorpe, Norwich, Norfolk) 
gives the result of his experiment in continuous corn-growing in 
an article published in “The Squire,” September, 1881. Mr. 
Read says, “ For some years having successfully grown Barley 
after Wheat upon friable land, I thought I would try my hand at 
continuous corn-growing upon a clay soil in Norfolk. A compact 
little holding of 166 acres lay vacant within a mile 'or so of this 
farm, Honingham Thorpe. T hired it upon a long lease. It was 
about Christmas, 1873, that I entered on the farm. There were 
only 10 acres of Grass. About 40 acres of the arable land was 
good working soil; the rest was a very stiff loam resting upon a 
bed of impervious clay. I set to work at once. The stiff soil was 
all under-drained, generally 10 or 12 yards apart and 3 feet deep. 
The last draw from the bottom of the drain, being full of chalk 
nodules, was thrown on the surface. I thought that this stiff soil, 
with its calcareous clay subsoil, was just the soil for continuous 
corn-growing. I had often inspected and diligently studied the 
Rothamsted experiments, and I saw through them an endless 
vista of consecutive Barley crops on my new farm. By the 
advice of Dr. Yoelcker the mineral phosphate was applied when 
the grain was sown, and the Wheat was top-dressed with nitrate 
of soda in the spring. The rest of the fallow land was sown with 
Barley, mineral superphosphate and nitrate of soda being har- 
rowed-in with the seed. For two years the dressings answer well, 
but in the third they seem to lose their efficacy, and the land shows 
signs of being tired of corn-growing ; but when the season has 
been favourable I find the land refuses to answer to the whip as it 
does at first. The corn not only grows weaker, but a great deal 
turns white before it ripens, and produces hardly any grain ; 
while if the dressings are increased the straw is flaggy and weak, 
and is sure to lodge with the first pelting rain. After a long series 
of corn-growing the land appears very kind for Clover. In 1880, 
with one year’s crop of Clover, I grew 5 quarters of Wheat, while 
the other corn, after repeated cereals, was a most ordinary crop. 
I have attempted nothing new ; I only tried to follow the teach¬ 
ing of others. With Mr. Lawes for my pattern and Dr. Yoelcker 
for my guide I could not be far wrong ; but the moral that I draw 
from my farm clay is (after confessing the fact that growing two 
white straw crops in succession is highly advantageous on many 
soils), that the extent of land adapted for continuous corn-growing 
by the aid of light manures is more limited than some recently 
published experiments would lead us to imagine.” 
This statement of Mr. Read’s is not quite satisfactory ; first 
because, taking Dr. Yoelcker as his guide, we expected to have 
had an analysis of the soil. This, however, is shown to a certain 
extent by the fact that this impervious clay contained chalk 
nodules in the subsoil, and this may have induced the belief that 
they contained carbonate of lime to a great extent, but it is doubt¬ 
ful whether they contained but very little, if any, of the chalk 
constituents to an appreciable extent, having been from time 
immemorial drawn upon by the deep-rooting plants, cereals, and 
weeds, thereby reducing them to a mechanical manure only. We 
are therefore obliged to think that this soil was actually deficient 
in chalk, and that the crops spoken of as having turned white 
before ripening arose from this cause. In the absence, however, 
of any analysis these crops, which showed a weak and flaggy straw 
and yielding badly, were caused by the absence of the necessary 
plant food required to bring the crop to maturity ; it may be there¬ 
fore in consequence of the manures applied being deficient in 
some respects, and which would have been evident to a practical 
man if an analysis of soil has been afforded us. The fact that 
Clover lea produced a valuable crop of Wheat as compared with 
land sown after a succession of cereals goes far to prove that the 
decaying roots of the Clover contained manure sufficient, both in 
kind and quantity, but that the ordinary manuring for the 
cereals did not. We must therefore assume that Mr. Read’s 
experiment was not carried out with the same prospect of success 
as those which were accomplished by Messrs. Prout and Middle- 
ditch, in consequence of potash and other essentials not being 
found or made available by tillage in the soil, or applied by hand 
manures in quantity sufficient to yield a full crop. We are in¬ 
duced to believe this because we had land upon our farm which 
had produced a succession of valuable crops of every kind for 
a period of sixty years without the application of any manure ; 
but upon an analysis of the soil the whole matter was explained, 
because adjoining land of a similar appearance of the clay would 
not produce without the usual applications of farmyard manure, &c., 
the latter being deficient in potash chiefly, which was found in 
abundance in the former. 
We must now endeavour to turn these experimental farms and 
their practices to the home farmer’s benefit, and in doing this we 
will take as an example a farm of 300 acres to illustrate how far 
corn-growing can be carried out beyond the four-course rotation 
with advantage. On a home farm of this extent of arable, with 
some parkland and pasture, we shall require some roots for winter 
feeding and fatting of cattle and sheep, and the rotation we pro¬ 
pose is that 100acres be sown with Wheat, autumn-fallowed after 
harvest, and prepared by steam culture for Lent corn, either of 
Barley or Oats, according to circumstances of soil and season. 
Thus we dispose of two-thirds of the arable land; and as it is a 
three-course rotation we advocate the third course may be various, 
say 20 acres of Clover seeded in the early white Oats, Wheat, or 
Barley, 20 acres of Mangolds, 10 acres of Beans, 10 acres of Peas, 
10 acres of Vetches, followed by Turnips or Rape ; 10 acres of 
Cabbage of sorts, 10 of early Turnips and Swedes in equal por¬ 
tions, 10 acres of Carrots, White Belgian and Red Intermediate in 
equal quantities. This is a valuable rotation if rightly understood 
and carried out, the cereals and pulse to yield the chief profit of 
the farm by sale of the crops will extend over 220 acres ; the 
other being fallow crops to the extent of 80 acres being composed 
of roots, &c., for stock-feeding. When properly prepared and 
cared for during growth these will leave the land clean, and thus 
lay the foundation for the two folio wine: cereal crops, the Wheat 
being seeded all out of fallow except the 20 acres following the 
Clover, which portion may easily be found clean and free from 
Couch may be autumn-fallowed, as before stated, for either Bailey 
or Oats. The chief merit of a rotation of this kind is the extent 
and value of sale crops, and yet maintaining the land in a clean 
and productive state, the said crops to be manured by yard manure 
as far as it will go, but supplemented by artificial manures to the 
value and extent given in the account of Mr. Prout’s farming, say 
50s. per acre. This can be realised in most districts by the sale of 
straw, so that the cost of every acre for manure is furnished by 
the straw alone, except the portion required for litter of cattle 
pens and yards, in which case the manure arising from the straw 
and cattle feeding and fattening will prove a good change of 
