July 20,1882. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
G9 
many bets were made by practical men as to its probable yield, 
some estimating the produce at 9 quarters per acre. The field 
was haryested separately, and on threshing yielded 11 quarters 
2 bushels per acre, imperial measure. In the same season and 
upon land almost adjoining, but occupied by another tenant, 
Mr. Howes, 10 quarters per acre were produced. This gentleman 
who had occupied land in the parish for a period of fifty years, 
affirmed that he never before grew anything approaching to such 
a crop, 7 quarters per acre being the largest crop ever produced 
previously to 1S44.” We have further notes from Mr. George 
Wilkinson, that although his crop of Wheat in 1841 gave 22 coombs 
2 bushels per acre, that he attributes this abundant crop to the 
season, and not to any particular course of husbandry, which was 
the Norfolk or four-course system. He further sends the average 
of his growth of Wheat and Barley on his farm of 400 acres for 
the seven years commencing in 1S44 to 1850 inclusive, the Wheat 
average being 10c. lb. 3p. per acre, and the average growth of 
Barley for the same period being 11c. 3p. per acre. It is also 
stated that on some farms, instead of the strict four-course rotation 
of Wheat, roots, Lent corn, and Clover, the custom oftentimes was 
departed from by taking a crop of Peas or Beans after Wheat 
instead of roots, and then Wheat again, as was the case in the 
instance referred to. 
Mr. John Wilson of Edington Mains, Berwickshire, author of 
the article “Agriculture” in the “Encyclopaedia Britannica,” 
and well known at the period to which we are referring (1824 and 
182G) in the north as a most intelligent agriculturist, gives the 
following instances of agricultural maxima within his knowledge 
or experience. He states that “ About this period, although I 
cannot exactly state the year, 5 acres were measured off in a field 
in this neighbourhood of Hunter’s White Wheat; and these 5 acres 
being selected as the best portion of the field, were found to yield 
6G bushels per acre—the highest yield that has come within my 
knowledge.” We have to record an instance of a large Wheat 
crop of more recent growth—viz., in 1880, near to Southampton, 
produced upon a sharp gravelly soil on a field of 3 acres sown out 
of Clover lea once ploughed, and sown with 3 bushels of seed 
per acre, the sort of Wheat being the Club-head Rough Chaff or 
Velvet Hull variety ; the produce was G6 bushels per acre, the 
grain being of the very best quality and sold at the highest market 
price. The land is in the occupation and belongs to the Bitterne 
Manor House estate, the property of Stewart Macnaghten, Esq. 
Another instance of large produce occurred in 1870 upon land in 
South Hants, the property of Mr. John Gater of Black House, 
West End, about five miles from Southampton, and in his own 
occupation, in which case the produce was 9 qrs. and 2 bushels 
per acre of a variety of Wheat called Morton’s Red-strawed 
White. The land is a strong loam on clay but well-drained, and 
Wheat was drilled on small five-turn ridges after a summer fallow 
preparation. 
We have to record one more full crop of Wheat, and said to 
have been the largest crop ever recorded in the district where it 
was grown, which contains some of the most fertile land to be 
found in the county—viz., the paiish of Titchfield in South Hamp¬ 
shire near to the tidal rival Solent, the crop being grown on Fish 
House Farm, in the occupation of Mr. George Gray, one of the 
most practical and best farmers of the district. The soil on which 
the crop was grown is a hazel loam on gravel; and the Wheat, 
which was of the variety before named called Dwarf Club-head 
Rough Chaff, was sown 24 bushels per acre out of Clover lea, the 
result being a crop of 19 sacks and 2 bushels per acre. This, 
however, was in the splendid season of 18G8, a year of the greatest 
general abundance we can recollect, for the quality of the Wheat 
and weight per acre places this crop in the first position in our 
estimation, because there is no variety of Wheat more esteemed 
by the miller for producing the highest class of flour than the 
Rough Chaff White. We cannot help comparing this crop with 
that in the first case we have recorded grown by Mr. G. Wilkinson ; 
for although his crop was 22 sacks and 2 bushels per acre of Red 
Spalding Wheat, that is a variety which we know perfectly well 
gives a large bulk of straw, but the grain is coarse and weighs light, 
and is considered by the millers quite a secondary class of grain. 
We have no desire, however, to detract from or depreciate any crop 
more than it deserves, but we arc bound to state the practical 
truth in the interest of and for the information we wish to impart 
to the home farmer ; and must conclude with the observation that 
in the markets which we usually attend the Spalding Wheat is 
not worth so much by 4s. per quarter as the Rough Chaff White. 
[On page 47 last week, second column, eighth line, the word 
“ equal ” was inadvertently inserted ; and in the following line 
the sum £173 should read £G173, the most important figure 
having been accidentally omitted.] 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour .—This has lately been attended with much dis¬ 
appointment, for no sooner has the land become dry enough for 
beneficial culture either with the plough or scarifier than the heavy 
storms which have prevailed in nearly every district of the kingdom 
have prevented sufficient work being continued on the fallows, 
whether in preparation for late root crops or for Wheat; and this is 
a very serious drawback in agricultural pursuits, as the fallow land 
generally was at the commencement of the spring foul and encumbered 
with couch and black grass. Harvest, too, is fast approaching, and 
the necessary work must be anticipated and provided for, such as 
having the reaping machines, horse rakes, and mowing machines 
examined and put into proper repair. All other implements, such as 
the elevator, waggons, and carts, must be examined and made fit and 
firm for the work which is now fast approaching, for in travelling in 
a southern county on the 8th ultimo we noticed winter Oats quite 
ripe enough for cutting, and Rye also not far behind in ripeness. The 
constant rains seem to have not only prevented effectual horse- 
hoeing, hand-hoeing, and singling of the Mangolds, Carrots, Cabbage, 
Swedes, and early Turnips, but has also wonderfully increased the 
growth of weeds ; and on noticing this we were forcibly reminded of 
the difficulties we had to contend with in some very wet seasons when 
neither horse or hand-hoeing could destroy the weeds in extremely 
wet and sunless weather, especially in the years 1853 and 18G0, in 
both of which we adopted the plan of women following the hand- 
hoers closely and picking up the weeds by hand and carrying them 
in spread aprons to heaps at certain distances, where they perished or 
were removed when the root crops were disposed of, either by carting 
off or feeding off by sheep. Having stated thus much we are bound 
to notice the result of this practice, for in fact the land was far 
cleaner after being once hoed and hand-picked than it was where it 
had been hand-hoed three times without hand-picking. In the 
ultimate result, where hand-picked the land was as nearly cleansed 
as possible, whereas that only hand-hoed was covered with weeds. If 
we recollect rightly two women followed each hoer, receiving Is. per 
day as wages. There can in consequence be no question which work 
was done at the least cost. We also remember that the gentleman 
who wrote the essay in the Royal Society’s Journal upon the farm¬ 
ing of the county in which the farm was situated, stated that it 
was the most successful practice of destroying weeds and cleaning 
the root crops that he had witnessed during his travels. Unless the 
weather for the harvest should prove very bad the White Yictoria 
Oats in the early districts will soon be ripe, so that the Turnip seed 
sown after them will be got in during the month of July with great 
advantage, if the seed is sown daily on two-thirds of the land, as fast 
as the crop is cut, tied, and set upon on the other third portion of the 
land. If, however, the Oats should have been seeded with Red 
Clover and grass in the spring, and the corn is cut a little higher 
than usual so as to leave the Clover and grass plants intact, a good 
crop for cutting as green fodder may be obtained in the autumn 
months, for we recollect perfectly well having cut up full crops of 
Clover for cattle and horses down to as late as the first week in 
November for five consecutive seasons. 
Hand Labour .—There is much to be done by manual labour properly 
directed on the farm, although hindrance may have occurred through 
showery weather, especially when the ricks of hay, &c., are thatched 
by one of the farm labourers, as we venture to say that they 
ought to be. It was always our practice to retain a good thateber 
amongst the staff of labourers usually employed on the farm, in order 
that as soon as thatching is required either of hay or corn ricks it 
may be done at once, instead of waiting the time and leisure of a 
journeyman or professed thatcher ; and he fills up his time together 
with other men in drawing and piling straw in readiness for use 
when the weather may be showery and ill adapted for other farm 
work. This has always been our mode of management; we can 
recommend it to the home farmer with great confidence as being well 
worth his attention. All the pastures or park land upon which cattle 
