July 27, 1882. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 93 
of the plant. “ To support this theory we grow a crop of Wheat, 
say of 40 bushels per acre. We wish for more. How is more to 
be obtained? Can we grow more ears in number? and if so, by 
what method ? Can we sow more seed per acre ? No ; for if 
we do we shall obtain green fodder only, not corn. If we drill 
1 bushel of seed, or broadcast 2 bushels, per acre we can only 
obtain about one million of ears per acre. The only means of in¬ 
crease then is by increasing the size of the ear and its contents, 
and this I have effected by my system of selection.” These observa¬ 
tions of Major Hallett’s clearly show that the character of the 
grain will influence the maximum produce under any system of 
cropping, of soil, or manuring. 
We will now refer to maximum crops of Oats. We have obtained 
a statement through a medium which may be relied upon as 
truthful. It is, however, desired by the grower that his name 
should not be mentioned, although the information is freely given. 
A field on chalk soil in a well-cultivated district near to Andover, 
a town in North Hants, was sown, after a crop of roots fed off by 
sheep, with black French Oats in the spring of 1869, and the produce 
realised was 16 quarters per acre over the whole field. Although 
these French Oats are generally rather light weighers, and pro¬ 
bably not weighing over 34 lbs. per bushel, still this must be 
considered a crop of sufficient value to be recorded by us. We, 
however, pass on to furnish a record of a large crop of Oats, and 
which our informant had an opportunity of viewing before they 
were cut whilst almost ready for harvest. This occurred in the 
year 1828 on a farm called Hook Grange, occupied by Mr. J. Wil¬ 
kinson, in the parish of Titchfield in South Hants, and near the 
seashore. The land, which was sown with white Tartarian Oats 
after Swedish Turnips fed off by sheep, was about 7 acres, the 
soil being a deep hazel loam upon gravel. The produce was 
17^- quarters per acre, with an enormous crop of straw, which it 
would be difficult to exceed in quantity. The drawback to this 
crop was in consequence of the light weight of the grain, which 
did not exceed 33 lbs. per bushel, owing to this sort of Oat grow¬ 
ing with very much awn or beard at that time. They have, how¬ 
ever, been much improved latterly by selection, but the straw for 
feeding value is excelled by none. 
A remarkable valuable crop of what is called drege, being a 
mixture of winter Oats and winter Vetches grown together, next 
deserves notice. This occurred in a good agricultural district in 
Wiltshire. We are, however, not authorised to give the grower’s 
name, although we rely upon it as truthful that the produce 
per acre reached the large quantity of thirty-tvso sacks per acre, 
the grain and pulse being of heavy weight, and the produce being 
of about equal quantities both of Oats and Vetches. 
We now proceed to record crops of Barley. We first must 
name a full crop of American Barley grown in a good district 
in North Hants, being on the chalk formation, and although the 
grower is a most enterprising agriculturist, we are not at liberty 
to furnish his name in connection with this statement, but it can 
be confidently relied on as being correct. This crop was grown 
after Turnips fed off in the year 1874; the produce, 9 quarters 
and 2 bushels per acre, of high quality and heavy weight. This 
crop has, however, been exceeded by a home farmer who is an 
excellent manager, Mr. Burnett, on the estate of the Misses 
Taunton at Ashley, near Stockbridge, Hants. The land is on 
the chalk formation, and on a field of 3 acres. In the year 1860, 
after feeding off a crop of roots, the land was sown with what 
Mr. Burnett calls the Giant Barley, which we suppose is neither 
more or less than the long-eared American variety. The crop 
obtained, however, was extraordinary, being sixty-one sacks, the 
produce off 3 acres of land, and the grain of good malting quality, 
and it is the more remarkable in consequence of the land being 
on a hill farm of thin chalk soil. We must not, however, omit 
to notice the record of crops of Barley alluded to by Mr. Wm. 
Cubitt of North Waltham in Norfolk, who states in the Journal 
of the Royal Agricultural Society in his letter to Mr. J. C. Morton, 
that in the year 1844 the quantity grown on farms in that district 
varied from 7£ to 9 quarters per acie. We have various cases 
which may be recorde 1 of the growth of 8 quarters of Barley per 
acre of fine quality in years long gone by, but we do not deem it 
worth stating here, as they have been entirely eclipsed by several 
well-authenticated records as above stated. 
The next cereal crop to be named is Rye. The value of straw 
of this cereal is increasing year by year, and is higher in price 
than that of any other crop. We have one record to make of 
a very large crop of Rye, and that was grown on a chalk soil in 
a well-farmed district of Wiltshire ; it was thirty sacks per acre, 
and the statement may be fully relied on. 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour .—Preparation will now be needed for late sowing of 
Turnip seed after green crops or early cereal crops such as Rye, 
Winter Oats, White Canadian, and other early sorts of Oats ; and 
when the heavy rain storms which have prevailed of late occur the 
horses may be employed in cross-ploughing the fallows on strong 
land in preparation for Wheat-seeding ; also where it is intended to 
lay out farmyard or town dung for Wheat, the sooner it is done the 
better. It is, however, bad policy to draw bulky manures to distant 
fields, for it is now so well understood that artificial or portable 
manures are equally adapted for Wheat crops as ordinary yard dung, 
and it is only to refer to these columns in past seasons to ascertain 
the sorts and quantity of manures which we have so often advocated 
in years gone by as well adapted for the sort of Wheat and the nature 
of the soil. At every dry interval horse-hoeing and hand-hoeing 
amongst the various root crops should be continued; but we notice 
daily instances in different parts of the country that this work has 
been sadly neglected, and where it has been done in time it does not 
destroy the weeds, the weather continuing very showery. It will 
be recollected that last week we referred to women picking-up 
weeds after the hoers as having been a successful practice by 
one farmer in I860 and other wet seasons. It is, however, now 
very difficult to obtain female field labour ,• still some substitute 
may be found by men’s labour, that as fast as the weeds are cut up 
with the hoe they may be collected with the light iron garden rakes 
in small heaps between the lines of roots, and then removed at leisure 
to larger heaps at certain distances with the light five-grained iron 
forks. Some may think that this would not pay for doing, but it is 
just a question of the loss of crop or saving it, for continual hoeing 
will not kill the weeds, although done at greater cost than collecting 
them. The only difficulty we foresee is in those outlying districts where 
a sufficiency of hand labour either by women, lads, or men could not 
be obtained. 
Harvest has commenced in many of the early districts by cutting 
early Peas, winter Oats, Rye, &c., and this should call the attention of 
the home farmer to the reality of his position, and therefore anticipate 
the arrival of the general harvest of cereal crops, and so be prepared 
for the work of using the mower, also the reaping and binding machine, 
in the various kinds of works for which each are best adapted ; and 
likewise to make full provision for all eventualities in connection with 
harvest work, but especially the hiring of those excellent implements 
which he may not possess. We must also remind him that the harvest 
month and following few weeks is the best period for cleansing foul 
land in ordinary seasons, and that the ordinary work on the farm 
usually done by horses cannot be made available to do sufficient work 
where there is much cleansing of stubbles to be done, and that steam 
power alone can be depended upon to do the needful work, but be 
supplemented by the work of horses in finishing off ; and that what¬ 
ever the expense and cost may be, it will not only prove the best 
policy but the cheapest, because it is done at the right time and with¬ 
out any delay or hindrance to other valuable farm labour peculiar to 
the autumn period of the year, such as seeding of Trifolium, Vetches, 
winter Oats, and Rye. 
Hand Labour .—This is the busy period of the home farmer’s year, 
and all possible diligence and forethought will be required of him, as 
just on the verge of harvest numerous requirements crowd upon his 
mind, all of which must, be considered in relation to each other, and 
also that which may be the most important and requiring his first 
attention. There is yet some hay ungathered in most districts, for in 
the early districts of gravel, sand, or chalk soil the first growth of 
Clovers may have been stacked and the meadows and parklands also ; 
yet the second growth of Clovers and other Grasses will in a few 
days be ready for cutting if more hay is required, and unless it is 
upon some stock and breeding farms for sheep the Clovers should be 
cut for hay the second time, or otherwise for seed, as these furnish 
items of sale so much required when corn is low in price; besides 
which the Clover roots will furnish a much better preparation for 
the Wheat crop than when they have been fed close by sheep. The 
sowing of Turnip seed after the early Peas or Rye, &c., has been cut 
should all be done before the crops are harvested, as there will not 
be time when stacking the crops has commenced. Our plan is there¬ 
fore to sow the seeds every day as fast as the crop is cut between 
the stooks or pooks, after which these can be removed on to the 
seeded land, ar.d the seeding be finished entirely before the crop is 
carted to the stack. Where the harvest is late in some of the western, 
north-western, and north midland districts there will still be some 
work of haying in hand, and this fact leads up to the question of 
making the hay upon the new system, and to which we have pre¬ 
viously given some instructions as to the working of it in this 
Journal of the 22nd of June last. The generality of farmers have 
had no chance of having satisfactory proofs of its success, for 
the meeting of Royal Agricultural Society at Reading where the 
trials of the exhausting-of-heat system were to have been carried 
out, and was looked forward to by many, expecting the matter would 
be decided upon the occasion as to the value of the system by the 
exhibition of practical illustrations of the work in all its detail. This 
may be done in about two months’ time, when the ricks connected 
with the trials may be cut and the question of the condition of the 
hay be decided ; for although the heat may have been exhausted out 
of the ricks the condition in which they were put together will have 
its influence, for the weather was wet and unsettled during the early 
