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usual months for the wheat seed-time are October and November: in some parts of the county, and in some seasons, a considerable part of the wheat is put in during the month of September."

Methods of Sowing.-P. 207. "Drilling wheat is not much followed; it is to be met with chiefly in the western parts of the county, about Bagshot, Send, Chobham, Ripley, &c. and on one or two farms in the south-eastern part."

"Wheat is either sown broad-cast on the furrow; sown, and then ploughed in; or drilled. On clay land, the practice of ploughing the wheat in, or sowing under furrow, is gaining ground."

We are not informed whether the "drilling," which is practised in those parishes, is done according to Mr. Ducket's plan, or the seed is passed through a machine.

Produce of Wheat.-P. 216. "The smallest crops of wheat I heard of did not exceed four sacks, or two quarters" (Winchester measure): " and on the other band, when a particular field or district was meant to be recommended as peculiarly qualified for wheat, the usual expression was, that it generally produced a load, or five quarters of wheat. On the rich, deep, friable, calcareous loams, near the northern extremity of the chalk-hills, between Croydon and Epsom, six quarters have been grown not unfrequently. On the rich sandy loams near Godalming, a load or five quarters is no uncommon crop: but on the other hand, on the colder soils, the crop seldom exceeds five or six sacks, or two and a half or three quarters. In the Weald, this may fairly be deemed the common crop, except on the drier and richer spots, which not unfrequently produce a load per acre. On the black-land' the crops of wheat are sometimes very great; but it seems the general opinion in Surrey, that the calcareous, and even the sandy loams, if they be deep and rich, produce not only greater quantities of wheat per acre, than the best clay soils, but also grain of a superior quality."

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RYE. The subjoined concise, yet intelligent, account of the culture of this crop, in Surrey, I insert here with pleasure.

P. 221. "This grain is seldom sown in Surrey, except for spring-feed for sheep, or for seed. It commonly is put into ground intended for turnips, or summer-fallow, about the end of August, or beginning of September. The quantity of seed is about three bushels: when it is suffered to stand, it ripens about the 12th or 14th of July: the produce runs from three quarters to four quarters and a half per acre: the weight of the bushel is from 56 to 60 lb. The straw,

which is principally bought by the brick-makers, fetches from 50s. to 31. per load. As green food, it comes in before the winter-tares. Before it begins to shoot up, it is very acceptable and nourishing to sheep; but they dislike it afterwards."

BARLEY.-P. 221. "As it is a very common opinion in Surrey, that barley will not thrive well on clay soils, and as these soils, if they were to be prepared for barley, would require a great deal of time and labour to bring them into proper tilth, the quantity of this grain sown in this county is not very considerable. It is almost entirely excluded from the Weald, and from the stronger soils in the other parts of the county: even soils that are sown with turnips, if they be of a strong nature, are seldom prepared for barley after the turnip crop is eaten off; so that this grain may be considered as confined to the lighter and drier turnip soils to the calcareous and sandy loams. I heard of one instance, in which, this year (1807), it had been sown on theblack-land,' below Mestham. The crop was remarkable, producing, it was said, three loads per acre: the straw very long, and so firm and strong, as not to be the least lodged, even though the crop was so very abundant."

PEAS.-Semination.-P. 231. "Pease are generally drilled about Guildford-in other parts of the county, they are mostly sown broad-cast. Dibbling used formerly to be practised, but it has given way to the practice of drilling. Where they are sown broad-cast, it is considered the better way to plough them in with a shallow furrow, and afterwards to harrow the ground lightly."

Produce of Peas.-P. 232. "In favourable seasons, the crop will run from three to five quarters. It is observable, that calcareous soils are more favourable to the growth of this crop, than soils which have no chalk or lime in their composition. On some of the calcareous ground, even where it lay high and exposed, I was informed that from ten to twelve sacks (five to six quarters) were frequently got."This is an extraordinary produce.

WELD*.-P. 383. “Woad is sown on the chalk-hills in the neighbourhood of Banstead Downs, where it is found to answer remarkably well. The soil best adapted for it is a thin, and rather poor, chalky loam: it grows too strong on good land.

"It is generally sown along with a crop of barley, on land which has had the preparation of a summer-fallow.

In

Mr. Stevenson has misnamed the plant he was treating of. The material of dying, which is cultivated on the hills of Surrey, is not Isatis Tinctoria, or Woad; but Reseda Luteola, or Weld.

In order to separate the seed, and to scatter it more evenly over the surface, it is usual to mix it with ashes: rather less than a pint is allowed to the acre.

"There are two important circumstances which recommend the cultivation of this plant.

"In the first place, it is found to be a very good preparation for wheat" (?)" on the thin soils, where it is commonly grown; and

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Secondly, as it is ripe very early in the summer, it can be sold, and the money for it got in time to help to pay the expense of the corn harvest.

"It is generally ripe in July, when it is pulled and bunched."

What I recollect of the Banstead practice, in regard to this crop, is, that it was chiefly grown among clover; which, in the spring, before the dyer's weed begins to run up to seed, sheep will pasture upon, without injury to the weld; which is less palatable to them. Weld raised in this way frequently becomes a profitable crop to a tenant ; but not so, I apprehend, to a proprietor; as the entire produce is carried off the land.

TURNEPS.-Their Introduction into Surrey.-P. 243. " As far back as the memory of one of the oldest labourers in Surrey would enable me to trace, I found that turnips had been cultivated in his neighbourhood (about Cheam and Ewel), nearly to as great an extent, and in his opinion, with at least as much success as they are now."

The Reporter has extended his section, concerning this crop, to twentyfour pages; but without producing much practical information. A considerable part of the section is taken up with discussing the controversial point of whether the row or the random culture is preferable.Having already spoken my sentiments, fully, on that point, in reviewing the Report from Northumberland (the proper County in which to discuss it) I pass it, here, without further notice.

Perceiving nothing of novelty, nor of excellence, in this report of the practice of Surrey, concerning the cultivation of turneps, I proceed to their

Application, there.-P. 260. "The purposes to which turnips are applied, depend in a great measure on the distance of the farm from the metropolis; and in some respects, on the nature of the soil on which they are

grown.

"The greatest part of those in the immediate vicinity. of London, go to the supply of Covent Garden and the other markets: those at the distance of twelve or fourteen miles are partly bought by the great cow-keepers, and

partly

partly consumed by the stock of the grower, or let to such farmers as have not a sufficiency of feed. Turnips beyond the distance of fourteen miles, in Surrey at least, may be considered as grown for the winter feed of stock, unless in those parts of the county which border on the Thames: from these they are often brought in barges for the supply of the London markets, and for the use of the cowkeepers.

"Such turnips as are sold to the cow-keepers, or for the market, are of course drawn; but unless in these instances, it is by no means common to draw the turnips. They are, however, sometimes drawn and fed on an adjoining ley field, when the soil on which they are grown is wet."

The Value of the Turnep Crop, in Surrey.-P. 264. "When turnips are let to be folded off, it is either at so much per acre, or at so much per sheep for the week: about two guineas is the usual price per acre: when a particular field is uncommonly good, or the turnips in general have failed, three or four guineas have been given."

P. 265. "When turnips are sold to be drawn off the field, ten and twelve guineas per acre are very commonly given by the cow-feeders: where they are drawn and bunched for market, they will produce, at 2d. per gallon, 261. per acre; as they are, however, oftener sold for 4d. a gallon, the acre may fairly be reckoned worth 401.” ·

BULBOUS RAPE.-Its Introduction into Surrey.-P. 273. "A very few years ago, scarcely an acre of Swedish turnips were to be seen, except on the farms of some gentlemen; and now, there is scarcely a farmer who grows any considerable quantity of the common turnip, but what has also several acres of the Swedish."

The following comparison, between bulbous rape and turneps, is concisely and well drawn.-P. 275. "During the winter they are not considered as equal feeding to turnips: they are then harder, drier, and tougher; of course they are not so much relished: the cattle or sheep cannot fill themselves on them in so short a space of time, or with so little trouble as they can on the common turnip, and therefore will not fatten so kindly or so soon on them. In the spring, the advantage is decidedly in their favour: the turnips are then hard and stringy, or dry and spongy: while the ruta baga is in its perfection; more tender than it was in winter, and the juices more easily expressed."

Its general Application, in Surrey.-P. 275. "They come in for sheep-feed between the common turnip and the tares or grass. Some farmers give them to their work-horses, but this practice is by no means so common as it deserves to be. Moist food for work-horses is very much wanted

during the winter; and if every thing is taken into consideration, the Swedish turnip will be found the most convenient and advantageous."

"SIBERIAN TURNEP."-This is to me, in name at least, a new species of crop, in English agriculture. Is it the "Turneprooted Cabbage ;" or the " Kohl Rabi," or "Hungarian Turnep?"

P. 278.For the following account of this vegetable, which has been successively cultivated by Mr. Pennington, of Lee Place, near Godstone, I am indebted to Mr. Salisbury, of the Botanic-garden, Brompton, who has witnessed the good properties of it, both at his friend Mr. Pennington's, and in his own garden."

"The Siberian turnip is a variety between the cabbage and turnip, but it differs from the Swedish turnip in growing to a larger size in the root, which is very sweet and nutritious, although equally hardy with the root of the Swedish turnip it is superior to this in one important point, as it produces a greater quantity of foliage in the spring. The tops of it branch into a great number of ramifications, and when full grown, it sometimes reaches the height of five feet, and covers a space five feet square."

This, I conceive, may be a sufficient notice to practical men, to try so promising a plant.

RAPE HERBAGE.-P. 268. "Mr. Birkbeck, of Wanborough, who cultivates a considerable extent of rape, puts his sheep upon it more early than is usually done: as they are suffered to go over the whole field, he finds that they eat the leaves that grow nearest the ground, and leave the others untouched till these are all consumed. As soon as he perceives that all the plants are deprived of the ground leaves, he takes his flock off the field. Two advantages result from this management: if these leaves were not eaten at that time, they would wither, and become useless: his sheep thus get more food from the rape than they otherwise would do, while at the same time, the other leaves of the rape are found to grow more rapidly and luxuriantly."

If this interesting information is really founded in mature experience, the incident that gave rise to it may well be considered as valuable. It is certainly entitled to trial, by the growers of rape herbage; which is a valuable species of fallow crop, on lands that are too tenacious for turneps.

MIXED HERBAGE.-The different species spoken of, in the Report before me, are red clover, white clover, trefoil, raygrass. What is said of the two following species is noticeable.

Red Clover.-P. 303. "Clover, as well as turnips, appears

to

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