Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 1.djvu/392

Rh 3G6 A G R I C U L T II K E most satisfactorily proved that whereas very good crops of turnips can be obtained by manuring either with dung alone, at the rate of from fifteen to twenty tons per acre, or bones alone, at the rate of sixteen to twenty bushels, or guano alone, at the rate of three or four cwt., much letter crops can be obtained by applying to each acre its propor tion of each of these kinds and quantities of manures. A portion of the bones is now usually applied in the form of superphosphate of lime; and as this substance, and also guano, have a remarkable power of stimulating the growth of the turnip in its earliest stage, forcing it to the state fit for thinning from ten to fourteen days earlier than hereto fore, there is now no occasion for the dung being in the advanced state of decomposition that was formerly found necessary. When farm-yard dung alone was used, it behoved to be in a soluble state, ready to furnish nourish ment to the plant from the beginning. But in bringing it to that state a considerable loss is sustained by fermentation, and its bulk is so much reduced that it becomes difficult to distribute evenly the allowance which would be available for each acre, in order to give the whole crop a share of it. This, however, it is most desirable to do, as good farm yard manure contains in itself the whole elements required by the crop; and hence an additional reason for the plans of applying farm-yard dung which have already been noticed. If that made during the previous summer has been applied in autumn to the lea before ploughing for oats, as far as it will go, and another portion of the con templated turnip break dunged before the winter furrow, with all that has been made up to that time, and the future accumulations up to April formed into heaps, to be applied in the drills for the latest sowings, the manures produced on the farm may be made to go over nearly the whole breadth under root crops. In proceeding to sow those portions that were dunged before the oat crop and on the stubble, all that is required is to form the drills, and apply the guano or bones, or mixture of both, by hand. In doing this, ten or twelve drills are set out the evening before, that all may be ready for a good start. The light manure is taken to the field in carts, which are unyoked at convenient distances for replenishing the aprons of the young persons (one for each plough) or the machine by which it is distributed along the drills. The sowers of the manure being started on the outside drills, the ploughmen proceed to open fresh ones inside in going, and to cover in the manure by reversing the first formed ridgelets as they return. The seed machine, sowing two rows at a time, follows close up to the ploughs, and thus the work goes rapidly on, each plough getting over from 2^ to 3 acres a-day. When farm-yard dung is applied at the time of sowing, the process is the same, except that the drills must be opened somewhat deeper, and that the dung-carts, followed by an adequate number of spreaders, precede the sowers of the light manures. In filling the dung-carts, one able-bodied labourer is required for each plough employed in drilling; and where these amount to three, six spreaders are required to distribute it evenly along the drills. In some districts the double- breasted plough is used in forming the drills and covering in the dung. In the hands of a skilful ploughman that implement does certainly make neater work to look at; but so far as the success of the crop is concerned, the common swing-plough is preferable, for in covering in with it the earth is made to run over the top of the ridgelet, by which means the clods fall into the hollow, and the finest of the mould is left on the top, where the seed is to be deposited. With the double mould-board this cannot so well be done, and the consequence is, that a groove is formed on the top of the ridgelet, in which the small dry clods, carried up by the tail of the mould-board, are left, forming the worst [BOOT CROPS. possible bed for the seed. In parching weather it is usual to pass a light roller over the drills immediately after sowing, to retain the moisture and insure germination. The seed is deposited near the surface, half an inch of mould being a sufficient covering. The quantity sown is 2 Ib per acre of globe or yellow turnip seeds, and 3 to 4 Bb of swedes. Care must be taken that the seed is fresh, so as to have a vigorous and thick plant. Thick sowing increases the difficulty of thinning out the plants, but it hastens their growth, and diminishes the risk of failure from the depredations of the turnip beetle. The time of sowing in the south of Scotland extends from the begin ning to the end of May for swedes, and thence to the middle of June for yellows and globes. A partial sowing of yellow or globe is, however, made by careful stock- masters before sowing the swedes, to be ready for use by the end of August or beginning of September, when pasturage fails. Sowings of early varieties, such as the stubble turnip and certain yellow kinds, are also made after winter tares or other catch crops, until the middle of July ; but in Scot land they cannot be sown later than this with advantage, unless for the production of a crop of seed. The average weight per acre of swedes may be stated at 18 tons, and of turnips at 22 tons, but double these rates have occasionally been obtained. Recent experiments go to show that with liberal manuring and early sowing, the weight of the crop is considerably increased by thinning out the plants at wider intervals than has hitherto been customary. The usual practice in Scotland has been to sow in ridgelets 27 inches apart, with 9 or 10 inches be twixt the plants. Recent experiments establish the fact that, with 15 inches from plant to plant, much larger bulbs and a greater acreable produce are obtained. As it is ascertained that in the case of swedes the largest bulbs are also the best in quality, it is of the greater consequence to allow them ample room. The thinning is commenced as soon as the rough leaf is fairly developed. Previous to this operation the horse-hoe is worked betwixt the rows for the double purpose of destroying weeds and facilitating the operation of thinning. This operation is sometimes still farther facilitated by using Huckvale s machine, which slaps out the rows so as to leave tufts of plants at regular distances apart The singling of the plants is performed by the hand-hoe. The young persons by whom this work is usually performed advance in echelon with their backs to the untouched work, the steadiest and most expert worker leading the band. This arrangement insures a uniform rate of progress, saves the finished work from being trodden upon, and keeps the workers closely under the eye of the steward. This thin ning of the rows, so as to leave single plants at regular intervals of 12 to 15 inches apart, is accomplished by an alternate thrusting and drawing motion of the hoe, which a little practice enables the workers to perform with such precision that very rarely do they either make a gap or leave double plants, and still more rarely do they require to stoop dow T n to disentangle them with their fingers. Three of these workers can usually thin an acre in a day. With ordinary care on the part of the overseer, there is no great difficulty in getting the plants left single at proper intervals ; but it is very difficult to get the hoers trained to select and leave only the stoutest plants. And yet so important is this, that, all other things being equal, a difference of two to three tons per acre in the rate of pro duce has been ascertained to result on comparing rows that had been thinned by a person who took pains to select and leave the best plants, with others on which they had been left indiscriminately. When the plants have rallied after the thinning, and begun to grow rapidly, the usual practice has been to turn a furrow from either side