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MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATIONS, No. 19.

BOARD OF AGRICULTURE AND
FISHERIES.

Food Production Department.

R E P K T

ON THE

BREAKING UP OF GRASS LAND

: i»'

ENGLAND AND WALES

IN T1TK

HARVEST YEAR, 1916-17.

PRINTED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OP HIS MAJESTY'S

STATIONERY OFFICE.
By DARLING & SON, LTD., BACON STREET, E.2.

AND TO BE OBTAINED AT THE OFKIOK OF THK KoAUD OF
AGRICULTURE AND FISHKBITP, ",. 8"
LONDON, 5

BOARD OP A&RICULTURE AND
FISHERIES.

FOOD PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT.

The 1918 Tillage Programme for England and
Wales.

As compared with 1916 : —

1. To increase the area under Corn by 2,600,000

acres.

2. To increase the area under Potatoes and Man-

golds by 400,000 acres.

3. To increase the Arable Laud by 2,000,000

acres.

This Programme can be carried out, and can
only be carried out, if EVERY FARMER does
his full share of the Nation's Task.

MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATIONS, No. 19.

BOARD OF AGRICULTURE AND
FISHERIES.

Food Production Department.

REPORT

ON THE

BREAKING UP OF GRASS LAND

IN

ENGLAND AND WALES

IN THE

HARVEST YEAR, 1916-17.

PRINTED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF HIS MAJESTY'S
STATIONERY OFFICE,

By DARLING & SON, LTD., BACON STREET, E.2.

AND TO BE OBTAINED AT THE OFFICE OF THE BOARD OF

AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES, 3, ST. JAMES'S SQUARE,

LONDON, S.W. 1.

1917.

The Director-General,

Food Production Department,

Board of Agriculture and Fisheries.

SIR,

I HAVE the honour to present a brief report on the methods
adopted in breaking up grass land during the past winter
and on the results achieved.

The report is based on enquiries addressed to farmers in
all parts of the country by the Cultivations Sub-Committee
of the Technical Committee of this Department.

The Department is much indebted to the many farmers
who have filled up and returned the detailed schedules of
questions addressed to them, to the County Executive
Officers, Agricultural Organisers, and other local officers who
assisted in the enquiry, and especially to Professor R. G.
White, M.Sc. (of the University College of North Wales,
Bangor), Convener of the Cultivations Sub-Committee, who
was in charge of the enquiry.

I am,
Sir,

Your obedient Servant,

T. H. MIDDLBTON,
Deputy -Director- General.

Food Production Department,
72, Victoria Street,

London, S.W.I.
August, 1917.

BOARD OF AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES.
Food Production Department.

REPORT

ON

THE BREAKING UP OF GRASS LAND.

The accumulated experience of British farmers is expressed
in the agricultural proverb '* To break a pasture will make a
mao," but the public comments which have been made on
the question since the Department's programme of tillage for
1918 was announced, suggest either that the experiences of
our forefathers have been forgotten or that the other part of
the proverb 'k To make a pasture will break a man " has sapped
the courage of those agriculturists who have recently endeav-
oured to prove that the breaking up of grass land is the food
producer's short road to ruin, and that the only prudent
plan is to increase production on existing arable land. That
the existing arable land may be made to yield more food is
admitted, and that in many cases it will yield more is
expected ; but in view of 'the urgent necessity of adding to
the food supply of the country, a policy which neglected the
fertility stored up in our grass lands would clearly be inde-
fensible. We cannot rely on the chance that a favourable
season and concentration of available resources on existing
tillage land may enable the farmer to produce more food in
1918 than, with all the resources of Peace, he produced
before the War. Again, although it is admitted that modi-
fications in the rotation will enable much more corn to be
produced on existing arable land than formerly, we cannot
assume that the war will end in 1918 ; or that our land can
retain its condition if we largely reduce the area under
clover ; or that we can maintain a full milk supply, support
through the winter months our valuable nocks and herds,
prepare the manure on which successful tillage depends, and
keep our soils free from weeds, if we largely reduce the area
under roots.

More arable land is necessary, and therefore grass land
must be broken up. This policy has been approved, and the
question of immediate importance is not whether grass land
shall be ploughed, but how the grass which must be broken
up should be dealt with.

Mush useful experience has been gained by farmers who
have broken up grass land during the past winter and spring,

(12833—9.) Wt. P 2066— G 203. 25,000. 8/17. D & S. G. 3. A 2

M221664

and with the object of advising those who have the task in
front of them the Department addressed enquiries to a large
number of farmers in different parts of the country.

Up to the time of writing over 300 replies have been
received from 55 counties. In view of the difficulties
attending the work last spring, the inexperience of many of
the farmers in breaking up old grass, and the unskilled
'labour that had often to be employed, the results secured
have been very satisfactory. For every failure reported there
have been four successes, and, though some of the failures
cannot be accounted for, most of them are due to reasons
which further experience should enable farmers to avoid.

I.

SUCCESSES AND FAILURES.

Successes are reported in growing many kinds of crops on
the newly broken grass. Oats, wheat, barley, peas, beans,
potatoes, mangolds, mustard, rape, turnips, linseed, are all
mentioned as having given satisfaction, and it is evident that
a farmer who knows his work has a considerable choice of
crops available. As little of the land reported upon had been
taken in hand until after the New Year, and most of it was
broken up between the middle of February and the end of
April, few of the reports relate to autumn sown crops, and
in by far the larger proportion of cases spring oats was the
crop grown.

The illustrations cited in the Appendix are arranged under
county headings, and reports from counties have been classi-
fied so that those relating to similar climates come together.
The English counties are grouped into Northern, North
Midland, South Midland and Southern, and within these
groups the arrangement has been from east to west. Welsh
counties form a separate group. Few examples have been
given from Wales ; the breaking up of long leys is there the
ordinary practice, and the breaking up of old grass land is
not uncommon.

The first intention was to have giver examples of about an
equal number of successes and failures, but the successes
so greatly outnumber the failures, and the failures
have been so uniformly attributed to wireworms and
insufficient consolidation of the soil, that nothing would
be gained by repeating examples. It will be noticed that
there is a great similarity in the experience of those who
have grown good crops, and that thorough pressing or heavy
rolling is the usual explanation of success. The testimony
from all parts of the country as to the effectiveness of a firm
seed bed is very striking. The benefits due to consolidation
were, of course, specially noticeable this year because of the
long period of dry weather in early summer.

The total number of reports sent in, and the numbers of
successes and failures, are given in brackets after the name
of each county. Less than half of the total number of reports
received have been summarised in the Appendix. The
methods and experiences of farmers have frequently been
so much alike, that no good purpose would have been served
by including all. An endeavour has been made to furnish
examples from all parts of the country. In the case of coun-
ties from which many reports have come, those illustrations
have been included which give most information, or which
represent a common type.

Black Tartarian oats have been grown frequently and white
Tartarian oats have also been papular in the south. These
varieties are named when they have been reported. In the
other cases, ordinary white oats have been grown, the
varieties differing with the district. Where crops have been
sown at high elevations, the height above sea level is
mentioned.

In a few cases the history of a field broken up before
1917 has been reported and some of these reports have been
included.

II.
LESSONS FROM THE SUCCESSES AND FAILURES OF 1917.

As stated in the opening paragraph, it has been argued
during the past few months that it is hopeless to attempt to
plough out old grass land in the expectation of adding to
the nation's food. The experience of 1917 does not sup-
port this contention. It shows not only that the successes
far outnumber the failures, but that the latter are to some
extent preventable. Failures occurred chiefly in the south
and east. They are comparatively rare elsewhere. In by
far the greater number of cases they have been attributed
to wireworms.

The wireworm is bad enough, but is not as vile as his
reputation. Much of the damage put down to wireworms
was primarily due to the drying out of the newly ploughed
soil through lack of proper tillage ; and in the south much
damage, which the wireworm was supposed to do, was, in
reality, caused by the frit fly. Many remedies for these insect
pests have been suggested. The most satisfactory are
those which depend on suitable tillage. Frit flies are most
troublesome in the case of crops sown in mid-season. Oats
sown before March 15th and after April 15th may escape
when crops sown between these dates may be destroyed.
Wireworms are most destructive in loose open soils, partly
because they can get about easily, and partly because crops,

if injured, die quickly in a hollow dry soil ; while in a firm
soil, even should part of the root system be cut by a wire-
worm, the plant soon re-establishes itself.

The Time to Plough. — Under present conditions it is not
usually possible for the farmer to choose his time ; he must
plough whenever the weather is suitable, and although
ploughing out of season may necessitate modifications in the
usual tillage, good results maybe expected to follow suitable
handling.

There are two cases in which emphasis has been laid on
ploughing at the right time.

(a) The first is the case of poor heavy clay land in the
drier parts of the country. Soils of this type are dense, sour
and lack air. If exposed to the hot summer sun and to
summer rain they crumble and form a healthy seed bed.
Land of this type should be broken in summer so that there
may be at least a partial fallow. When such land is
ploughed up out of season it is likely to require specially
careful management.

(6) The second case in which timely ploughing is insisted
on is that of the medium or light land of those districts
most subject to wire worm attacks. It has been the experi-
ence of a number of farmers that the oat crop on late
ploughed and late sown land has been better than on grass
broken up earlier in the season. If there were a choice, it
is unquestionable that there would be less trouble from
wireworm on land ploughed in March than December
in certain parts of the southern counties. On the other
hand, crops sown in the second half of March are more sub-
ject to the attacks of frit fly than those sown earlier, and,
given intelligent management, it would appear that the early
sown crop on land ploughed in autumn and winter may
often be as safe as the late sown.

As success so frequently depends on burying the turf pro-
perly, disc and skim coulters attached to the plough are most
useful in breaking up grass.

Cultivation after Ploughing-. — In many cases, especially
in those of the medium and light soils in the north and
west, the subsequent cultivation of grass land ploughed
up with the ordinary ley furrow is a simple matter.
If ploughed early in the season, so that the well-packed
furrow slice has time to consolidate further and to weather
down under frost and rain, the broadcast sower and
harrow will do all that is required until in the late Spring
the roller prepares the surface for the harvester. But the
old sod, the tractor plough, and late spring ploughing
with the object of defeating wireworm, have between them
brought four implements, the disc cultivator, the disc drill,

the land presser and the Cambridge roller* into much greater*
prominence than before.

Disc harrows or disc cultivators are frequently mentioned
as valuable aids by those who have succeeded in growing
good crops after grass ; with their help the flat furrow left
by the tractor plough has been converted into a good seed
bed, better indeed, to the surprise of some northern farmers,
than that obtained from the orthodox grass furrow of the
horse plough. When the furrow slice is imperfectly turned
the disc harrow breaks the uneven land down, and when the
furrow is turned over on its face, this harrow secures a tilth
on the surface without disturbing the buried sod ; an
important point, as will appear from what follows.

In the case of all land ploughed out of grass in autumn,
winter and spring, the efforts of the farmer must be con-
centrated on getting it sufficiently solid before seeding, and
the thicker the turf, and later the ploughing, the more
necessary the presser and roller become. The usefulness of
the roller in checking wireworm has already been remarked
on ; but there is a greater enemy to the young corn crop of
the south and east than wireworm, viz. drought. From the
middle of April onwards the soil dries rapidly, and if it is
at all loose and contains large quantities of half decayed
turf, even a week's dry weather and hot sun in May will
check the crop. On the other hand, if the turf has been
well rotted, and if the soil has been compacted so that there
is no break in passing into the subsoil, the young corn
plant should stand dry weather quite as well on ploughed
grass as on old arable land. Some farmers who broke up
land last spring and failed, have seen the reasons for failure
so plainly that they are going to break more next winter
and put sheep as well as rollers on the land to make it
solid.

In land left hard on the surface from frequent treading,
or on land where there is a tough sod, the disc drill covers
the seed much more effectively than the ordinary drill,
and does not tear up the sod as an ordinary coulter drill is
apt to do.

Manures. — Many farmers attribute success to the use of
suitable manures. It is seldom that pasture land of fair
quality should require manure in order to produce a good
corn crop, and as a general rule the existing supplies of
manure should be conserved for our old arable land, much
of which badly needs manuring.

There are, however, exceptions to the statement that grain
crops on ploughed grass do not want manure. Many clay

* This old implement, now always called the Cambridge roller, was
originally known as Cambridge's Patent Press-wheel Roller, and was
designed to combine the work of the land presser and the ordinary roller.

soils in the south and east were almost absolutely exhausted
of available phosphates before they " tumbled down " to
grass a generation ago, and the condition of the existing
vegetation shows that until phosphates are supplied little
wheat can be expected. In such cases a dressing of 2-3 cwt.
per acre of superphosphate or of basic slag at sowing time,
should be given. Backward wheat may be assisted in the
autumn or early spring by sulphate of ammonia (f to 1 cwt.
per acre) ; but it is usually too late to revive wheat which
is seen to be " going off " in May.

Cases in which manures have proved useful have as a
rule been included in the summary of reports given below.
Where there is a poor matted turf, as in the Cornish case
(No. 131) mixed manure supplying f cwt, sulphate of
ammonia and 2 cwt. superphosphate is very necessary
for the oat crop. On poor pastures a dressing of sulphate of
ammonia before sowing oats seems to have been markedly
effective in several of the instances in which wireworm
threatened the crops, but the experience of the majority of
those who used it is probably summed up by the
Monmouthshire farmer whose comment appears on page 36
(Case 135).

III.
THE TREATMENT OF LAND OP DIFFERENT TYPES.

With the object of giving precision to the recommenda-
tions in the reports summarised in the Appendix, it will now
be desirable to indicate the kind of tillage called for by differ-
ent types of land. As soils grade almost imperceptibly from
one type to another, so the methods of management vary ;
but for each well-marked type of soil there are certain
approved methods.

(i.) Medium and Light Soils.

Second-rate Pastures. — There is a very large area of land
of this description in England and Wales. Some of it may
be very old grass, with a thick matted turf, but the greater
part consists of grass land from 5 to 10 years old in the long
leys of Wales and the west of England ; or of pastures from
15 to 30 years old which have been allowed to lie in grass
because of the low prices of corn, such as those on the
Chalk in Wiltshire.

Where there is a thick matted turf, early ploughing should
be resorted to, otherwise there will not, be time for the sod
to crumble before the crop is sown, and, as in the Yorkshire
case, No. 25, the first crop is likely to be a failure. When
this coarse-matted surface layet' is met with on light soils,
the land should be ploughed with a flat furrow ; the disc

cultivator will prove useful, and a dressing of lime (from 1
to 2 tons per acre) will greatly aid decay. If the soil is
sandy, lime should be used sparingly, and ground limestone
is preferable to burnt lime. The lime should be applied
either several months before ploughing, or as soon as the
furrow has been turned. When the turf is thin, as
it usually is in the case of long leys and Chalk pastures,
the time and type of ploughing will depend on local condi-
tions. The experience of Wiltshire and Hampshire favours
spring ploughing ; but in many other cases, especially where
the soil is raw and deficient in lime, exposure to frost is
most desirable, and an effort should be made to turn the
furrow before the end of January. Where the farmer owns
a drill, a flat furrow will probably be best, as the land is then
more easily consolidated ; but 4f, as is usual in hilly dis-
tricts, the oats are to be sown broadcast, then the plough
should be set to turn the ordinary ley furrow from 5 to 6
inches deep and 8 to 9 inches wide. This furrow must be
thoroughly well consolidated ; the later the ploughing, the
thicker the turf and the drier the district, the more necessary
the use of the roller becomes. The harrow must, of course,
be used as often as may be necessary, and if harrowing be-
gins before the ploughed land has settled down, short tines
or a spiked chain harrow will be desirable in the first
instance, so as to avoid bringing up the turf. When ploughing
is delayed until after the end of January, a flat furrow is
likely to prove best, even when the crop is sown broadcast.

Good Grass on Medium or Light Land. — An inch or two
of additional depth may altogether alter the character of the
grass, and soils of the type discussed above may gradually
shade from medium to good, or even rich, grass land within
the same enclosure. Thus, in ploughing up a 20-acre field,
it may frequently happen that 5 or 6 acres at the lower or
more sheltered side may (partly from the natural quality of
the soil, and partly because stock have favoured it) consist
of very fine land in such high condition that an oat crop
would lodge. This type of soil should be planted with pota-
toes. No farmyard manure will be necessary. A dressing
of 3 to 4 cwt. superphosphate, 1 cwt. to 1^ cwt. sulphate of
ammonia and some potash manure, such as flue dust, supply-
ing the equivalent of 2-3 cwt. kainit, will suffice. If no
potash is available and the soil is light, a small dressing of
farmyard manure is desirable. If the sod is very thick it
must be thoroughly broken, otherwise there will be difficulty
in moulding up the potato crop ; to break the turf, disc
harrow the surface thoroughly, then plough deeply, using a
skim coulter to bury the vegetation. (See Case No. 129.)
If no disc harrow is available, plough shallow early in winter,
break up the sod with a drag harrow and plough under with
a deep furrow. In the case of land which is medium in

10

texture and inclined 'to be damp, it is neither necessary nor
desirable to secure a fine tilth for potatoes ; the sod helps to
keep the soil light and open, and if the turf is not thick,
ordinary deep ploughing, cultivating and harrowing will
bring the field into a suitable condition for ridging up.

Good Grass on Deep Rich Alluvial Soil. — Land of the
type last considered may shade into a rich deep loam ; or, as
in Lincolnshire, there may be fine silt or warp land now
used for fattening cattle, but known to be so well adapted
for arable farming, that under present circumstances it
should be broken up. In the coming autumn it will be
necessary to sow wheat on a large part of the stubble land
which, in ordinary circumstances, would be planted with
potatoes, and to replace the area lost it will be necessary to
grow potatoes on this rich grass land, which experience has
proved to be so well suited to the crop. Deep alluvial land
may best be prepared for growing potatoes by ploughing to
a depth of from JO to 12 inches. This depth is secured by
employing two ploughs following each other in the same
furrow. One takes off the surface to a depth of 2 inches
or 4 inches, turning the turf into the bottom of the deep
furrow left by the other plough, which opens a furrow of
from 6 to 8 inches. The thick turf of this rich land is thus
buried at a depth at which it will rot and will not dry out
the soil, and, in contrast with the medium land last referred
to,xthe potatoes are grown in the rich loam which underlies
the turf, not in a mixture of turf and loam.

(ii.) Heavy Loams and Clay Soils.

Second-rate Grass. — Much inferior grass land on heavy
loams and clay soils exists in the Midlands and south of
England. Heavy loams and clays may be managed in the
way recommended for medium loams. They want earlier
ploughing, because more exposure to the weather is
necessary, and, if late ploughed, more cross-cultivating,
ploughing or harrowing and rolling will be wanted than in
the case of lighter soil ; if thin in the turf they may benefit
by cross ploughing in spring.

As regards the heavier classes of clay soil in the warmer
parts of the country, there is general agreement that they
should have a summer fallow, or at any rate a bastard fallow,
before an attempt is made to grow wheat. At the latest the
work should be taken in hand immediately after the hay
harvest. Steam tackle is of special value. The surface
should be torn up by the cultivator and exposed to the sun
so as to dry out and kill the turf and mellow the surface
layer of clay. The turf on land of this description is usually
full of weeds, especially -of bent (Agrostis], which unless*
killed would prove very troublesome in arable land ; it is,
therefore, necessary to dry the turf on the surface, whereas

11

when soils are deep and the turf is thick and of good quality,
the tillage must aim at burying and rotting the surface
herbage. The actual management of these clay pastures
must vary with the season. When broken up before mid-
summer the land can scarcely be too rough, the sun and
rain will mellow the clods, and there will be time to work
them into a wheat seed-bed before the autumn. Later
in the season, till mid-August, a moderately moist soil, a flat
shallow furrow, cross ploughing and subsequent cleaning by
the use of the cultivator and harrow are necessary. There
would not be enough sun to bake large lumps properly,
and autumn might find the land full of bent. When
there is a choice the best results follow the early use of steam
tackle, for as there is no tilling implement that can equal
frost on a strong loam, there is none that can search out and
mellow a raw clay soil so well as the summer sun.

To make a success of wheat on a clay soil broken up from
grass, a bastard fallow is almost an essential preliminary in
the South-east.

When grass has been broken up after harvest, winter oats
or beans may be sown, but as a rule sowing should be
deferred until spring.

When heavy loams or clay soils covered by inferior
herbage cannot be tackled in summer, and must of necessity
be broken up in autumn and winter, the best plan will
probably be to plough as deep as possible, invert the furrow
slice, and endeavour to rot the surface weeds before spring
tillage begins.

Spring oats on newly broken clays may do fairly well
in the Midlands or the North, but as a rule are unsatisfac-
tory in the South. Peas would appear to be the best crop
for March sowing on this class of land, if beans cannot be
sown in February.

Poor clay soils are usually very deficient in phosphates
and should get 2 to 4 cwt. per acre of basic slag before the
seed is sown. In dry districts and for spring crops 2 to 3
cwt. of superphosphate may be substituted. From \ to 1^
cwt. per acre of sulphate of ammonia may often be usefully
applied to cereals on land of this description.

Good Grass on Heavy Clay Soil. — Good grass on stiff
land has a special value ; not only are the feeding properties
high, but it withstands dry weather when other pastures
become bare. Although, when labour is abundant and the
land is well drained and well managed, it may grow fine
crops of wheat and beans, good pastures on clay land should
not be broken up under existing conditions.

(iii.) Derelict Land.

Very Poor Grass on Stiff Clay Soil. — As a rule this
should not be broken up at present : the labour available

12

can be put to better uses. Very poor grass is usually found
on cold wet soils very deficient in phosphates, and not only
expensive tillage but liberal manuring would be needed.
Even then the success of corn crops would be very un-
certain. Land of this description should never be broken
up until the surface has been enriched by the growing of
white clover and other leguminous plants which cover such
soils after they have been dressed with basic slag.

Very Light Sandy Soils and Heaths. — These are easy to
till, but as a rule they should not be broken up while labour
is scarce, except in the neighbourhood of camps where there
is an abundance of manure. Such soils, besides being
readily injured by dry weather, usually want large quantities
of artificial manures and lime. Potash manures, which are
specially necessary, are at present so scarce that they should
be reserved for land of better quality.

An attempt has been made in the foregoing pages to
indicate how grass land should be broken up, and, examples
from all parts of the country have been given in the
Appendix. The essence of the experience of 1917 is con-
tained in the Yorkshireman's maxim (Case No. 19), " Tread
the turf well or else you will have trouble " ; but everyone
who has had long experience of tillage land knows how
variable are the problems presented by the ploughed field,
and how impossible it is to give directions for the successful
management of all the types of soil which the British farmer
ploughs, in all the " samples " of weather with which the
British climate can be credited. Grass land must be broken
up, and to this task the farmer is expected to give all his
skill and knowledge in the coming year. He must not, as in
the case of the Welsh critic (Case No. 135) wait until the
corn is laid before he comes to the conclusion "what
absolute fools the Authorities are " ; he must be guided by
his experience, and then, like the Cumbrian farmer (Case
No. 14) who, though vexed by the agents of the Government,
ultimately triumphed by the exercise of ** practical common
sense," he will, it may be predicted, in four cases out of five,
grow a satisfactory crop in 1918 ; since, fortunately for the
country, " practical common sense " is not monopolised by
the farmers of Cumberland !

13

APPENDIX

SUMMARIES OF REPORTS
NORTHUMBERLAND (15 reports— 12 successes, 3 failures).

No. 1. — 30 acres OATS sown April 22nd on medium loam soil
ploughed out of 20-years-old grass which had been mown in the
previous two years and closely grazed. The field was dressed with
superphosphate and farmyard manure in 1915. Ploughing* com-
menced on February 20th, 1917, and finished in the middle of
April. The depth of the furrow was 6-7 inches; the land was not
pressed or rolled. After sowing, the land was twice harrowed
and twice cultivated, again twice harrowed and twice rolled with
a heavy roller. 3 cwt. fish meal and f cwt. sulphate of ammonia per
acre applied. Crop very promising. Success attributed to the
previous mowing and close grazing, which prevented damage from
wireworms and leatherjackets. It is suggested that the previous
treatment of grassland has more effect on the result than the
treatment after ploughing, as rough herbage is* largely responsible
for the presence of insect pests.

No. 2. — 14 acres OATS sowrn 1st May on light soil broken up in
February to a depth of 6^ inches out of 12-years-old grass, mown
for hay in the two previous years. Land frequently worked with
heavy harrows, rolled twice across the furrows with a heavy
roller, and parts disc harrowed. " If the whole field had been
disc harrowed the results would have been better." Crop sprayed
on 25th June to kill charlock; it now promises well, the success
being attributed to heavy harrowing, rolling, and to the liberal
manuring of the grass when cut for hay. The grower remarks :
" I consider it essential to plough land of this class at least
6 inches deep the first time, and to roll and harrow thoroughly,
with the object of getting the furrows to knit with the sub-soil."
Part of this field was planted with POTATOES, which look well but
are rather late. Part was sown with TURNIPS, which have suffered
from drought, but it is too early to say what the crop will be.
Ploughing was not completed until May 15th, and the root land
suffered from subsequent dry weather.

No. 3. — 13 acres OATS sown on very old grassland on heavy
Boulder Clay soil. Ploughed in December and February to a
depth of 6-7 inches. Sown broadcast, harrowed 10 times, and
rolled. Dressed with 1 cwt. sulphate of ammonia and 2f cwt.
salt per acre. " A great success."

No. 4. — 11 acres OATS sown April 23rd on heavy loam soil
resting on boulder clay, ploughed in January and March out of
20-years-old grass. Rolled with plain roller and also with ring
roller. Field infested with wireworm, and crop a failure.

DURHAM (23 reports— 21 successes, 2 failures).

No. 5. — 16 acres OATS sown May 4th /5th after old grass on
light soil ; grass broken up by the plough (work difficult) to a depth
of 4-5 inches. Flat rolled 4 times and Cambridge rolled 6 times.

* Unless otherwise stated the land was ploughed by the ordinary plough
drawn by two or three horses.

14

Harrowed 6 times .along the furrows. Oats were then drilled.
One ton of ground lime per acre applied before drilling. Success-
ful results attributed to the inversion of the sod, thorough
harrowing, use of the disc drill and of Cambridge roller — the latter
as a preventive of wireworm. The land was of very poor quality,
"so that everyone that comes past stands amazed when he soos
the change."

No. 6. — 7 acres of OATS sown April 28th after grass 70 years old
on heavy loam soil. Ploughed; oats sown by hand and harrowed
in, the harrows being reversed so that the furrow slice might
not be disturbed ; heavily rolled with Cambridge roller, followed
by flat roller when the soil was dry. Dressed with 5 stones per
acre sulphate of ammonia when sowing. " Crop an absolute
success," attributed to proper ploughing, heavy rolling ahd the
use of sulphate of ammonia.

No. 7. — 10 acres OATS sown middle of April on medium soil
broken up March/ April out of 8 and 16-years-old grass (usually
mown and the aftermath closely grazed) by plough fitted with
skim coulter, to a depth of 6-7 inches. Twice harrowed along the
furrows, once obliquely and thrice across the furrows, seed sown
broadcast, and land rolled three times. Crop successful. This
grass land had recently been greatly improved by the use of basic
slag and farmyard manure, and the successful crop was attributed
to the good condition of the soil, and consolidation. The reporter
remarks that within the past few years several other fields had
been broken up in much the same way, and in only one case was
there a partial failure. In that case the rolling of the crop had
been neglected.

No. 8. — 9 acres OATS sown in April on land 500 feet above sea-
level. Ploughed in January out of 16-years-old grass (recently
mown for hay and dressed with basic slag) by a digger plough
fitted with skim coulter. The furrows were thrown over flat,
cultivated several times with spring-tooth cultivator, and the
oats drilled, harrowed and rolled. Gas lime was applied. The
reporter remarks " The field had always done badly in grass.
This year's crop is best I ever had ; the main reason, I think, is
the application of gas lime.'''

No. 9. — 9 acres potatoes planted in May, 1916, in a sandy loam
soil 650 feet above sea-level. Ploughed in December/ January by
a specially strong plough, fitted with disc coulter, to a depth of
5-6 inches. The turf was 4 inches thick in many places, and the
sods were so matted that cultivation after ploughing was
impracticable. Women were therefore employed, and dibbled in
the potatoes. Crop fairly satisfactory. Afterwards the land was
again ploughed, the farrows being reversed. It was then cross-
ploughed twice and planted with POTATOES in the usual way in
1917. The 1917 crop " is at present (July 18th) the best field in
the district."

No. 10. — 7 acres light loam 900 feet above sea-level, which had
been in grass for many years, were ploughed out in the autumn of
1914 and sown with oats in the following spring, after repeated
harrowing. The surface was very rough, the grass coarse, and
the work difficult. A mixture of sulphate of ammonia and bone
flour was applied. The 1915 oat crop was " very fine." In 1916
potatoes and oat* were grown — both excellent crops. In 1917

15

BARLEY follows potatoes and POTATOES and TURNIPS follow oats.
The " barley and potatoes look splendid, but the turnips have
suffered from drought. They are now (July 31st) looking well."

No. 11.— 36' acres of moorland which had been lying out for
upwards of 50 years and were covered with heather and gorse
were ploughed in May and June, rolled after ploughing, and
partly sown with BARLEY on June 10 /1 1th. It was recognised that
the sowing of barley at so late a date was extremely risky, and, as
dry weather continued, the crop was a failure. It is proposed to
sow autumn wheat on the whole area.

CUMBERLAND (8 reports- 7 successes, 1 failure).

Xo. 12. — 4 acres OATS sown in the second week of April on heavy
land ploughed out of 23-years-old grass. For the last two years
the land had been closely grazed and had only been three times
mown in all. Basic slag had beenv applied after each mowing;
in 1915, 10 cwt. per acre was given. The land was ploughed in
the last week of March to a depth of 5^ inches, and twice rolled
with heavy roller. 1 cwt. sulphate of ammonia "per acre was
applied. The oats are described as a splendid crop; success
attributed to heavy rolling, late sowing, manure, and the fact
that the land was not too dry.

No. 13. — 8 acres OATS sown in April after grass, 12-14 years old,
on clay soil overlying New- Red Sandstone. Ploughed to a depth
of 4 inches, disc harrowed, sown, harrowed and rolled. 3 cwt.
superphosphate and 1 cwt. sulphate of ammonia applied when
so\ving. Crop successful. Success attributed to the manuring
and tillage.

No. 14. --20 acres OATS sown in April on heavy land tractor-
ploughed in March and April out of grass 42 years old. Disc
harrowed after ploughing. The farmer remarked that ploughing
4^-5 inches deep was a risky proceeding; he could not ge.t the
" Government men to plough it to a proper depth." It was sub-
sequently pressed and disc harrowed: to this and to " practical
common sense " the successful crop is attributed.

No. 15. — 8 acres OATS sown on heavy land requiring draining,
ploughed out of grass by tractors in March, 1917 ; subsequently
sown, harrowed and rolled. Crop poor. The grower remarks that
although he has taken a £25-share in a motor plough, he thinks
such ploughs are of no use unless disc cultivators are available to
cut up the turf. He has broken up 60 acres of poor, heavy clay
land in the last few years with unfavourable results in the first
year. He advises the ploughing up of land of better quality.

WESTMORLAND (4 reports— 3 successes, 1 failure).

- No. 16. — 7 acres OATS sown in May on a loam soil overlying
Boulder Clay, 480 feet above sea-level, ploughed in March out
of very old grass. Rolled with heavy roller, harrowed 7 times,
rolled, sown with disc drill, twice harrowed and twice rolled.
Crop, which is " very fine," was dressed with 1£ cwt. sulphate
of ammonia. Two years before ploughing the land got 10 cwt
basic slag per acre, and dung when cut for hay.

No. 17.— 12 acres OATS sown on land 900 feet above sea-level
ploughed out of very old grass in January and March. Harrowed

16

4 times, sown with disc drill, harrowed again with, chain harrows
and rolled. Manured with 1^ cwt. sulphate of ammonia per
acre when sowing, and about 3 stones nitrate of soda 6 weeks
after sowing. Crop very satisfactory.

No. 18. — A field of 22 acres light loam, which had been in grass
over 50 years, and was growing gorse, rushes, bracken and
bent, was taken in hand in 1915. The old gorse was pulled up
by horses; the smaller bushes stubbed by hand.. The land was
ploughed in January, 1915, and rolled, but not pressed ; harrowed
(twice in some places) ; oats sown broadcast ; harrowed and chain
harrowed. The seed was sown first week of April, but the crop
was a failure, producing less than 12 bushels per acre; the failure
being due to the very dry season, and the roughness of the turf.
The reporter states that had the land been ploughed earlier, and
further consolidated, success might have been expected. Oats
were sown again in 1916 on part of the field, and produced a
splendid crop. 2^ acres were planted with potatoes, yielding 10
tons pep acre ; and 7^ acres, sown with swedes, gave an average
crop. This year 4 acres of POTATOES are growing on the land
growing swedes last year, 14 acres are under SWEDES, and 4
acres under OATS.

YORKSHIRE (22 reports— 10 successes, 9 failures*).

No. 19. — 14 acres OATS sown in April on good deep soil ploughed
in January and February out of old grass. Ploughed to a depth
of 6 inches ; harrowed frequently — in some places as often as 12
times — with a spiked harrow'. (Long tines were avoided, as they
would pull the turf out.) Crop a great success, estimated at
10 qrs. per acre. It is remarked that nothing pays so well ns
ploughing up old grass-land, if the field is properly cultivated.
The success is attributed to the frequent harrowing and the
treading with horses. " You must tread the turf well with horses,
or else you will have trouble."

No. 20. — 42 acres of deep warp-land, under grass for probably
100 years, were drained and ploughed in January. 1916, the
furrows, which were only 2 inches deep, being laid over flat, and
heavily rolled immediately after ploughing. This land was
ploughed three times in all, the first time to a depth of 2 inches,
next 8 inches, and then 9 inches. The land was dragged across
the furrow several times, then ridged up for POTATOES. Crop
good, and although the work was done late in the season the
turf gave little trouble. The reporter remarks he considers it
a very great mistake to plough up grass too deep in the first
ploughing : the turf should be ploughed down by stages.

No. 21. — 10 acres OATS sown first week in May on a good soil
ploughed out of very old grass in February. The land was
pressed, some of it twice, before sowing. Oats sown broadcast,
rolled, harrowed along the furrows, then harrowed three times
across the furrows, and again rolled. Half the crop — the portion
which had been twice pressed — was very good. Wire worms were
troublesome on the remainder of the field.

* The few doubtful cases in this and other counties, are not included. Their
number is shown by the difference between the total number of reports and the
sum of the successes and failures.

17

No. 22. — 10 acres OATS sown on sandy soil on the Coal Measures;
the land was broken up in February out of old grass by a double-
furrow plough to a depth of 5 inches. A presser followed the
plough. Seed drilled in April, harrowed twice along the furrow,
and rolled with heavy Cambridge roller in end of April. Two
varieties of oats, namely, " Bountiful " and " Beseler's Prolific,"
were sown. The former is an excellent crop, estimated to yield
7 qrs. per acre. " Beseler's Prolific " suffered greatly from frit
fly, and is a much lighter crop.

No. 23. — 8 acres OATS sown on clay loam soil ploughed in
February out of 14-years-old grass to a depth of 5 inches. Rolled,
harrowed, drilled in April, and again rolled. Before ploughing,
5-ton ground lime per acre was applied. In previous years the
field had been liberally dressed with basic slag. Result, a
" beautiful crop, with long good straw and fine ears." The land
was ploughed in frosty weather, and swarms of birds — gulls,
jackdaws, rooks, starlings, thrushes and larks — cleared the land
of wireworms, many of which were seen when ploughing.

No. 24. — 4 acres OATS sown on sandy loam soil broken up in
March out of a 30-years-old meadow, which had received farmyard
manure each year and 2 tons per acre of lime 5 years ago.
Ploughed to a depth of 7-8 inches, twice harrowed, drilled in
April, and rolled. The oats were destroyed by wireworm. Barley
was then drilled, and rolled twice, and, though late, is a good
crop. The opinion is expressed that the rooks destroyed the
wireworms before the latter could attack the barley.

No. 25. — 5 acres OATS sown on poor light loam soil on the Mill-
stone Grit, 500 feet above sea-level, ploughed in April out of old
pasture. Seed sown broadcast on the fresh furrow, land harrowed
and rolled. The turf was quite unrotted, hollow and very dry.
Frit fly attacked the crop, which was " a miserable failure."
. No. 26. — 6 acres POTATOES planted on alluvial soil broken up in
February out of old pasture to a depth of 5 inches. Land
harrowed, rolled, disc harrowed, ridged up for potatoes, and
planted. Sulphate of ammonia and salt applied. Crop
successful.

LANCASHIRE (3 reports -2 successes, 1 failure).

No. 27. — 17 acres OATS sown in the end of April on a peaty soil
ploughed in December and January out of 17-years-old grass to a
depth of about 8 inches. The cultivator and harrow were used
before sowing, and harrow and roller after the seed had been
drilled. An excellent crop, attributed to the high condition of
the land, which had been dressed with farmyard manure when
under grass.

No. 28. — 10 acres loamy soil, 500 feet above sea-level, long in
meadow or pasture, were ploughed in, December, March and April
to a depth of 6-8 inches. WHEAT and OATS were sown in March
and April and the ground well rolled. POTATOES, TURNIPS, MAN-
GOLDS and CARROTS sown, or planted, in April and May and
suitably manured. AVheat failed; it was ploughed up and the
land sown with BARLEY, which grew well. The potatoes and oats
were good, mangolds and carrots partially successful. It is
remarked that if this land, which had probably not been ploughed
for 60 years, had been ploughed earlier and deeper, better results
would have been obtained.

12833 A 3

18

CHESHIRE (8 reports— 8 successes).

No. 29. — 10 acres OATS sown April 20th on loam overlying New
Red Sandstone; ploughed between December and April out of
20-years-old grass (which had been mown each year) with one-way
horse plough to a depth of 7 inches; harrowed, sown, harrowed
again and rolled. The cultivation was of the type commonly
employed in breaking up old land in the county, and the crop
was successful. The reporter adds: " Simply ordinary break-up
of old turf with characteristic results in this county."

No. 30. — 16 acres were sown with OATH in the first week in
April on dark sandy loam ploughed at the beginning of March
out of very old grass by Mogul tractor drawing 4-furrow plough,
to a depth of 7 inches; turf well turned down. Disc harrowed to
a good uniform tilth. Crop very satisfactory.

No. 31.— 6 acres OATS were sown in the spring of 1915 on dark
sandy loam soil. The field was ploughed in November, 1914, out of
centuries-old grass, plough fitted with skim coulter, land harrowed
before sowing. Crop excellent. Rye was sown in November on
the ploughed stubbles and provided good forage which kept 80
cows for three weeks in April, 1916. The rye stubbles were
ploughed and mangolds and swedes sown, with little farmyard
manure, and gave " record crops." This year the field is partly
in potatoes and partly in mangolds, and " looks well."

No. 32. — A field of 12 acres of nice light loam was broken up in
the end of March out of very old grass by Mogul tractor drawing
a 4-furrow plough. No coulters could be used as the turf was
several inches thick. Discs were tried but were soon smashed up.
After ploughing it was " a rough-looking job," but after being
harrowed and disc harrowed, OATS were sown in the middle of
April on about 8 acres and are a good crop.

LINCOLN (10 reports— 8 successes, 2 failures).

No. 33. — 20 acres were fenced off from a park and ploughed up
by steam in the first week of March to a depth of 5^ inches.
Rolled with a Cambridge roller 4 times, and with a Crosskill
roller twice. Tilled with light harrows 6 times, twice between
each rolling, along and across the furrows. MANGOLDS, CABBAGES
and POTATOES were planted. All very promising, especially the
mangolds and potatoes. Result attributed to continued rolling
and harrowing. It is proposed to follow the green crops with
wheat in 1918.

No. 34. — 7 acres OATS sown May 7th on good clay soil, rather in
want of draining, which had been broken up in January out of
20-years-old grass to a depth of 6 inches; rolled several times,
drag-harrowed and seed drilled. After sowing, the field was rolled
in both directions. The reporter states: "I am very well satis-
fied with the crop showing up to this date (July 9th)."

No. 35. — 14 acres OATS sown 31st March on sandy soil ploughed
in January out of 20-years-old grass with digger plough fitted with
skim coulter (furrows 6 by 9 inches) ; rolled, harrowed four
iimes, drilled and again harrowed. 4^ cwt. basic slag per acre
applied in the middle of March and 1 cwt. sulphate of ammonia
in the middle of May. Crop successful. It is stated that " the
eulphate of ammonia did more good than anything."

19

No. 36 — 14 acres OATS sown middle of April on good sandy
soil ploughed in February out of 10-years-old grass (which was
poor and mossy) by digger plough with skim coulter, to a depth
of 8 inches; rolled with heavy Cambridge roller 4 times; harrowed
with ordinary harrows, twice with a drag-harrow, sown with disc
drill and harrowed, f cwt. sulphate of ammonia, 2 cwts. steamed
bone flour per acre applied after rolling and well harrowed into
the soil before the oats were sown. Crop very satisfactory. The
opinion is expressed that if spring weather had not been so un-
favourable the crop would have been very good indeed.

No. 37. — 13 acres OATS sown first week of April on sandy soil.
Ploughed January /February out of 20-years-old grass by " Oliver "
plough with skim coulter ; furrow about 9 inches by 7 inches.
.Before ploughing, gorse bushes were grubbed and burnt. After
ploughing, the ground was rolled twice, harrowed, drilled, rolled
and harrowed, again rolled and again narrowed. 4 cwt per acre
of a mixture containing superphosphate, sulphate of ammonia and
dissolved bones ploughed in the first. week of April. Crop quite
satisfactory, but suffered from the dry weather. 1^ acres of this
field were first shallow ploughed, dragged and harrowed four
times and then deeply ploughed. On this portion the crop is much
better than 011 the adjoining land.

No. 38.— 8 acres OATS sown in March on thin Wold soil ploughed
in December out of 15-years-old grass to a depth of 4 inches;
rolled and harrowed four times. Result a failure, about one-third
of a crop. Grower remarks that the old pastures of the district
appear to be infested with wireworm, so that for the first two
years there is little return. He adds, " I broke up 8 acres along-
side the above piece 4 years ago, which is now growing a splendid
crop of oats."

NOTTINGHAM (7 reports-2 successes, 5 failures).

No. 39. — 150 acres light soil on a gravelly sub-soil ploughed in
January and February out of grass 20-40 years old to a depth of
6 inches. Part was prepared for TURNIPS and part for OATS, the
land being pressed after ploughing for oats, and rolled with a
Cambridge roller after cultivating for roots. The oats were
rolled after sowing; the roots drilled on the flat. Both crops
were successful.

No. 40. — 8 acres OATS sown March loth on a dark soil overlying
a white clay, ploughed out of grass 16 years old. Before plough-
ing, the gorse bushes were hooked to chains and pulled out by
horses, and the rough grass well trodden with store cattle.
Ploughed in February, rolled four times — twice with a Cam-
bridge and twice with a flat roller— and harrowed twice. Part of
the crop very good, but a portion suffered through late frost in
May. Success attributed to the use of a suitable plough with a
disc coulter, which buried all the old turf, and to the subsequent
rollings.

No. 41. — 22 acres OATS sown middle of April on clay soil,
ploughed by steam in March out of 40-years-old grass, rolled with
Cambridge roller, harrowed and sown. Ploughing was very
rough, but late frosts made it possible to get a seed-bed.
Wireworm greatly damaged several acres but, taken all -over, the
crop was fair.

20

No. 42. — 8 acres BARLEY sown early in April on mixed soil,
broken up in March, 1917, out of 7-years-old grass to a depth of
7 inches. Seed sown broadcast and the land heavily rolled and
harrowed four times. Crop failed owing to wireworin and the
dry weather.

No. 43. — From the reports received it would appear that the
breaking up of grass land has been unusually unsuccessful in this
county; it need not be assumed, however, that the conditions
here are peculiarly unfavourable. The history of a 10-acre field
in Nottingham has been supplied by one reporter. The soil is a
light loam on the Trias Sands; it had long been under grass
of indifferent quality. It was broken up in February, 1907,
by horse plough and consolidated thoroughly with a Cambridge
roller. The 1907 crop was oats, 8 quarters per acre ; in 1908 it
grew potatoes, no manure, 8 tons per acre; in 1909 again
potatoes, 10 tons per acre, artificial manures were used; 1910
wheat, 8 quarters per acre.

LEICESTERSHIRE (7 reports— 5 successes, 2 failures;.

No. 44. — 24 acres CATS sown in April on medium soil ploughed in
March out of 27-years-old grass by plough fitted with skim coulter,
to a depth of 5-6 inches. After ploughing, ground dragged
thoroughly, and oats sown with a disc drill. Land then harrowed
and rolled, and rolled again after the oats were up. Crop very
satisfactory. The farmer remarks : ' ' The lesson I have learnt is
that I shall never plough turf so late again, because if this wet
weather (in June) had not come, I should not have had oats
worth cutting." He also says that the result would have been
far better if the land had been pressed with a two-furrow land
presser after the plough.

No. 45. — 32 acres OATS sown in the end of March on soil of good
quality ploughed out of old grass in January and February to a
depth of 8 inches. The land was not pressed or rolled after
ploughing, but was harrowed 8 times in all. Crop a great success,
attributed to the continuous working of the land.

No. 46. — 18 acres OATS sown April 16th on clay soil overlying the
Lias, ploughed in December and January out of 14-years-old
grass covered with coarse herbage. Ploughed to depth of 5 inches.
Oats sown broadcast and harrowed in. Crop poor. Failure
attributed to severe frost and subsequent dry weather, also to
wireworm.

No. 47. — 5 acres LINSEED sown May 7th on heavy loam over-
lying Boulder Clay. Ploughed in December out of 50-years-old
grass ; land not rolled, but disc harrowed twice in March and again
in April, then twice cross-disced, the second time the discs being
set so as to work obliquely. Finally thoroughly harrowed with
ordinary harrows. 80 Ibs. per acre linseed (Argentine seed) were
sown. Crop " very good." Success attributed to winter frosts,
to thorough use of the disc harrow, and to gas lime with which
the field had been dressed.

An adjoining field was treated in the same way, but broken
up with steam plough. It was a partial failure. The horse
plough was set so as to invert the furrows and bury the turf.
The steam plough did not thoroughly turn the furrow and was
not fitted with a presser, so that it made an unsatisfactory job.

21

No. 48. — 8 acres MUSTARD sown in May on heavy land overlying
Boulder Clay. Ploughed by tractor on March 31st out of 35-years
old grass. The grass had been mole drained* in March, the bushes
stubbed and the rough surface burnt. After ploughing, the land
was disc harrowed many times. Crop a failure. Dry weather
prevented growth, and rooks pulled up many of the plants when
looking for wireworm. Failure also attributed to the poverty of
the land, late working, and the fact that, owing to the surface
being covered with bushes, the plough could not properly invert
the furrow, so that the surface was left open and the soil speedily
dried out.

DERBYSHIRE (6 reports— 3 successes, 2 failures).

No. 49. — 13 acres OATS sown on March 12/13th after old and
very poor pasture on light loam soil on the Middle Coal Measures.
Ploughed in February ; disc harrowed twice ; harrowed with light
harrows, and rolled with heavy "Cambridge roller. Lime was
applied to the land a year before ploughing, and 1 cw£. sulphate
of ammonia with 2 cwt. bone dust per acre when drilling. Crop
excellent. The reporter remarks that experience has shown the
necessity of using artificial manures to start the crop on the poor
grass land of the district. The disc harrow is invaluable for
making a good seed bed and, at the same time, keeping the turf
at the bottom. Heavy rolling is necessary, and may be resorted
to earlier than on ordinary arable land, as the turf keeps the
Ir.nd open.

No. 50. — A 9-acre field of gravelly soil, under grass for many
years, was broken up in March and April. 5 acres were broken
up by horse plough and sown with BARLEY ; 4 acres with tractor
plough and sown with OATS. Horse ploughing was to a depth of
4 inches, tractor to 6 inches, but the furrow left by the latter
was not. thoroughly turned, and made an inferior seed-bed. The
soil was worked by drag and disc harrows, and the seed drilled
with a disc drill. ^ cwt. sulphate of ammonia per neve was
applied. The barley is very good, the oats moderate. Reporter
remarks that the main reason for the difference was the plough-
ing; this land was in ridge and furrow, and not suited for tractor
work ; he expresses the opinion that tractors should be restricted
to level land, and that horses should be employed to plough
high-backed grass ridges.

No. 51. — Part of a 7-acre field was ploughed out of 20-years-
old grass in April, sown with OATS, and rolled. 1 cwt. sulphate
of ammonia per acre applied. Crop a failure. Result attributed
to late ploughing, very dry weather, and cold east winds after
sowing.

STAFFORD (3 reports— 3 successes).

No. 52. — 15 acres OATS sown on a Red Sandstone soil ploughed
in March out of grass 40 years old. Rolled writh heavy roller,
harrowed three times, drilled, harrowed twice, and again rolled.
Successful crop, attributed to a suitable season, flat furrow, and a
succession of heavy rollings.

No. 53. — 20 acres OATS sown April 6th on medium loam soil
ploughed in March, 1917, out of 13-years-old grass to a depth of
6£ inches. Harrowed and cultivated along the furrow, seed
drilled, harrowed, rolled with Cambridge roller. Crop a

22

success; attributed to the favourable season. This field was full
of wireworm, and therefore 5A bushels of seed per acre Avere sown
so as to ensure a thick plant.

SHROPSHIRE (8 reports— 8 successes).

No. 54. — 12 acres OATS soAvn on clay loam, 400 feet above sea
level, ploughed in March and April out of 20-years-old grass to a
depth of 8 inches. HarroAvs followed the plough, seed Avas drilled
across the furrows, and the land tAvice rolled heavily. Crop
successful, attributed to the use of manure in previous years.
It is noted that wireworms appeared on the last ploughed land,
but that another rolling A\ras then given, and this checked their
ravages.

NORFOLK (4 reports— 4 successes).

No. 55. — 10 acres OATS after grass 50-70 years old on gravelly
soil. Land ploughed, twice rolled with a Cambridge roller,
and harrowed. 2 cwt. superphosphate per acre applied. A full
crop, which " has stood up well (to end of July) owing to the
dry season." If the year had been wet the crop would have been
too good.

No. 56. — 274 acres of marsh land in West Norfolk, consisting
of loam and silt which had been under high quality grass for
about 40 years, ploughed up in April by tractors and horses to
a depth of 8-10 inches. Grain Avell rolled Avith ring roller, and
102 acres cropped Avith POTATOES, 146 Avith OATS, and 26 with
BARLEY. All were successful. This case is typical of the district,
in which considerable areas of grass have been broken up within
the past few years, and have formed arable land of the highest
quality.

No. 57. — 13 acres heavy clay soil, which had " tumbled doAA7n to
grass," were broken up in December, 1915, by tractors. Land was
in poor condition, covered Avith bent. No crop was secured in
1916. The field was ploughed three times during the spring and
summer, disc harrowed and sown down to Rivett WHEAT in
October. The 1917 crop was successful.

SUFFOLK (9 reports— 7 successes, 1 failure).

No. 58. — 20 acres OATS sown in March on gravelly soil in East
Suffolk, ploughed out of 9-years-old grass in January. Land
received thorough rolling before soAAing, and afterwards was har-
rowed and again rolled. Crop Arery satisfactory for the soil and
district, and estimated at 5-i qrs. per acre.

No. 59. — 12 acres mixed soil overlying chalk marl, broken up in
January out of 25-years-old grass by plough fitted Avith skim
coulter, to a depth of about 4 inches, and rib-rolled. It was
rolled a second time, harrowed twice, 10 acres were sown with
PEAS and 2 acres Avith BARLEY at the end of March, and the seed
harroAved in. The barley AA-as a good crop, but the peas Avere thin
owing to the depredations of birds. The soil AVUS twice treated
with naphthalene, \ cwt. per acre at each dressing. The naphtha-
lene was mixed Avith ashes (9 of ashes to 1 of naphthalene), put
on Avith manure distributor, ploughed in and rolled doAvn the
same day. The farmer paid 20s. per cwt. (deliA*ered) for the
naphthalene, as against 9.s. before the war, but Avas satisfied that
it protected his crops from wireworm, which gave him no trouble.

23

No. 60. — 5 acres Rivett WHEAT sown first week in October on
heavy clay soil overlying Boulder Clay, ploughed out of 35-
years-old grass. The herbage was very rough and poor, and the
surface covered with bushes. The land required draining.
It was ploughed in 1916 (skim coulter) to a depth of 6 inches,
all the rough glass being carefully buried; pressed with Cam-
bridge roller, and left till June. In hot weather the furrows
were reversed, then cross-ploughed and reversed. In August
it was stetched up into 8-foot stetches, cultivated, harrowed
three times, rolled down. The crop came away well, but was
injured by frost and looked very poor in spring. As soon as
the land was dry enough it wras harrowed three times with a
heavy harrow. Wire worm attacked the crop, but the heavy
rolling prevented serious damage. Ultimately the crop thickened,
and promises well. Success attributed to careful cultivation and
fairly early sowing. The grower recommends that in breaking up
rough grass of this kind it is desirable to employ two ploughs,
one following the other. The first should plough a shallow
fui-row and the second should bury the surface with a 6-inch
furrow.

The same grower broke up 5 acres in the same field in the
spring of 1915, and oats were sown in March. Crop very poor.
Winter beans sown in October and the crop was fair for the land
— about 3 quarters per acre. WHEAT was sown in November, 1916,
and promises well.

CAMBRIDGE (3 reports— 2 successes, 1 failure).

No. 61. — BARLEY sown about May 8th on sandy soil ploughed out
of old grass in the beginning of May. Land turned over quite
flat to a depth otf 7 inches, rolled three times with heavy
Cambridge roller, and harrowed four times. Crop received
4 cwt. per acre of a manure containing superphosphate and
sulphate of ammonia. Result satisfactory, attributed to the
thorough consolidation of the land. The benefit of the manure
was marked.

No. 62. — 20 acres OATS sown on land ploughed in March (skim
coulter) out of 17-years-old heath overlying Chalk, to a depth of
4 inches ; twice rolled with heavy roller, harrowed four times,
seed drilled on the fresh furrow, harrowed twice. The growing
crop was horse-hoed. Wood pigeons did much damage, otherwise
the crop would have been most successful.

No. 63. — A field of 20 acres of similar (heath) land, broken up in
the previous ye<ar, was sown in 1916 with wheat, yielding 30 bushels
per acre, and in 1917 with BARLEY, which promises 32 bushels per
acre. The barley was dressed with 5 cwt. fish meal per acre.

No. 64. — OATS sown in clay loam soil on the Kirneridge Clay,
ploughed in March out of 28-years-old grass, twice rolled and
harrowed, seed drilled. Crop a failure, the primary cause being
want of consolidation. The soil was quite loose. Secondary causes
were drought and wireworm. On the headlands, where the land
had been trampled by horses, and in the open furrows, there was
a fair crop.

HUNTINGDON (2 reports- 1 success, 1 failure).

No. 65. — 30 acres HARLEY sown in April, 1917, on land overlying
Boulder Clay. Ploughed in March, 1916, out of 20-years-old grass

24

by four-horse plough to a depth of 6 inches; rolled and subse-
quently harrowed ; steam cultivated in October ; harrowed in April,
and seed drilled. 40 bushels of soot per acre wrere applied when
wireworm began to attack. Rain followed, the crop recovered,
and is reported a success.

No. 66. — 23 acres OATS sown in November on derelict land over-
lying Boulder Clay which had been out of cultivation for 20 years.
The land required draining. It was broken up by steam in the
summer of 1916 to a depth of 7 inches, harrowed several times
but not rolled. Crop a failure. Result attributed to the severe
winter, wireworm, and the neglect of rolling.

ESSEX (3 reports— 2 successes, 1 failure).

No. 67. — 12 acres April Bearded WHEAT sown on shallow clay soil
overlying Boulder Clay. Ploughed and cross-ploughed in March
out of 30-years-old grass, rolled with heavy Cambridge roller,
harrowed twice, drilled, and rolled again when the wheat was up.
Crop successful. Result attributed to sharp frosts after plough-
ing, which mellowed the soil, and to the heavy rolling after the
plant had come up.

No. 68. — 11 acres WHEAT sown in November on the same holding
as in the alvove case, the land being rather lighter and of better
quality. The field, which had been 35 years in grass, was broken
up by steam in the spring and summer of 1916, cultivated four
times by steam cultivator in the spring of 1916, and horse culti-
vated and rolled several times during the summer months. Crop
a failure. The wheat grew well until the spring, when it was
destroyed by wireworm. It is remarked that owing to the large
amount of fibre in the turf, it was impossible to get this soil solid
enough for wheat; also that although there was a rookery of 120
nests close by, no rooks were seen on the field while the wireworms
were attacking the crop 1

No. 69. — 15 acres grey winter OATS sown second week of
October on heavy loam soil broken up in the previous summer
out of 30-y ears-old grass. The land was steam cultivated four
times, rolled, and ploughed in August with horse plough to a
depth of 5 inches; then twice harrowed with heavy harrows, once
with light harrows, rolled, drilled, rolled again, and harrowed
with light harrows. Crop successful, attributed to suitable season,
the close grazing before breaking up, and the water furrows,
which provided surface drainage.

HERTFORD (4 reports— 3 successes, 1 failure).

No. 70. — 8 acres OATS sown March 25th on medium loam soil
300 feet above sea-level. Ploughed by tractor in February out of
20-years-old grass, rolled twice with Cambridge roller, har-
rowed, drilled and harrowed twice. 3 cwt. per acre of an
artificial manure applied. Crop successful. The rolling
checked wireworm, and the manure helped to start the young
plant. In the previous year oats on similar land had failed owing
to wireworm attacks. In that case manure had not been applied.

No. 71.— A field of 45 acres heavy loam soil, ploughed out of
30-years-old grass, was sown with wheat in the spring of 1916.
The wheat failed. The field was sown with WHEAT in the following
autumn, when the crop was again a failure. The failure
appeared to have been due chiefly to want of drainage ; the land
was undrained and very wet.

25

BUCKINGHAM (4 reports— 4 successes).

No. 72. — 25 acres OATS sown April 1st on a light sandy soil over-
lying gravel, 600 feet above sea level. The land had " tumbled
down to grass " 30 years previously, and had since been grazed and
mown alternately. Herbage was mostly weeds and of little value.
Ploughed in February by tractor. Oats sown broadcast on the
crested furrow, harrowed five times, rolled immediately after
harrowing with heavy Cambridge roller attached to the tractor,
and again when the plant was 2 inches up. Crop very good.
It was attacked by wireworm in the early stages, but the second •
heavy rolling prevented serious damage.

On the same farm a 10-acre field treated in a similar way in
1916 was planted with POTATOES in 1917. The land was ploughed
by tractor in March, drag-harrowed, harrowed, ridged, manured
with farm manure, chain-harrowed, dressed with artificial
manure, potatoes planted 20th April, ridges split, chain-harrowed
again 14 days later, and ridges re-fdTmed. Crop excellent.

No. 73.— A field of 11 acres was broken up out of 20-years-old
grass on shallow gravel soil. Winter _OATS were drilled early in
March, and the land harrowed and rolled. Crop very successful.
Results attributed to the use of a skim coulter on the plough, and
to the harrowing, rolling and treading by horses. The field in
question had previously " tumbled down to grass," and the land
was particularly thin and poor.

OXFORD (25 reports— 20 successes, 5 failures).

No. 74. — 27 acres OATS sown March 30th on shallow brashy soil
overlying Oolite. Ploughed in January by tractor out of 20-years-
old grass, drag-harrowed twice along the furrow, double harrowed
across the furrow, drilled across the furrow, again harrowed, and
rolled with a heavy Cambridge roller. Crop successful. Wire-
worms were present, but they did little damage owing to the
thorough consolidation of the seed bed.

No. 75. — 27 acres WHEAT sown in mid-November on sandy loam
soil on the Corn Brash, 350 feet above sea level. The land had
been in grass over thirty years, and was ploughed (skim coulter)
in July and August. It was not pressed, but was dragged and
harrowed. Crop satisfactory.

No. 76. — 20 acres BARLEY sown first wook of May on peaty
alluvial soil overlying Oxford Clay. Ploughed (skim coulter)
December /March out of 10-years-old grass, pressed with Cambridge
roller, harrowed several times, seed sown, harrowed 3—4 times
and rolled. 7 acres which were wet received 1 cwt. per acre
nitrate of soda, without effect. 14 acres of this field were ploughed
in March. On this portion the crop was good ; the part ploughed
earlier was not so good.

No. 77. — 16 acres WHEAT sown last week of October on deep
sandy loam, ploughed in August/ September, 1916, to a depth of
6-7 inches, plough fitted with a disc coulter. The land had been
in grass for at least 100 years, and was moss-covered and full of
sorrel. Wheat was drilled across the furrows, land subsequently
harrowed and rolled in April with heavy Cambridge roller well
loaded. Crop good, except on part of the field which was rather
lo -'yine and wet.

26

No. 78. — A field of similar char after to the above was broken up
.in 1915, treated in the same way, and sown with wheat in 1916.
The crop was top dressed with 1 cwt. sulphate of ammonia per acre.
A yield of 6 quarters per acre was secured. The field was then
gas-limed and ploughed. Half was harrowed and- drilled with
Black Winter OATS late in October. A good plant was secured,
but was killed by frost in March. Spring OATS were drilled in
April but were badly attacked by wireworm ; the crop was rolled
and top dressed with sulphate of ammonia but the weather was
too dry, and the crop wras poor. The other half of the field was
dressed with basic slag and sulphate of ammonia, sown with
MANGOLDS, and an excellent crop is anticipated.

No. 79.- — 17 acres OATS sown first week in April after good quality
grass 3o-yeiars-old on the Oxford Clay. The ridges were ploughed
early in March, the furrows a fortnight later — ridges by tractor,
furrows by horse plough. Land neither pressed nor rolled, as it
was thought to be too wet to press, but dragged and harrowed
eight times, then drilled, and again harrowed. 4 cwt. superphos-
phate and 1 cwt. sulphate of ammonia per acre applied at drilling
time, but crop was a complete failure. " The few oats left are in
the furrows." Result attributed to snow and frost, which pre-
vented early sowing, and to the subsequent long drought which
prevented the oats growing, so that they succumbed to wireworm.

No. 80. — 17 acres OATS sown early in April after grass 20-years-
old on the Oxford Clay. After ploughing in February and March,
seed was sown broadcast and the land dragged and harrowed
several times. The crop was a total failure. Result attributed
to wireworm.

GLOUCESTER (8 reports— 4 successe?, 3 failures).

No. 81. — 14 acres Tartarian OATS sown in April on thin Limestone
soil, 700 feet above sea-level. Ploughed in February out of
25-years-old grass ; thrice rolled with Cambridge roller, twice culti-
vated, harrowed and seed drilled ; 4 cwt. superphosphate per acre
applied. Crop satisfactory.

No. 82. — 13 acres OATS sown in March on sandy loam overlying
Old Red Sandstone, broken up out of very old pasture. Land
ploughed (skim coulter) partly in October, partly in March,
rolled with heavy Cambridge roller, drag-harrowed three times,
drilled twice, harrowed, and the corn rollecl when it came up.
Crop satisfactory.

WORCESTER (6 reports— 5 successes, 1 failure).

No. 83. — 7 acres " Senator " PEAS sown April 23rd on alluvial
soil ploughed out of old pasture in April by tractor plough.
Land cultivated twice, harrowed twice and rolled. Crop
excellent.

No. 84. — 8 acres OATS sown April 25th on sandy loam soil
ploughed in April with tractor out of old pasture. Harrowed
four times with tine harrows, and subsequently rolled with
Cambridge roller. A great success, attributed to the thorough
working of the land, the preparation of a firm seed bed, and a
free use of seed (5 bushels per acre).

No. 85. — 17 acres OATS sown April 16th on medium loam soil
ploughed in March, out of 20-years-old grass, pressed with a heavy

27

6- wheel presser, and seed sown broadcast. Part of the field was
dressed with 3 cwt. superphosphate and 1 cwt. sulphate of
ammonia per acre. Crop good. Success attributed to pressing,
and to the fact that sheep had been eating roots on the land for
two months before ploughing. The artificial manures produced
no marked effect. The best part of the field was that ploughed
in the end of March.

HEREFORD {8 reports— 6 successes, 1 failure).

No. 86. — 20 acres PEAS sown June 1st on clay loam soil overlying
Old Red Sandstone. Ploughed at the end of May by tractor
out of 14-years-old grass; thoroughly harrowed. Crop successful.
The owner remarks that even if the seed does not ripen fully,
fodder would prove a satisfactory crop. His intention is to pre-
pare the land for wheat in autumn.

No. 87. — 11 acres OATS sown in the beginning of May on heavy
loam overlying clay, 600 feet above sea level. The land was
broken up by tractor in the end of April out of 40-years-old grass
of very poor quality, which never yielded more than 3 ton
inferior hay per acre. After ploughing, land was lightly har-
rowed, and oats sown at once. Rain fell heavily soon after
sowing. In some parts the young plant was yellow,- and a month
after sowing 1£ cwt. of sulphate of ammonia per acre was given.
The action of the manure was marked, and these parts are now
the best in the field. -A crop of 50 bushels per acre is anticipated.

An adjacent field of 6 acres was ploughed by horses in April.
By frequent harrowing and rolling a fine tilth was secured. A
hard frost set in, and on cultivation this soil crumbled to a very
fine tilth. Here wireworm took nearly all the crop (OATS). In
those parts of the field which were damp, and where the harrows
did inferior work, the oats were good. It is remarked that this
field would have given a better crop if it had been rolled and
drilled with disc drill without harrowing and cultivating.

No. 88. — A field of 7 acres was broken up by a 4-horse plough
out of 25-years-old grass on sandy soil; heavily pressed, and
cultivated by harrow only, as frost produced fine tilth. Part of
the field was cropped with POTATOES, which promise well, and part
with MANGOLDS. The first sowing of mangolds was a marked
success, the second a partial failure owing to the dry weather.
Roots and potatoes were grown for fear of wireworm ; otherwise
oats would have been taken.

KENT (26 reports — 15 successes, 6 failures).

No. 89. — 13 acres PEAS (Sangsters) sown in March on a sandy
loam of good quality; ploughed in January out of 12-years-old
grass to a depth of 7 inches, pressed with the cartwheel, ' har-
rowed several times with heavy harrows. A very good crop.
Result attributed to the thorough consolidation of the land.

No. 90.— A field of 12 acres was broken up \yith a Kent plough
out of 50-years-old grass, on sandy loam soil. PEAS were sown.
No manure was used, as cake had been fed on the land to sheep.
The peas grown were :' Alderman " and " Autocrat," and were
very successful.

No. 91. — 35 acres OATS sown early in March on light loam over-
lying Chalk; land ploughed bv s!/-am in December and January

28

out of 35-years-old grass. Pressed after ploughing, seed sown
broadcast, twice harrowed and rolled. H cwt. sulphate of
ammonia per acre applied. Crop a success, attributed to the
firm seed bed, the use of sulphate of ammonia, and comparatively
early sowing. " The crop got a good start before very dry
weather set in."

No. 92. — A field of 15 acres of old pasture, very poor quality,
full of anthills, and covered with rough grass and thistles, was
ploughed up in early Spring by tractor to a depth of 8 inches,
pressed, seed sown broadcast, and harrowed 4 times. Part of
the field was sown with OATS, part with PEAS, in the end of
February and beginning of March. Both crops very good.
Success attributed to deep ploughing, to liberal manuring in the
past, and to hard frost. After the crops were up, they were
rolled with a heavy roller to check wire worm.

No. 93. — 12 acres black OATS sown in the middle of February
on deep loam, broken up in November by the Kent plough out
of 40-years-old grass ; harrowed four times and rolled once, and
manured with 4 cwt. fish guano per acre. Crop a success. It
started well, suffered little from wireworm, and promises a yield
of about 9 quarters per acre and a heavy crop of straw.

No. 94. — A field of 17 acres of inferior pasture on marshy soil,
below sea level, most of it consisting of a dark heavy loam, was
broken up by steam in the usual way in June and July, 1916,
out of 30-years-old grass. On 13 acres long pod BEANS were sown
in February, and produced a very satisfactory crop. Two acres
.were put under TURNIP SEED; about 15 per cent, of the plants
failed, and the crop produced about 22 bushels seed per acre.
The grower remarks " Beans, peas and turnip seed are the only
safe grub-resisting crops for the first two or three years."

No. 95. — 10 acres OATS and 6 acres of PEAS sown in April after
grass 20-40 years old on clay soil. The land was ploughed to a
depth of 6 inches, harrowed 6 times and cultivated once. The
oats failed; the peas were a "great success." The intention was
to have sown winter oats, but the wet autumn prevented this.
The spring oats were late sown, and to this the failure is attri-
buted.

No. 96. — 6 acres BEANS sown in February on a light loam
overlying Chalk, ploughed in January with the Kent plough out
of grass 34 years old. About half the field was pressed, and the
whole field rolled and harrowed. Crop a partial failure, attri-
buted to the fact that only part of the field was pressed after
ploughing; also to bad weather and wireworm. (It is unusual for
beans to suffer from wireworm.)

No. 97. — 10 acres OATS sown in March on deep heavy loam,
ploughed in February, by the Kent plough, out of 40-years-old
grass; twice rolled, drilled in March and the seed harrowed in.
Crop was a partial failure and will not exceed 4-5 quarters
The furrow was not pressed. A public footpath runs across the
field; after the land was ploughed, this was not marked out for
a few weeks, during which time the land was trampled for a
width of 4-5 yards on either side of the path. Here, and also
on the headlands, the crop is good.

No. 98.— 11 acres black OATS sown in the middle of February
on heavy soil, broken up in early November, by the Kent

plough, out of 30-yoars-old pasture; thrice harrowed and twice
rolled with Cambridge i oiler. Crop a failure. Oats came up well,
but owring to the dry spring they were eaten off by wireworm.
The crop is being ploughed up in preparation for wheat.

No. 99.- -4 acres WHEAT sown in February on land ploughed out
of old pasture in January to a depth of 8 inches; pressed by
cartwheel with loaded cart, harrowed several times and .seed
sown. AVheat failed through wireworm. Although the field was
rolled with Cambridge roller 6 times and harrowed several
times, nothing appeared to stop the wireworm, which devoured
the crop. The land was broad-shared and prepared for cabbage
plants.

SURREY (11 reports— 7 successes, 4 failures).

No. 100. — 9 acres OATH sown in April, 1917, on light sandy soil
overlying Greensand, broken up in April by "Oliver" digger
plough, to depth of 0 inches, out of 40-years-old grass which had
heen mown for years. Land harrowed, rolled, drilled, and again
rolled. Crop a great success, promising 12-15 sacks per acre.
Land similarly treated in 1916 grew 17 sacks per acre. Success
attributed to late ploughing, which prevented damage from wire-
worm. The grower comments: "A remarkably good result, with
the absolute minimum of purse."

No. 101. — 14 acres OATS sown in April on poor land ploughed in
March and April out of 26-years-old grass to a depth of 8 inches.
Twice rolled with Cambridge roller, and thrice harrowed.
After sowing, the land was again harrowed and rolled. 1 cwt.
Nitrolim and 5 cwt. salt, per acre applied. The oats came up
freely, but were badly attacked with frit fly, and looked like
failing. Rain came in time, the crop improved greatly, and
promises to be the best on the farm.

No. 102. — -20 acres of clay soil were ploughed in the autumn of
1916 out of grass, part 20 and part 40 years old. Land was
not rolled but was harrowed six times and cultivated once. OATS
were sown on 10 acres and PEAS on the remainder. The oats were
a failure, the peas a great success. The intention was to have
sown winter oats, but the wet autumn prevented this, and the
time of sowing of spring oats (April) was thought to be too late.

No. 103. — 23 acres OATS sown in November on clay soil ploughed
out of grass of unknown age to a depth of 8 inches. Rolled
with Cambridge roller, cultivated thoroughly, rolled and sown.
The crop partially failed, owing to wireworm attacks. The
reporter is of opinion that the only way to combat wireworm
is to plough immediately after carting the hay, and to move
the land frequently during July, August and September, so as
to kill all the food available for the wireworm and to expose
them to birds.

No. 104. — A field of 5 acres medium loam soil was ploughed in
January out of 30-years-old grass, rolled by ring roller, and
an excellent seed bed prepared for MANGOLDS by dragging and
harrowing. Seed sown in May. Crop a failure. Both the roots
and weeds in the field were infested with wireworm, except on
spots where rubbish heaps had been burnt. Here the mangolds
were successful, as the wrireworm had apparently been destroyed.

30
SUSSEX (9 reports -7 successes, 2 failures).

No. 105. — A field of 9 acres of loamy soil on stiff sub-soil under
50-years-old grass, usually mown, was mole-drained and
broken up in November, 1914, by steam plough turning a
flat furrow about 8 inches deep. Pressed by steam presser, sown
with WHEAT on November 14th, and harrowed just enough to
cover seed. The crop yielded 7 qrs. per acre, although the field
had never been of much value as pasture. Success attributed
to the heavy pressing and the favourable autumn, so that the
crop " got away from the wireworm, which were certainly
present." The reporter remarks that he was afraid he was too
late in breaking up this strong land, but he is satisfied that even
if ploughed as late as safely possible, wheat will succeed well
on a fresh furrow if sown pretty thickly.

No. 106. — 6 acres loam resting on clay sub-soil were broken up
out of 40-years-old grass between the end of January and late
March. The grass was rough and tufty, covered with bushes and
in parts with rushes; drainage was bad, and half the field was
redrained before ploughing. Ploughed to a depth of 6 inches.
Harrowed along furrow, cross harrowed, and rolled twice in
opposite directions by the ring roller. 2 acres were sown with
PEAS and 4 with OATS on April 26th. Both crops very satisfactory.
Result attributed to fine tilth, and consolidation by rolling and
treading with horses. The oats received 1 cwt. of sulphate of
ammonia per acre, which was considered beneficial.

No. 107. — 118 acres partly clay, partly light loam overlying
chalk, the heavier parts of which had been 50 years in grass and
the lighter 10-12 years, were taken in hand in the autumn of
1916. Part of the heavy soil was broken up by steam during
September,, and pressed. WHEAT was sown on the pressed furrow.
The balance of the heavy land and the chalk were ploughed in
.spring. OATS were sown on the chalk in February and on the
clay in March. 1^ cwt. sulphate of ammonia was applied to the
whole area; in the case of the spring-sown crops, it was mixed
with the seed before drilling. The wheat was only partially
successful, and had to be patched with barley. It did fairly well
until the spring, but was then attacked by wireworm. The
reporter says: "I am certain the wheat crop would have been a
success but for the severe weather; although wireworms actually
thinned it off, wherever the wheat was protected by trees or
high edges a good plant remained which is now doing well. Only
wheat which was severely checked by the weather was destroyed
by wireworm." The spring-sown crop was very successful; the
result was attributed to the nitrogenous manuring, late ploughing
and heavy rolling. " All the spring oats were sown on fresh-
-ploughed turf, which I consider left the wireworm with something
to eat — a counter-attraction, so that they need not feed exclusively
on the oats."

fi No. 108. — 7 acres grey PEYS sown April 1st on a light, sandy loam
on gravelly sub-soil, broken up in January, 1917, by the Kent
plough out of 30-years-old grass, always mown and covered with
a sour and very poor herbage. Ploughed 2 furrows deep, that is,
the first furrow was taken to a depth of 4 inches, and the plough
(Turnwrest), returning in the same furrow, turned a second
furrow 6 inches deep, so as to -bury the turf completely. The
soil was well harrowed, and peas drilled. The crop was successful,

31

the result being attributed to the method of ploughing, and the
fact that the land had been dressed with basic slag each season
for some years before breaking up.

No. 109. — 11 acres OATS sown first week of April on heavy loam
soil overlying Gault Clay, ploughed up in February and March
out of 24-y ears-old grass to a depth of about 7 inches, plough fitted
with skim coulter. Land rolled three times with heavy roller,
thrice harrowed; about 3 cwt. superphosphate and 2 cwt. salt
per acre applied. Only half a plant was secured, and the field
was re-sown Avith barley. Failure due to wireworm and rabbits,
which thinned the oat plant and allowed creeping thistle to
develop. Where the crop survived it was good. It is noted that
the land requires draining, the existing 4-foot drains having
silted up.

MIDDLESEX— (1 report).

No. 110. — A field of 10 acres loam soil on Brick Earth was
ploughed in February arid March out of old grass, part by tractor
and part by horse-plough. Rolled twice across the furrow; then
disc harrowed by tractor along and across the furrow. BRUSSELS
SPROUTS were drilled in rows 3 feet apart in April, and EARLY
TURNIPS sown between the rows. Parts of the field were very
good, but in parts the soil appeared to be thin; it dried out, and
the crops made slow progress. Sulphate of ammonia was applied,
and an improvement took place.

HAMPSHIRE (10 reports, 10 successes).

No. 111. — 37 acres OATS sown March 20th on light soil overlying
Chalk. Ploughed in March by steam out of 30-years-old grass.
A presser followed behind the plough. Dragged four times, seed
sown broadcast, harrowed twice and rolled. 4 cwt. per acre
Castor meal was applied before ploughing. Crop excellent.
"The wireworm fed on the grass sod instead of on the oats."
The Castor meal " seems to have answered well."

No. 112. — 200 acres of OATS — White Tartarian, Black Tartarian
and Abundance — sown from 10th March to 13th April after poor
quality grass 25 to 50 years old on light loam overlying Chalk.
Ploughed by steam tackle between 9th March and 10th April to
a depth of 4 to 6 inches, a presser travelling behind the plough.
The land was, harrowed twice with spiked chain harrows, twice
wTith spring-tooth harrows, and tw^ice with ordinary zig-zag
harrowiS. In some parts several additional harrowings were neces-
sary as the land was rough. After harrowing, the land was rolled
once (sometimes twice) with tractor rollers. 4 cwt. superphos-
phate or steamed bone flour and H cwt. sulphate of ammonia or
nitrolim per acre applied immediately after sowing, before the
harrowing was completed. Crop satisfactory and very uniform,
although it suffered in the early stages from drought. Result
attributed to a firm seed bed, to sowing immediately behind the
ploughs, and to manuring.

No. 113. — A field of 26 acres, under grass 40 years old, on light
chalky soil was ploughed in March by steam tackle, harrowed 12
times, sown with OATS, and finally firmly rolled. 3 cwt. of super-
phosphate, 1 cwt. sulphate of ammonia, and 4 cwt. salt applied
per acre. Crop estimated at 56 bushels per acre. Success
attributed to the free use of manure,

32

•

No. 113A. — 6 acres of. WHEAT, 6 acres of winter OATS sown on soil
partly clay and partly gravel after grass 35 years old. Field
ploughed in November by steam to a depth of 5 inches, and
subsequently pressed. Further cultivation consisted of harrowing
4 times and rolling. 3 cwt. superphosphate per acre applied. The
wheat was successful ; the oats a failure owing to wet and frost.

WILTSHIRE-CIS reports-12 successes, 2 failures).

No. 114. — 250 acres OATS and DREDGE CORN sown on land which
had been in grass from 12 to 35 years, partly oh the Chalk, partly
on the Greensand. Ploughed, partly 'by steam, partly by horses;
heavily pressed ; chain harrowed after sowing, and then thrice
harrowed with ordinary harrows. Result excellent, attributed to
early sowing and to the damp seed bed, which could be con-
solidated. Black and .White Tartarian oats grown on Greensand
soil of very poor quality promised 8 qrs. per acre. In a few places
the crop suffered from wireworm, but no serious damage was
done. The opinion was expressed that, in this district, land in-
tended for sowing with spring crops should not be broken before
Christmas.

No. 115. — 1,000 acres OATS — chiefly Black Tartarian — sown
February to May on medium loam overlying the Chalk, 300-
400 feet above sea-level. The land had been in grass 12-14 years,
and was broken up from January to April by steam ploughs and
tractors to a depth of about 4-5 inches, and then pressed. Seed
broadcasted, harrowed in, and rolled several times with heavy
rollers. Two rollers drawn by tractors were started immediately
after sowing, and worked continuously, so long as it was possible
to roll the corn. On the whole the crop was very successful,
especially in the case of the oats sown in February and March
on a moist seed-bed, which could be readily consolidated by rolling.
Those sown on a dry seed-bed in April and May were attacked by
wireworm, and there were partial failures. The farmer states that
a dry, fine, seed-bed should not be aimed at on this type of soil,
as it favours development of wireworm, whereas in a cold, wet,
and firm seed-bed wireworms appear to remain inactive. Sulphate
of ammonia was applied to parts of the crop Avhich appeared to
require help, but was of no use. The opinion was expressed that
the land required no manure, and that the growing of a good crop
depends exclusively upon proper tillage.

No. 116. — 140 acres OATS sown March 15th to April 21st on loam
soil overlying Chalk 500-600 feet above sea-level, on land which
had been in grass for 18 years. Ploughed by t factor plough to
depth of 4 inches, harrowed 3-4 times with Parmiter's harrow and
rolled twice with a heavy Cambridge roller. 100 acres received
1 cwt. sulphate of ammonia and lj cwt. basic phosphate per acre;
the rest was unmanured. Crop partly successful, partly a failure.
Good results were secured on land ploughed between March 1st
and April 7th: Wireworm destroyed the crop on the ground
ploughed before March; where ploughed after April 7th, although
the corn started well, it suffered from dry weather, The manur-
ing in this case proved useful.

No. 117. — 160 acres of Black Tartarian OATS sown on virgin Down
soil about 350 feet above sea-level, ploughed in March and April.
The soil appeared to be of very poor quality. Ploughed to a

33

depth of 4-5 inches with tractor plough, pressed and rolled. Con-
siderable difficulty was experienced in covering the seed, owing
to the matted roots of the turf. The land was harrowed with
chain and tine harrows after sowing ; then thoroughly rolled with
a Cambridge roller, so long as the crop would stand rolling.
1 cwt. sulphate of ammonia, 3 cwts. superphosphate, and 2 cwts.
of salt per acre were applied. The crop was successful, promising
about 67, quarters per acre. It was much later than the oat
crops grown after grass which had formerly been arable land.
Success attributed to late ploughing, t'he use of manure, and con-
tinuous rolling.

No. 118. — 250 acres OATS sown in March and April on a red, sour,
flinty soil of varying depth overlying the Chalk, 500-600 feet above
sea-level, after grass 15-25 years old. The land was broken in
March and April by steam ploughsv folio wed by a presser. Seed
was sown broadcast as soon as possible after pressing. The land
was well harrowed along the farrows with a chain 'harrow, and
subsequently with an ordinary harrow,. 10 times in all, then rolled
with a heavy horse roller. Crop remarkably successful over the
greater part of the area. In some parts it was thin and poor,
chiefly where land had been reclaimed from wood last century.
The success is attributed to careful ploughing and subsequent
thorough tillage.

No. 119. — 300 acres OATS — chiefly Tartarian — sown March-April
on good loam soil overlying the Chalk, on land which had been
in grass for 17 years. Ploughed February- April by steam to a
depth of about 8 inches; pressed, harrowed 4-6 times, and rolled.
Many parts of the crop failed, and on the whole it would barely
pay the cost of cultivation. The soil was not so firmly com-
pacted as in the other cases, and it was noticeable that the best
oats grew on the headlands, and on a " road " along which
sheep had been driven to pasture. On the lower and moister
portions of the land the crop was much better than where the
soil was dry.. The failure was attributed chiefly to the dry
weather : both frit fly and wireworm had worked havoc with
the crop.

No. 120.-— 180 acres of Tartarian OATS, sown crti a good quality
light loam overlying the Chalk, 600 feet above sea-level, on land
which had been 16. years in grass. Steam ploughed in February
and March, pressed by steam presser, seed sown broadcast, chain-
harrowed twice, subsequently thrashed with ordinary harrows,
and finally rolled. The crop was a complete failure; much of it
had to be ploughed up, and the rest would scarcely return the
seed sown. The plants were badly attacked by frit fly and wire-
worm. The main difference between this complete failure and
the very successful crops in the same neighbourhood was in the
consolidation of the land. Although harrowed and rolled, it was
still comparatively loose in texture when inspected before harvest.

SOMERSET (2 reports— 1 success, 1 failure).

No. 121. — 27 acres OATS sown May 10th on medium soil over-
lying Marl, 850 feet above sea level. Broken up in April by
tractor out of 10-years-old grass, which had been grazed and
mown alternately; cultivated by spring-tooth harrow along the
furrows. Seed drilled, harrowed and rolled. Crop top-dressed

34

with 1 cwt. suphate of ammonia per acre in June. Oats success-
ful ; result attributed to good season and top-dressing. (An
application of suphate of ammonia in the beginning of June
would rarely benefit the oat crop.)

DORSET (6 reports —6 successes).

No. 122. — 18 acres OATS sown on a. stiff loam soil after grass 50
years old (usually mown). Ploughed by tractor, rolled 4 times,
harrowed 4 times along the furrow, dragged across the furrow,
seed harrowed. Very good results, attributed to grazing with
sheep and thorough rolling before sowing. Ploughing imme-
diately after harvest is recommended so that the turf may have
time to rot before sowing.

No. 123. — 25 acres Black Tartarian OATS sown 28th March on
light loam soil overlying Chalk, 600-700 feet above sea-level.
Ploughed by tractor in February out of 15-years-old grass, rolled
with Cambridge roller, drag-harrowed, rolled again, seed drilled,
and land subsequently twice rolled. 1| cwt. sulphate of ammonia
and 1 cwt. superphosphate per acre applied. Crop a success ;
attributed to heavy rolling and the use of manure. The soil was
very poor, vegetation was matted and difficult to plough ; the
surface was rough and in some places was rolled three times
after corn was sown.

No. 124. — 32 acres OATS sown March 21st-27th on medium loam
soil overlying Chalk. Ploughed in November-December out of
b'-years-old grass to a depth of 6 inches. Land was not rolled or
pressed after ploughing, but dragged with heavy drag-harrows
along the furrows, then cross-harrowed, seed drilled across the
furrows and harrowed twice. Sulphate of ammonia and potash
were applied as the corn came up. Crop a success; result attri-
buted to the exceptionally hard frost, which killed wireworm.
At first the oats were poor, but after manuring a timely rain fell
and the effect of the manuring was very obvious. It is remarked
that " at the time of ploughing I do not remember ever having
seen so many wireworms."

DEVON (13 reports— 12 successes, 1 failure).

No. 125. — A field of 6 acres of light soil, 300 feet above sea level,
was ploughed in March out of 29-years-oid grass ; plough fitted
with skim coulter. Heavily rolled, twice dragged along the furrow
and twice across, drilled with OATS in April and harrowed and
rolled again with a Cambridge roller. A " special " corn manure
was used and -3 cwt. nitrate of soda with 5 cwt. salt also applied.
Result " very good." The field was of poor quality when laid
rlo\vn to grass, but it is now anticipated that with liberal
mnmiringjt will grow good crops "for n few years.'1

No. 126.— A field of 32 acres of light soil, 400 tret, above sea
level, was ploughed out of grass in spring and thoroughly
harrowed 4 times. OATS were sown in March. Crop on the whole
successful. 8 acres which were first sown failed and were re-sown
with BARLEY.

No. 127. — A field of 12 acres light soil, 700 feet above sea level,
under grass for 10 years, was ploughed to a depth of 5^ inches,
harrowed five times, rolled once. The crop (OATS) was successful.
Result attributed to the thorough trampling with three horses.
The land was difficult to work, but " I have a splendid field of
oats,"

$5

No. 128. — A field of 12 acres, 800 feet above sea level, under
grass for over 100 years, was ploughed (disc coulter), thoroughly
harrowed, and heavily rolled when just dry enough to take roller.
Soil partly clay, partly shale. OATS were taken, and were success-
ful. " I consider the reason for such good results is the extra
rolling to tighten the land." Success also attributed to the use
of basic slag, 7 cwt. per acre.

No. 129. — 6 acres POTATOES were planted on stiff loam soil on
Devonian shales, . ploughed out of grass about 20 years old.
Before ploughing, the land was disc-harrowed twice, and then
cross-disced twice. Ploughed in February and March to a depth
of 5-6 inches, rolled, disc-harrowed twice in two directions, rolled,
harrowed, and ridged up for potatoes. The crop is promising.
Success attributed to the thorough cutting up of the turf by
the disc-harrows.

CORNWALL (4 reports— 3 successes, 1 failure).

No. 130. — 35 acres of DREDGE CORN sown in April after grass
about 200 years old on light loam 6-11 inches deep. The grass
was broken up by tractor late in March, heavily rolled, twice
harrowed, again rolled, harrowed, twice rolled and harrowed.
Compound manure (composition not stated) was applied. The
crop was a success. This was a deer park, which had been heavily
grazed and was in poor condition. Success is attributed to the
manuring and the extra heavy rolling. On parts where no
manure was used, the crop was not nearly so good.

No. 131. — A field of 20-years-old grass on poor granite soil was
ploughed in November, soil inverted to depth of 5£ inches,
subsequently rolled and harrowed several times. Dressed with
basic slag before sowing. Crop (OATS) a failure. It is
remarked that the field is typical of the poorest granite soils
and that the first crop is usually _a failure, the second being
much better. It is explained that the surface of these pastures
has a thick, mat of fibrous grass, which takes a long time to
rot, so that little food is available for the plant in the early
stages. With liberal manuring, good results are generally
obtained in the second year after breaking up.

ANGLESEY (2 reports— 2 successes).

No. 132. — A field of 14 acres was broken up out of grass about
40 years old on good red loam soil on the Carboniferous Lime-
stone. Land ploughed at the end of March, subsequently
harrowed, drilled with OATS, and rolled. No manure -used. The
result was " one of the best crops in the county." It is noted
that the ploughing of grass land is a common practice in the
county, and good crops almost invariably follow.

No. 133. — A field of 10 acres was broken up at the end of March
out of 60-years-old grass on a good loam soil, and sown with
Tartarian OATS. The land was harrowed before and rolled after
sowing. " Grand crop."

CARDIGAN (1 report— 1 success).

No. 134. — 20 acres Tartarian OATS sown April 20th on sandy
loam, ploughed in March out of grass 20 years old. Rolled with
a heavy Cambridge roller, harrowed with, spring-tooth and
ordinary harrows, and the seed drilled. Crop described as

36

u extraordinary." Freedom from wireworm attributed to the fact
that hunters had been exercised on the field for years, and that
" wireworms do not like being disturbed."

MONMOUTH (10 reports— 10 successes).

No. 135. — 26 acres on medium soil overlying Sandstone were
ploughed (skim coulter) in November/ January out of 40-years-
old grass, frequently harrowed, and rolled to consolidate the
turf. Part sown with OATS in March and part with SWEDES and
TURNIPS in May and June. The roots were only a fair crop, as
they were attacked by wireworm. The oats, which were exception-
ally good, were attacked by wireworm but not seriously damaged,
as they were growing rapidly. The crop became badly laid with
the first heavy rain, and the unhappy grower comments: " What
absolute fools the Authorities were for so strongly recommending
sulphate of ammonia for corn on new land."*

No. 136. — 5^ acres OATS sown 2nd week of April on stiff Red
Clay soil. Ploughed by tractor in March out of 8-years-old grass,
rolled with Cambridge roller, harrowed, cultivated with spring-
tooth 'harrows, seed drilled, harrowed and again rolled. 4 cwt. per
acre of a mixed manure was applied after the oats were drilled.
Crop successful. It is explained that this field was laid down
to grass in 1909, but the seeds failed, and stock would not eat
the couch and other weeds which grew in the field. It was also
infested with thistles, but the 1917 oat crop is free from weeds.
Reporter remarks that with earlier ploughing success would have
been even more marked.

No. 137. — 6 acres Tartarian OATS sown in the end of April on
light soil overlying Red Sandstone 600 feet above sea-level.
Ploughed in March out of old grass (previously mown) to a depth
of 5 inches; harrowed and seed drilled. "Crop excellent."
Wireworm attacked slightly but did no serious damage.

No. 138. — 13 acres OATS sown in February on medium clay soil,
broken up in November-December out of 60-years-old grass;
furrow " highly crested." Oats sown broadcast, dragged three
times and rolled twice. The crop was successful, but there are
some bad. patches where the wireworm ravaged the crop. The
opinion is expressed that it would have been much better if the
land had been ploughed flatter and cultivated before planting,
giving a firmer seed-bed. The best crop is round the headlands
where there was most treading. " Except on the patchy places,
however, the crop is much over the average."

GLAMORGAN (9 reports— 8 successes, 1 failure).

No. 139. — 10 acres OATS sown in April on shallow clay soil over-
lying the Lias. Ploughed in March out of 25-years-old grass to a
depth of 4 inches, rolled, dragged four times, but not cultivated,
as the ploughing was too late and too shallow. The crop was
manured with sulphate of ammonia and is described as " only
fairly good," The reporter states that the field should have been
ploughed early in February, that the ploughing should have been
deeper, and that 4 instead of 3 bushels of seed per acre should
have been sown, to allow for the depredations of insect pests,
which did much damage.

* The Board h ive not recommended the use of sulphate of ammonia on newly
broken grass land of good quality.

37

No. 140. — 12 acres black OATS sown in March on medium loam..
ploughed in January, 1916, out of 30-years-old grass. The land
was not rolled after ploughing, but was dragged, seed drilled,
twice dragged, and then rolled. No signs of wireworms were
seen, and the crop was successful.

No. 141. — 5 acres OATS sown April 8th, 1916, on light soil
ploughed out of grass of unknown age in November, 1915. Crop
very good. The stubbles Avere ploughed in February, 1917,
furrows 4-5 inches deep by 10 inches wide, so that the slices were
laid flat. Land rolled with Cambridge roller, OATS sown broad-
cast, harrowed, rolled in two directions, harrowed twice, and
again rolled. The second crop promises to be better than the
first. Success attributed to the thorough cultivation.

No. 142. — 12 acres Black Tartarian OATS sown early in March
011 medium loam soil, ploughed in January, 1916, out of 29-years-
old grass, part to a depth of 4 inches and part slightly deeper.
Field rolled, dragged three or four times, sown, and rolled twice.
Crop successful. The stubbles were broken immediately after
harvest, and sown with WHEAT. The wheat grew well until the
spring, when wireworms destroyed a large part of the crop, which
was growing on the soil that had been deepest ploughed when
broken up in the previous year; on the shallow ploughed section
the wheat escaped serious damage.

12833

OFFICI1.
THE J

o*

?OARD OF

(PRICE 4c

AN OFFICIAL

AGRICULTURE
THE 15TH O.

BOARD OF AGRICUL

3, St. James's S(
FOR THE BENEFIT

COK

The following are some of i
appeared in r
June, 1917.

Potato Spraying for Farmers.
Investigations in Cherry Orchards.
Buried Weed Seeds.
Experiments with Pepsin to replace Rennet.

July, 1917.

Cider Fruit for Table Use.

Determination of Cost of Production of Farm Crops.

Nutritive Value of Edible Fungi.

August, 1917.

" Blossom Wilt and Canker " Disease of Apple Trees.

Report on an Infestation of Larvae of the Antler Moth in the Peak

Districts
A New Source of Potash.

The Journal, which consists cf 00 pages or more, is
published about the 15th of each month. It is usually
illustrated, and contains articles written by experts, Notes on
Feeding Value of Food Stuffs and Manurial Value of Ferti-
lisers according to current prices, Summaries of Agricultural
Experiments, Notes on Agricultural Co-operation and Small
Holdings, on Agriculture Abroad, and on Crop Prospects.
Official Notices and Circulars and Market Prices are also
given. Special articles deal with matters in which agricul-
tural interests are touched by the War.

_?armers. land agents, landowners and others are invited by the
JL>ard of Agriculture and Fisheries to support their JOURJTAI.,
wjtich is definitely published for the benefit of all classes of
Agriculturists, and is accordingly sold at a very low price (see
tofe'OW). The JOTTRlfAIt should be bound and placed on the
bo ik-shelf of every agriculturist for reference purposes ; it -will
answer a large number of questions which are put to the Board
every month.

Three, montJis. ].?. ,• S'nv months, '2s, ; 7'nvhc months. 4.s. (Pi>xf, Free).

,E AND FISHERIES,

.
•lion Leaflets, which haw

wt to farmers at the present
loot Seeds for Home Use.

nd other Fodder Crops.
Heeds.

^ntion is also drawn to the following Special
Leaflets : — -*•

No. 3. Poultry on Allotments and Garden Plots.

19. Substitutes for Oats in Feeding Farm Horses.

20. Coconut Cake and Palm Kernel Cake.

26. Suggestions to Allotment Holders for General Cropping during

the Spring and Summer Months.

27. Manurial Value of Shoddy.

28. Cultivation of Catch Crops and Home Grown Feeding Stuff
32. War Food Societies.

34. Autumn and Winter Fodder.

35. Transport of Agricultural Produce

36. Winter Oats.

44. Preserving Green Maize.

46. Use of Sulphate of Ammonia for Wheat.

47. Use of Straw as Fodder.

49. Selection of Wheats for Spring Sowing.

50. Growing Two Corn Crops in Succession,
52. Destruction of Farm Vermin.

59. Successful Employment of Women on the Land

60. Preparation of Home-made Rennet.

62. Co-operative Farm Implement Societies
64. Ground Nut Cake.

M221664

THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY