FARMING POOR LAND.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1339, 29 March 1883, Page 3

FARMING POOR LAND.

I have read with much interest the' praotice' pursued by "J. B. F." to " The most profitable way to farm.poor land." Of course I agree with him, sheep are the stock to keop. on land such as his,-but different people have different ways,' I will tell "J. B. F." my way, and if he succeeds in his way . better than I do in mine I shall be inclined to turn to ,his method, I farm 200 acres of poor light land, a red sand, with gravel subsoil, and strictly adhere to the four-course shift. First I take wheat, next, turnips, barley, and finish the rotation with clover or artificial grass. : Only a fow peas' are grown, just sufficient to .produce straw for the ewes to pick over in winter. Directly my wheat is hoed, I drill in with it | peck t'rifolium, and 2 pecks of Italian ryegrass,per . acre. In the following spring 200 ewef, with their their lambs, begin to feed it. the lambs running forward to cak'6, anil as soon as a reaoh is eaten off, it is ploughed up 4 inches deep, well harrowed, and heavily rolled to close up tho flag and shut out all air, then the-flag rots. In the tniddlo of June I plough 9 inches deep for turnips, well harrow, and sow the seed broadcast Quickly after the plough) each day press the seed iu and harrow up, always taking care to sow new seed, it being days earlier in growing out of the way of the fly, arid by this method I have,neverJost a plant. By growing a good quantity of turnips I invariably got .good barley. After the turnips art, fed I just skim the land over, then in February plough 9 inches, live «r six times harrow, sow 30 to 40 bushels soot per acre, drill the barley, hoe it, and drill some artificial grasses to be ready for the sheep after they have done the wheat stubbles. I have tollowed this, plan for seven or eight years, and find none other so profitable. Jf the profit is not made in this way there isnot a.very great lot made off the coi'n. And, again, tho soil is much more fertile after growing a green crop all through the winter than lying barren, and turnips take kindly after it. By growing a large breadth of spring feed I am able to grow ray proper acreage of corn, • which helps to pay the charges.—East Suffolk.