Britain at Work
A Pictorial Description of Our National Industries

i6 BRITAIN AT WORK. daily performance is fractionally less. By cross ploughing the land is further pulverised, and the final tilth is secured by harrowing and rolling. In corn growing, the work is comparatively simple, and often consists in one ploughing, repeated harrowings or “ dressings,” as they are called, drilling in the seed, and harrowing or raking it in. Steam ploughing and steam “ cultivating,” or scarifying, are also used, but this inno- Photo • C. Reid, J Pis haw. rolling, sowing, and harrowing. vation has not infringed much as yet upon horse ploughing. It is chiefly employed on the stiffer sorts of soils, and also as a means of overtaking arrears of work in critical seasons. It is generally done by contractors, who send their tackle to farms, and receive a price per acre. Whether ploughing is done by oxen, horses, or steam, or whether it is done by an improved plough or one of less modern form, is not so important as that the ground should be thoroughly moved, regularly inverted, and, in a word, soundly ploughed. Hence a skilful farmer who has a fancy for working bullocks in teams may obtain as good a result as one who employs horses, or as one who uses steam. Success- ful ploughing depends upon its thoroughness, its being well timed and judiciously carried out in respect of weather and season. The great point is to secure a good tilth—that is, a sufficiently deep, moist, and well pulverised seed bed—irrespective of the power or the precise form of the implement used. Corn growing is simpler than what is known as “ root ” cultivation, because the latter work involves the clearing of the land from weeds, and the application of the necessary manure. Roots include turnip and mangel cultivation, and their produc- tion is always expensive, and depends more upon the amount of moisture in summer than do the corn crops. It is more risky, and of late years has been disappointing, owing to the prevalence of drought in summer. The work of sowing is done all through the year. In January, February, March, and April beans and peas, barley and oats, and grass seeds are sown. In April, May, June, and July the root and fallow fodder crops are drilled, such as mangels, potatoes, turnips, swedes, rape, and kale. In August, Septem- ber, and October winter fodder crops are sown, such as trifolium, winter rye, winter barley, winter oats, vetches, etc. In October, November, and December wheat is generally sown. The drill or the broadcast machines are therefoie always at work. The old system of broadcasting by hand from the traditional seed-lip or seed-hopper is seldom now used, and the drill, which