April 30th.

Monday April 30th. 1923

Fine
At home
E. Mayes finish Fallow second time
J. Howe & myself finish horse hoeing Barn field & start hoeing Peas second time

April 29th.

Sunday April 29th. 1923

Showerey
All at home
Pollie & David came over

from Agricultural Review of the Year 1922

So far as Livestock is concerned in 1922, horses were reduced in numbers but cattle have increased. Pigs have not maintained the progress made in 1921 while sheep are fewer than a year ago, again quoting the official returns, the number of horses on agricultural holdings has been reduced by 44,300 to 1,340,300. A further decline in breeding is to be noted, the number of foals being only 83,800 or 8,500 less than last year and 18,300 less than in 1914.

April 28th.

Saturday April 28th. 1923

Fine
At home
E. Mayes ploughing Fallow
J. Howe & W. Pearl horse hoeing Winter oats in Barn field

Memoranda
April 28th.
E. Mayes full week 30/0
J. Howe full week 25/0

April 27th.

Friday April 27th. 1923

Fine
At home
E. Mayes Ploughing Fallow
J. Howe Splitting potatoe (sic) ridges & getting Beet home in the afternoon
myself & J. Howe finish horse hoeing Peas first time

April 26th.

Thursday April 26th. 1923

Showerey (sic)
Go to Stow
E. Mayes Ploughing Fallow
J. Howe carting muck for Potatoes
sowing manure for same & rolling them

April 25th.

Wednesday April 25th. 1923

Showerey (sic)
At home
Both men jobbing about first part of the day, afterwards E. Mayes Ploughing Fallow, J. Howe & myself horse hoeing Peas.

April 24th.

Tuesday April 24th. 1923

Fine
At home
E. Mayes Ploughing Fallow
J. Howe & myself finish horse hoeing W. Beans 2nd. time and hoeing Bullace field Wheat
10 Comb of Wheat went to mill

April 23rd.

Monday April 23rd. 1923

Fine
At home
E. Mayes Ploughing Fallow in 12 acres
J. Howe Rolling Beet Ridges twice & Drilling Beet and rolling out

April 22nd.

Sunday April 22nd. 1923

Fine
All go to Brettenham to tea

from Farm Work for the Year
April
Stock Farm:
Dairy work is in full swing, most of the calves have come, and cheese-making is at its busiest. Fatting beasts are still in stalls or boxes receiving mangels and hay with meal and cake. Sheepfolds are overtaking the turnips, and the plough follows immediately, and the last barley is sown. Young grass is available for ewes and lambs in the water meadows, and mangels may be taken to them in the pastures.
Special Crops:
Teazels in the second year should be dug between the plants. Gorse may be sown this month on any land that is otherwise waste; sow 10lb. of seeds in rows 18 inches apart.

April 21st.

Saturday April 21st. 1923

Fine
At home
E. Mayes crossploughing in 12 acres top side of beet ridges
J. Howe & W. Pearl horse hoeing winter beans


Memoranda
April 21st.
E. Mayes full week 30/0
J. Howe full week 25/0

April 20th.

Friday April 20th. 1923

Fine
At home
E. Mayes finish splitting Beet Ridges
J. Howe carting Beet in the morning & Drilling & Rolling Beet in the afternoon
Sold 10 Comb of Wheat at 10/3 per cwt.

April 19th.

Thursday April 19th. 1923

Fine
Go to Stow
E. Mayes splitting beet Ridges
J. Howe finish sowing manure for Beet 9 Bags in all

April 18th.

Wednesday April 18th. 1923

Fine
At home
E. Mayes finish ploughing headlands round 12 acres.
J. Howe & myself finish spreading muck for Beet.
J. Howe rolling ridges in the afternoon.

April 17th.

Tuesday April 17th, 1923

Fine
At home
E. Mayes finish harrowing Bullace tree field of Wheat the second time.
Split Potatoe (sic) Ridges down, & start Ploughing headlands round 12 acres.
J. Howe finish carting muck for beet, finish the day spreading muck.
Myself spreading muck.

April 16th.

Monday April 16th. 1923

Fine
At home
E. Mayes Rolling Rattlesden meadow in the morning, Harrowing wheat on bullace field in the afternoon.
J. Howe Carting Muck for Beet

April 15th.

Sunday April 15th. 1923

Fine
All at home
Jack & Nellie came over

Farm Work for the Year
April:
Flax is sown in April, nine pecks per acre sown broadcast by the drill, the counter funnels being removed. Onions may be sown this month, 6 or 7 lb. of seed per acre, in rows 8 inches or 9 inches wide. Artificial manures, superphosphate, nitrate of soda, and soluble manures of all kinds may be applied broadcast in the growing weather of April over grass lands and over such wheat as wants them. Superphosphate is also a good manure for barley, ensuring better and earlier ripening. Liquid manure may be taken over the grass land.

April 14th.

Saturday April 14th. 1923

Fine
At home
E. Mayes Rolling on big Brettenham field
J. Howe Carting muck for Beet
Myself Ploughing in wheelracks and getting Beet home


Memoranda
April 14th. E. Mayes full week 30/0
.. .. J. Howe 5 days 20/10
.. .. F. Reynolds 2 .. 9/0
Received from Mr Ennals April 12th. 4 St Misc. Seed
3 Comb W. Oats
Received from Mr Ennals April 14th. 5 Sacks Sanfoin 7 Sts

April 13th.

Friday April 13th. 1923

Fine
At home
E. Mayes & myself drilling spring Oats on Sandy layer in Winter Oats
J. Howe harrowing twice for same


Champion Beast at London Smithfield Show
1877 N. Catchpole Shorthorn heifer

April 12th.

Thursday April 12th. 1923

Fine
Go to Stow with the Colt first time.
E. Mayes splitting Ridges on to muck for beet
J. Howe sowing manure & spreading muck

April 11th.

Wednesday April 11th. 1923

Showerey (sic)
Go to Gedding Mill for F. Reynolds
E. Mayes J. Howe spreading manure for beet
E. Mayes harrowing in the afternoon on Big Brettenham field.

from Farm Work for the Year
April:
Mangels are sown or dibbled during the latter weeks of March and April on raised drills 24 and 30 inches wide, in which a good dressing of dung has been buried, and on which super-phosphate and guano have been sown broadcast. Land is being got ready for turnips. Carrots may be sown on the flat in rows 12 to 15 inches apart. Lucerne may be sown this month on any deep loam; if calciferous so much the better if clean and in good heart, 10 lb. to 12 lb.of seed being sown per acre in rows a foot apart. Sainfoin is sown in April, drilled or sown across the barley as that is coming up; 20 lb. of milled seed are sown per acre.

April 10th.

Tuesday April 10th. 1923

Fine
At home
E. Mayes finish Rolling Brettenham field of Barley and start rolling layer other side of road.
J. Howe harrowing barn field of Oats twice.
F. Reynolds & myself horse-hoeing Winter Beans.

April 9th.

Monday April 9th. 1923

Fine
At home
E. Mayes Rib Rolling Big Brettenham field
F. Reynolds harrowing Oak field of Wheat twice
J. Howe at home

April 8th.

Sunday April 8th. 1923

Fine
All at home


from Agricultural Review of the Year 1922
Meadow hay yielded better than last year, being estimated at 18.4 cwts. per acre, against 15.8 cwts. in 1921, but still some 3 cwts. per acre below average. The acreage was greater than in 1921, so that the total production of 4,068,000 tons shows a welcome increase of 870,000 tons. The total quantity of hay produced this year is therefore about 5,800,000 tons, or 460,000 tons more than in 1921, but still some 1,500,000 tons below the average of the ten years 1912 - 21.

April 7th.

Saturday April 7th. 1923

Fine
At home
E. Mayes Rib Rolling Barn field
F. Reynolds finish harrowing big Brettenham field
J. howe at home
W. Pearl & myself carting Beet & faggots

Memoranda
April 7th.
E. Mayes full week 30/0
F. Reynolds 4 days 17/6
W. Pearl boy 6/0
J. Howe ---

April 6th.

Friday April 6th. 1923

Fine
At home
E. Mayes & myself finish Drilling Barley in big Brettenham field
F. Reynolds finish harrowing corner field of (wheat) twice & start harrowing big Brettenham field
W. Pearl Rolling Peas
J. Howe at home


Champion Beast at London Smithfield Show
1876 Samuel Kidner Devon Ox

April 5th.

Thursday April 5th. 1923

Fine
At home
E. Mayes & myself Drilling barley in Big Brettenham field
F. Reynolds harrowing Beans second time & start harrowing cornerfield of wheat
W. Pearl Rolling Bullacefield of Wheat
J. Howe at home

April 4th.

Wednesday April 4th. 1923

Fine
At home
E. Mayes & myself Drilling Barley in Rattlesden Meadow
F. Reynolds harrowing Winter beans & Rattlesden meadow
J. Howe at home

April 3rd.

Tuesday April 3rd. 1923

Fine
At home
E. Mayes finish handle harrowing Big Brettenham field the second time
Myself harrowing Peas
W. Pearl Rolling Oakfield of Wheat
J. Howe at home

To Estimate the Weight of a Stack of Hay
Take the height from the ground to about 18 in. or 2 feet above the eaves with a rod; measure the length, halfway between ground and eaves, allowing about 18 in. at both ends for outsides; similarly measure the width. Multiply height, length, and breadth together in terms of yards and decimals of yards, in order to find the cubical contents, and divide by 8,9,10,11, or 12, according to judgment. This will give the number of tons in the rick. Or, if the calculation is made in terms of feet, divide the number of cubic feet in the rick by 216, 243, 270, 297, or 324, which numbers correspond in terms of feet with the above numbers in terms of yards. According to Ewart the extreme between very inferior clover and bent hay in small stacks and the best quality of old hay in large stacks, varies between 6 yards (162 c. feet) and 14 yards (378 c. feet) to the ton.

April 2nd.

Monday April 2nd. 1923

Fine
At home
E. Mayes Handle harrowing in Big Brettenham field
myself Cultivating Rattlesden meadow
W. Pearl Rolling cornerfield of wheat
J. Howe at home

April 1st.

Sunday April 1st. 1923

Fine
At home

from Farm Work for the Year - April
Arable Farm: All spring-sown grass should be got in this month at latest. Potato-planting, too, should be finished in April. Early potatoes are earthed up by the double-mould board plough as a protection against frost. Kohl rabi may be sown in April either as on seed land, to be transplanted, or as turnips are in rows when the crop is to stand. Beans may be horse-hoed, and wheat, when the land is dry, may be harrowed and rolled and hoed.