1<)4^ <*» MANURES. 



After nine years cultivation of land broken up without 

 burning, it has been noticed, that on being laid down, 

 young furze sprung up generally; burning is therefore ab- 

 solutely necessary*. 



Mr. Exter, near Barnstable, broke up a grass field in an 

 enclosed farm, one half by paring and burning, the other 

 half by fallow. The first crop was wheat ; the burnt gave 

 thirty-five bushels per acre, the ploughed seventeen ; the 

 former was clean, the latter had much couch. Winter 

 tares; the burnt were fourteen inches long, when the 

 ploughed were only six ; when eaten off by sheep, the se- 

 cond growth was in length as twelve to four. The next 

 crop being turnips, and dunged equally, the burnt side 

 was free from the fly. Barley succeeded, which was con- 

 siderably better on the burnt part. Clover was next, which 

 was closer eaten on the burnt part; and when laid to grass 

 was worth 5s. per acre more than on the ploughed half. 

 Dots not di- Mr. Dalton, of Yorkshire, on a dry loam on limeftone 

 mmish the an( j g rave ] B « |t is a mere chimera to suppose, that the 

 soil is diminished by paring and burning. I have done it in 

 the same field twice in the course of fifteen years, and could 

 not discover it in. the smallest degreef." On a light loam 

 in Cornwall, Mr. Ans observes, " I was not singularly mis- 

 led by speculative writers (who, I fear, have much to an- 

 swer for) to think that burning caused a lasting injury to 

 the earth. I fallowed three fields. I expected them to con- 

 tinue free from moss beyond the common period of its re- 

 turn. I found myself much mistaken ; besides the crops 

 failing, like those of some of my neighbours who had not 

 burned, the moss returned as usual. Hence I and all my 

 fellow sufferers from following have totally abandoned this 

 practice, and stick to the ancient one of burning.'* 



«« It has been the practice of a friend of mine, and his 

 father before him, and of others before them, for near a 

 century past, (the eftate having been in the family for many 

 generations) on their thin limestone land, constantly to 

 pare and burn after ten years grass. The soil is so thin. 



* Middleton's Middlesex. 



f Communication to the Board of Agriculture. 



that 



