ON THE MANAGEMENT OF GEASS LANDS IN ENGLAND. 107 



in the parish of Sawley, in the county of Derby, the soil is a 

 gravelly loam resting on the upper alluvium of the Trent valley. 

 A considerable extent of land has been laid down during the last 

 five years. Although a good turnip soil, tlie tenant, who belongs 

 to the old school, has a great aversion to the growth of green crops. 

 The Derby and Nottingham Canal passes through the farm, which 

 affords great facilities for obtaining town manure at a cheap 

 rate. The system of three white crops and a fallow has been 

 strictly followed for generations. Hitherto very little stock has 

 been kept on the farm, and the fertility of the soil has been 

 chiefly dependent on town manure ; but it is by no means in a 

 hio'h state of cultivation. The average rental of this farm is 45s. 

 per acre. The tenant is unwilling to lose a corn crop, hence the 

 seeds have all been sown in spring, either along with a crop of 

 barley or oats, after a summer fallow. The young seeds are 

 mown the first year, and afterwards lightly grazed by cattle. On 

 this class of soil a thick sward is soon formed, and so early as 

 the second year, if a moist one, a large quantity of keep is pro- 

 duced. Here top-dressing with farm-yard or artificial manures 

 is a profitable investment. Without artificial manures the third 

 year the rental value is generally increased from 3s. to 5s. per 

 acre. The seeds used on this farm have all been furnished by 

 Messrs F. and A. Dickson of Chester. The following is a list of 

 the varieties and quantities of each : — 



The elevation of the land is 170 feet, and the average rainfall 

 26 inches. I purpose to lay down only one-fifth of this farm, 

 as, under any circumstances, it never can make good feeding 

 pastures. It will only be useful dairy or store land ; and, under 

 good management, it will pay much better under a rotation of 

 crops. 



On a large estate in East Cheshire, of which we have the 

 management, the alternate system of husbandry is chiefly prac- 

 tised. The land is broken up from grass, and after a double 

 rotation of cropping is again seeded down. The rotation is — 

 1st, oats ; 2d, potatoes (for which a good dressing of farm-yard 

 or town manure is used, and 3 or 4 cwt. per acre of light 

 manures are applied) ; 3d, wheat, and the land seeded down 



