English Farming. 353 



by working the ground earlier in tlie season and by sowing 

 the seed before the soil became too dry, they could pro- 

 duce a crop. Nor was this all. This class of soil was 

 considered too light for grain, but by consuming the crop 

 of roots on the surface of the land where raised, with the 

 continual treading of the sheep upon it during the winter 

 months, the soil became heavy and compact enough to pro- 

 duce < -rops of grain abundantly the following year. This again 

 stocked with clover, to be consumed on the surface by sheep, 

 keeps the land in such a state of compactness that this 

 quality of land rents for twice the amount since the intro- 

 duction of the turnip and clover. 



But they had another class of soil that was entirely 

 unsuitable to grow either turnips or clover, and these soils 

 were cold, stiff clay. This was the kind of soil they had to 

 fallow ever}- thii-d year, as I have mentioned above. 



About this time the question of drainage began to be dis- 

 cussed, and the experiments made proved successful. I well 

 remember the first field that was di'ained in the township 

 where I lived while a boy ; and tkree years ago, when I 

 was there, I was told there was scarcely a field in the whole 

 town that had n.'t be drained. I remembered two fields 

 which I helped to drain myself, and I went to examine the 

 outlet, and they were pouring out the water with as large a 

 stream as they had thirty-five years before. These two 

 fields, before being drained, consisted of strong blue clay, 

 but now the soil is more like loam, and quite friable, easily 

 crumbling with 'he i^ressure of the thumb and finger. So, 

 12 



