470 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



could tend to raise it to that pitch more than the 

 adoption of the system which, as soon as the corn 

 is removed, rids the land of weeds, and prepares it 

 to be a store- house of the fertihzing principles 

 obtained through the atmospheric agency for the 

 use of succeeding crops ? In his opinion nothing 

 was calculated to produce that desideratum, the 

 causing of agriculture to approach to garden 

 culture, more than this system, if deep cultivation 

 be carried out with it. There was another ques- 

 tion, which was that of late they had found it quite 

 essential to pay moie attention than hitherto to the 

 cultivation of the turnip crops. It was quite cer- 

 tain that turnips were more difficult to grow than 

 had been the case, and some Cassandras amongst 

 them had predicted that the turnip crop would fail 

 in the same manner as the potatoes had. That 

 formed an additional reason why they should pay 

 more attention to their culture, and hasten on the 

 work in the early part of the autumn ; for all 

 allowed that when done in dry weather the land 

 really got into a better state, and that there was 

 more chance of a good crop being realized than 

 by the old system (Hear, hear). Then again, 

 owing to the frequent failures in the turnip crops of 

 late, the generality of farmers were turning attention 

 to the mangold crops ; and where this was done, 

 it was quite necessary autumn cultivation should 

 be carried out. Mangold required to be put in 

 much earlier than turnips ; and on large farms, 

 and small ones also, it was difficult, if not im- 

 possible, to cultivate them without pursuing the 

 new system. Therefore the aspect of the times 

 was, as it were, forcing them to adopt autumnal 

 cultivation for root crops. He was satisfied that 

 the more this system was carried out, the more cer- 

 tain would root culture become — they would make 

 more sure of their crops, and get a larger weight 

 per acre ; in consequence of thatj a larger number 

 of sheep and cattle would be kept on the land ; and 

 it would tend to the almost total eradication of 

 couch-grass and other weeds. Thus by fostering 

 clean and good cultivation the system of autumnal 

 cultivation would tend more than anything else to 

 accelerate agricultural progress. 



Mr. Randall, after complimenting Mr. Darby 

 on the able manner in which he had introduced 

 the subject, said he should like to know whether 

 he considered ploughing-in the stubble was any 

 advantage to the land. The new system that bad 

 been recommended was to rake the stubble to- 

 gether and take it off. Now, for his own part he 

 was of opinion that the stubble was of great 

 advantage to mix up with the soil. This year he 

 had been trying a somewhat new system : he had 

 raftered over the stubble, then used a Bentall, 

 and afterwards ploughed it down. He believed it 

 would be rotted in the soil, which would be bene- 

 fited thereby. 



Mr. Longman thought it would do very well 

 where the land was clean. 



Mr. Saunders quite agreed with Mr. Darby 

 that autumn cleaning was the foundation of good 

 farming. In the first place it allowed them to have 

 a green crop for sheep in the following spring, 

 whereas otherwise they would have nothing but 

 fallow to work upon at that season of the year. 



Many of them, however, drove out the autumn 

 cleaning too late ; and he thought there should be 

 paid quite as much attention to this as to harvest- 

 ing. He certainly had never gone " the whole hog" 

 and got between the "stetches," neither had he 

 got so close after them as he ought to have done. 

 He endeavoured to cut and carry his foulest piece 

 first, where he thought it required considerable 

 autumn cleaning, and then go in with oxen directly 

 afterwards. He had got two of Bentall's because 

 the season would scarcely allov/ him to do suffi- 

 cient work with one. For autumn cleaning the 

 corn ought to be cut as close as possible, because 

 where there was so much stubble it was more diffi- 

 cult to work and get the couch out. He quite 

 coincided with Mr. Darby that it would not cost 

 half so much to keep a farm clean as to keep it 

 foul. He worked the Bentall as soon after harvest 

 as possible, dressed the land about till the weeds, 

 &c., were dead, and then ploughed it down ; and 

 it did not' require ploughing but once after- 

 wards, if the land was in a tolerably clean state. 

 He did not think it advisable to let it stay about 

 till the seedb of the annuals came up, as it was in 

 the fall of the year that they shed their seeds. He 

 had seldom got very little land but what he put to 

 green crop at the fall. He had, however, ten or a 

 dozen acres of fallow last year — which he had not 

 had for many years before ; and he found he was 

 out of pocket by that fallow, as the succeeding 

 crop was much less than where he had grown the 

 green crop. While mutton was Tad. per lb. it paid 

 better than wheat at £10 or £11 a load ; therefore 

 he thought they ought to do as much as possi- 

 ble to cultivate the land in autumn, so as to 

 grow spring food for the sheep. Where they 

 had a great quantity of stubble he recommended 

 that they should make a sort of rick of it, ob- 

 serving that he was very glad of it for bedding. 

 He was not for burying any straw, as he could 

 scarcely get enough to bed his animals ; and he 

 thought they could make more of it than by burn- 

 ing it into ashes. He also thought that, if the 

 land was ploughed deep, it must be after it was 

 thoroughly cleaned, otherwise they would have the 

 couch under the plough next time ; neither did he 

 think they should plough the manure in too deep. 

 In reference to another point, he observed that he 

 did not think a man could look into a piece of land 

 closely enough to take out every bit of couch, for 

 Is. an acre. It was the small bits that they 

 wanted to take out, so as to destroy the family; 

 and he was in the habit of paying half-a-crown per 

 acre. In conclusion, he made a few remarks on 

 the advisability of not laying down fallows too 

 plain, as they gained more benefit from the atmo- 

 sphere when rough. 



Mr. Jackson said, where he had had winter 

 oats which he intended to bring to vetches, he had 

 Bentalled between the " hoyles," and cleaned the 

 land, before he had carted the corn. He thought 

 it highly imjjortant that they should endeavour to 

 get the plough in the land directly after the crop 

 was ofiF, if not before : he always endeavoured to 

 keep two ploughs going during harvest. There 

 was one advantage attending autumn cultivation 

 Mr. Darby had forgotten to mention, which was 



