THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



291 



upon the land for this purpose during the winter 

 months. 



The next preparation for wheat we have to notice 

 will he upon land which has produced a crop of 

 autumn-feed or early roots — for instance, rape, 

 vetches, cahbajjfe, mangold, potatoes, &c. The 

 soils upon which this system is adopted will be 

 rather lighter than those we have noticed, so that 

 we may describe them as medium clays. These 

 terms arc necessarily comparative and also much 

 under the influence of climate ; for a clay of 

 medium character in a wet climate will require 

 more careful management than a strong clay in a 

 dry climate, and thus we often find an apparent 

 discrepancy in evidence and opinion, when, in fact, 

 persons are disputing upon circumstances which 

 do not fairly admit of comparison. I have nothing 

 to say here on the question whether for a strong 

 clay a bare fallow is preferal>le to a crop of autumn- 

 food, or otherwise ; I will only observe that the 

 majority of the occupiers of strong clay lands, who 

 argue against bare fallows as unnecessary, live in 

 the drier climates of England, where the difficulties 

 arising in the management of such clay soils are 

 much reduced. I prefer,however, to take the course 

 of cropping as it may exist, and therefore, without 

 further comment, proceed to notice the preparation 

 of wheat upon clay soils after an autumn green- 

 crop or beans. 



As these crops admit of a system of hoeing 

 being carried out, the land will not have much 

 weed upon it when the crop has been removed, 

 but may be supposed to be in good working con- 

 dition ; the early operations may differ according 

 to the nature of the preceding crop, but they again 

 meet when the surface has been cleaned. After 

 beans the land may be better for being skimmed 

 and having the weeds burnt; but, should the 

 ground be too hard for this to be readily done, the 

 use of the plough will be preferable, which should 

 be preceded by forking and picking any couch- 

 grass that may have established itself. The sur- 

 face should be cleared of any weeds (except 

 annuals) which may be there, and then the more 

 immediate preparation for wheat sowing will com- 

 mence. 



A single ploughing is enough for getting the 

 land into good order, if summer-tillage has been 

 satisfactorily carried out. The vetches, rape, and 

 part of the cabbage will be generally consumed 

 upon the land, and thus it will often happen that 

 the rain falling upon it will cause the surface to 

 become hardened by the treading of the stock; 

 but if, from this or any other cause, the land is too 

 hard and incapable of being prepared by one 

 ploughing, then a second ploughing must be given, 

 and, if possible, ten or fourteen days should elapse 

 between them, so as to let the soil regain the ne- 

 cessary degree of firmness for the seed. 



Wheat, whilst it requires the necessary supplies 

 of air and moisture for its germination, cannot 

 flourish unless it can root firmly, and it is for this 

 reason that, where one ploughing will do, it is 

 always desirable to avoid a second immediately 

 before the sowing. 



It is seldom any matter of difficulty, when dealing 

 with clay soils, to secure the necessary degree of 



firmness, although after vetches the land is some- 

 times disposed to be puffy in its condition ; this is, 

 to a great extent, corrected by the treading of 

 sheep, when the crop is consumed upon the land ; 

 but, when one ploughing is enough, the natural 

 cohesion of the soils will generally secure a suffi- 

 cient firmness in the land. 



When wheat has to be sown after an autumn- 

 crop of green food upon light land, the firmness 

 of the soil requires to be carefully attended to. It 

 is generally objectionable for wheat to be sown 

 upon this plan in the southern districts, though in 

 the north of England it is frequently practised, but 

 then measures are adopted to consolidate the land. 

 The crops of autumn-food, which generally precede 

 wheat on light land — viz., rape, turnips and rape, 

 and common turnips — are always consumed upon 

 the land by sheep, and the great point, after 

 ploughing the land, is to follow with aland-presser, 

 and give it time to gain firmness before the wheat 

 is sown ; when this firmness cannot be gained 

 naturally, sheep are often turned upon the field to 

 tread it thoroughly. This, although answering the 

 purpose exceedingly well, cannot be looked upon 

 as a satisfactory plan ; but it must be admitted that 

 no rolling produces equal firmness. When this 

 difficulty continues, notwithstanding that the press- 

 roller has been used, and time given to the land to 

 settle, so as to sow upon a stale furrow, the better 

 remedy will often lie in a change of the course of 

 cropping, so as to sow upon a clover-ley, which is 

 decidedly the more frequent and desirable prepa- 

 ration for wheat on these light soils. 



There appears to be a strong objection to ley- 

 wheat in some of the northern counties, and, in 

 such cases, the only remedy will be to sow the 

 land whilst it is wet, as this can scarcely fail to 

 give it all the firmness which is required. 



The great advantages of clover-ley for wheat 

 consists in the firm furrow which can be turned 

 over when it is ploughed, to promote which object 

 our best ploughs effect the inversion of the furrow, 

 without materially breaking it. Upon clay soils, 

 and even upon strong loamy soils, a careful 

 ploughing of the clover-ley is found to produce a 

 sufficiently firm seed-bed for the wheat, especially 

 when it is allowed to lie some time to get settled, 

 so that the seed may be sown upon a stale furrow. 

 The use of a share or skimcoulter with the plough, 

 as it assists in burying the turf more completely, 

 is generally desirable ; otherwise the clover is apt 

 to spring up between the furrow-slices, which is 

 very objectionable. 



As the land gets lighter in its character, the well- 

 known land-presser comes in as a valuable help. 

 These implements are generally made with two 

 pressers, which, following immediately after two 

 ploughs, very completely compress the two furrow- 

 slices turned over, and give the land the required 

 solidity. I have frequently found it an excellent 

 plan to use a small drill in connexion with one of 

 these pressers for sowing clover-ley, \yhen the 

 land is disposed to be rather adhesive in its nature, 

 especially in wet seasons. Such land can often be 

 ploughed up quite dry enough for immediate sow- 

 ing ; but, before a sufficient breadth of it can be 

 prepared for the day's work of a large drjil, it gets 



