THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



107 



tion, &c., by more prominent exposure to atmospheric 

 influences. Paring and burning, tliough not strictly 

 coming under tlie appellation of fallows, are in fact a 

 fallowing. The soil is pared, exposed, dried, burned, 

 and spread, ploughed in, and well harrowed, by which 

 course most of the intentions of fallowing are attained. 

 Skim and skeleton ploughing are almost synonymous 

 with broadshare fallowing. Scarifying fallows are the 

 continual application of powerful drags or scarifiers, to 

 move and expose the soil at considerable depth, so that 

 atmospheric influences may have greater efTect. Subsoil 

 fallows are the breaking up of the subsoil at great 

 depth, and bringing it near to the surface, for aeration, 

 amelioration, and intermixture with the surface-soil, 

 and is a wonderful improvement upon the old order of 

 fallowing. 



Take the astonishing fact as proved by the experiments 

 conducted under the eye of Mr. Lawes. Good loamy 

 soils contain a large superabundant stock of ammonia : 

 required that it be brought into useful action in pro- 

 moting the growth of plants. Here, then, we learn the 

 true idea and benefit of fallowing. It is proved by Mr. 

 L. that an acre of average loamy soil, taking it at one 

 foot in depth, contains about three tons and a half of 

 ammonia. The best Peruvian guano contains about 

 seventeen per cent,, or about equal to eighteen pounds 

 to the cwt. ; most of the home-made guanos and ma- 

 nures a far less proportion ; and yet apply some of these 

 to advance the growth of a crop, and the result is 

 astonishing. The direct application of a few pounds of 

 ammonia results in a surprising accession of strength and 

 power to advance vegetation and mature the crops, while 

 at the very time the soil abounds in the identical consti- 

 tuent, and only requiring or waiting the skill of man to 

 be made available. It is by deep, continuous perseve- 

 rance in fallowing that this can best be accomplished. 

 By this, we mean those oft-repeated deep stirrings of 

 the soil, whereby the greatest number of particles can be 

 brought into contact with the atmosphere, and laid open 

 to the action of the sun, winds, rains, frosts, dews, &c., 

 and that without being run together by excessive rains, 

 or compressed too much by field-rollers ; in fact, the 

 soil requires to be kept open, chequery, and friable dur- 

 ing summer working, and at as great a depth as possible 

 consistent with the character and staple of the soil. 



We often look forward in hopeful anticipation of the 

 grand advent and full development of steam cultivation 

 for this purpose. We are fully assured that our present 

 appliances are altogether inadequate to bring out truly 

 and fully the inherent and latent powers of the soil, in 

 the limited time included in an English summer, without 

 the loss of the green crop, which on no account can be 

 dispensed with. We frequently find ourselves desiring 

 the aid of all the horses in the parish (not a little one) to 

 make proper use of the all-important time for fallowing. 

 The doing enough in season seems an impossibility with 

 our present means. We do bring to bear all the avail- 

 able power of the farm, besides occasional extraneous 

 aid, and our crops equal those of our neighbours ; but 

 this is achieved mainly by the expensive additions of 

 guano, superphosphate, or other similar applications. 



along with a very liberal dressing of farmyard dung. 

 But this is not the all-important point : we want to gain 

 more power, more nutritive food for the turnips and 

 other plants from the existing stock in the soil itself ; 

 and this can only be done powerfully, and must chiefly 

 be obtained through the intervention of deep, continuous 

 fallowing or working the soil, in the precise, the exact 

 season, when the sun, winds, rains, and dews act most 

 in conjunction and eff'ectively. The greatest amount of 

 heat and drought is required ; but these would be nearly 

 if not totally inactive without rain-water or distilling 

 dews. Those of us who read a little, if but superficially, 

 those works and papers of our agricultural chemists 

 which are continually appearing in the public prints, 

 learn that rain-water is one of the most powerful essen- 

 tials yet known or discovered for setting free the ammo- 

 niacal constituents in the soil, and preparing its wonder- 

 ful powers for the food and nourishment of plants. 

 These agricultural chemists tell us that many of the 

 component parts of soils have been subjected to the most 

 intense chemical experiments, with the view of extract- 

 ing their inherent values : they have been boiled in the 

 most powerful acids known, without effect ; but when 

 the same or similar ingredients have been repeatedly, 

 continuously subjected to atmospheric changes by the 

 unremitted, free, deep working of the soil in fallowing, 

 in the proper season and under proper judgment and 

 management, these exceedingly valuable chemical essen- 

 tials are, by these means, aided most powerfully by 

 occasional rains, disintegrated and rendered available 

 for every farmer's use. It is to obtain these invaluable 

 properties from the soil that ought, and ultimately will 

 constitute the chief design and aim in fallowing land ; 

 while, at the same time, the soil by these various opera- 

 tions is much better prepared to receive and render most 

 available those deposits of manure which every farmer's 

 judgment will dictate the application thereof to ad- 

 vance his growing crop, and to ensure it from loss or 

 injury, as the quicker its growth in its early stages the 

 greater safety. 



What, then, are the tillage processes or courses of 

 management which are necessary to constitute a good 

 modern fallow ? 



The first process should commence in the autumn, as 

 early as possible after the removal of the crop, and 

 should consist in breaking up the soil at a slight depth, 

 jusc sufficiently deep as to produce a mould, on working 

 it, to cause the vegetation of all the seeds of weeds, and 

 ensure the uprooting of all the roots, both of weeds and 

 crop, growing near the surface. The subsequent scari- 

 fying and harrowings should suffice to reduce the whole 

 to a fine tilth, and to shake out and bring to the sur- 

 face all the rubbish, which should immediately be col- 

 lected, either to be burnt, or carried into the fold-yard 

 for conversion into manure. The advantage gained by 

 this autumn process in culture is the destruction of the 

 seeds of annuals and other weeds common to the soil, 

 the removal of all the refuse of the last crop, so that the 

 land is so cleaned from surface weeds, that no obstruction 

 occurs in the future management ; to which must be 

 added the very valuable aeration of the soil whicli 



