THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



297 



AUTUMNAL FALLOWING OF LAND. 



The autumnal fallowing of land was lately treated 

 in so able a manner at the London Farmers' Club, 

 that numerous inquiries of corresj^ondents have since 

 followed. These evince the great interest taken 

 by farmers in the subject, and induce us to sup- 

 pose that the practice which has been long established 

 upon farms in highly cultivated districts of the southern 

 and eastern portions of the kingdom has not yet become 

 such iH other quarters. We therefore resume the sub- 

 ject at this season, especially as the early harvest offers 

 unusual facilities for carrying the plan into effect. This 

 arises from the dryness of the season being much 

 greater than for several years preceding occurred. 



Autumnal fallowing resolves itself into two heads : 

 viz., the preparation of the soil for root and other 

 vegetable crops in the succeeding spring ; and, again, 

 by merely stirring the surface, to cause the seedling 

 weeds to vegetate, and thereby easily afterwards 

 to effect their eradication. The extent of either of 

 such operations will depend upon the nature of the 

 soil, and its intended future application. Suffice it, 

 that the practice we advocate upon a light description 

 of land calculated for the growth of turnips and green 

 crops is, that all the land upon which corn has been 

 grown in the present year shall be operated upon be- 

 fore the season for putting in wheat has arrived. From 

 this of course we except the land in young seeds, and 

 all those pieces already in process of cultivation by 

 crops of mangold wurzel, turnips, cabbages, or cole- 

 worts. 



The advantage of early rye for sheep-feed in the 

 spring, or for mowing green for foddering horses and 

 neat stock in April and May, deserves the first consi- 

 deration ; and as the removal of the crop takes place, 

 it becomes immediately necessary to sow the land with 

 turnips. Autumnal cultivation, therefore, is requisite 

 upon such lands as arc designed for its pi-oduction. 

 Before we proceed, it will be right to state that, as this 

 crop requires a full depth of well-pulverized soil, it 

 will be found cheapest and best to plough the land 

 destined to receive it in the first instance, and then to 

 bring about a thorough pulverization by the assistance 

 of the scarifiei", harrows, and rollers. 



It will be necessary to consider the advantages to be 

 derived by the use of the scarifier upon being brought 

 into competition with the plough ; and we venture to 

 assert that the latter implement is both the cheapest and 

 the best for bringing land into a state of good tillage. 

 The former is adapted to such work where imperfect 

 tillage is sufficient — viz., by merely breakhig the sur- 

 face, so as to enable seed weeds freely to vegetate ; and 

 also to a certain extent for eradicating couch and other 

 fibrous-rooted plants. 



For example, let us imagine a field of tolerably fri- 

 able land, in which couch has become established to 

 some extent, and in addition that the saw-wort or com- 



moa thistle is also abundant, with the minor convol- 

 volus, or bell-bine, and many others of like character. 

 Every farmer knows that the scarifier, even if frequently 

 applied, will not so effectually irradicate weeds of this 

 description as would be effected by one operation of the 

 plough ; and wherever such is the case, the mere cost is 

 in favour of the latter. By ploughing once, the 

 scarifier then afterwards completes the labour with 

 little effort, and as effectually as by continued plough- 

 in gs. 



After much experience in this mode of cultivation, 

 we have come to the resolution of ploughing as much 

 as possible, in the first instance, all lands designed for 

 the growth of rye, vetches, and vegetable crops, such as 

 mangold-wurzel, Swede turnips, and cabbages — that is 

 unless such lands are free from root-weeds to such an 

 extent as not to interfere with their spring cultivation. 

 And as we find no difficulty whatever in effecting this, 

 we consider that it is equally available by every one else. 



The scarifiers and broad-shares are designed for 

 merely surface cultivation, and expeditiously effect that 

 object J but whenever a depth of tillage is required, it 

 can in all cases be effected in a better and cheaper 

 manner by the plough itself. 



It would not, perhaps, be expedient to show the dif- 

 ference of cost of each operation in detail, although we 

 are already in possession of the calculations necessary. 

 In a word, two scarifyings, from 4 to 5 inches in depth, 

 will each require double the horse-power of an ordinary 

 ploughing ; consequently, so far as the labour is con- 

 cerned, little, if any, difference in point of cost takes 

 place, as the one accomplishes by a single operation 

 four times the quantity of the other. If time is gained, 

 it must be at the sacrifice of power, and vice versa. 

 But, inasmuch as it may be necessary to break up the 

 surface quickly after the removal of the grain crop, 

 then the scarifier more expeditiously effects the object, 

 and frequently, when the surface of the soil is covered 

 with small weeds, the scarifier does the work in the 

 best manner, by exposing them upon the surface to the 

 action of sun and air, rather than by ploughing them 

 in beneath the furrow. 



Experiments have been carried out for several years 

 with considerable care, and the results noted. Accui-ate 

 calculations have also been made, and, after fully 

 weighing the results, it has been found that tlie opera- 

 tions effected in conjunction with the plough have 

 invariably succeeded better than those carried out by 

 the scarifier alone, and also at a much cheaper rate. 



During the latter part of August, and throughout 

 September and October, the seeds of most of our natural 

 grasses and many of our most noxious corn weeds, both 

 annuals and perennials, enter into active vegetation. It 

 becomes necessary to promote the growth of the former 

 by scarifying the surface as expeditiously as possible, and 

 which is certainly best effected by the scarifier. But 



Y 



