of German Landoivners in 1841. 233 



however, to the depreciation in the value of wool, and the in- 

 creased demand for meat, many have expressed their intention to 

 try the substitution of Southdowns. The country is open, well 

 wooded, and interspersed with beautiful lakes; the roads are 

 everywhere improving, and give employment to an immense 

 number of hands. The poor are at all times but few, and, by 

 law, each locality provides for its own, either separately or in 

 common with others. The land-tax is the chief source of revenue 

 to the government, which is mild and paternal. 



XV. — On the Marling of a Light Sandy Soil on the Diilce of 

 Bedford's Farm at Woburn. By Charles Burness. 



To Francis Pym^ Esq. 



Sir, — According to your request I send you an account of the 

 claying of our light soil. We find it of great advantage ; it makes 

 the straw much stronger, with a better ear, and standing much 

 better up in wet seasons : when we dress high and do not clay we 

 are very subject to have the crops fall down and get spoiled : I 

 likewise find claying of ^reat advantage to the turnip-crop. 



My system has been to put the clay on the clover-leys as 

 early as the crop is off, and then get it broken in pieces as much 

 as possible before it is ploughed in for wheat ; I also lay it on the 

 turnip fallows early in the winter, so that it may have the chance 

 of the winter and spring frosts to get well pulverised before it is 

 ploughed down : this I prefer to claying on clover-leys. 



To try the experiment, we clayed last summer 4 acres and 

 left 2 acres not clayed on an old sward and light soil ; the clay 

 was put on in July and lay all the summer, was ploughed up in 

 November and pressed, and the wheat dibbled into the pressed 

 grooves : in February we top-dressed the 6 acres with good farm- 

 yard dung, and as late as the beginning of May I thought there 

 would not be half a crop, although plenty of ends ; but towards 

 the middle of the month the clayed part began to look of a much 

 darker appearance than the 2 acres which were not clayed ; and 

 at the present time I believe there is above one-third part more 

 on the clayed than on what has not been clayed, although ma- 

 naged in every other way the same. 



In January, 1841, I clayed some land which was going to be a 

 turnip-fallow the following summer, and in the month of April, 

 when I began to harrow and plough the land, the clay broke 

 down and slacked like lime, and worked in with the soil. I did 

 not see much difference that summer in the turnip-crop, as the 

 other part of the field was sown at a different time, and I was ^ot 



VOL. III. R 



