Farming of Bedfordshire. 7 



Second year. — Barley ; drilled on the stale-furrow, without 

 spring-ploughing, at most but scuffled where required, just 

 previous to the drilling. 



Third year. — Beans succeed the barley where tares were grown 

 upon the fallows ; the other moiety being sown with clover, and 

 so making the clover, beans, and tares to come alternately, but 

 once in eight years. 



Fourth year. — Wheat, sown after both beans and clover. 



Other farmers, where the land is too tenacious to be safe for 

 barley, drill it only where the green tares were taken on the 

 fallow ; the other part being sown either with wheat or oats ; but 

 still sowing alternately the clover and beans, taking, as above, the 

 wheat after both. 



On the best strong soils, where no conditions of lease interfere, 

 some adopt the six-course system ; taking 1st, fallow ; 2nd, barley 

 or oats; ord, clover; 4th, wheat; 5th, beans; and 6th, wheat. 

 By adopting this systeija, with a lil:)eral application of artificial 

 manures, the produce of the land is doubtless greater, while no 

 damage need accrue to the farm. It can be successful, however, 

 only where the land is good and well farmed. 



The greater part of these soils is so tenacious, that, when in 

 whole-ground, three horses in the plough are often required to 

 break it up. Occasionally, indeed, when extremely hard, even 

 four horses may be seen yoked to the plough as in a double- 

 shaft waggon. Such a statement may shock some, who contend 

 that they can plough any land with two horses abreast. No one 

 condemns more strongly than myself the practice of employing 

 three or four horses at length in a plough, as may be seen in 

 some parts of the kingdom, when two would suffice to do the 

 work. At the same time I am ready to maintain that wisdom 

 neither lives, nor will die, with the man who attempts to plough 

 such land, in the state we have described, with two horses. 

 Least of all can there be any economy in such a practice. 



The best strong-land farmers in the county apply horses pro- 

 portionate in number to the work to be done ; but, the soil once 

 moved, you will see them but too gladly adopt in summer the 

 two horses abreast, although, when the land poaches, the horses 

 are placed at length in the furrow ; a system which, I hold, is not 

 to be condemned, at any rate until a better is presented. 



The Second Class of Soils, named the Gravelly and Sandy 

 Loams. — The largest, and perhaps the best portion, of this 

 description of land, might be thus delineated : — Suppose a gen- 

 tleman of the Oakley Hunt to mount his steed, start from Oakley 

 House, a little west-by-north-west of Bedford, and take the fol- 

 lowing route : — Coming out of the park at the Water-mill, and 

 crossing to Bromham; thence, over the Newport road, bearing 



