Farming of Bedfordshire. 9 



ridge of hills, from east to west, there are parishes, and portions 

 of parishes, of convertible land, but more partaking of sand 

 or sandy loam, resting chiefly on the greensand, or sandstone for- 

 mation : we would point for example to parts of Everton, Potton 

 Sandy, Sutton, Clophill, Silsoe, Maulden, Ampthill, Steppingly, 

 Millbrook, Lidlington, Ridgmount, Husband, Crawley, Aspley, 

 Woburn, and Heath and Reach. The quality of this soil varies 

 from good to very bad. 



Upon all this description of soil the four-course system is 

 generally adopted, though not universally. 



1st year. — Fallow for a green crop, say turnips or mangold. 



2nd year. — Barley. 



3rd year. — Clover, red and white alternately, or, where the 

 land becomes clover-sick, winter beans, or peas, alternate with 

 the clover. 



4th year. — Wheat. 



Cultivation for Turnips, Sfc. — The most approved system among 

 our more modern farmers is to commence the preparation for 

 turnips in the autumn, as soon after the wheat stubble is cleared 

 as possible ; sometimes by the use of " Bentall's broad share ^' 

 skimming the land about two inches deep, then harrowing and. 

 cleaning it as far as the other autumnal operations of the farm, will 

 admit. Some, however, prefer the common plough without the 

 breast, and with a broader share made on purpose. By this, 

 with a pair of active horses, they will get over about two acres 

 per day, while they could do only about double that quantity 

 Avith four horses and Bentall's broad share, and, moreover, with 

 this disadvantage, that when the land gets hard (and you can do 

 no good when wet), the shares soon become blunted, refuse to 

 enter, and missing much, another operation crosswise is re- 

 quired. 



It will be proper to add here that when Mr. Bentall first brought 

 out his implement, he had, I believe, cast-steel shares, which, 

 although more costly in the first instance, did the work far more 

 effectually. This practice is not adopted, however, by all our best 

 farmers. Some contend that the broad-share system cuts the couch- 

 grass roots into shorter lengths, making it more difficult to 

 extract, and, after all, leaves a part in the land ; they therefore 

 prefer to plough at the same time in the ordinary way, say 4 

 inches deep, and with the comm.on scarifier and harrows to work 

 and clean the land. And if the whole stubbles cannot be got 

 over, they can manage in a favourable autumn all such land as is 

 intended for the early crops of mangold and swede turnips. 

 This operation can hardly be carried on later usually than the 

 end of September, The wheat-seeding, with the commencement 



