8 Agriculture of Shropshire. 



drier soil, some even becoming gravelly ; and so frequently does 

 this happen that the majority of farms have at least a iew acres 

 of this dry land. Still the general character of the soil is poor 

 and tenacious and of a low degree of fertility. Much of this 

 tract is rented at from \2s. to 155. per acre, whilst other farms 

 will average 25^. per acre. The average rental may be con- 

 sidered to be from 18^. to 20.'>. per acre, and in many cases dear 

 at the rents paid. As a natural sequence the farmers of this 

 part are not so advanced as in other parts of the county, neither 

 have improvements been carried out here with the spirit which 

 has been manifested in tlie other districts. 



The best farmers in this district manage their land upon the 

 following course of cropping : — Fallow, wheat, clover. Lent corn ; 

 fallow, wheat, pulse. In working tJieir falloics, the general system 

 differs but little from that generally pursued in other parts of 

 England. Few plough their land as early in the winter as is 

 desirable, and consequently much of the winter is passed before 

 the land is exposed to the action of the sun, frost, and air, besides 

 which the land is seldom ploughed deeper than 4 or 5 inches. 

 Such is too frequently the case, and although there are pleasing 

 exceptions, thev .are but of rare occurrence. In increasing the 

 depth of the soil, this early winter ploughing is the one by which 

 it should be done ; then the winter frosts crumble any adhesive and 

 refractory portions into finer particles, whilst the action of the 

 atmosphere tends to sweeten and purify. Much of the efficacy 

 of the entire process of fallowing depends upon the first plougli- 

 ing being done early in the season, so as to get the soil tliorongldg 

 acted upon by the atmospheric agencies. The labour during tiie 

 following season is much facilitated thereby, for land thus 

 treated will by the early spring have become tlioroughly broken 

 up and almost pulverized. 



In very many cases I have seen the benefits thus realised 

 entirely destroyed by too much haste in the spring ploughing, 

 that is, from not giving the land full time to become properly 

 dry before it is turned over. It is far better not to plough such 

 land at all in the early spring than to destroy the winter's work 

 by burying the crumbled surface soil, where it is sure to become 

 as soft and greasy as ever. I would rather the horses and men 

 were quite unoccupied, than have them undoing the winter's work 

 by ploughing the land too soon. I therefore strongly urge the 

 great importance of giving the land ample time in the spring 

 before the second ploughing is done. This should never be 

 deeper tlian the preceding ploughing, for any fresh soil now 

 brought up retains through the summer months its uncongenial 

 character, and detracts proportionately from the benefit of the 

 fallowing. 



As soon as the root crop is sown, the labour of the farm is 



