WEEDS OF AGRICULTURE. 



535 



they frequently get, can by no means grow. This may be 

 very likely, but it is not the way to any remedy or improve- 

 ment on soils so infested. 



One of three things must be done by way of remedy : 

 1st, the soil must be clayed or marled ; 2d, or it must be fed 

 with much larger quantities of farm-yard dung or compost : 

 3d, if neither of these be easily practicable, the rotation must 

 he changed. I have known a farmer, who occupied a gravelly 

 loam quite good enough with good management to bear the 

 four-course shift — to pop in a stolen crop of barley between 

 his wheat and the next turnips : nothing can excuse this 

 conduct, as it must necessarily encourage weeds, and hurt 

 the other crops. But the change of rotations must extend 

 to greater alterations than such as this. It is totally useless 

 to continue a course which will not pay the expenses ; and 

 therefore, instead of saying, " Fallow your land better ; hoe 

 your turnips clean (if you get any) ; drill your barley, and 

 leave not a weed in it ;" though all these are highly impor- 

 tant where the soil will pay you for the working, yet where 

 it will not, after the above course once over, sow good grass- 

 seeds, or sainfoin, to lie for a period of years. This will 

 narrow your ploughed land, and strengthen you in manure ; 

 so that improvement may be looked for on the rest of the 

 farm. 



When such land comes up again, it must be autumn 

 ploughed, and go to turnips; then barley and seeds again 

 for two years; when it comes up again, autumn ploughed, 

 it will probably bear peas (well cleaned), then turnips, 

 barley, and seeds two years ; and soon, if any one pleases to 

 ask, "Where must we grow wheat?" it may be answered, 

 that probably some pieces on the same farm may bear a 

 better rotation ; but at any rate, land of the nature above 

 described can but very rarely be fit for such a crop. 



When the four-course shift became general, it seemed 

 difficult to think of any other mode, after clover, but wheat ; 

 almost all newly enclosed lands, which had been for ages in 

 open fields, would bear clover at first, and generally good ; 

 they therefore sowed wheat after, and got pretty crops ; but 

 this would not last : and thus the four-course shift has been 



