THE ROTATION OF CROPS. . 177 



The examples which I have given will serve to illustrate the 

 systematic form in which agriculture is pursued here. Accord 

 ing to the rotation determined on, the farm is divided into por 

 tions, and each one comes, in its turn, into a regular course of 

 cropping. With the tenant farmers, this is not a matter of choice, 

 but is commonly strictly prescribed in the lease, and is not suf 

 fered to be departed from. The great principles of cultivation 

 and management which they suggest must be obvious ; first, that 

 a regular change or rotation of crops is always advisable in 

 order to secure the largest product from the land next, that the 

 white and the green crops should alternate with each other ; that 

 two white crops should not follow each other, and seldom two 

 green crops ; that the manure should be applied for the green 

 crops, and that the green crops should always be consumed by 

 stock upon the farm ; and, where the nature of the land admits 

 of it, by stock, sheep in particular, folded upon the land which 

 it is desired to put into a condition for a grain crop. 



Formerly, it was deemed indispensable to introduce into the 

 course what is called a naked fallow, in which a season was lost 

 lor, though the land was cultivated, no crop was grown. This 

 was done for two reasons first, because it was supposed that, in 

 a course of cropping, the land occasionally required rest ; but 

 secondly, with a view of exterminating the weeds, or noxious 

 plants with which the land was infested. The former doctrine 

 is now exploded, and it is considered that, by the substitution of 

 a different crop, the land may be occupied continually ; and 

 clover crops by their tap-roots, and all crops which are fed and 

 expended upon the land on which they are grown, so far from 

 being considered as exhausting, must be regarded as enriching 

 crops. The second reason for a fallow must be admitted to 

 have much force. The degree to which many fields hero are 

 infested with weeds, with charlock, dock, poppy, and, above all, 

 with twitch grass, (triticum rcpens,) is most remarkable ; and the 

 latter, propagating itself, as it does, from even the smallest fibre 

 or joint, cannot be got rid of without extreme pains, by harrow 

 ing, grubbing, and picking it out by forks and by hand. On a 

 piece of ground under the process of being cleaned I have seen 

 the collected heaps of it as thick and large as haycocks on a 

 newly-mown field. A hoed crop, of course, presents an opportu 

 nity of cleaning the iiroimd as effectually almost as n naked, 

 fallow, 



