CHAMBERS'S INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE. 



The common varieties of annual and perennial 

 rye-^rass are sown when the land is under a sys- 

 tem^ rotation, and when the fields only remain 

 for one or two years in pasture. These are valu- 

 able plants in all the moister parts of the British 

 Islands, but in the south-eastern parts of Eng- 

 land they yield little leaf; and the droughts 

 encouraee the production of stems which are not 

 relished^by stock. For this reason, less benefit is 

 derived from two years of pasture in England than 

 in Scotland. 



Italian rye-grass is now grown to a considerate 

 extent in Britain : it is not a good pasture-plant, 

 however, as it grows thin upon the ground, and 

 being shallow-rooted, does not thrive, unless the 

 soil is shaded by its own leaves, which in some 

 measure perform the same ends as pulverising the 

 soil, and rendering it more absorbent of moisture. 

 A liberal dressing of manure in early spring, by 

 sending up a mass of vegetation, which protects 

 the soil from the evaporating influences of the 

 weather, renders the crop less dependent on a 

 supply of rain. Italian rye-grass, for this and 

 other reasons, is better adapted for cutting than 

 for pasturing. It is grateful for liberal treatment, 

 as no other cultivated plant seems to have greater 

 capacities of growth. 



Grasses being usually sown out with a gram 

 crop, grow little for a year ; their roots have time 

 to run through the soil in search of the earthy 

 matters which the crop requires. Phosphates are 

 therefore seldom used for grass, unless the soil is 

 very deficient of these substances. Nitrogenous 

 manures are thus best suited for all descriptions 

 of grasses. 



Clovers grow most freely upon calcareous soils. 

 In the rich marly loams of France, the various 

 varieties of red clover produce fine crops, though 

 much more frequently sown than in Britain. On 

 the limestone gravels of America, red clover is 

 sown every other year, and the land shews no 

 symptoms of clover-sickness. It is on the non- 

 calcareous formations of Scotland that we find 

 this plant so uncertain and fickle in its growth. 

 This we attribute to the want of calcareous matter 

 to correct the vegetable accumulations which take 

 place in the soil, and interfere with the healthy 

 functions of the roots. 



Clovers, like grasses, are most benefited by 

 nitrogenous matter, if the soil is favourable to the 

 healthy functions of their roots. A rich dressing of 

 farm-yard manure will sometimes so far counter- 

 act clover-sickness by affording the crops a ready 

 supply of earthy matter, which they cannot other- 

 wise absorb, to carry on the assimilating processes 

 in a healthy state. We have known instances of 

 a dressing of two hundredweight of guano, applied 

 to an acre of young clover layers in autumn, after 

 the corn-crop was removed, impart such a vigour 

 to the plants, that they grew luxuriantly next 

 summer, while the clover entirely disappeared 

 from the rest of the field. From the roots of 

 clover running deeper into the ground, nitrogen- 

 ous manures are most advantageously applied in 

 autumn, as they tend to strengthen the plants, 

 and enable them better to withstand the delete- 

 rious conditions by which they are sometimes 

 surrounded. 



From red clover sending its roots deeply into 

 the ground, it is comparatively independent of 

 moisture in dry climates. The same observation 



526 



applies to sainfoin and lucern, which are invalu- 

 able crops in southern latitudes where the soil is 

 calcareous. All these plants, like grasses, main- 

 tain a large surface of fresh leaves exposed to the 

 atmosphere, and therefore restore to the soil a 

 supply of vegetable matter, when it has been 

 wasted by tillage. 



Beans are only grown on the first-class land in 

 Britain. This arises from the crop requiring a 

 deep soil into which it can send its long tap-roots, 

 and obtain the necessary supply of moisture for 

 its large surface of leaves exposed to the atmos- 

 phere. Being an annual, and sown early, it must 

 have a full supply of manure, unless the soil i 

 very rich. The most general plan of raising this 

 crop in Scotland is to sow in drills or ridges, 

 twenty-seven inches apart, into which an allow- 

 ance of farm-yard manure has been placed, the 

 common allowance of seed to the acre being four 

 jushels. Where the land can be manured and 

 ploughed in autumn, it has been found that to grub 

 he soil in spring, and drill the seed on the flat i 

 rows sixteen inches apart, and using only two and 

 a half bushels of seed per imperial acre, the crop 

 is much larger and the ground cleaner. By this 

 method, in dry weather, the crop closes sooner 

 and keeps the land clean, while, in growing 

 seasons, each stalk being single, the pods are 

 found to set better. By using Garrett's Drill, five 

 rows are sown at once, and by using the horse- 

 hoe adapted to the same number of rows, the 

 land can be easily kept clean without hand-labour, 

 beyond pulling any tall weed growing amongst 

 the grain. 



Pease are greater favourites in warm and 

 districts than in wet and cold ones, where they 

 are more difficult to harvest. They are frequently 

 sown along with beans ; but they do not occupy 

 an important place in the rotations of well culti- 

 vated districts, since the general introduction o 

 turnips. 



Turnips, for the feeding of stock, arrive at 

 great perfection in this climate. Being sown, 

 however, in that part of the rotation which was 

 formerly occupied with a bare fallow, they form a 

 most expensive crop. In fact, it is not only 

 designed that they should answer all the ends of 

 a bare fallow, but through their growth, and by 

 bein- usually consumed by stock, an accumulate 

 of vegetable matter takes place on the farm. By 

 this means, a larger quantity of the more valuable 

 produce, such as cereals, may be raised and 

 disposed of. 



Turnips are divided into various classes, in 

 each of which there are several varieties. 

 Swedes, belonging to the most valuable class, 

 have been largely cultivated since the introduc- 

 tion of light manures. White turnips are sown 

 Scotland early in season; but in England they 

 are usually put in very late. Yellow turnips are 

 the principal class raised in Scotland, as they 

 seem better suited to the low temperature. 



In the south of England, Swedes are sown fr 

 the end of May to the ist of July ; so late sowing, 

 however, is only practised on light soils. Whi 

 turnips are sometimes sown there so late as 1 

 ist of August Swedes and white-globe turnip; 

 are sown in Scotland from the ist of May to tl 

 loth of June ; and all the yellow turnips shou 

 be put in ten days after the latter date. 



The land should be thoroughly cleaned and 



