78 AMERICAN AGRICULTURE. 



farmers. It consists in plowing up the land and exposing it 

 naked to the elements, whenever the exhaustion by tillage 

 requires it. This practice is founded on the principle, that 

 plants gradually exhaust the soil of such soluble food, potash, 

 soda, and other materials, as are necessary to their support ; 

 and unless they are again given to it in manures, in a form suit- 

 ed to their immediate appropriation by plants, time is requisite 

 for dissolving them in the soil, so as to enable them again to 

 support vegetation profitably. Besides the loss resulting 

 from the frequent idleness of the land, naked fallows have this 

 further disadvantage, and especially in light and loose soils ; 

 they are exposed to the full action of the sun and rains, and 

 by evaporation and drainage, are exhausted of much of their 

 soluble, vegetable food. 



This system, bad as it is, may yet be absolutely necessary, 

 Where grain alone is raised and no manure is applied. But 

 it is always avoidable, by substituting fallow crops, as they 

 are termed, potatoes, swede turneps, and other well-hoed 

 crops, with manure ; ,or clover, or other green crops, as above 

 detailed ; by which the land is cleared of weeds and suffi- 

 ciently enriched for succeeding cultivation. If they have 

 been kept in good condition by top-dressing, meadows are 

 equally fitted for the different species of grains or other crops, 

 as if the land had been fallowed ; and pastures answer the 

 same purpose, without the aid of other manures than such 

 as have incidentally accumulated upon them. 



