54 BRITISH HUSBANDRY. [Ch. V 



would form a strong argument in favour of moderate depths. It is, however, 

 only justly applicable to land of which the subsoil is inferior to the surface ; 

 for when this is of the same quality with the cultivated part, not only can 

 no injury arise from gradually incorporating it with the tilth, but benefit 

 will be derived by all plants which penetrate far into the ground, as they 

 naturally absorb their nutriment both from the soil and the manure with 

 which it is mixed. It must, however, be admitted, that when ground is 

 suddenly ploughed to an unusual depth, it increases the difficulty of destroy- 

 ing weeds. This is particularly observable in thin stapled clays, on which 

 they spring up as if indigenous to the soil ; it is therefore obvious that no 

 benefit can be derived from ploughing such land deeper than common, 

 unless it be done in the manner we have already pointed out. 



Chapter V. 

 ON FALLOWING. 



Fallows are commonly distinguished into two kinds : the wiiiier, or green, 

 and the bare smiimer fallow ; the ground being, in both cases, usually 

 ploughed immediately after harvest, and, in the former, sown during the 

 spring with some species of root or leguminous crop ; but in the latter, left 

 imsown until the following autumn, by which time it is generally prepared 

 for wheat. Rye and winter tares are, however, not unfrequently sown in 

 the autumn as a preparation for wheat, and being fed off early in the spring, 

 the land is ploughed and dressed for the corn crop during the remainder of 

 the summer, and is then said to receive a bastard fallow. 



Before the alternate return of green crops on light land was joined to the 

 recurrence of summer fallow upon strong soils, there was also a system 

 much practised under the terms autumn and spring fallows. The former 

 was employed to clean the stubble land intended for wheat; and as at that 

 time wheat frequently succeeded oats, the stubble was made as clean and fit 

 for the wheat as it could be at that time and period of the year. The latter 

 was generally used as a preparation for barley; and, indeed, in many places, 

 the barley crop is still considered as the cleaning or fallowing crop. The 

 consequence, iiowever, of both these methods was, either that the land was 

 incompletely cleared for the reception of tlie wheat, or that the sowing of 

 the barley was deferred beyond the proper time ; but at present, both spring 

 and autumn fallowing are almost exploded upon light soils, and the land is 

 generally cleaned for spring crops by the process of hoeing, or, upon heavy 

 land, by that of the summer fallow *. 



The crops under a green fallow — which are also called fallow crops — 

 consist of every species of root and vegetable usually produced by field 

 culture, provided they be not allowed to perfect their seeds ; for, in 

 that case, they exhaust, instead of improving, the soil. Thus the various 

 sorts of turnips, rape, cabbages, carrots, jjarsnips, beet, and potatoes, though 

 producing large quantities of food for both man and beast, yet returning it 

 again to the land in the shape of manure, are all, when consumed in that 

 immature state, of an ameliorating nature ; but when permitted to ripen, 

 and to seed, have a contrary effect. Clovers, also, partake of the same pro- 

 perties when either fed down or made into hay for the supply of cattle ; but 

 if allowed to stand for seed, they are said to rob the land. Perhaps the only 



* See Stevenson's Survey of Surrey, chap, vii., sect, 2. 



