Ch.X.] ON WHEAT. -151 



the greater denseness of the svvavd, whether the increased vegetative power 

 which is thus imparted to the wheat be occasioned either by the shade 

 afforded to the land, or by the nutriment derived from the atmosphere. It 

 should, however, be clearly understood, that the second crop, though mown, 

 is not to be allowed to stand for seed ; for the ground will be thus con- 

 siderably exhausted, and the season generally too far advanced to be favour- 

 able to the sowing of the wheat. 



Tares, though highly recommended by some writers, have gone much out 

 as preliminary to wheat — particularly in the north ; for they are found to 

 be very productive of the grub, and render the land otherwise so foul, that 

 they can only be sown with advantage if fed off, or cut early for soiled 

 cattle, so as to form a bastard fallow. 



The other crops which usually precede, icheat, under the alternate system, 

 are those which, being drilled, are susceptible of keeping the land in a clean 

 condition by the ojjeration of the horse-hoe — such as pea?, beans, potatoes, 

 mangel-wurzel, turnips, and cole. All these, with the single exception of 

 potatoes, are, however, not unfrequently sov^n broad-cast — by some farmers, 

 through slovenliness; and, on some land, in consequence of the flinty 

 nature of the soil preventing the employment of the proper implements. 

 The three latter, being also regarded as winter-fallow crops, are more gene- 

 rally preparatory to tiie sowing of Lent corn ; or, if succeeded by wheat, it 

 is most commonly of the spring-species. It is unnecessary that we should 

 add anything to what has been already said on the expediency of drilling 

 pulse and root crops as a preparation for wheat ; particularly as they 

 will be each treated of separately : but in regard to the land to which the 

 three first are best adapted, it should be observed — that peas succeed best 

 on calcareous soils ; beans, on those approaching to strong" clay ; and 

 potatoes, on those of any light and friable nature. 



The main object of all these crops is to manure them lieavily, in prepara- 

 tion for the wheat; with the exception of turnips, they are, therefore, very 

 generally dressed with long dung, the slow decomposition of which allows 

 it to retain a material portion of its strength for the production of the corn. 

 Peas, too, are not unfrequently limed, and are then found to get the land in 

 fine condition ; but they must not be repeated during several years, or they 

 will fail. Beans are the most usual crop upon clays and strong loams, 

 and the facility with which the land can be worked when they are drilled at 

 proper distances, renders them a very superior introduction for wheat ; 

 though, in some seasons, its sowing is considerably impeded by the late- 

 ness of their harvest. Heavy crops of winter-v/heat have in many instances 

 been reaped after potatoes ; yet in other cases this has failed : there is, there- 

 fore, a great discordance of opinion respecting the propriety of planting 

 potatoes in that order of rotation, and many experiments show that any of 

 the species of Lent corn succeed better than wheat, when sown after them. 

 This doubtless arises in a great measure from the lateness of the period at 

 which they are usually removed from the ground, as well as from tlie early 

 spreading of their haulm preventing the working of the horse-hoe ; for, 

 although no doubt can be entertained that they are an exhausting crop, yet 

 they are generally planted with such an abundance of dung, that the land 

 cannot be impoverished by their growth, though it may be brought into a 

 better state by spring-tillage. 



It frequently happens that winter-wheat is so much injured, either by 

 insects or the inclemency of the weather, as to thin the plants to an extent 

 which has occasioned a material deficiency in the crops. This may, 

 however, be in a great measure remedied by either transplanting tufted 



