SHEEP-FOLDING. 317 



In land greatly infested with weeds, or grubs or wire-worm, in 

 black, peaty soils, and in many stiff-clay soils, particularly where 

 they are to be prepared for gardens or orchards, I have no doubt 

 paring and burning often might be profitably performed in the 

 United States. In thin, sandy soils it is likely to be injurious. 

 If the soil has not a pretty thick old sward, it will be best to sow 

 some grain crop upon it the year before burning, that the roots 

 and stubble may afford fuel. Old pasture will be most readily 

 burnt. In England, clay is sometimes charred in pits, and, after 

 being mashed fine, applied broadcast or drilled with seeds, as a 

 manure. It is sometimes found surprisingly effective, probably 

 owing to its absorbent quality ; but it is an expensive operation, 

 and has not generally proved profitable. 



Sheep-folding is the practice of enriching a portion of ground 

 by confining sheep upon it. Thus, in Wiltshire, the flocks are 

 pastured during the day upon the "beak-land," and kept at night 

 upon the comparatively small portion of ground which it is desired 

 to manure, and which thus receives the benefit of the fertilizing 

 waste of the food obtained from the pasture ground ; or a portion 

 of a field of sainfoin, or clover, or turnips, is enclosed by a mov- 

 able fence (either iron or wooden hurdles or strong hempen nets 

 fastened to stakes), and the sheep confined to it until they have 

 eaten the crop clean (they will eat the turnip in the ground), 

 and left upon it a large amount of excrement ; the fence is then 

 moved on to a fresh spot, where the process is repeated, and so 

 on day after day until the required space has been traveled over. 



Sometimes naked ground or stubble-land is thus served ; tur- 

 nips or sainfoin being brought from where they grow and fed 

 within the hurdles, which are daily moved on a bit. Latterly, 

 movable sheds with slatted floors, running upon plank railroads, 

 which are easily taken up and relayed across the turnip fields, 

 have been tried. The object is to avoid driving carts to take the 



