74 AGRICULTURE. [CH. 



The advantages of this course were as follows : The 

 turnip crop gave great facilities for thoroughly cleaning 

 the land ; it was also a convenient time for the use 

 of manure, and the root crop flourished under these 

 circumstances. The land was thus prepared for 

 barley, and for the clover-seeds sown amongst it, for 

 it was clean and in good condition. A strong 

 growth of clover was tolerably sure to check the 

 growth of weeds, and when the clover ley was broken 

 up for wheat, the land was in fine condition for its 

 growth. Thus every crop was exerting a favourable 

 influence upon that which had to follow. 



151. After a few years it became necessary in many 

 cases to alter the system. Some farmers whose land 

 was not as good as other soils, or who did not add 

 fertilizing matter as liberally as other farmers, found 

 that their crops were falling off in their yield, and that 

 they must have corn less frequently. In such cases 

 the clover was allowed to remain a second year, and 

 this made it a five years' course. Thus 



1st Year, Turnips, or other Root Crop. 

 2nd ,, . Barley. 

 3rd ,, Clover. 

 4th Do. 

 5th ,, Wheat. 



152. But, while some farmers had to have corn less 

 frequently, others found the land becoming so much 

 more fertile, that they were obliged to grow more corn 

 from it. The barley crop was found to grow so strong 

 and coarse, that it lost quality. Farmers therefore 

 sowed wheat after the turnips, and this crop made good 

 use of the abundant supply of fertilizing matter in the 

 soil. The barley was sown after the wheat crop, and 

 grew more steadily, and yielded a higher quality of 

 corn. This gave a second form of five years' 

 rotation, in which more corn was grown in conse- 

 quence of the high cultivation of the land. This rota- 

 tion was 



