CH.VI] The Root Crop 119 



soil. But the method is not feasible in heavy soils be- 

 cause sheep "poach" the land too badly and ruin the 

 tilth; here therefore the roots have to be drawn off, 

 farmyard manure made and carried out on to the land. 



A third effect of the root crop is that it affords the 

 best means we have now for fallowing the land. In old 

 days bare fallows were adopted: now they are uneco- 

 nomical. But it appears that bare fallows do have a 

 remarkable effect on the crop especially in enabling a 

 more vigorous start to be made. Now the root crop is 

 usually taken after a corn crop, so that the land is well 

 cultivated but uncropped from November or December 

 to the time of sowing; cultivation continues, and the 

 land is almost uncropped till June, when the root crop 

 begins to grow; indeed cultivation sometimes goes on 

 longer. The grain crops, on the other hand, follow con- 

 tinuously: the barley is seeded with clover so that the 

 land is not even ploughed between these two crops : the 

 clover is ploughed in just before the wheat is sown, and 

 if winter oats follow, this crop in turn is sown just after 

 the wheat is harvested. Only when the root crop comes 

 round is there much opportunity for cultivating the soil 

 well and giving it the benefits of the fallow effect. There 

 are of course exceptions : in forward districts the harvest 

 may come so early that steam tackle can at once be put 

 on to the land and a bastard fallow given before the next 

 corn crop : it is then not necessary to give a rest between 

 the corn and the roots but a series of catch crops can be 

 taken. 



The root crop also gives a good opportunity for deep 

 ploughing or subsoiling. 



So important is the root crop that special care is taken 

 to secure a good seed bed and to supply appropriate 



