CH. vi] The Lighter Loanis 121 



It is a common practice in the North of England and 

 Scotland to leave the seeds mixture for 3, 4 or more 

 years. 



The clover crop is so necessary that great pains must 

 be taken to secure it. Unfortunately it cannot be grown 

 very frequently on the same land in England as it suffers 

 from diseases and pests called generally "clover-sick- 

 ness" for which no practicable remedy is yet known^. 

 If this trouble arises a dressing of lime should be given : 

 if this fails a dressing of sulphate of potash (2 cwt. per 

 acre) may be tried and if this still fails another legu- 

 minous crop ought to be grown. 



The lighter loams tend to be used for special crops 

 Hke fruit, market garden and nursery produce, malting 

 barley, etc., and their management then requires very 

 great skill and intelligence. Some have always been used 

 for these purposes, such as the Thanet Beds of East 

 Kent, but many of them, like the sands, were formerly 

 held in but little repute, and have only during the past 

 30 or 40 years come into favour. The New Red Sand- 

 stone of Somerset , affords instances of light loams not 



1 See Arthur Amos, Journal of the Farmers' Club, May, 1916. 



