I 



ENGLISH AGRICULTUEE. 125 



farmer's attention is concentrated on making his light soil 

 firm. He digs his heel into it, and finds the ground is loose, 

 arid requires the roller over it ; or he is satisfied if it has a 

 firm feeling under his foot. He must have it fine for 

 the germination of seeds, but he must also have it firm. 

 Especially is this the case in corn growing. If I were going 

 to sow turnips I should like to have the ground a little loose 

 under foot, but if I were going to sow wheat, barley, or oats, 

 I should like to have the ground firm. The advantage of 

 firmness of soil may be illustrated by the ' benefit which 

 follows the treading of sheep on light soils. It is the very 

 making of these soils. It is the treading of sheep which 

 has enabled the Norfolk farmers to grow corn on un- 

 promising sandy soil. The old Persian proverb that the 

 sheep has a golden hoof is particularly true and applicable 

 upon light soils, but it is not at all true upon heavy soils. 

 We see it also in the system of cultivating wheat on light soils. 

 The land-presser comes into vogue, following the plough ; 

 we not only must plough our land for wheat, but we must 

 press the furrow tight, either with a land presser or with the 

 Crosskill roller. It is strange that this roller, which was 

 brought out by Messrs. Crosskill, of Beverley, as a clod- 

 crusher, was never taken up heartily by clay land farmers for 

 crushing clods ; but has found its way into the hands of light 

 land farmers, for the purpose of following up the plough, 

 and pressing and " firming " the furrow, after ploughing for 

 wheat. 



Plough early for wheat. To obtain a solid, firm furrow is 

 one of the reasons why this is done. Upon light land we wait 

 for rain before we sow our wheat ; we will not sow our wheat 

 in a dry seed-bed ; we wait for rain for the same reason that 

 the soil may be firm ; and we even go so far as to say in the case 

 of light land, that we like to see wheat smeared in, because 

 we artificially produce in that way somewhat of the same 



