THE PRINCIPLES OF ENGLISH AGRICULTURE. 201 



not been able to enter into successful competition with the 

 farmers of light land in respect of live stock breeding, and 

 especially in the production of mutton and wool. Many 

 efforts have been made to improve these unfortunate con- 

 ditions with respect to clay soils, and among those a rotation 

 of crops has been proposed to enable the clay land farmer, 

 while growing corn, to compete in the growth of live stock, 

 and the production especially of mutton and of wool. The 

 following rotation is worthy of consideration. It commences 

 with winter vetches fed off, let us say, in the month of 

 June, in good time to be broken up and sown with white 

 turnips, rape, or even a second sowing of vetches. These 

 second crops are ready to feed off in September, before the 

 winter's rainfall, and the ground is then in good condition to 

 be ploughed up and sown with wheat. The wheat ground 

 is seeded down half with trefoil, which is a very early 

 crop, and half with mixed seeds. That brings us to the 

 third year. During the third year the trefoil is mown in the 

 month of May, and it is then broken up for rape or turnips. 

 The second portion is mown and fed. During the fourth year 

 the whole of the share comes in for wheat once more, and in 

 the fifth year all goes into winter beans, an excellent crop for 

 clay lands, and the rotation is re-commenced by breaking up 

 the bean stubble and getting it into winter vetches. 



Notice with reference to this rotation that it is well con- 

 trived and scientifically framed for the accomplishment of 

 certain objects. Three-fifths of the entire arable land is 

 under corn, and not only that, but under descriptions of corn 

 which are especially suitable for clayey ground, wheat and 

 beans; the remaining two-fifths are under crops which are 

 thoroughly suitable for sheep ; and further, these crops are 

 all consumed during the summer, at a period of the year 

 when clay land will not be injured in the least degree by 

 treading, I have known this system, or a modification of it, 





