12 



can be put to better uses. Very poor grass is usually found 

 on cold wet soils very deficient in phosphates, and not only 

 expensive tillage but liberal manuring would be needed. 

 Even then the success of corn crops would be very un- 

 certain. Land of this description should never be broken 

 up until the surface has been enriched by the growing of 

 white clover and other leguminous plants which cover such 

 soils after they have been dressed with basic slag. 



Very Light Sandy Soils and Heaths. These are easy to 

 till, but as a rule they should not be broken up while labour 

 is scarce, except in the neighbourhood of camps where there 

 is an abundance of manure. Such soils, besides being 

 readily injured by dry weather, usually want large quantities 

 of artificial manures and lime. Potash manures, which are 

 specially necessary, are at present so scarce that they should 

 be reserved for land of better quality. 



An attempt has been made in the foregoing pages to 

 indicate how grass land should be broken up, and, examples 

 from all parts of the country have been given in the 

 Appendix. The essence of the experience of 1917 is con- 

 tained in the Yorkshireman's maxim (Case No. 19), " Tread 

 the turf well or else you will have trouble " ; but everyone 

 who has had long experience of tillage land knows how 

 variable are the problems presented by the ploughed field, 

 and how impossible it is to give directions for the successful 

 management of all the types of soil which the British farmer 

 ploughs, in all the " samples " of weather with which the 

 British climate can be credited. Grass land must be broken 

 up, and to this task the farmer is expected to give all his 

 skill and knowledge in the coming year. He must not, as in 

 the case of the Welsh critic (Case No. 135) wait until the 

 corn is laid before he comes to the conclusion "what 

 absolute fools the Authorities are " ; he must be guided by 

 his experience, and then, like the Cumbrian farmer (Case 

 No. 14) who, though vexed by the agents of the Government, 

 ultimately triumphed by the exercise of ** practical common 

 sense," he will, it may be predicted, in four cases out of five, 

 grow a satisfactory crop in 1918 ; since, fortunately for the 

 country, " practical common sense " is not monopolised by 

 the farmers of Cumberland ! 



