OF FALLOWING. 239 



the rtita baga seems to Mr Hunter unfit for the purpose in 

 our northern situations, as it is long of coming to its growth, 

 and ought to be sown early in May, otherwise it will sel- 

 dom be a full crop. The grand object with the skilful agri- 

 culturist will be, to keep his land clear of weeds of all sorts, 

 and summer-fallow has ever been found the only sure me- 

 thod of doing so. Hitherto no plarjt has been found so 

 well fitted to permit that as the field turnip, which may be 

 drilled, with the best prospect of success, from the first 

 week of June, to the second week of July inclusive, giving 

 full time to clean and prepare the land properly, which, to- 

 gether with the ploughings in the rows among the turnips, 

 completes the fallow in the most perfect manner. This, 

 however, is only applicable to soils of a light description. 



In the Carse of Gowrie also, following is considered to 

 be indispensable. That operation, it is said, is necessary to 

 meliorate the ground, to make it of a kindly texture, to 

 clean it of weeds, &c. It likewise gives an opportunity to 

 repair all the small drains in the field ; enables the manure 

 to be applied at a proper time, and the land to be sown at 

 a favourable season ; by which means, the successive crops 

 are greatly encouraged, (the ground being in complete or- 

 der to yield its produce), and less dung answers the same 

 purpose for a succession of crops.* A most respectable 

 correspondent assures me, that one-fourth less dung may 

 be used to a fallow field, than to one in a constant course of 

 cropping, and that the effects will be more discernible in 

 the first than in the latter case. The crop of wheat is also 

 more abundant, by at least two bolls per Scotch acre, after 

 a fallow, than alter beans. 



Mr George Robertson remarks, that in other countries, 



* Communication from Mr Drummond of Westbank. 



