OF FALLOWING. 



1. Beans are certainly calculated for strong soils, being 

 an excellent preparation for wheat, and when drilled, they 

 also enable the farmer to keep his lands clean ; but the crop 

 is seldom sufficiently early in Scotland, to be safely har- 

 vested in wet seasons. Mr Robertson of Ladykirk justly 

 observes, that our southern neighbours have much the ad- 

 vantage of us in the bean husbandry. The great source of 

 distress attending bean crops with us, is their lateness. In 

 passing through the country near Aylesbury, he saw their 

 beans covering the ground, and all in bloom, on the 14th 

 of June. Our wet weather generally commences about the 

 20th of October. Before that period, the winter wheat in 

 Scotland should all be sown, but the beans are often in the 

 fields. There can be no doubt, that fallows might be re- 

 duced in number, were drilled beans more carefully culti- 

 vated ; but the climate of Scotland will not admit of it, at least 

 to any great extent. It is contended, at the same time, that 

 the straw of an English acre of beans, if cut down merely 

 as fodder, would be worth L. 5, and that if used as litter 

 merely, it would produce at least 120 stone, which, con- 

 verted into dung, would manure half an English acre. It 

 is questionable, however, whether it would be advisable, to 

 run the risk of losing the benefit of a well-prepared fallow 

 for such advantages. 



2. Peas might be cultivated on strong land, either for 

 the seed, for fodder, or for litter ; but if the crop should 

 not answer, (which often happens), there would not only 

 be no profit, but the ground would be instantly filled with 

 all kinds of weeds. 



3. Tares are liable to the same objection, and, unfortu- 

 nately, the winter tares are not calculated for the climate 

 of Scotland, otherwise they might be cut so early for soil- 

 ing, as to furnish an opportunity, in the end of summers or 

 Beginning of autumn, to clean the land. 



