On Rotations of Crops. 377 



variation of soil may require a material difference in crop- 

 ping. Thus, on Mr Coke's estate in West Norfolk, the soil 

 varies from light dry sand, to strong loam retentive of wet, 

 and hence, in order that it may be cultivated to advantage, 

 no less a number than four different rotations are necessa- 

 ry (* 50 ). 



It may be proper here to give, 1. A general view of the 

 principles, which ought to regulate the rotation of crops in 

 every country ; and, 2. A list of the crops usually raised on 

 the different soils of Great Britain. 



1. The propriety of adopting any particular system of 

 cropping, will be considerably influenced by the following' 

 circumstances : The Climate, whether it be wet or dry, warm 

 or cold ; and the situation, whether high or low. Wet cli- 

 mates, and high situations, for instance, are rather favour- 

 able to the growth of oats ; dry climates, and low situations, 

 to that of barley : The Soil, for sand, gravel, clay, chalk, 

 peat, alluvial soils, and loam, have various crops calculated 

 for each respectively; and the sttbsoil, on the quality of which, 

 the crops to be raised must greatly depend : The means of 

 improvement by extra manure, (as lime, marl, sea- weed, town- 

 dung, &c.), at reasonable rates ; for the rotation of crops 

 should be regulated not only by the nature of the soil alone, 

 but conjoined with the specific manure that can be obtained 

 at a reasonable expense : The state and condition of the soil ; 

 whether it be old cultivated land, or recently improved ; 

 whether it be land that has been cropped judiciously or un- 

 der an exhausting system of management; whether it be in 

 good heart, or the reverse ; whether it be foul, or clean : 

 and lastly, The situation of the farm in regard to markets, 

 whether they are near, or at a considerable distance ; and 

 whether they are adapted to the sale of some articles of pro- 

 duce more than others. For instance, a field of potatoes 

 might be worth L.25 per acre near a town, which would not 

 fetch from L.5 to L.10 in a remote part of the country. 



2. It is of the greatest importance to determine, for what 

 crops the soil and climate of any particular district are best 

 calculated ; and what objects may be obtained by their cul- 

 tivation. In Great Britain, wheat is, with the exception of 

 potatoes, the principal field crop ; whereas, in Flanders, it is 

 considered as only the fifth in point of value (* 51 ), and it is 

 often raised, merely as a means of procuring manure, for the 

 more lucrative productions of flax or hemp. That these 

 crops should have been prohibited in former times, when 

 husbandry was imperfectly understood, is not to be won- 



