FALLOW CROPS AND NAKED FALLOWS. 169 



CHAPTER XVII. 



ON SUBSTITUTING FALLOW CROPS FOR NAKED FALLOWS. 



The practice, under the old system of husbandry, has 

 been, to plough up grass grounds in June, July, and Au- 

 gust, for winter grain ; to cross-plough and harrow suc- 

 cessively, and to sow upon them in September and 

 October. In England the ground was ploughed the 

 preceding autumn, and the ploughings and harrowings 

 repeated during the succeeding summer till seed-time. 

 The effect of this system was, the loss of the ground for 

 a season, an unnecessary outlay of labor, and the wasting 

 of a great portion of the fertilizing matters of the sward, 

 by turning it repeatedly up to the surface. These labors 

 and losses are in a measure superseded, by substituting 

 fallow crops, that is, by taking a crop after one ploughing, 

 upon the inverted sward. While this is growing, the sod 

 is decomposing, the repeated ploughings are saved, the 

 field is turned to profit, the tilth is in fine condition the 

 next fall or spring, for small grains, and the soil receives 

 all the benefit of the fertilizing properties of the sod. 

 Old swards, especially if the soil is stiff, are ploughed deep 

 late in autumn, and receive a superficial furrow, or a 

 thorough harrowing, in the spring, to fit them for the 

 fallow crop. Clover leys may be ploughed just before 

 the seed is to be deposited, and the preparation finished 

 by the harrow or roller. 



There is no agricultural writer of note, and very few 

 good farmers, who now advocate summer fallows, except 

 on stiff clays, or wet grounds, which cannot be readily 

 worked in spring or fall, and this principally for the pur- 

 pose of cleaning them from perennial weeds. We sub- 

 join some quotations, from high authorities, in corrobora- 

 tion of this fact. 



" Fallowing was necessary," says Chaptal, " as long as 

 grains only, all of which exhaust the lands, were cultiva- 

 15 XV. 



