218 AGRICULTURE 



uncropped, with occasional harrowings and 

 grubbings during the warm, dry weather 

 of late summer, when weeds will be killed by 

 heat and drought, and the land mellowing 

 under the influence of the weather. When 

 land is treated in this way it is finally ploughed 

 in September, so that wheat is sowed in good 

 time in the end of that month or throughout 

 October. 



It is sometimes recommended that catch 

 crops should be grown in order that they 

 may subsequently be ploughed into the land 

 to increase the stock of humus. There is no 

 doubt that such treatment has considerable 

 effect upon the fertility of the land, but it is 

 probable that, on the whole, greater advan- 

 tage accrues to the farmer through the 

 consumption of the catch crop by stock. 

 Theoretically a leguminous crop should be 

 most valuable for green manure, but, as has 

 already been pointed out, better results often 

 follow the use of white mustard. 



