Book VI. 



MANAGEMENT OF MANURES. 



803 



cross-ploughed ; and after lying till sufficiently dry to admit the harrows, it is harrowed and rolled re- 

 peatedly, and every particleof the vivacious roots of weeds brought up to view, carefully gathered by hand 

 into heaps, and eitlier burnt on the field, or carted off to the compost heap. The fallow is then ridged up, 

 which places it in a safe condition in the event of bad weather, and exposes a new surface to the harrows 

 and roller ; after which the weeds are again gathered by hand, but a previous harrowing is necessary. It 

 is afterwards ploughed, harrowed, rolled, and gathered as often as it may be necessary to reduce it into fine 

 tilth, and completely to eradicate all root- weeds. Between these successive operations, repeated crops of 

 seedling weeds are brought into vegetation, and destroyed. The larvae likewise of various insects, together 

 with an infinite variety of the seeds of weeds, are exposed to be devoured by birds, which are then the 

 farmer's best friends, though often proscribed as his bitterest enemies. 



but whenever an obstruction is met with in the ground, arising 

 from rocky, retentive, or other impenetrable soils- In such of 

 these as would completely interrupt the progress of the ordinary 

 instrument, this proceeds with ease, by merely beins; lifted 

 more or less over them. The operation is performed bv the 

 driver bearing with his weight on the guiding handles of the 

 grubber ; and this pressure is made to raise the whole machine 

 by a very skilful application of mechanical power. The pres- 

 sure on the guiding handles (a), it will be observed, turns the 

 whole handle round the axle of the hind wheels (b b), as round 

 a fulcrum, so that the handle then becomes a lever, on the 

 shorter extremity of which the frame of the teeth rests. It is 

 evident, therefore, that by bearing on the handle which forms 

 the long end of the lever, the shorter end must be raised, and 

 along with it the hinder part of the teeth-frame, and, of course, 

 the teeth also. But there is still another contrivance, by which 

 the force is made to act at the same time on the forepart of the 

 frame, and to raise it likewise. This is done by a long rod 

 {d e), which is attached at the extremity to a fulcrum (d), raised 

 on the handle frame, and at the other to the one end of a bent 

 lever (e/^), which turns on the axle of the fore wheel as a 

 centre, and at an intermediate point carries the fore end of the 

 teeth frame. ^\Tiile the handle, therefore, is depressed, and 

 raises the hinder part of this frame, it at the same time pulls 

 the rod, turns the front lever round the axle of the fore wheel, 

 and by this means elevates the teeth before as well as behind. 



4953. The use of the harrow and roller in the fallow process, 

 has been condemned by some writers on husbandry, w^ho allege 

 that frequent ploughing is all that is necessary to "destroy root- 

 weeds, bv the baking or drying of the clods in the sun and 

 wind ; but experience has ascertained, that frequently turning 

 over the ground, though absolutely necessary while the fallow 

 process is going on, can never eradicate couch-grass or other 

 root-weeds. In all clay soils, the ground turns up in lumps or 

 clods, which the severest drought will not penetrate so suffi- 

 ciently as to kill the included roots. When the land is again 

 ploughed, these lumps are turned over and no more, and the 

 action of the ploU!<h serves in no degree to reduce them, or at 



vegetate unless brought under the influence of the sun and air 

 near the surface. The diligent use, therefore, of the harrow 

 and roller, followed by careful hand-picking, is indispensably 

 necessary to the perfection of a fallowr process. (General lie- 

 pott of Scotland, vol. iv. p. 419.) 



4954. The working of fallows by the griJ>ber, is an important 

 modern improvement. We have already described several of 

 these implements, and shall here introduce one which has been 

 made public since the first five hundred pages of this work were 

 printed. 



4955. Kirkwoou's improved grubber ( fig. 721.) has this pecu- 

 liar advantage, that " the whole of the body of the instrument, 

 and of course all the teeth, can be raised out of the ground at 

 pleasure, and even while the machine is in motion; which is 

 extremely convenient, not only in turning at the head ridges. 



(Highl. Soc. Trans, vol. 



simple, 

 p. 132 



4955. When effecttcally reduced to fine tilth, and thoroughly cleaned from roots and weeds, the fallow is 

 ploughed end-long into gathered ridges or lands, usually fifteen or eighteen feet broad. If the seed is to 

 be drilled, the lands'or ridges are made of such widths as may suit the construction of the particular drill, 

 machine to be employed. If the seed is to be sown by hand, the lands or ridges are commonly formed into 

 what are called single or double cast ridges ; the first of four paces or steps, and the latter of eight steps in 

 width. These widths are found the most convenient for a one-handed sower. An expert sower can, 

 however, measure his handful to almost any width ; but the above long experience has made the standard. 

 After the land has been once gathered by a deep furrow, proportioned to the depth of the culti- 

 vated soil, the manure is laid on, and evenly spread over the surface, whether muck, lime, marl, or com- 

 post. A second gathering is now given by the plough ; and this being generally the furrow upon which 

 the seed is sown, great care is used to plough as equally as possible. After the seed is sown and the land 

 thoroughly harrowed, all the inter-furrows, furrows of the headlands, and oblique or gnw furrows, are 

 carefully opened up by the plough, and cleared out by the spade, as already mentioned, respecting the first 

 or winter ploughing. 



4957. The expense of fallowing may appear, from what has been said, to be very con- 

 siderable, when land has been allowed to become stocked with weeds ; but if it be kept 

 under regular management, corn alternating with drilled pulse or green crops, the sub- 

 sequent returns of fallow will not require near so much labour. In common cases, 

 from four to six ploughings are generally given, with harrowing and rolling between, 

 as may be found necessary ; and, as we have already noticed, the cultivator may be 

 employed to diminish this heavy expense. But it must be considered, that upon the 

 manner in which the fallow operations are conducted, depend not only the ensuing 

 wheat crop, but in a great measure all the crops of the rotation. (Supp. to Encyc, Brit. 

 art. Jgr. 128.) 



Sect. III. General Management of Manures. 



4958. The manures of animal, vegetable, or mineral origin have been already described, 

 and their operation explained. (2224.) But a very few of these substances can be ob- 

 tained by farmers in general ; whose standard resources are farm-yard dung and lime, 

 and composts of these with earth. It is on the management of these that we propose to 

 deliver the practice of the best British farmers. 



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