30 CULTURE OF FARM CROPS. 



cially from hot to cold soils, in which case it will frequently 

 bring the harvest a week earlier. Wheat is generally taken 

 after clover, the roots of which, becoming decomposed, yield 

 nutriment to the wheat plants, while they give that solidity 

 to the soil which the wheat plant requires for its healthy 

 development. It has sometimes been noted that where 

 the clover plant has failed the wheat plant succeeding it 

 has failed also. These instances do not often occur ; when 

 they do, they show an adaptation of the two plants to each 

 other, or a mutual sympathy which justifies the correctness 

 of the practice so generally followed of making the wheat 

 follow the clover. We have said above, that according to 

 the nature of the soil so is its management. 



14. We purpose now to bring under review the various 

 classes of soil, and the management which their pecu- 

 liarities involve. And first as to clayey soils. Upon these 

 soils a full summer's fallow is occasionally resorted to as a 

 preparation for the crop, more especially when the land 

 has got into a foul state with couch grass, &c., &c., and to 

 which cleanness cannot be restored with the partial fal- 

 lowing which is available through the growth of green 

 crops. It is also to be noted that this thorough summer 

 fallowing has a good influence upon the soil, as it allows the 

 atmospheric influences to more perfectly decompose its con- 

 stituent parts ; so much so, that in some instances it has 

 been observed that more advantage has been obtained by 

 giving a thorough summer's fallow without manure than 

 by a partial fallowing with a plentiful supply of dung. 

 On the heavy lands of the Midland Counties, where a 

 summer's fallow is followed, the land, towards the end of 

 July or beginning of August, is thrown up into two bout 

 stetches after, of course, it has been thoroughly pulverized 

 and cleaned from weeds one yard wide, and manured with 

 8 to 10 cart-loads per acre, precisely as if for the turnip 

 crop. Others spread the manure over the land, and plough 

 it in, so as to have the stetches or furrows from 2 to 8 

 yards wide. In both of these cases the land should re- 

 main untouched till the time of sowing, although it often 



