296 CULTURE OF FARM CROPS. 



Condition of the Soil," in the " Journal of the Royal Agri- 

 cultural Society of England," has some remarks on the pre- 

 paration of the soil for the turnip and the swede, so 

 suggestive that we here give an epitome of them. With 

 regard to soils of the heavy class, naturally strong and ad- 

 hesive, on which good and even luxuriant crops are grown, 

 this can only be done by good cultivation and manure 

 the cultivation, meaning here by this term the preparation 

 of the soil, consisting in giving to it as much of that fine 

 looseness which enables the rootlets of the plants to go 

 deep into it and gather their nourishment. This condi- 

 tion is secured by ploughing these stronger soils before 

 winter, and by the usual tillage actively carried on in the 

 spring, and to which we shall in due course refer. In the 

 class of lighter soils, the fine tilth is brought about by a 

 much less expenditure of tillage ; so much so, indeed, that 

 winter ploughing may be dispensed with, and the whole 

 of the operations done in spring. In some cases of light 

 land, a spring feed-crop is often taken, which being con- 

 sumed, gives time enough for the land to be prepared for 

 the turnip crop. The land, in such cases, is harrowed 

 down after being ploughed, and left for some days four- 

 teen or eighteen so long, indeed, that the seeds of weeds 

 have time to appear, so that they can be destroyed in work- 

 ing the surface when the seed is put in. 



97. Professor Tanner points out that, while there is 

 perfect or almost perfect unanimity amongst farmers as to 

 the importance of having a fine tilth, and a clean condition 

 of soil free from weeds, there is not by any means the 

 same unanimity, but rather a remarkable diversity, of 

 opinion upon other points as the degree of moisture 

 which should be in the soil when sowing is done ; and 

 indeed, as he remarks, this obtains on all points respecting 

 the preparation of the soil "immediately preceding the 

 sowing of the seed." As regards the condition of the 

 moisture of the soil, some farmers endeavour to get their 

 soils as dry, others to get them as moist as possible. Thus, 

 in the practice of working the land fine, and leaving it for 



