1 82 THE WEST MIDLANDS 



better than the clays, though the harvest had come 

 very early and barley was already cut in places. 



Barley is one of the staple crops of this district, 

 and, though the area is restricted, it forms one of 

 the few areas in the Midlands growing barley of high 

 quality ; it was not until we got up towards Shrewsbury 

 that we again saw this crop playing any important 

 part in the farming. We visited one or two farms 

 and saw some very excellent management large level 

 fields carrying heavy crops and very few weeds. On 

 one of them was to be found both the light soil and 

 the clay, and so marked is the distinction that the 

 two portions of the farm have to be farmed on 

 different rotations. On the heavy land it is necessary 

 to introduce a bare fallow in the rotation ; in no other 

 way can the tilth be preserved and the land maintained 

 in a clean condition ; even a crop of mangolds leads 

 to such poaching of the land in their harvesting as 

 is rarely made up for by the yield of roots. The 

 rotation is one of six years' duration, the bare fallow 

 being followed by wheat, in which seeds are sown ; 

 the ley only stands a single year, and is then ploughed 

 up for wheat, to be followed by beans and wheat again. 

 Wheat thus occupies the land in alternate seasons, 

 the highest proportion we have met with in any part 

 of the country. On the light land the course begins 

 with a root crop, which is eaten off by sheep and 

 followed up with oats. Barley forms the second corn 

 crop, after which a crop of potatoes and then wheat 

 is taken ; thus in the five years no fewer than four 

 crops are raised for sale. Indeed, part of the root 

 break is devoted to peas to be picked green, and 

 followed up with turnips, which can be sown success- 

 fully as late as the end of August. Vetches were also 

 grown on the root break, and similarly followed by 



