TJie Bean-Tarnij) Fallow. 



429 



required for the turnip crop beyond a single ploughing, and all 

 this at the busy and expensive time of harvest, as in this part of 

 the country the winter beans are not ready for cutting till a few 

 days before the wheat, and, with the utmost exertion, the turnips 

 could not be sown till August, and then an acre of such a late 

 crop would produce less bulk than an early-sown half-crop 

 between the beans ; for a turnip crop here sown even in the latter 

 part of July is not much to be depended upon, and never comes 

 to much size. But the greatest objection, which remains, is that 

 the bean crop, and afterwards the turnip crop, being dispersed 

 over the whole of the land, must necessarily cause a greater 

 exhaustion of the soil than where there is only a turnip crop on 

 one-half and a bean crop on the other, followed by a ploughing 

 and scarifying, and no turnip crop succeeding. 



In estimating the value of this mixed crop, I trust it will be 

 understood that it would not be reasonable to put it in compe- 

 tition with a full crop of swedes, mangold, or cabbages ; for it is 

 by no means meant to imply any reduction of those more impor- 

 tant crops, but all of which, requiring larger quantities of manure, 

 are necessarily limited in some degree according to the supplies 

 on the farm, and are moreover, in fact, only desirable and con- 

 venient to a certain extent. Supposing, then, that even half the 

 fallow, if practicable, should be devoted to such crops, and a 

 quarter to the growth of rye and tares, in about equal proportions, 

 the first being followed by common turnips, and part also of the 

 latter by the same, and the later mown parts, it may be, by cole 

 or mustard — the bean crop is meant to supersede the remaining 

 quarter, which would be common turnips, to the extent of a 

 diminution of one-half. Thus, on a general fallow of 100 acres, 

 the bean-turnip crop would occupy 25, and would thus displace 

 12i acres of turnips ; if, therefore, on an average of years the 

 general value of the latter, according to common opinion, is 2Z. 

 per acre (and which my own experience would assign as the 

 utmost), the loss to the farm would thus be 25/., and the extra 

 cost of the beans being, as before stated, 24-.S. per acre, the total 

 extra expense so incurred would be 30Z. We have, therefore, an 

 amount of 55/. to set off against the value of the beans. 



Now, the bean crop averaging 3 quarters per acre, at 30^., 

 amounts to 112/. IO5., and the straw, estimated at least at 65. 

 per acre, to 11. IO5., so making a total of 120/., and deducting 

 from this sum the amount against it, there remains a clear gain 

 of 65/. ; and it ought to be observed that 1 quarter per acre 

 more or less would increase or decrease this sum to the amount 

 of 37/. IO5. ; and on the better sort of mixed soils who can doubt 

 an average of 4 quarters, and a consequent gain of 102/. IO5. ? — 

 and, on the other hand, if in some seasons or on some lands the 



