On the Farming/ of Suffolk. 



319 



better^ and perhaps reduces some of the insoluble parts of the soil. 

 Many farmers imagine that burning \vastes the soil ; but it onl}^ 

 reduces the organic portion, which is again supplied by the appli- 

 cation of farmyard manure. If by burning we are enabled to 

 produce a good root crop on a stiff retentive soil, there is no fear 

 but that the organic matter that has been consumed v/ill be re- 

 turned to the soil by the turnip crop, and the manure which arises 

 from its consumption. 



A great objection to the system is the quantity of stubble and 

 other fuel consumed which might be converted into manure ; and 

 there is one injury likely to result from the practice, viz., that it 

 may lead farmers into a bad system of cropping — -however there 

 is no reason why this should be the case. The instance which I 

 have already given is not the only one ; for some, I believe, have 

 begun the practice of burning the barley and wheat stubbles, 

 and then planting loheat. There are of course no covenants in 

 such cases as these. 



Paring and burning grass land has already been mentioned. 



Clay dug from pits, and the surface soil of arable fields, is oc- 

 casionally burnt in large heaps, in a manner resembling the 

 practice of burning borders. Though burnt earth is of so much 

 benefit in heavy land, yet on light land unburnt clay has been 

 proved to produce better effects than when burnt. 



7. The improvements still required in the County generally : as to 

 the Idgher cultivation of existing farms, the reclamation of waste 

 lands, and the condition of the Agricultural Labourer. 



In Suffolk, as well as in many other parts of the country, 

 farmers are frequently bound by covenants for the cultivation of 

 their land under a certain rotation, without sufficiently consider- 

 ing that one rotation or system is not suited to every description 

 of soil ; or that more than one kind of soil occurs on the same 

 farm. That it is an error to imagine the 4-course or any other 

 rotation is the best that can be adopted, we may mention the opi- 

 nion of Mr. Pusey, who says, " The merits of the 4-course system 

 are great ; but a great defect too is its monotonous circle of wheat, 

 turnips, barley, and clover." Hence, whatever crops are intro- 

 duced so as to remove to a greater distance the repetition of this 

 monotonous circle, without breaking: the arrano-ement of growino: 

 a corn and green crop alternately, is found to be an improvement. 

 The farmer is often obliged to adopt the same course of cropping 

 on a stiff clay as on a friable sand, although there are many un- 

 avoidable circumstances which render it impracticable always to 

 farm in the manner laid down, with the same profit that might 

 be obtained should some of these stringent conditions be taken 

 off the farmer's shoulders. For instance^ by being bound to 



