338 Retention of Moisture in the Soil of 
for a hundred years with merely superficial scratching. On 
the peat soils of Lincolnshire, or the very lightest description 
of soil anywhere, horse-grubbing does at times succeed ; but 
what I mean is, that no cultivation can be good unless the 
object aimed at is accomplished, and certainly this cannot be 
when the root of the evil is not reached. Land farmed in the 
usual four-course rotation should seldom require much labour 
for merely cleansing, save every fourth year ; and if this is 
managed properly, there ought to be very little couch left during 
the intervals between one root-crop and another. A great deal 
of horse- labour may, however, be saved by forking out odd pieces 
at all times when they make their appearance. 
Foul clay, or stiff loamy soils, can be cleaned only by being 
broken up, and afterwards worked when dry. Where there is only 
horse-power, the plough is the most efficient implement to use 
first, and the grubber afterwards as frequently as possible. After 
ploughing, a few days only should elapse before the grubber is used ; 
and this again should be used every few days, to turn about and 
dry the soil completely. One foul field on a farm in ordinary 
dry seasons may be cleaned in September, if ploughed at once, 
five or six inches deep, after harvest, and then kept moving 
frequently about. The land at this season is usually dry, both 
surface and subsoil ; and with the heat of the sun, September 
is the month of the year for most effectually killing couch on 
any description of land. It may frequently be seen that more 
is aimed at than can be well accomplished ; more may be 
ploughed than can be turned over afterwards so often as is 
required. When this is the case, the cleaning process is sadly 
mismanaged, and much more harm than good is too often the 
result. Foul land but once ploughed, and perhaps only once 
or twice imperfectly scarified, may be left in such a state that 
all the previous labour is thrown away, and more labour is 
again required in summer than if the neglected field had never 
been touched till the longest day. After September there is 
seldom much chance of killing couch by the heat of the sun, 
so that unless plenty of strength be applied during the few 
weeks immediately after harvest, the attempt at autumn cleansing 
too frequently ends in disappointment. If what is called an 
afternoon farmer begins ploughing in spring, there is all the 
summer before him, every succeeding month getting hotter and 
hotter ; therefore if the land cannot be cleaned in May for a 
green crop, it has a chance to be managed sometime before 
harvest. By such a plan, however, it is a mere accident to get 
the soil into a proper state for root-crops. Before the land can 
be cleaned it must be dried, and if deficient of moisture it is not 
likely to be suitable for cropping. 
