326 Report on the Agriculture of Denmark^ with a Note on 
plant receives a plentiful sowing of weed-seeds before the oats 
are harvested, and therefore is never clean. When the seeds 
are broken up, the bare fallow is not half enough worked to 
destroy the numerous crops of weeds which again and again 
spring from the immense stores of seed which the land contains. 
The fallow is, no doubt, cleaned to some extent ; and the first 
crop taken after it — wheat or rye — is generally in a more or 
less creditable state in comparison with the next crop — barley, 
which always shows a large admixture of rubbish ; while the fol- 
lowing crops of oats are progressively more and more foul. In 
fact, it must be conceded that the greatest fault of Danish farming 
is the generally dirty condition of the land. Professor Wilson 
came to a similar conclusion in 1866 ; and in his Report 
(p. 73), already quoted, observes : " There is but little doubt 
that the dirty state of a very large proportion of the land under 
tillage cultivation is due to the system of cropping usually 
followed, which is entirely opposed to the principles upon 
which a sound rotation should be based." M. Tisserand, also, 
has not allowed this defect of the Danish system to escape his 
criticism, otherwise generally favourable. He states roundly 
that the later stages of the course of cropping usually pursued, 
especially the oats, are sometimes completely smothered, having 
the appearance of fields of thistles and poppies, while the arti- 
ficial grasses, which form the end of the course, also show their 
presence ; but the conclusion that he draws is, that bare fallow 
is a necessity, and that one unproductive year is by no means too 
large a proportion under the circumstances, although he recognises 
the importance of a more extensive cultivation of root-crops. 
There are, however, variations of the national system to be 
found on many well-managed farms, and it will be as well to 
preface any further remarks by a few examples. 
Mr. Valleutiner, Gjeddesdals, Sealand. 
Mr. 0. V. Schestedt .Tmil, 
i Riivnholdt, Fyen 
(double rotation). 
Mr. Westenholz, 
Matrup.'near 
Horsens, Jutland 
(double rotation). 
J |Bare fallow or 
■ \ beans. 
2. Wheat. 
3. Barley. 
4. Vetches. 
5. Oats. 
?: 'do'V-'J- 
1. Bare fallow. 
2. meat. 
3. Barley or roots. 
4. Oats. 
5. Seeds mown. 
6. Seeds grazed. 
7. Oats. 
1. Bare fallow. 
2. meat. 
3. Barley. 
4. SeeJsraown. 
(Seeds grazed 
5. < and half 
I fallowed. 
6. Boots. 
j IMixturc (oats, 
7. < barley, and 
1 spring-wheat). 
8. Seeds. 
9. Seeds. 
10. Oats. 
1. Bare fallow. 
2. Eye. 
3. Barley, 
^rj' roots, f 
■\ mixture.* 
5. Oats. 
6. Seeds) ff,"^" 
7. Seeds "^""y, 
( grazed 
8. Barley- 
9. Eye. 
10. Seeds grazed. 
11. Seeds cut. 
12. Oats. 
* t)nts, rye, beans, and vet<'he.s. 
