590 = 524 Practical Agriculture. 
ing, for roots, followed by wheat, barley, or oats, and then seed 
With the exception of a small proportion of permanent gra 
around the homestead, and the water-meadow which may 
attached, the chalk farms are all arable. 
The old rotation on the poorer soils was summer fallow 
turnips ; wheat ; barley or oats ; grass ; clover-lea. On t 
better soils it was wheat ; barley or oats ; grass, remaining 
second year as " old field," or bare fallowed, or fallowed i 
turnips. The change to the new four-field course, swede 
barley or oats ; grass ; wheat ; was a great improvement, b 
was not found sufficient and satisfactory everywhere. \ 
Wilkinson says, " Without water-meadows there was not enou; 
sheep-food, and the swedes could not be fed off in time f 
the succeeding barley ; much farmyard dung, too, was requir 
for the wheat. To meet the first objection, a catch-crop 
rye, vetches, or winter oats, was inserted between the wht 
and the swedes. But the second and chief objection broug 
about a new course, introduced from the Wiltshire Downs, a 
now extensively prevalent among the best farmers in Hai 
for a portion, say one-third of their arable — namely (1) swedi 
(2) turnips, (3) wheat, (4) barley. When, however, there are 
water-meadows to provide hay, this system is not applicab 
and a combination of three four-courses (namely, the old bettc 
soil course, the new, and the Wiltshire) is found very adva 
tageous ; or the W^iltshire is made a five-course by the additi 
of grass. On the poorer soils another five-course is follow 
by liberal farmers — (1) turnips, (2) wheat, (3) swedes, (4) barli 
(5) grass. Where there is good strong land, and no restricti 
by landlords, there is a three-years course — (1) wheat, (2) swed 
(3) turnips, or turnips and rape. This liberal system, whi< 
of course, is available for only a portion of the farm, gives mu 
wheat without the dung-cart, and also provides food for ma 
sheep. But the changes which have heen rung on rotatic 
in the chalk district of Hampshire are infinite. All, howev 
have in view the same result — many sheep and much corn, 
and proceed on the same general principle of not having mi 
than half the arable in corn at any one time. The success! ' 
of barley after wheat, with many, would be a fatal objection ■ 
the Wiltshire system. The answer given by the most s ■ 
cessful farmers in Hampshire attributes many advantages • 
this rotation ; no other, they say, provides better-distribu 1 
sheep-food, kinder barley, stronger wheat, more economil 
Mr. Wilkinson manuring, and more convenient cultivation. If barley folio; 
on advantages gwedes, the latter are in the way of the former; the.consun- 
'wheat " tion of roots must be quickened, or the barley-sowing seasi 
will be past. But time waits for no man : so the fold is hurri , 
