Practical Agriculture. 
595 = 329 
closures, making tillage operations costly, robbing the crops 
nutriment by their roots, by their shade hindering the drying 
corn at harvest time, and damaging all husbandry by their 
irbouring of weeds and game and vermin. Improvements 
ive been made by some enlightened proprietors of late years, 
itably by Sir Thomas Dyke Acland ; yet, with the exception 
particular districts which are bleak and exposed, the inclosed 
rms are too generally in fields of a few acres each, with fences 
cupying, or rendering unproductive perhaps, a tenth part of 
e arable land. 
The old Devon rotation of cropping is (1) turnips; (2) wheat; Rotations, 
barley ; (4) oats ; (5) seeds ; remaining for two to six or more 
■ars. But in the red sandstone district, and everywhere where 
aproved agriculture has been most extended of late years, this, 
d course has been replaced by the four- or five-course of turnips 
irley or oats, clover or grass seeds for one or two years, wheat, 
iterpolated crops of rye, winter vetches, stubble-turnips and 
pe are not so much taken as they probably would be if water- 
eadows were not so prevalent — where warm valleys and the 
jundant hill-side springs are so favourable to irrigation. On 
le clay-lands bare fallowing is still very extensively practised. 
Cornwall, with its growan or gravel soils lying upon the granite, Cornwall, 
s fertile lands upon the schist or clay-slate, its comparatively 
ifruitful surface on the serpentine and other igneous rocks, and 
s varied soils ranging from sands to yellow clays upon trap, 
arboniferous and other deposits, and washed on both sides of 
s narrow area by the Atlantic, bringing moisture and mildness 
1 the atmosphere, is distinguished, apart from its mining in- 
istry and its fisheries, for its small farms, its dairying, pork- 
eding, culture of potatoes, reclamation of waste land, and a 
vie of agriculture now at a stage of general advancement. 
In Cornwall, the prevailing courses of cropping include laying Rotations. 
3wn grass-seeds for three years. The old management was 
ind to a considerable extent still is) to mow the grass once for 
ly, to break it up by burning the surface, take on most parts of 
two white-corn crops in succession ; and then lay down again, 
id on a portion of the broken-up lea sow turnips and potatoes, 
» be followed by barley or oats. Alore general now is the 
ractice of skim-ploughing the sward in summer, giving it a late 
ammer fallow, heavily manuring with lime or with dung, ashes, 
nd the sea-sand, which on parts of the Cornish coast is richly 
dcareous, and ploughing again and sowing wheat in October ; 
irnips or other green-crops follow the wheat, and are succeeded 
V barley or oats, sown down with seeds for the next two or 
iree years of pasture. 
Potato culture forms a very considerable part of the business Potato culture. 
