610 = 344 
Practical Agriculture. 
The Earl of 
Leicester's 
improvements. 
The four- 
course shift' 
improved. 
place of turnips. The quantities of oilcake and corn consumet 
in cattle and sheep-feeding are very great. The strong lands 
generally in medium or small-sized holdings, are mainly unde 
four-course husbandry. 
On light land in the north-east, a five-course shift, takin; 
two-years' seeds, was formerly universal. Of these Mr. C. & 
Read, M.P., says, " In the second year the seeds were broken u 
in July, and made a ' bastard summer till,' or fallow for wheal 
One could imagine no worse preparation for wheat on sue 
lands. The ground could not be consolidated, and every facilit 
was given for the swarms of winter annuals which infest sue 
soils to spring up and smother the plant. The farm manui 
was wanted for turnips ; and a one-year ley, left to its ow 
resources, grew but little wheat." The improved system is to us 
artificial manures for the root-crop, and to apply the farmyart 
dung on the one-year ley, ploughing it once for wheat. 
The agricultural regeneration of West Norfolk, the amelioK 
tion of its weak soils by the process of claying and marling, tb 
purchasing of crops by heavy outlay in feeding-stuffs an 
manures, the maintenance of productive power in the soil fro 
year to year by the compensating four-course shift and tl 
development of sheep-breeding and winter cattle-fattening on ii 
intensive scale, form a unique history ; and it was only after M 
Coke, created Earl of Leicester, had expended 400,000/. in tl 
erection of good farm-buildings on his estate, and after h 
tenantry had simultaneously laid out 500,000/. in permane 
improvements in manures and oilcake, that the spirited at 
liberal improver could boast of having converted West Norfo 
from a rye-growing into a wheat-growing district. The fou 
course shift still prevails ; but in place of the stereotypi 
( 1) turnips, (2) barley, (3) seeds, (4) wheat — mangolds and 
portion of kohl rabi occupy a considerable proportion of t 
root-shift ; and wheat is taken after the mangolds, and al 
replaces a portion of the barley after turnips — seeing that wh( 
stands high management better than barley, and the seeds so\ 
upon the wheat grow better, having a firmer seed-bed, and 
left unsmothered by a laid crop. Instead of sowing red c\o\ 
once in eight years, with white clover, trefoil, and ryegrass in t 
alternate seed year of the course, sainfoin is extensively grown 
place of trefoil or white clover, thus resting the soil from a 
sort of clover . for eight years. Giant sainfoin is drilled at t 
rate of 3 or 4 bushels per acre, and is ploughed up at Michaeln 
for wheat. But an innovation upon the almost sacred lo 
course has been introduced, and is spreading, namely, ' 
growth of a second white corn-crop, generally oats after the 
I 
