Arable Districts. 
289 
the better. Sometimes during the summer or autumn tlie land 
in fallow is manured with long dung from the farmyard, and, 
after it is ridged up, the wheat is sown, mostly broadcast, in 
the month of October. Vetches arc planted in the autumn or 
spring, commonly after one ploughing, the land being cleaned and 
fallowed after the crop is fed off". Rape, mustard, bic, are sown 
during the summer on fallow land that is intended for wheat. 
Mustard is also grown in the south of the county on wheat or 
bean stubbles, and fed off or ploughed in to enrich the succeed- 
ing crop. 
Tiie root crop is succeeded by oats or barley ; but little turnip 
land is sown with wheat. The preparation for Lent corn con- 
sists of one or two ploughings, more frequently one, with a 
scarifying. The season for sowing varies with the weather, the 
situation, and the condition of the land. March and April are 
the busy months, but late oats are sown in May. Compai-a- 
tively little barley is grown north of the Chilterns. About 
Slough winter oats are sown with much success, and crops, 
which usually vary from 6 to 8 quarters, have in more than one 
instance reached as high as 14 quarters per acre. Winter oats 
are the best grain to sow on land in very high condition, as too 
large a crop is never grown. Lillingstone Lovell was the only 
spot last year where winter barley was observed, and the crop 
was stated to yield 12 quarters per acre. The grain was very 
inferior and coarse, but it was boiled and given to the pigs in 
milk, who appeared to thrive remarkably well on it. The average 
yield of Dutch oats throughout the county may be taken at 
6 quarters ; tartars yield from 4 to 8 bushels more. The barley 
crop on the Chilterns is commonly 4 quarters : on the better 
lands of the county an average of 5 quarters is obtained. 
On a good portion of the ploughed land but little clover is 
grown, and on clay and loamy soils it is commonly sown alone. 
On the chalk hills it is invariably mixed with white clover, 
trefoil, and ryegrass ; for, as hardly any beans are grown there, the 
frequent repetition of clover makes the land vei'y tired of it. Red 
clovers are often mown twice, and some assert tliat better wheats 
are so obtained than if the aftermath is fed off. This is explained 
by saying that the higher the clover grows the larger are the 
roots, and that these fine roots nourish the young wheats. It 
may be so, if clover after being cut the first time is constantly 
gnawed so close that it never flourishes ; but if clover is allowed 
to grow up, and just before blossoming is properly hurdled off 
with sheep, there cannot be any great difference between its 
being severed by a scythe or a sheep's tooth, and the dressing 
left must be very beneficial to the following wheat. There are 
very many instances in which it would be most judicious to mow 
