Light-Land Farming. 
97 
north of llampsliiic and in Berkshire, consisting of, 1st, clover ; 
2nd, wheat ; 3rd, bai-ley ; 4th, turnips, ate off" early, and followed 
by, 5th, wheat ; 6th, barley and seeds. All of these rotations 
are faulty in this respect, that there is no provision made for 
increasinsj^ tlie manure-making materials on the farm, and also 
in having two corn crops in succession. The best rotation for 
such land is that in which corn, green crops, and clover alternate 
with each other, and yet at the same time each does not recur 
too frequently on the same field. These desiderata are attained 
by the following rotation : — 1st, clover ; 2nd, wheat ; 3rd, tur- 
nips ; 4th, oats ; 5th, vetches and rye, sown at five or six 
different periods and fed off; 6tli, barley or oats ; 7th, mangold; 
8th, wheat or barley with seeds. The grain crops can be varied 
so as to suit the nature of the soil, thus : if of good quality 
wheat may be grown twice or thrice during the rotation, and if 
of inferior quality only once, and either barley or oats sub- 
stituted. In the 5th year of the rotation, potatoes, cabbages, or 
carrots may be substituted for part of the winter vetches and rye 
— the two latter crops being consumed on the farm, and the 
former sold off. By this arrangement it will be seen that in the 
green crops the same family of plants do not follow each other 
oftener than once every eight years, and consequently there is 
the less danger to be apprehended from clover sickness, ovjingers 
and toes in the turnip crop. The introduction of the eight- 
course is easily accomplished on land which is tolerably clean : 
turnips can be grown after wheat, and all the other crops of the 
rotation follow in their order ; but when the land is very foul, 
and has lain several years in sainfoin or grass, the most expe- 
ditious mode of getting it clean and converting it into arable 
cultivation is to pare and burn the surface, then to spread the 
ashes on the surface and plough them in with a light furrow, 
not more than 3 inches deep, and, lastly, to roll it. In this state 
the land remains all winter, and is sown with turnips the follow- 
ing summer. If farm-yard manure is to be applied for the 
turnip crop, whetlier after a pared and burnt grass or sainfoin 
crop, or after a wheat eddish, it should be well made and 
ploughed in with the winter furrow ; and if artificial manures 
only are to be, they should be drilled along with the seed. 
Having now noticed the general management to be adopted, I 
shall proceed as briefly as possible to detail the management of 
each crop in the eight-course, consisting of 1st, turnips ; 2nd, 
barley or wheat, if on good land ; 3rd, vetches, carrots, cabbages, 
and potatoes ; 4th, oats or barley ; 5th, mangold wurzel ; 6th, 
barley or wheat ; 7th, clover ; and 8th, wheat. If the land is 
very poor or in bad condition it will be as well to sow only 
barley and oats for the first part of the rotation, and as the land 
VOJ.. XV. II 
