lOfi 
Light-Land Farmiur/. 
at the rate of 1^/. per hour for hoein;^ and pulling turnips, 
spreading manure, weeding, and assisting at the threshing 
machine. In harvest an additional force is required, and the 
wages are then paid either by the day, week, acre, or so much 
per shock of 12 to 14 sheaves, and in some cases the reapers 
get so much for the whole harvest. 
Having now given a general outline of the five-course, or 
Northumberland rotation, as practised on the light soils in the 
north of England and in Scotland, I shall sliortly describe 
the details connected with the management and cultivation of 
each crop ; and as turnips are the keystone of the system, will 
take this crop first in order. 
Cultivation of Tui'nips on Light Soils, situated in a Moist 
Climate. — The land, an oat stubble, is ploughed in winter as 
deeply as the staple of the soil will admit of. In spring, April 
generally, it is cross-ploughed, and allowed to lie for a fortnight ; 
after which, if the weather is dry, it is thoroughly liarrowed, 
then rolled, and harrowed again. These operations reduce the 
soil to a fine tilth, and if only moderately foul the whole of 
the couch-grass will be lying on the surface, and can be easily 
picked off. If common turnips are to be sown, the land should 
receive another ploughing in May and be harrowed and rolled 
as before, and if any foulness have been left after the first 
working it will now be perfectly extirpated. When the land is 
very clean at first the cross-ploughing may be delayed till May, 
and one furrow and the necessary harrowing and rolling will 
thus be quite sufficient to prepare it for being drilled. On the 
other hand, when very foul, two cross-ploughings, two grubbings, 
and the requisite amount of harrowing and rolling, will be re- 
quired ; but the amount of work is entirely regulated by the 
state of the land, and is greater or less according as the land is 
full of, or free from, couch-grass, which is the principal pest of 
light-land farms. This weed must be got rid of, whatever may be 
the amount of labour required for the purpose, as this is the 
only opportunity in a five-course rotation of making the land 
clean, and of course the success of the other crops depends greatly 
upon the cultivation which the land receives in preparing it for 
green crops. 
As a general rule, land, however clean it may be, cannot be 
brought into a proper state for commencing to sow turnips on 
under two cross-ploughings, or, at the very least, one cross- 
ploughing and one grubbing ; but in all districts where the 
climate is not too dry, a double cross-ploughing in spring is to 
be preferred, because it not only gives a more thorough cultiva- 
tion to the soil than is attained by the use of the grubber or 
cultivator, but it also exposes the particles of soil more com- 
