Light- Land Farming. 
115 
The Norfolk five-course sliift is not materially different from 
that which is known as the Northumberland rotation. In the 
former county wheat is better adapted to the climate than oats, 
and hence we find the former taking the place of the latter after 
two years' grass, while the other croj)s are exactly the same. This 
rotation is not, however, so well adapted to dry soils situated in 
an arid climate as it is for those where there is jilenty of moisture 
in the air. In the former case the drought burns up the pasture, 
vegetation is checked, and no accumulation of vegetable matter 
takes place in the soil ; in the latter, the constant dampness of the 
air keeps the grass green and growing, however bare it may be 
cropj)ed ; and the formation of root-fibres beneath the surface 
never being checked, the soil, after two years' pasture, wlien 
ploughed up, presents a close network of vegetable fibres, whose 
subsequent decomposition not only fertilises the soil but renders 
it more attractive and retentive of moisture. The light lands on 
the Norfolk sands do not improve in anything like the same 
ratio by pasturage as those of the west of England or Scotland. 
Thus the sand land of Cheshire, which is very similar to that of 
Norfolk, and is also found resting upon marl as in Norfolk, 
forms excellent grazing ground for dairy-cows ; whereas, in the 
eastern county, any attempt to convert this kind of land to the 
same purpose would be ruinously abortive. Hence it is the dif- 
ference of climate that has made the one a corn and root district, 
while the other is mostly in grass. It may be asked why a 
county like Norfolk, producing unimpeachable crops of turnips, 
and enriched thereby, should only yield a small growth of pasture 
grass, which is also considered by some to be rather exhausting 
to the soil than otherwise ? The solution of the anomaly is to 
be found in the fact that the turnip plant, when well manured, 
rapidly developes a large area of leaves, which collect moisture 
from the dews and morning mists even of a very dry atmo- 
sphere, and store it up for use during the heat of the day ; 
whereas the short spikelets of rye-grass and the small leaves of 
the white clover not only collect a much smaller quantity of 
moisture, but it is also much more rapidly evaporated than it is 
Irom the leaves of the turnip or mangold wurzel. The practice 
of agriculture on the light soils of Norfolk is plainly the result 
of natural causes operating for generations in the observations 
and experience of her farmers, and hence has arisen the four- 
course, or Norfolk system of husbandry, so well known as to be 
familiar to every farmer, however limited his researches may 
have been into the agricultural literature of this county. 
The Norfolk farmer wages a continual war with the natural 
disadvantages of the climate : his rotation is, 1st, turnips, 
heavily manured ; 2nd, barley ; 3rd, clover ; 4th, wheat. Half 
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