Farming of Oxfordshire. 
273 
removed. This autumn cleaning is well practised on the light 
lands of the county, and is applicable to all soils. It cannot be 
too higlily commended. At harvest the couch and other weeds 
are not deep in the ground ; the roots are strong, and not so apt 
to break as when they have put forth tender shoots ; but when 
the corn is removed, the couch is stimulated with fresh supplies 
of oxygen, and it begins to send out its roots in all directions. If 
the earth is loosened, its winter progress is checked. Therefore 
in wet seasons simply to scarify the ground is better than 
nothing. If the couch is ploughed in very deeply in this state, on 
moderately stiff soils, the chances are that it will never be seen 
alive again. 
But to return to the cultivation of the clay fallow. The land 
being cleaned in the autumn is then drawn in ridges or baulks, 
27 inches wide, with a double mould-board plough, and is so 
left till the first frost. Then 20 loads of unfermented manure 
are carted on and spread on the ridges. When the frost is gone 
and the land sufficiently dry, the ridges are split and the manure 
covered. Then it is left till April, when, after a light rolling, 
4 or 5 lbs. of mangold seed, steeped 48 hours, are dibbled in 
the top of the ridges, 16 inches apart. If the ridges are objected 
to on account of the lands being rounded or uneven, ploughing 
on the flat may do nearly as well, taking care that the last 
ploughing which covers the dung shall be performed in sufficient 
time to have the furrow-slice well pulverised before it is planted. 
The same plan may be adopted for swedes and early turnips. 
The dressing of dung need not be above half as large ; but some 
guano or other artificial manure ought to be drilled with the seed. 
Of course horse and hand hoeing must be repeated as often as 
required ; and it is a good plan to subsoil between the rows of 
turnips, especially when the land becomes too hard to allow of 
the free use of the hoes. 
In addition to the mangolds, swedes, and turnips, the more 
extended cultivation of the cabbage on clag soils is especiallg re- 
commended. They are Avell adapted for such lands, and furnish 
a very heavy crop of nutritious food. It is a good and cheap, 
but less expeditious, way of restoring fertility to arable clay lands, 
to lay tliem down with grass-seeds and depasture with sheep con- 
fined in hurdles for two or three years. The land is then broken 
up for oats. 
Alter the sheep have finished the second crop of clover there 
■will be some feed on the stubbles, and then they might be folded 
at night on rape and early turnips. But whenever wet sets in, 
the sheep must be removed to a yard or standing-pen, and be 
supplied with roots, &c., till the winds of March or sunshine of 
April dry the ground, when they may venture out to consume 
