20 
Agriculture of Berkshire. 
county ; but as the land from continual planting has in many in- 
stances become clover-sick, it cannot be relied on oftener than once 
in eight years, and on some land once in twelve years. Wliere the 
field is not f)f one uniform description of soil, the following mix- 
ture is often found to fill up those spots where the clover will not 
grow, 10 lbs. red clover, 3 lbs. white, 3 lbs. trefoil, per acre. 
On those soils where the first-named five-course system is carried 
out, white clover is alternated with the red, so that the latter 
does not come in more than once in ten years : where the four- 
course and the second-named five-course system is adopted, one- 
half of the field being planted with beans or peas, the necessity 
of sowing oftener is obviated, and on most of these farms there 
is a considerable quantity of meadow. 
Trifolium and Italian rye-grass are grown in small quantities 
for early feed, or for cutting up for cattle. Cow-grass is also 
grown as green food for cattle, and produces extraordinary crops, 
coming in after the clover and other grasses are gone by ; a few 
acres are much valued in July and part of August.* On the 
lighter soils and poor hills mixed seeds with rye-grass are sown, 
not from choice, but necessity ; for on these hills it is a question 
of hay or no hay. Rye-grass makes good hay when cut young 
enough, but this is seldom done ; consequently the quality is 
greatly deteriorated by the first storm of rain it takes. 
Of all the layers there is none so valuable to the farmer on the 
chalk as sainfoin, and none that he can so well depend upon in 
dry seasons for a crop : there is much diversity of opinion as to 
the period it should be allowed to remain down. Mavor in his 
Report speaks of it as lasting for nine or ten years, and of then 
getting rid of it by paring and burning, a process now con- 
sidered objectionable. I believe most farmers have come to the 
conclusion that only four crops should be taken ; a few still con- 
tend that so long as it will grow 1 ton of hay per acre it should 
not be broken up. My impression is that four crops are one too 
many, and in this opinion 1 am borne out by some of the most 
practical men, on whose judgment I much rely. Most of the 
large farmers in the chalk district never keep less than sixty 
acres down, and some considerably more ; so that if only three 
crops are taken by laying down twenty acres and breaking up 
twenty every year, there are always sixty acres to cut, although 
the first year it is generally allowed to seed. The advantages of 
taking three crops only are obvious ; the land never gets foul, 
and, by being manured in the winter for the last crop, it requires 
once ploughing for wheat, and can be treated the same as the 
o':her clover-leys. From my own experience I can say that, in 
* Lucerne and Holcus saccharatus are cultivated in small plots, but not to suffi- 
cient extent to require a lengthened notice. 
