Farming of Cornwall. 
437 
tive powers of the soil ; but I should anticipate a hundred- fold 
greater improvements in Cornwall within the next fourteen years, 
if the landlords, " one and all," would adopt a better system in 
their leases. This was the practice of Mr. Coke, of Norfolk, 
afterwards Lord Leicester, who found, when he came into the 
possession of his property, that none of his lands would grow 
wheat ; and some of it was refused at 5s. per acre. The Nor- 
folk system at that time was to take two, and in some cases three, 
corn-crops in succession. After several years he succeeded in 
overcoming the prejudices of the farmers, and in introducing the 
white and green crop system, now called the " Norfolk system of 
husbandry ;" and he lived to see those same lands, by good 
management, average from 32 to 40 bushels of wheat per acre. 
At the present time the larger portion of the estates in Norfolk 
are let for 21 years, and the term of the lease generally binds 
the tenant to follow the " four-course system ; " no material 
variation being made without permission. 
56. The Norfolk system of husbandly might be successfully 
introduced on most of our best farms where capital is not wanting; 
but the want of this essential requisite would prove an insur- 
mountable obstacle to its general .adoption in Cornwall : in addi- 
tion to which there is not one-twentieth of farm buildings adapted 
to the carrying out such a rotation. A greater breadth of green- 
crops would be cultivated than is now grown on any farm in the 
county, a greater number of cattle would be kept to consume 
them, and suitable buildings would be required to feed them : 
and as the food increases, so would the farm -yard manure, which 
also would require receptacles to be preserved in. The green 
crop must, therefore, be proportionate to the white crop, and the 
cattle to the green crop. 
.57. The convertible sy stern of hiisbaiidry is the one which will 
best suit the Cornish farmers, and their means, at the present time. 
In this system, the ground, after being laid down to grass for two, 
three, or more years, is broken up and sown with different species 
of corn, intermixed with green crops, after which it is again laid 
down to grass. The custom of allowing the land to remain three 
years in grass, need not be pursued under this method of hus- 
bandry, as it might be safely broken the second year. 
I could adduce the names of some of the best farmers in 
the county who pursue this rotation ; and, indeed, the landlords 
themselves, who farm any part of their estates, nearly all of them 
practise this method of farinmg, and these are the farms which were 
alluded to at the commencement of this ' Rejiort,' as being " ex- 
amples of skilful cultivation, which may be seen dispersed over 
the surface of the county, that would not disgrace the best cul- 
tivated district in Britain." A great deal of bad farming in 
