26 
On the Farming of Essex. 
upon that portion is best effected in the latter part of the summer, 
w hilst the fallowing for the early turnips requires the full force of 
the farm to prepare the soil for their reception ; and also as regards 
the manure, a portion can be reserved for the grain crops ; and 
the successful result of a well filled stack-yard is better secured by 
ha\ing some clean fallowed lands for barley, as well as by giving a 
better opportunity to eradicate couch or twitch grass, and other 
root-weeds, especially thistles, so prevalent in the soils of this 
county; and whatever theorists may affirm to the contrary, it is 
impossible to farm land so profitably in anv other way, as by de- 
voting a portion to thorough-draining and fallowing in each sum- 
mer : the land is inyigorated by the continual exposure to the air, 
and will produce as much under this rotation as can be produced 
by any other mode, however expensively it may be carried out. 
The writer of this article has through many years made, as well as 
seen, repeated experiments to supersede fallows entirely with 
green crops, but believes it as impcjssible to succeed without them 
upon this soil, as for the animal powers to be kept always in full 
operation without sufficiency of time allowed for their renovation. 
The subsoils of Essex perhaps are more prolific of root-weeds 
than those of many other counties, chalk excepted. The common 
thistle, the bind weed, or, as it is termed, sheep-bine, a species of 
thistle, called gut-weed, and couch or quitch grass, exist in the 
subsoil to a degree, that it is absolutely necessary, for their eradi- 
cation, that an exposure in summer, by repeated ploughings and 
scarifvings, should take place, and this can only be effectual in the 
early spring and summer months whilst vegetation is rapidly pro- 
ceeding ; and although much may be effected in the autumnal months 
towards their eradication, it cannot be effectually performed after 
the grain crops are removed : the roots ha\"ing at that period be- 
come hardened, and containing more woody fibre, and the sun 
daily losing power, the moisture is retained in a greater degree, so 
as to baffle the efforts of the farmer to eradicate them. The suc- 
cession of grain crops, in alternate years, is of sufficient frequency 
to ensure success, and to allow the land to be kept up to its pro- 
ducing point; and as upon lighter soils excellent crops of turnips, 
can be obtained upon the fallowed land, equal in value to the infe- 
rior grain crops, no other system, I am convinced, can be adapted 
better to tLe cultivation of these descriptions of soil than that 
which is at present followed and is secured by conditions in most 
of our leases. 
The expending of the turnips in many instances is imperfectly 
carried out; and it is upon the larger occupations only that they 
are turned to the best account, either bv sheep-feeding one por- 
tion upon the land with corn or oil -cake, or by consuming the 
remainder in yards with bullocks or cows. 
