The Farininy of Chcalnre. 
63 
account of the saving of labour, but because the land is thought 
to turn up drier, and is sooner in order to receive the seed than 
that which has been winter-fallowed. This latter opinion may 
probably have arisen from the careless manner in which the 
winter-fallowing of clay-land is too often performed, the plough- 
man thinking it only necessary to turn over the furrow to the 
depth of 3 or 4 inches, thereby leaving a hollow in the centre of 
each butt for the reception of water, instead of ploughing deep 
enough to give a roundness to the butts, and a depth to the reins 
to draw off the water. The land is usually laid down with the 
oat-ciop, and kept in pasture seven or eight years. On the very 
poor clay-lands, when the clover has disappeared, which is in- 
variably towards the latter end of the second year after sowing, 
the jTasture becomes and continues so poor, for three or four 
years, as to be scarcely worth one quarter of its rent, saying 
nothing about rates and taxes. 
The evil arising from this poverty of the land may be remedied 
by sowing a greater variety of grass-seeds w ith the clover, and the 
application of bone or other manure, the former being decidedly 
preferable. 
A deviation from the foregoing course is frequently practised on the 
better kind of clay-soils — the first crop being oats, then summer-fallow for 
wheat, which is followed by oats and clover. Occasionally the vvheat- 
ci op is succeeded by beans or peas, and the land is again sown with wheat. 
When such is the case, manuring with a compost of soap-waste, or lime 
and ditchings, is generally considered indispensable. The wheat-land is 
either sown with clover in the spring, or another crop of oats is taken, and 
seeds are sown, as in the former instance. On the poor clay-lands, turnips 
or potatoes are seldom attempted, except an acre or two of the former in 
a small field near the farm-house ; and of the latter, barely sufficient for 
the use of the family. 
Another course pursued on poor land, in the Hundred of Broxton, is as 
under : — 
Fallow, wheat, oats, fallow, wheat, oafs, seeds. Lime on fallow is used 
at the rate of 4 tons to the acre. On this estate tiles are offered to the 
tenants on condition that they pay one-half the value. Formerly, no 
charge was made, and the tiles were freely used ; but now the farmers re- 
sort to sod-draining. I need scarcely add that the land just noticed is left 
in a very exhausted state. 
On another farm in the Hundred of Broxton, the course adopted is — 
1. Wheat on grass ley; 2. Oats; 3. Fallow; 4. Wheat ; 5. Clover, ma- 
nured, pastured, and broken up in four or five years. 
Sand-Land Arable Farm. 
There are very few farms of this description in the count}'. 
On one, in the hundred of Eddisbury, consisting of 160 acres, the 
following course is adopted : — 
The grass-sod is ploughed very thin at the latter end of the year; early 
in the spring it is cross-ploughed and harrowed, then well worked with a 
scarifier, and formed into ridges 27 inches apart. Winter potatoes are 
next planted witliout manure, which crop is followed by wheat, generally 
