512 
On the Advantages and Disadvantages of 
and the northern counties, the usual four-field, or four-course 
and shift, has long prevailed, i, e. fallows well worked, manured 
with fold-yard dung, and sown to turnips with bones, and chiefly 
on ridges twenty-five to twenty-seven inches apart, to be fed off. 
Second year, barley ; third, grass seeds, or clover, in alternate 
courses ; foui'th, wheat. By this plan the clover is only sown 
every eighth year ; the grass seeds to be fed oft, the clover mown 
for hay. This rotation will ensure both cleanliness and fertility. 
In many districts the grass seeds are allowed to stand two years; 
latterly many of these soils have been sown to wheat after tur- 
nips, which have been either fed or carted off in November. 
After the wheat, clover, followed by wheat again, or grass seeds 
instead of the clover in the alternate course, followed by wheat. 
Beans or peas are occasionally taken after the seeds or the clover, 
and then wheat ; tares or sanfoin may also intervene. These and 
many other deviations from long accustomed practice have been 
found to answer. The great thing is to keep within due bounds, 
so as to prevent exhaustion of the soil on the one hand, or too 
close an approximation of the same or similar crops on the other ; 
and every intelligent farmer is, or ought to be, a competent judge 
of these matters. A slavish adherence to any one course of 
cropping or procedure in culture or manuring, being a limitation 
of skill and enterprise, is not judicious. Extra culture or manage- 
ment ought and will produce extra benefit, so that, with common 
attention and care, the better the culture the more numerous and 
profitable the crops. In the cultivation of these soils attention 
ought to be more directed to the use of proper implements ; from 
their light texture it cannot be at all times requisite to use the 
plough. The writer has seen the old Kentish turn-wrest, drawn 
by four horses, at work in skeleton or broad-share ploughing very 
liffht land. This must be unnecessary ; a small skeleton-plough, 
drawn by one horse, would be nearly as effective, and would on 
these soils be amply sufficient, with light scarifying, to prepare 
them for beans or peas, which, being taprooted plants, will find 
plenty of nutritive food without deep ploughing ; and as the seeds 
and roots of weeds are thus kept on the surface, it facilitates the 
growth of the seeds, and the picking off the roots. The U. L. 
plough, manufactured by the Messrs. Ransome, is admirably 
adapted for this purpose, and for the many other uses connected 
with trench-ploughing, or row and ridge culture. The skeleton- 
plough would on such lands be very effective as a preparation 
for wheat. By its means a thorough pulverization may be ob- 
tained without disturbuig the subsoil, an<l liuis leave for the wheat- 
plant a firm bottom, which is so essential to its yield and quality. 
In the application of manure to these soils great care ought to 
be observed. The dressings should be frequent, and on no 
