Farming  of  Gloucestershire. 
131 
determined.  Probably  both  have  a share  in  creating  the  mischief. 
The  sheep  always  have  a pale,  unhealthy  appearance,  altogether 
different  from  the  white  coat  obtained  from  being  on  pasture  land. 
A third  portion  of  this  district,  which  cannot  be  more  accurately 
defined  than  by  enumerating  its  geological  subdivisions,  consists 
of  the  cornbrash,  forest-marble,  and  Bradford  clay.  The  differ- 
ence in  this  land  and  that  immediately  westward,  which  rests  on 
the  Bath  freestone,  arises  from  the  rock  being  in  thin  layers  of  a 
slaty  character,  intermixed  with  thin  beds  of  clayey  marl,  and  the 
beds  of  Bradford  clay,  varying  in  thickness  from  a few  inches  to 
several  feet.  This  causes  it  in  many  places  to  be  very  wet,  and 
to  require  draining,  which,  on  account  of  the  rock  being  so  hard 
and  near  the  surface,  is  expensive.  In  many  places  the  plough 
rubs  along  on  the  surface  of  the  rock,  as  if  on  a pavement.  I 
have  often  been  obliged  to  pay  as  much  as  Is.  6 d.  per  perch  for 
digging  3-feet  drains,  and  have  obtained  from  them  more  stones 
than  were  necessary  to  make  the  drains.  I have  more  than  150 
acres  of  this  kind  of  draining  under  hand  at  the  present  moment. 
The  colour  of  the  soil  varies  from  a pale  brown  to  a brownish 
red,  being  mostly  a very  adhesive  calcareous  clay,  not  often 
scouring  from  the  plough  or  other  implements.  Where  the  soil 
is  thin,  and  having  at  a few  inches  from  the  surface  the  thin 
planky  rock,  it  is  liable  to  burn  in  summer.  This  soil  produces 
good  wheat,  clover,  vetches,  oats,  and  peas ; but  turnips,  barley, 
and  beans  are  uncertain.  The  rotation  of  cropping  is  the  four 
or  five  course,  as  follows: — 
First  Rotation. 
1st  year.  Swedes  or  turnips. 
2nd  „ Barley  or  oats. 
3rd  ,,  Clover  or  rye-grass^  and 
mixed  seeds. 
4th  „ Wheat. 
Second  Rotation. 
1st  year.  Vetches  fed  off  with  sheep 
2nd  „ Barley  or  oats  and  after- 
wards turnips. 
3rd  „ Vetches  or  pulse. 
4th  „ Wheat. 
Third  Rotation. 
1st  year.  Roots. 
2nd  ,,  Wheat. 
3rd  year.  Clover,  cabbage,  vetches 
and  other  green  crops. 
4th  ,,  Wheat. 
Fourth  Rotation. 
1st  year.  Swedes  or  turnips. 
2nd  „ Barley  or  oats. 
3rd  ,,  Mixed  seeds  mown  for 
bay. 
4th  „ Ditto,  fed. 
5th  ,,  Wheat. 
Fifth  Rotation. 
1st  year.  Roots. 
2nd  „ Barley  or  oats. 
3rd  „ Seeds. 
4th  „ Wheat. 
5th  „ Pulse  or  vetches  for  seed. 
It  is  only  where  high  farming  has  been  followed,  by  consuming 
corn,  cake,  or  seeds,  with  the  roots  or  other  produce,  that  wheat 
has  been  planted  every  other  year.  The  practice  of  following  the 
roots  with  wheat,  where  the  four-field  course  is  adopted,  is  not 
to  be  recommended  as  a general  practice,  unless  on  good  soils, 
well  cultivated  and  highly  manured.  Wheat  every  other  year 
K 2 
